The Top 3 Weight Loss Challenge for Long Distance Hikers

One thing I agonize over is watching hikers lugging pounds of gear in backpacks and having a miserable time. They struggle along a trail that is supposed to invigorate them. This is especially true of those beginning their AT adventure come springtime at Springer Mountain in Georgia. A good many quit by the time they get to Neels Gap.

I know. I was one who lugged heavy gear for nearly half the trail.

Finding the right kind of gear to do a long distance hike can be a challenge. While I once accumulated gear in an attempt to have what I needed for my first AT long distance hike, I realized more and more through hiking info web sites, forums, and getting out there for weekends with sore aching muscles and back the necessity of going lighter. The need to get your pack weight down as much as possible so the hike is less painful and more enjoyable. So that has meant revamping the gear list of the big three.

The gear I had hoped to hike the AT with would have been -

Lowes backpack - 6 lbs
Kelty Zen Tent - 4 lbs
Marmot synthetic sleeping bag 15 degree - 3 pounds, 5 oz

Total: close to 14 lbs with the stuff sacks, etc.

The pack I began with at Springer in '07

The pack. I was given the Lowes Alpamayo for a Christmas gift. How can one say no to a thoughtful person who is trying to be helpful in supplying gear for your dream? I thought this was the pack I needed. I did carry it for part of the hike, but it became increasingly tough to haul, and it hurt like crazy. A few times I wanted to quit. Not good! Eventually I reduced the weight by close to 3 lbs and went with a Gregory Jade. Now I have reduced it even further to my pack of choice - the ULA Catalyst.


The sleeping bag. My synthetic Marmot sleeping bag I carried for the first part of my AT hike was a large monster. It was synthetic as I had heard horror stories of wet down bags putting your life in danger. If you take care of your bag by putting it in a good dry bag (check out the Z packs line of waterproof cuben fiber ones to reduce weight and while you are at it, get a liner for your pack too), you can carry a down bag that will make it through the nastiest rain. And take off 1.5 pounds for a 15 degree bag. I've used Montbell and Marmot and Western Mountaineering. Much depends on your budget (they can get whopping pricey), but I think saving money to reduce weight if hiking is your passion is a good investment. Check out used gear forums for those selling, you can save a lot.

What about tents? When I got my Kelty Zen, it was one of the lightest weight backpacking tents out there. Ten years ago. Now with sil nylon and the way manufacturers are cutting out weight on tents with lighter fabrics and pole technology, it is a thing of the past. I now have a 2 man double wall tent that weighs just over 2 lbs in the Big Agnes Flycreek UL 2. There are also tents with single wall and cuben fiber fabric that makes them even lighter. See my blog on tents for the differences in fabric and single vs double all tents.
 

My Flycreek UL 2

So what is my new weight totals for the big three?

ULA Catalyst backpack (small) - 2.7
Marmot Helium down bag (3 season) - 2.6
Big Agnes Flycreek UL 2 tent - 2 lbs

Total: 7.3 pounds

Savings - over 6 pounds

Wow that feels a lot better on my shoulders, back and legs.... Worth the effort and the investment for a good time.

Tents!

A crucial part of a backpacker’s repertoire, a good backpacking tent is a worthy investment for a memorable trip out in the elements, especially if the forecast is not ideal or just for that great camping experience in a chosen setting. 

Tents come in many varieties, shapes, sizes and weight to suit a hiker’s need. They can be freestanding, nonfreestanding, double wall, single wall, and made of different fabrics like ripstop nylon or silnylon and also cuben fiber.

Tents galore set up in Thru Hiking Season - here at Locust Cove Gap, NC

Ripstop nylon is a nylon fabric woven in a specific way to give it durability and strength, and can be a variety of thicknesses. Most of the high quality tents made of this material are already factory taped and sealed, meaning they do not need additional seam sealing. Cheaper tents that are not factory sealed should be sealed with a traditional tent sealer.

Silnylon is an ultralight, waterproof fabric made of a combination of silicone impregnated nylon. It’s durable, and waterproof, but best of all, extremely lightweight. Tents made of this fabric need to be seam sealed with silicone-based sealer (like Silnet) along the seams. Some manufacturers of silnylon tents will seam seal it for you, and I believe the price is well worth it. 

Having tried to seam seal my own tent with mixed results, having it done professionally and without the hassle is worth the extra price.

Cuben Fiber Tent - from Lightheart Gear

Some manufacturers are also moving toward cuben fiber tents, make of a fabric that is tough and waterproof polyethylene, but ultralight and rather expensive.

A freestanding tent means the tent will stand alone with just its poles. These tents can be staked into the ground if the weather warrants it. Freestanding makes these tents good to use in foul weather for their ease in set up, in stony or hard packed terrain, and on tent platforms. Freestanding tents can be single or double wall, but usually they are double wall, meaning they have a tent body and then a rainfly that goes over the top. This assists in keeping condensation to a minimum.

Examples of freestanding tents – MSR Hubba, Big Agnes Flycreek, cheaper tents by Eureka 
 

My older model Hubba. Style is the same but it is now in green.

 

Non freestanding means the tent must be staked out –usually first, and the poles inserted before it will stand alone. Many of the silnylon ultralight tents are non-freestanding and have a way that you can also use your hiking poles as the main tent poles to further reduce pack weight. They are good for weight in that you can buy a two person tent for the cost and weight of a one person freestanding tent and have extra room to spread out. They can be a challenge to erect in harsh weather and on rough terrain. If using them with areas that utilize tent platforms, be sure to carry extra guidelines and even a few eyelet rings so that you can anchor the tent corners to the platform (stones can also work as anchor points). Silnylon tents are usually single wall tents – meaning just a tent but with sufficient no-see-um netting to allow moisture to escape, but there can be condensation issues with this type in heavy humidity.

Examples of non-freestanding tents – Lightheart Gear Solo, Henry Shire’s Tarptent, Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

LightHeart Gear Solong

To protect the tent floor, it is not necessary to sink money into an extra tent footprint. A piece of Tyvek or similar type cloth, cut into the dimensions of your tent, works just as well and is much lighter to carry and dry out.

Related Gear Blogs:
The House on your Back
Rain - Part of a Hiker's Life
That Beacon of Light
Staying Warm at Night

Gear Time - What's on Your List?

Each year I put up a sample listing of gear you might consider either shopping for or putting on your gift list for that hike coming up in the spring / summer. 
This is last year's gear list for a sample spring long distance hike. 

Here are some top out-of-the-way interesting items for a gear list this year that I either tried or saw.

On my seat cushion on the hard rock of Tinker Cliff

Thermarest seat cushion - I use it EVERY year on EVERY hike.  OK it's a luxury item sure, but it sure feels better than sitting on rocks, the hard ground or a shelter floor. It also doubles as a way to kneel while putting gear in your tent or under your sleeping pad to raise either your head or feet.







The new thru hiker fad this year - the Sawyer Squeeze Filter. Working as a ridgerunner, I saw a gazillion of hikers using them to filter their water. There are drawbacks to the system, however. It requires you to squeeze on bottle, and many told me the bottles that come with the squeeze do not hold up. Hikers did use the Playtpus bottles, but after a time. even these showed signs of wear and tear. And the squeeze filter does not take out viruses.

The rain skirt or rain wrap. New for me this year was a rain skirt for summer hiking. I found it worked well keeping water out of my hiking shorts etc, so my backside did not get wet. Mine came for Lightheart Gear and while not cheap, kept me dry through a very wet summer in Shenandoah National Park.  

Solong tent with awning.

A new tenting option for me this year was the Lightheart Gear Solong. Perfect for those who want the luxury of space as well as an awning, this tent performed well in rain and condensation was at a minimal, esp. when the awning is set up. I even had it in some stiff wind and it did not collapse. However this is NOT a freestanding tent, meaning you must stake it out first and then set it up. I bought the tent poles for it (though it can be set up with hiking poles - I just didn't want my dirty, poison ivy infested poles inside my tent) and the awning pole must be bought separately (kind of a bummer). Also, I strongly encourage you to have Judy seam seal it. I gave it my best and failed at it. So have it professionally done.  

So these are some new gear tries for the season. If you have any other gear you have found useful, let me know in the comments.