My wife and I were just talking about your trip and had a question related to gear. You shipped a bunch of stuff back and forth. Have you analyzed your shipping costs vs just buying things locally? Is shipping stuff back and forth worth it?
I fit everything I was shipping in priority mail flat rate boxes. The cost of buying anything at the very few decent outfitters on trail would be quite expensive. Most of the time I shipped stuff with my food boxes. I think I only sent gear back 4-5 times on trail and 2 of those were to get swap out shoes/bear cannister.
Great videos. Love following along. I do have a question though. For your AT thru, you used a hammock the whole way. For the PCT you use the tent. If you had to do the AT again, would you use a hammock or a tent? And of course, why?
The same thing happened with the zippers on my Hammock Gear Hammock bug net. I messed it up somehow and now it won't zip closed, and the net is so delicate I'm afraid of tearing it. Nice video
I carried a 20 degree quilt. Was nervous about that so I added Enlightened Equipment down pants and had of course, my puffy. Slept in those a very few nights. Mostly the 25 degree was fine.
Great video. It answered a lot of my questions. Have you discussed your abrasion issues with Lite AF? Curious of their response. Their packs are not cheap and I would expect the materials they pick to be tougher for the money.
I work with LiteAF quite a bit to provide feedback on their products. As I said I recommend staying away from Ultra fabrics until more testing is done. I've specifically had not great experiences with Ultra 200 black (now completely redesigned) and EPXL.
*BV 475 Is the bear can you have. It isn't on the approved list but it is a non-issue when it is the exact same as the others in the Bear Vault line other than capacity. And not on the approved only because it is new and regulatory bodies are slow to update that stuff.
Awesome, thanks for the breakdown of your gear. I really like the analysis of the Light AF backpack. I'm looking at that pack and I appreciate your honest opinion about the material the pack was made out of. I definitely want load lifters so I'd probably go with the 46L. Any idea what your max weight was on the trip?
I want to say when I carried 7 days of food and a bear can it was probably upwards of 30 but not higher than 40lbs. Most times it was around 20-25lbs and was very comfortable.
Great Video Jason!! If you could go back in time to your AT Hike, would you use the Ursack there? Or, keep the weight down using your DCF Food Bag? I am getting ready for my 2025 AT hike and am super stoked! Keep it up and THANKS!!
I have the same pack but it’s the 46l one. I got mine made in the xpac material. Did some nasty bushwhacking with it. Still looks brand new. Not even a scuff mark.
Can you talk about tent staking? I have a Zpacks Duplex, and I had it blow down on me during a bad storm. Any tips on preventing that in the future? Thanks!
Good advice about the nylofume. I did that for the JMT, liner and groundsheet. Didn’t hold up. Didn’t need it to, if I did it would have been an issue.
I've had experience with Ultra 200 and now ecopak. The Ultra 200 was part of the bad batch of black fabric sent out and delaminated on the inside after a few months of use weekend backpacking, and the EPXL got abraised too easily. I'm kinda over Ultra as a material but it's good to hear you had success with it. For now I'm going back to xpack and DCF.
I use a ursack and a odor proof liner. I live in Washington I hike in the Cascades all year long. That’s what I use on a backpacking trip never fails. I mainly use it because of the mice not the bears.
Just normal single wall tent condensation. This tent is better than the Plexamid (previous version) for condensation. With that being said I slept with at least 1 door open each night unless it was very windy or cold.
Unfortunately that is most people’s experience. I live in Washington. It rains a lot and any time you camp near a lake you can get condensation inside your tent. I want a fancy tent but can never justify the cost of Im going to be wet. I have a free standing double wall. Heavy 3lbs. I just can’t part from it. 😂 I’m glad it worked well for you. I really enjoyed watching your videos .
A grizzly would use that tree you tied your bear bag to as a toothpick lol @11:00 What was the weirdest or most unique piece of gear you saw someone using out there?
Good point but at this point the integrity of the metal at the top is looking a little rough from pounding them with rocks. I'll probably just bring 1 extra stake until they all fail.
Try sleeping on your tensor ON your mattress. I do it and I sleep way better. I'm thinking of getting a double for my bed so the dogs fit on it too. My rapide has held up over at least 150 nights and with my dogs walking on it..I keep it covered, but one of them dug on it during a storm a bit, but it's still fine. They are 40 pound dogs...a bit larger than beagles. One is a beagle-heeler. I also listen to stuff like outdoor disasters to go to sleep. It's super common, apparently, with insomniacs, but you could do nature docs, too. Listening to and matching my boyfriend's breathing helped when I couldn't have the TV on. Try not drinking caffeine after noon. Try drinking coffee before bed. Hot coffee before bed is my favorite thing when camping. Just try it on a weekend so that if it doesn't work, you're not all sleep deprived at work the next day. Thanks for this.
But a couple years ago the material manufacturer had a problem with their black ultra 200 delaminating so I'm a bit hesitant to recommend anything from Challenge Sailcloth at this point. I haver several LiteAF packs.
Several reports of failures on the Long Trails this year though... Not just LiteAF packs but various manufacturers, the common denominator being Ultra fabrics.
@@dcaudwell Do you know what the specific failures were and what Ultra fabrics were being used? There were probably several reports of failures on every leading pack fabric this past year on the long trails :)
@@masonkimble2006 There are several threads and other random mentions of this on r/ultralight. From what I remember this was Ultra 200 with delamination issues on back panels and also involving roll-tops.
Have had Nothing but problems out of Nemo sleeping pads. Always their valves. And they don’t hold up to their warranty. Disappointing because they Are comfy.
@ yeah couldn’t tell ya. Everyone else’s has. Still the ol tried and true NeoAir Xlite for winter and Big Agnes Zoom UL for summer. The Zoom’s great though. Hope you enjoyed yourself. 🙂
My wife and I were just talking about your trip and had a question related to gear. You shipped a bunch of stuff back and forth. Have you analyzed your shipping costs vs just buying things locally? Is shipping stuff back and forth worth it?
I fit everything I was shipping in priority mail flat rate boxes. The cost of buying anything at the very few decent outfitters on trail would be quite expensive. Most of the time I shipped stuff with my food boxes. I think I only sent gear back 4-5 times on trail and 2 of those were to get swap out shoes/bear cannister.
Love the shirt 👍🏼
I am a huge fan of the VX21 my SMD Swift X is made of. Not the lightest material but it very good when it comes to abrasion resistance.
Great videos. Love following along. I do have a question though. For your AT thru, you used a hammock the whole way. For the PCT you use the tent. If you had to do the AT again, would you use a hammock or a tent? And of course, why?
The same thing happened with the zippers on my Hammock Gear Hammock bug net. I messed it up somehow and now it won't zip closed, and the net is so delicate I'm afraid of tearing it. Nice video
Excellent review Jason. 👍
I carried a 20 degree quilt. Was nervous about that so I added Enlightened Equipment down pants and had of course, my puffy. Slept in those a very few nights. Mostly the 25 degree was fine.
Ecopak is well known to be less resiliant to abrasion than ultra, hence its cheaper
Great video. It answered a lot of my questions. Have you discussed your abrasion issues with Lite AF? Curious of their response. Their packs are not cheap and I would expect the materials they pick to be tougher for the money.
I work with LiteAF quite a bit to provide feedback on their products. As I said I recommend staying away from Ultra fabrics until more testing is done. I've specifically had not great experiences with Ultra 200 black (now completely redesigned) and EPXL.
*BV 475 Is the bear can you have.
It isn't on the approved list but it is a non-issue when it is the exact same as the others in the Bear Vault line other than capacity. And not on the approved only because it is new and regulatory bodies are slow to update that stuff.
Yes ty! I'll update the video description with the info.
Nice review buddy. Hope all is well with you!😊😊
Awesome, thanks for the breakdown of your gear. I really like the analysis of the Light AF backpack. I'm looking at that pack and I appreciate your honest opinion about the material the pack was made out of. I definitely want load lifters so I'd probably go with the 46L. Any idea what your max weight was on the trip?
I want to say when I carried 7 days of food and a bear can it was probably upwards of 30 but not higher than 40lbs. Most times it was around 20-25lbs and was very comfortable.
Great Video Jason!! If you could go back in time to your AT Hike, would you use the Ursack there? Or, keep the weight down using your DCF Food Bag? I am getting ready for my 2025 AT hike and am super stoked! Keep it up and THANKS!!
Nah I'd keep the DCF bag. I would suggest you learn the PCT style hang if you don't already know it.
I have the same pack but it’s the 46l one. I got mine made in the xpac material. Did some nasty bushwhacking with it. Still looks brand new. Not even a scuff mark.
Can you talk about tent staking? I have a Zpacks Duplex, and I had it blow down on me during a bad storm. Any tips on preventing that in the future? Thanks!
Good stuff dude!
Thanks Devin!
Good advice about the nylofume. I did that for the JMT, liner and groundsheet. Didn’t hold up. Didn’t need it to, if I did it would have been an issue.
Another great review Frozen! I didn't realize how big your pillow was until you held it up.
Yea it's huge and really light. Best one I've found so far without having to stack pillows or clothes underneath.
Haha got that same shirt. Also have the same air mattress love it.
Thank you so much for all of this useful information. On your entire PCT hike, how many times did it rain on you?
Not a lot, maybe 2 hours during the day and a few drizzles at night.
I love Ultra material. Maybe the issue is that yours is recycled ? I have two ultra packs with two different companies. Both are great.
I've had experience with Ultra 200 and now ecopak. The Ultra 200 was part of the bad batch of black fabric sent out and delaminated on the inside after a few months of use weekend backpacking, and the EPXL got abraised too easily. I'm kinda over Ultra as a material but it's good to hear you had success with it. For now I'm going back to xpack and DCF.
I use a ursack and a odor proof liner. I live in Washington I hike in the Cascades all year long. That’s what I use on a backpacking trip never fails. I mainly use it because of the mice not the bears.
What up dog? Any plans in the future of hitting the Cranberry area in WV again?
Yes I just need to get some PTO back at work to plan another trip. Probably next year I'll get out again.
You didn’t have any condensation problems with your tent?
Just normal single wall tent condensation. This tent is better than the Plexamid (previous version) for condensation. With that being said I slept with at least 1 door open each night unless it was very windy or cold.
Unfortunately that is most people’s experience. I live in Washington. It rains a lot and any time you camp near a lake you can get condensation inside your tent. I want a fancy tent but can never justify the cost of Im going to be wet. I have a free standing double wall. Heavy 3lbs. I just can’t part from it. 😂 I’m glad it worked well for you. I really enjoyed watching your videos .
Wondering, will you carry a hammock when you go back in 2026 or stick with the tent?
Probably finish it out with a tent but I'll be using just my hammock on future trips leading up to 2026
Hey I may have missed it for your pct 2024 but was what your start date?
Also would you choose a later or sooner if you could?
April 12th
Later to avoid slowdowns in the Sierra
@@FrozensAdventures how much later lol
@@FrozensAdventures and thanks for the quick responses!
A grizzly would use that tree you tied your bear bag to as a toothpick lol @11:00
What was the weirdest or most unique piece of gear you saw someone using out there?
A flute. She was on leave from a broadway music and out doing a long section of trail. Got quite the serenade over dinner one night.
Use a file to refurbish your stakes😮
It's 10 seconds on a grinder and sharper than new
Good point but at this point the integrity of the metal at the top is looking a little rough from pounding them with rocks. I'll probably just bring 1 extra stake until they all fail.
What was your max / mid / average weight?
Max was probably around 35 lbs (I carried 8 days into the Sierra), but averaged about 25 I'd say with food and water.
@ that what I figured. Appreciate everything and keep up the good work
Try sleeping on your tensor ON your mattress. I do it and I sleep way better. I'm thinking of getting a double for my bed so the dogs fit on it too. My rapide has held up over at least 150 nights and with my dogs walking on it..I keep it covered, but one of them dug on it during a storm a bit, but it's still fine. They are 40 pound dogs...a bit larger than beagles. One is a beagle-heeler.
I also listen to stuff like outdoor disasters to go to sleep. It's super common, apparently, with insomniacs, but you could do nature docs, too. Listening to and matching my boyfriend's breathing helped when I couldn't have the TV on.
Try not drinking caffeine after noon. Try drinking coffee before bed. Hot coffee before bed is my favorite thing when camping. Just try it on a weekend so that if it doesn't work, you're not all sleep deprived at work the next day.
Thanks for this.
I'm sure my wife would kill me lol
LiteAF offers Ultra. Super tough and water resistant.
But a couple years ago the material manufacturer had a problem with their black ultra 200 delaminating so I'm a bit hesitant to recommend anything from Challenge Sailcloth at this point. I haver several LiteAF packs.
Several reports of failures on the Long Trails this year though... Not just LiteAF packs but various manufacturers, the common denominator being Ultra fabrics.
@@dcaudwell Do you know what the specific failures were and what Ultra fabrics were being used? There were probably several reports of failures on every leading pack fabric this past year on the long trails :)
@@masonkimble2006 There are several threads and other random mentions of this on r/ultralight. From what I remember this was Ultra 200 with delamination issues on back panels and also involving roll-tops.
Yes it was a bad batch of ultra 200 black. I did a review on that very fabric and it failed pretty bad after only a few weekend backpacking trips.
What's up frozen?
Lots of stuff! Got a lot of house and work projects happening right now! How are you?
@FrozensAdventures great Minnesota snow as of this morning. Winter came on Halloween 🙃. Stay safe we will keep eye out for your videos.
Have had Nothing but problems out of Nemo sleeping pads. Always their valves. And they don’t hold up to their warranty. Disappointing because they Are comfy.
That's surprising, all 3 of mine have held up great.
@ yeah couldn’t tell ya. Everyone else’s has. Still the ol tried and true NeoAir Xlite for winter and Big Agnes Zoom UL for summer. The Zoom’s great though. Hope you enjoyed yourself. 🙂