4 ms·

Some of the most loved small manufacturers for UL backpacking gear to look into: Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, Tarptent, Western Mountaineering, Enlig

Some of the most loved small manufacturers for UL backpacking gear to look into: Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear, Tarptent, Western Mountaineering, Enlightened Equipment, ULA, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, ZPacks, McHale Packs (all custom). There are a lot more that I missed, but that should set you in the right direction. Here are some of the most essential items for my setup (tested for ~2000 miles in various conditions, like the PCT/AT): - HMG Windrider 3400 backpack (“just works” better than any other UL pack I have used) - ZPacks 20F sleeping bag (hoodless is great!) - Patagonia Houdini wind jacket (extremely versatile layer) - Patagonia sun hoody (essential for skin protection, in my opinion) - Uniqlo Heattech extra warm leggings (the greatest clothing item of all time) + Uniqlo down hoody jacket - Fleece pullover hoody (almost any will do—comfort/extra warm item). - Thermarest Neoair - Gossamer Gear 1/8” EVA foam sleeping pad for protecting the Neoair and a zillion other uses (e.g. yoga/picnic/door mat, makeshift rain skirt) - Tyvek groundsheet (cheap, indestructible, waterproof, becomes buttery soft over time) - Carbon fiber trekking poles (the ones from Costco are cheap/good) - AquaMira water treatment drops (the Sawyer squeeze filters deliver fresh filtered water, but they break/leak constantly) - 2x 1L Smartwater bottles + a 2L Platypus bag - MLD Patrol tarp with an inner tent or bivy (like this: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791 http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=522791). That’s about 16.0 oz (incl. good stakes) for a versatile and storm-worthy(ish) double wall setup.

jkubicek 5y ago
A friend gifted me his Uniqlo down jacket (I guess he bought the wrong size and they're cheap enough he didn't bother to return it). It was wonderful and I swore that I'd replace it with a proper down jacket as soon as it wore out. It never freakin wore out. I wore that jacket on all my trips for years and it stood up to everything just fine. Also, my Patagonia sun hoodie is my favorite clothing item I own. I wore it for a week in the Mojave earlier this spring. I was cool and comfortable the entire week and didn't even get a tan on my arms, let alone a burn.

jkubicek 5y ago

A friend gifted me his Uniqlo down jacket (I guess he bought the wrong size and they're cheap enough he didn't bother to return it). It was wonderful and I swore that I'd replace it with a proper down jacket as soon as it wore out. It never freakin wore out. I wore that jacket on all my trips for years and it stood up to everything just fine. Also, my Patagonia sun hoodie is my favorite clothing item I own. I wore it for a week in the Mojave earlier this spring. I was cool and comfortable the entire week and didn't even get a tan on my arms, let alone a burn.