LB nails the issues for US winter thrus and discusses some lesser-known trails.
Unknown baseweight in an HMG Southwest 5400 vs. ~7 lb baseweight + way too much food in a NashvillePack Cutaway. The HMG’s owner was moving slower than expected and was making plans to complete the trail the next year, the Cutaway’s owner finished the trail in under 100 days.
Love the idea of a place so extraordinary that you return again and again, building your experience and honing your approach.
Happy November everyone! Anyone got any trips lined up? Wish I did! Recently I’ve convinced my SO that UL isn’t crazy and got them to try a 14 oz frameless pack, and we're awaiting a ~22 oz sleeping bag I snagged on sale from REI. Now we just need a 2 person tent that isn’t a Duplex...
A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post. What’s up?
SO jogs in Brooks so tried Cascadias and liked them, though to be fair we haven’t done anything too gnarly yet.
Pack was sewn by me, it’s an imperfect clone of an MLD Burn in spiffy new Challenge UltraGrid fabric. My new off-season hobby it seems. Pack came out pretty well though I always see the imperfections in it.
I agree a smartphone camera is perfectly good (I took a bunch of photos on the PCT I really liked with an iPhone) but SO is passionate about photography and full camera is non-negotiable at this point. SO carried 3 heavy-ass lenses this time but is interested in dialing it down to 1 do-it-all lense, though apparently they’re expensive.
Can’t wait to hear about CINP! 👍
Overall it went well; SO tried trail runners for the first time and found them comfortable. Trying a frameless pack, initially SO was frustrated that pack body was annoying to access. Repacked pack so that frequently-accessed items sat outside and were easy to access but still secure — this worked. Second change is going to be streamlining camera kit by consolidating lenses and mounting the camera permanently on shoulder strap, hoping a Peak Design capture clip does the job. Tried to go a step further by convincing SO that iPhone camera is enough but this proved to be non-negotiable 😅
Glad to hear you are feeling better and congrats on your speed record 😀👍
Channel Islands NP
I know almost nothing about Channel Islands, tell me about it!
got back from Asheville, NC and GSMNP, everything went really well. trip was really more about reconnecting with a friend and my SO dipping her toe into the ultralight world; but anytime one can visit a NP it’s special. will write up a teeny tiny trip report when I sort through the pictures. how are y’all doin?
Jack’s trip is extraordinary, he did a ton of research, assembled a good kit and even made some of his own gear before taking a leap of faith traveling across the Atlantic to hike the stunning Canadian Rockies solo. I was inspired by his trip, the quality of his videos, and fascinated by his MYOG backpack.
Start low risk. Bring a sleeping pad, quilt or bag and some kind of shelter and go from there.
Happy October everybody! What’s going on with you? I’m planning a bit of hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a couple of weeks. Even though I live on the East Coast and GSMNP is the most-visited NP in the country it’ll be my first time.
A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post. What’s going on?
For cold and rain consider Showa gloves (originally made for fishermen), I picked some up on eBay for under $20 and use them for biking in winter.
Great pics! Sounds like a good shakedown hike, lots of useful feedback. Fleece-wise a cheap, run-of-the-mill 100 wt 100% polyester fleece should weigh 8 oz or so and do the trick. For camp shoes drop the crocs and use bread bags as liners inside whatever you’re hiking in. Swap the wool gloves for polyester as it absorbs less water. How’d your puffy get wet?
Looks nice, great pics! Love hearing about the weather and wildlife, how do salamanders survive up there? How’d you hear about the wolf sighting? Sad to hear about the fire but it’s all too common.
Thanks hombre! It was the right call but it still feels bad to blow up my big trip for the year in one day, but I guess I put myself in that position.
Gear-wise:
- 1L water capacity: workable but stressful on 19 mile stretch from McKee to Leidy. One option would be to carry 2L, but the better option would be to skip McKee Draw and go straight to Leidy TH, then 1L would be fine.
- Midlayers: 5.5 oz Kuiu Peloton 97 + 1.2 oz poly imitation buff — worked but just barely enough. Would swap out for 8-9 oz 100 wt fleece + 2-3 oz beanie for additional warmth safety margin.
- Antigravitygear rain jacket 2: I’ve been testing this every chance I got this year and I trusted it. Performed well in the rain and the pitzips are awesome. The hood is somewhat awkward and works best with a brimmed hat.
- Nunatak SULO 30: warm down to light frost, maybe ~30F on first night. Coming from an Arc UL 30 had initial learning curve keeping my neck/upper torso warm the first night as there is no draft collar and adjustment is more barebones, but it is there and I figured it out. Non-gram-weenies will prefer the Arc UL for ease of use.
- Borah Gear Solo Tarp: I have a custom tieout right in the center of the tarp, this does NOT help for storm mode. I’d like a tieout near the foot end so I can lift the tarp off my feet when pitched super low. Why haven’t I thought of this before?
- Easton Nano 6” stakes: was worried the heads would pop off but worked great in the wind, like them, will use again. Might get the MLD-recommended 8” ones someday.
- MYOG ~35L 13 oz frameless hipbeltless pack: love thruhiking with a pack that compresses small enough to qualify as my airline “personal item” and fit under the seat in front of me. Really streamlines travel and the tickets are cheaper. 4 days of food was manageable but slightly uncomfortable the first day, better on day 2 after eating food down a bit.
- 5g microscissors: steel blades starting to rust after several years. could feel them straining to cut Walmart packaging. They’ve served me well but I will upgrade to beefier 2.5” Westcott titanium.
- Rain skirt: worked great in rain
- 30 ml hand sani: this is way too much for a few days, I’d like to find a bottle half the size that works with thick hand sani.
- Ozark Trail trekking poles: threw away one half, just used one. Had to crank the shit out of them to get them to hold. Don’t really trust them, but for $22…
Nice backup 😁 be safe, take pictures and let us know how it goes!
love the nature shots and the minimal sound, the guy has a tasteful aesthetic
Does the snow signal the end of the season for you or do you do winter hiking/touring as well? I only got a few decent pictures as my trip was cut short but here’s some:
Gabbro Pass, with snow still on it end of August. Locals said there may have been as much as 20 feet this past winter.
Locals fishing at Chepeta Lake
Sunset over SLC
My favorite picture of all was completely unrelated to the Uintas or SLC, it was a mother and daughter watching buffalo at Antelope Island State Park:
Sorry to hear you got rained on but glad to hear you made it out ok. My wife and I have lost a hiking friend years ago after a harder-than-expected Presidential Traverse with a friend who had gotten badly out of shape. Back then we didn’t really know anything and didn’t realize what we were getting into. But it sounds like you do know what you’re doing; is there an opportunity to limit trips with the casual friend to lower risk endeavors?
Terrific photos! Too bad about the knee pain, but glad you worked it out. I hope to visit the Sawtooths one day.
Day 0 (mile 0-5) New York-Denver-Vernal-East Park Reservoir - Walk. Train. Walk. Bus. Walk. Plane. Walk. Plane. Hope to walk a lot more on the 105 mile Uinta Highline Trail. This trip is an effort to moderate my life. To hold a job, be there for my partner yet still have hiker dreams that occasionally become reality. I’ve never been very good at moderation but maybe it’ll work this time. Walk past the terminals in Denver Airport, think I should study this place in more detail. DEN is a portal to many places in the America west I would like to go. Not much of a view outside, inside I’m rocking secondhand clown shoes and MYOG backpack, sun hoody and shiny 2 oz windpants. “Most people call months in advance” says Vernal taxi driver Brad, as I repackage my haul from Walmart in the backseat on the way to McKee Draw. 4 days of food, water bottle and Ozark Trail trekking poles. I examine the plastic flick locks and frown. We talk winter weather, passport bros and Ley lines. I laugh and nod. Half a mile in, Vince from West Virginia sits astride a four wheeler smiling. He reminds me of my dad. Vince has cancer and is selling his houses and seeing as many wild places and animals as he can with the time he has left. The sky is clear and the sun hangs low in the thin, cool air. The silent pines surround me in this alpine oasis above the harsh desert below. 5 miles in I hit the reservoir, get water and make camp, anchor my tarp to a pine tree and recline on the duff. I eat, massage my sore feet and lay peacefully listening to the nothingness. Making it all the way here in one day was my best case scenario and I drift off delighted.
UHT Day 1 (mile 5-27) East Park Reservoir, Leidy TH, Gabbro Pass - As I walk down to East Park Reservoir at dawn to fetch water, 3 large birds take off from the lake, bellowing like dinosaurs as they rise. Their calls reverberate off the surrounding hills. 19 miles to Leidy, long water carry. Camel up freezing cold water. Ice cream headache. Head hazy from the altitude. Right hip gives me trouble all day, must’ve slept on it weird. Slower going than expected due to altitude, blowdowns, navigating the sometimes-disappearing trail and rocky terrain. Meet Alder from Colorado Springs, habitual sectionhiker on day 4 of his eastbound thru-hike. He’s going about my speed in the opposite direction. Says he’s had good weather and seen 2-3 westbounders and a handful of section hikers per day. Why go eastbound? “2,000 ft less elevation gain.” 😆 At Leidy TH meet Walt from SLC, on his annual pilgrimage to Leidy Peak, this year recovering from knee surgery. Still made it all the way up. Slept last night in a jacket in his truck. Around Leidy to Gabbro the wind is relentless and the trail rocky and elusive. Wind so strong you can’t even stop and take a break, reminds me of the PCT. Must keep going. Tough end of day. Want to climb Gabbro to Deadman but it’s 5 miles and I lose light and willpower. Camp at marginal site nestled amongst wind-beaten shrubbery.
UHT Day 2 (mile 27-41?) Gabbro Pass, Deadman Lake, Chepeta Lake, North Pole Pass - Wind howled all night and brought scattered showers. Tarp pitched storm mode. Wake with clear head and fresh legs. Today I get to “the good stuff”. Go over Gabbro, lovely breakfast at Deadman Lake. Reflected ripples of sunlight dance in the trees. Feel distinct sense of gratitude during pleasant morning hike to Chepeta Trailhead where I meet thru-hiker Justin trying to bail out due to altitude sickness. On the way to North Pole Pass meet local Randall who says next 3 days will rain, with snow likely above 10k. Shit. Meet father and son bow-hunting who repeat forecast. Shit. Start going through scenarios. Walk in intermittent rain until I can see North Pole, socked in at 12:04pm, way too early. Shit. Shit. North Pole is 4 miles long and totally exposed. I am prepared for rain and waiting out thunderstorms but not 3 days of cold rain and snow. If I go forward I will walk for 2 hours through a rainstorm, and bailing out becomes significantly harder from Painters Basin on the other side. Nothing to do but bail out now. Turn around, walk back to Chepeta. It’s windy, cool and overcast. Find Justin and wife Jen trying to stay warm sitting on a log wrapped in foam pads and tyvek. Rains off and on, start getting cold about 2pm. Move to more sheltered location, still near the road so we can flag down cars. Start boiling water to stay warm. Only a few cars at trailhead, hope someone stops. Check map to see how far the walk out is — it’s far. Randall stops by at 3pm and drives us down. We talk fishing, cars and tribal politics. Drops us in Roosevelt, eat pizza and try and fail to rent a car within a 30 mile radius. Justin’s dad Grandpa Jerry drives 3 hours from SLC to pick us up. Talks nonstop on the ride back, lovely man and crystal clear at 80. Watch dark stormclouds wrap the Uintas as we drive west on 40. Get into SLC around 10pm. Shower. Borrow clothes. Cotton feels good, feet do not. Pet dogs. Sleep in camper van. What a day. Still a bit in shock and saddened to have picked such a rotten weather window. Hope everyone still up there is OK.
Utah Day 3 Salt Lake City - Wake up in camper van in driveway, knock on house door at the polite time of 8am. Like me Justin and Jen are frugal but occasionally invest in something nice if it’s worth it — I start my day with an amazing cup of gourmet coffee from their prosumer-level coffee machine and proceed to cook up the cheap remains of my food bag: summer sausage, cheddar cheese and tortillas. Just pop tarts, tuna, ramen, sweets and trail mix left; this might be the first time I didn’t overpack food. I play with friendly cat Blackie and dogs Boots and Odin. Boots manically craves attention while Odin is a happy-go-lucky pup stuck in the body of a direwolf from Game of Thrones. We drive up to Hayden Pass to pick up J&J’s car and go from warm, sunny SLC to socked in, cool, all-day drizzle. Hypothermia weather. On the drive back Justin runs an errand a few blocks from his house, then hands me his car keys in the parking lot, tells me to be back by dark and then walks off. I try to figure out what hikes I can do in the Wasatch in a few hours and realize that everything is really high and really steep. The larger peaks are out of the question. I just want to get a decent view of the city so I settle on modest Ferguson Canyon and after the guys with beer bellies and families with little kids I scramble up as high as I can in search of a place that I can sit comfortably with a decent view, which is surprisingly hard to find amongst the steep, jagged, crumbly terrain. I drive back by dark and sit on the front porch with J&J. They’ve never even heard of the trail even though it’s 20 minutes away 😆 we debate dinner but Justin has been feeling off all day and turns in early. Jen and I eat pizza and share our life stories. I’m not really used to talking about myself much but I do my best. She has had things harder than I have. We talk and pet the animals for a few hours while we watch the neighborhood in the dark.
Utah Day 4 SLC, Antelope Island, Frary Peak - Eat breakfast out of my food bag, then at J&J’s suggestion head to Frary Peak Trail on Antelope Island, a rugged chunk of land an hour away in the Great Salt Lake, connected by causeway and host to its own herd of bison(!) Hit up Walmart for some sunscreen and an Arnold Palmer, pay the entrance fee and head up. First climb is through a sea of the unprepared who are walking up a steep, exposed trail in full Utah sun in t-shirts, no hat and some carrying no water. Crowd thins rapidly and only see a handful of the prepared afterwards. Trail is solid, the climb steady and the views expansive throughout, fantastic. Some fun twists and turns along the way with an absolutely banger view from the top. Make it up in time for a late lunch. The most scenic and enjoyable couple of miles this whole trip, Uintas included. Loved everything about it, except forgetting my lunch in the car. Whoops! Drink celebratory beverage, walk down, drive back, home-cooked pasta dinner, then figure out how to AirPlay photos to the TV and spend the night sharing pictures and telling stories. Supposed to rain tomorrow… considering Mt. Olympus but we’ll see what happens. Fall asleep to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the van roof.
Utah Day 5 SLC - Fly out tomorrow morning, on my trip’s downslope now. Rainy morning. Freezing rain in the Wasatch. Won’t clear up in time for any side trips today. Uintas have gone from bad to worse over Labor Day weekend with snow at Mirror Lake; the NWS describes “winter-like conditions” above 10k feet. Warm up with cappuccino. Jus still recovering from altitude sickness. We talk Grand Staircase and I try to soak it all in. Down the rabbit hole we go with trip photos, then YouTube videos, then Steve Allen guidebooks. Watch a documentary on legendary dirtbag climber Fred Beckey. Jen shares an Instagram story on Swiss via ferrata, I send her a link to via ferrata in Utah. “$109 to walk on some metal pegs? No thanks.” ❤️ eat some great Indian food and spend the night in the living room with the tv off, talking and occasionally sitting in silence, listening to the nothingness. Nice to find others completely comfortable doing so. Sort out morning plans, fall asleep reading Grand Obsession.
flying tomorrow, had to double-check some of these on the tsa.gov whatcanibring website so i thought i’d share:
| carry on | checked | item | |:-:|:-:|:- | | ❌ | ❌ | fuels | | ❌ | ❌ | bear spray | | ❌ | ✔️ | tent spikes | | ✔️ | ✔️ | knitting needles | | ❌ | ✔️ | hiking poles | | ❌ | ✔️ | walking sticks | | ❌ | ✔️ | ice axes/ice picks | | ❌ | ✔️ | razor blades | | ✔️ | ❌ | power banks | | ❗ | ❗ | camp stoves | | ❗ |❗ | bug repellent | | ✔️ |❗ | disposable and zippo lighters | | ❗ | ✔️ | bottled water | | ❗ | ✔️ | crampons | | ❗ | ✔️ | hand sanitizer | | ❗ | ✔️ | oils and vinegar | | ❗ | ✔️ | peanut butter | | ❗ | ✔️ | scissors | | ❗ | ✔️ | umbrellas | | ✔️ | ✔️ | flashlight | | ✔️ | ✔️ | navigation GPS | | ✔️ | ✔️ | sleeping bag | | ✔️ | ✔️ | safety pin | | ✔️ | ✔️ | toothbrush | | ✔️ | ✔️ | tweezers | | ✔️ | ✔️ | utensils |
A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post.
> Comfortable and safe are vital! Anyone can go out into the mountains with a tiny amount of gear and suffer — you need to be warm, well-fed and ready to deal with safety issues. Ultralight camping should be delightful, not stressful. The challenge is to succeed with only the gear that’s absolutely needed.
> The first-aid kit is a good metaphor for your lightweight camping mind-set. It would be foolish to travel without one, right? But what is truly required? What can you effectively improvise? There is a blurry line between TOO heavy and TOO light. You can still go out in the backcountry with a very light pack and be comfortable and safe (see tip 55).
Excerpt from Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips by Mike Clelland
Should ultralighters embrace the cheapest stuff that works or “buy once, cry once”?
3F UL Lanshan is the go-to cheap tent, AONIJIE offers a compelling vest-style frameless pack for $75 and cheap Aegismax and Naturehike sleeping bags and quilts have hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon. Even DeputySean is bullish on the Aricxi patrol tarp.
Getting soaked is the absolute worst. How much condensation do you get and what do you do about it?
Image from Ultralight Backpackin' Tips by Mike Clelland
Where and when: McKee Draw to Hayden Pass (westbound), first few days of September
What temp range and weather do you expect: 40F-70F, high exposure, potential multiple daily thunderstorms, hail possible, worst case heavy rain and/or below-freezing conditions
Goal Baseweight (BPW): somewhere ~6 lbs, I’d be willing to add stuff
Budget: <$100
Non-negotiable Items: nothing’s non-negotiable but not enough time or money to make major changes
Solo or with another person?: Solo
Additional Information: I’ve backpacked the AZT/PCT/CDT with similar kits but never in Utah outside brief peakbagging trips in the La Sals. I’d love to skip to Leidy TH. I’d enjoy meeting like-minded hikers but am comfortable alone. Considering adding a small cook kit to give me something to do if/when riding out thunderstorms
Lighterpack Link: https://lighterpack.com/r/262b1g
A tarp & bivy system excels in the West, where dry & bug-free nights are the norm. It's ultralight & compact, but not appealing to all.
I found Captain Hook via his excellent Te Araroa gear list and have been following him off and on ever since. Seems a good bloke, even if he does wear a fanny pack.
Triple-Triple Crowner breaks down his 6-8 lb baseweight headed NOBO in Creede, CO.
https://imgur.com/a/J4gyw50
I had both a cirriform min (long) in silpoly and the splitwing. I sold the Cirriform. The splitwing is the best shaped tarp out there (for me...) Here's why
- I'm 6'4" and sleep on my stomach. I'm basically 7ft long once I'm in a sleeping bag. The splitwing and cirriform both handled this okay. BUT...
- I can sit up in the splitwing. Because the height is flexible due to the front wings I pitch it with a 49" trekking pole at the front and still have enough side coverage to not worry about wind blown rain. The cirriform design does not allow me to sit up in it unless I pitch it about 8-10" off the ground.
- Splitwing 10D sil/sil fabric is magical. It dries really fast (I once dried it out in 5 minutes during a 10mph breeze on a summit by holding the front wings and flying it like a kite), doesn't need to be seam sealed, and packs to the size of an apple. The 30D reinforcements are superbly designed and make a huge difference.
- Splitwing design goes up fast. I always pack it so the back end goes in last to the bag. Regardless of whether it's super windy or rainy I can get it up in 90 seconds. Shake out the back of the tarp, leave the rest in the bag. Stake the back two corners, wrap the rear middle line around my trekking pole and stake it out so the back wall is vertical. I also put the tip of the rear trekking pole through a loop on the rear middle stakeout point. Then pull the rest of it out of the bag while walking forward, jam the front pole in, pull out the front lines and stake them. Pull the two front corners taut and you're done. I set it up in a hailstorm right below Mather pass on the PCT in 90 seconds. Tossed my stuff inside and I was dry while the other hikers cuddled a boulder trying to stay dry getting pounded by pea gravel sized hail.
- Splitwing with Paria 1.3mm guylines and Lawson line on the front/rear apex is 250g in stuff sack. The vestibule is 60g extra but I rigged my ULA rain skirt to be a vestibule and it works great. With an extra extra long Borah DCF bivy (147g) I'm at ~400g for a (tiny!) double wall shelter. The cirriform I had was 375g.
- The cirriform with side entry sounds great, because that's my biggest complaint about A-frame type tarps, but in reality that side entry point zipper is under a lot of tension and it seems like a bad idea to really cinch that down. With the splitwing I put insane amounts of tension on my guyline stakeouts and never worry about it. The cirriform entry point also needs to be switched from one loop to the other to shift from side to front entry which is difficult to do with it under tension.
- Splitwing stakeout points are perfect. Due to having 4 along each side, plus a fifth midway up the side of the a-frame, you can stake out the splitwing to handle any weather. And due to the closed foot, I'm never worried about wind blown rain. I typically carry 6 ruta locura carbon fiber stakes and 6 8.5" lawson titanium skewers. That combo allows for pitching in any type of terrain really well. I used the Splitwing plus ULA rainskirt along a 500 mile section hike this year on the PCT (Sierras) mid July to mid August. It rained every day for half those days (monsoon season baby!) and I was really happy with my choice. I was going to use an 8x6 custom built poncho tarp but believe it or not the weight difference is about 100g between the poncho tarp and the splitwing plus dedicated rainjacket and rainskirt. That 10d sil nylon fabric in the splitwing really is incredible. I've also used the splitwing for about 9 months prior to that section hike. It's been durable. Now there are some downsides with the splitwing.
- I could totally cook in the pitched tarp, and did numerous times, but not with anything setup. I'd usually pitch the tarp, toss my stuff in, cook dinner, then setup my bivy and bag. It's not super spacious when you're sitting up. During one driving rainstorm that dumped a half inch overnight the dry area was almost exactly the size of my bivy. It will keep you dry, and your backpack, but not much else.
- There's no way it's a two person shelter, unless you're not expecting any wind, you're both short, and you're really good friends/partners who sleep on their backs. It's wide enough at the front, but the rear is a fixed 36" wide. As a one person shelter it's great.
- I wish it were about 6" longer and 6" wider at the rear. Probably because I'm 6'4" as mentioned.
- I'd love it if it wasn't front entry, but that's the tradeoff. I generally get into bed and never get out until the morning. So twice a day I wish it was different but I practice yoga, I'm nice and flexible. I've never tested the mesh interior, but the attachment points for it are well thought out and it's probably a nice inner if you're shorter. The vestibule I think is well worth the money but you can rig something out of your rain skirt like I did, or even just a jacket if you're not needing absolute 360 degree protection. It's also a lot less of an issue if you're shorter since you can burrow down towards the closed foot more. It's silnylon so it does stretch a little while wet. But it's never been enough for me to adjust the pitch to compensate. I just stretch it tight when pitching and it does fine.
https://piped.video/watch?v=wNkdfrSjSP4
Tathaniel hikes 30+ miles through the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho with a 16 liter child's schoolbag, tent, quilt, foam pad, filter and a bag of candy.
This is tongue-in-cheek ultralight jerk material but it’s a genuine reminder that you really don’t need much.
Not carrying any layers means if bad weather rolled in they’d have to setup up their tent — something that isn’t always possible everywhere so it introduces some risk. Also, all that candy and no half-toothbrush in sight 😜
https://imgur.com/gallery/IBBpoba
Step 1: Get a kitchen or postal scale. Yes, you need to do this!
You don’t have to buy one, use what you have. If you don’t own a scale, borrow one, or buy one cheap at a local thrift store or secondhand store if possible. If you want to buy one online, consider the AMIR Digital Kitchen Scale, it’s readily available, inexpensive, accurate, easy to use and light!
Step 2: Test it!
Test your scale with objects of known weight. For example, coins (U.S. nickels weigh 5 grams, quarters 5.67 grams), a full SmartWater bottle, or look up the weight of your phone.
What kind of scale do you have? What's the last thing you weighed? What's the next thing you want to do?
Illustration by Mike Clelland from Ultralight Backpackin' Tips by Mike Clelland
Hello everyone! I have been fortunate enough to use just this one tarp for my triple crown, and also many smaller hikes. For this review I would go like to go over some of general tarp usage thoughts, some pictures of it in use, and maybe some other general thoughts.
Why the Grace Solo? What is the Grace solo? It's an "A-frame" Catenary cut "trapezoidal" tarp, It's basically a 7x9, but tapers to 5 feet on the bottom end. It also has what they call a "catenary cut," which cuts a little weight, but also helps keep it taught when pitched. In my opinion it's an excellent one person shelter. Just small to enough to go without a bivy, for splash protection, but just barely. It's extremely light weight and extremely well made. I bought this tarp for my PCT thru hike in 2014, (gear list here) I bought it in November 2013, the only thing I asked for was no trekking pole grommets on the ridgeline tie-outs. It was not the first shelter I tried, In fact I tried a Zpacks Hexamid, (now the hexamid pocket tarp) and didn't like using the Carbon pole it came with. I disliked trekking poles, (still do) and didn't wanna carry a flimsy carbon pole that might break, so i sent it back and bought the grace solo instead.
It came with linelock 3's and some heavy 3mm guyline. The linelock 3's with the guyline were heavy af. I think it was over 4oz? That's over 50% of the tarp weight in guyline, and guyline hardware, no thanks. So I cut my own guylines. I used 1.3mm Zpacks Z-Cord for the four corners at 5ft length, and the two middle tie outs are 2.5ft. This leaves a little extra on the roll if a tie out wears out. (which took a thru hike and several years.) For the Ridgeline, I used roughly 11 feet (each end) of 1.75mm "lash it." This stuff is just awesome. I have never replaced the Ridgeline after all these years, and it has wrapped around many trees and splintery sticks and it's no more worse for wear.
I used a pretty simple method with pitching, I use a truckers hitch for the ridge-line on a tree, Or I'll clove hitch it to a stick, someones trekking pole, random bush, etc... I just tie a figure eight loop in the Z-cord guyline, put the stake through the loop, apply some lateral pressure when placing a stake, and....thats it. Sometimes I'll do a little half hitch in the guyline if i need it to be shorter, and just put the stake through that way. If it is windy or the ground sucks, then i just use a log or rock on top of the stake. I would only do this with cuben though, as in my experience silnylon gets pretty flappy especially overnight or when it's wet, but for me this system is simple, light, and most of all worked great, oh and did I mention this tarp weighs 6.4oz with guylines?? So I thought I would share some pictures, Who doesn't like pictures? I honestly have cowboy'd more than setup my tarp, but it's always in the pack ready to go. To this day I've never had a hole or had to patch anything. I keep saying I'll replace, but it wont die!!
Our year wasn't super crazy in 2014. Got snowed on Mt. San Jacinto (17 degrees that night apparently, one of, if not the coldest the whole hike) got dumped on a few times, in fact the first night at Lake Morena we had a crazy storm and I saw some ruined shelters...But mine help up fine. It got pretty chilly up north, and it was wet. Lots of cowboy camping on the southern half, but it kept me warm and dry when I needed it.
Used it a bit on this hike. I finished pretty late due to some family stuff, but it held up to ice, sleet, snow, wind, I did use a Bivy (MLD bug bivy) on this hike because Lyme ain't no joke, but otherwise I'll never use 'em.
Years later and I thought about replacing the tarp for this hike but it just kept working! It took snow ice and rain, honestly didn't get a ton of use until later in the hike. Got lucky with weather for a while. On this hike I also roomed with my homie under his two person MYOG Rayway, and it was a palace compared to my tarp, you can see it in some of the pictures.
Still kickin'! Had a couple nights above treeline with some tricky pitches, but generally worked out great. I would advise against using shaped A-frame shaped tarps in other "fancy" pitches, they just don't work that well.
So what can i say after using a tarp all this time? It's awesome! I enjoy having that extra connection with nature when I camp, I can see everything around me, and when I cowboy I'm not burdened with a heavy shelter weight. Make no mistake tents definitely have their place, but for me, I do not like going into nature and then zipping myself out of it.
With that said, what are the downsides? Well there are three major ones I consider, but I have found a few ways to mitigate some of them.
1.) Bug and creepy crawly protection: This a big one and probably the most common counter answer to tarp usage, what I have found is that that most creepy crawly's leave you alone, this goes along with the second point down below, and I have heard some horror stories, however I haven't had any life altering bug/snake/centipede/bear experiences while sleeping. As for bugs, I usually just wear my baseball cap plus a bugnet, and if they're really bad, maybe some earplugs and Benadryl. Except for some specific scenarios, usually the bugs went away at night and I could take my headnet off. They let me know in the morning when it was time to start walkin'.
2.) Site selection, site selection, site selection: This I would say is the most important thing to using a tarp. You cannot just camp wherever like our Big Agnes fam, I'm sorry, but it just wont be the same. You have to be a little more meticulous about where you camp and where you want to setup. I feel like this is a worthy payoff for shedding all that tent weight, but you can't be lazy, especially if the weather looks bad. I didn't carry poles, so if you're heading above treeline or camping in the desert make sure you can figure out how to pitch your shelter. Spending that extra time on finding a good spot or finding a better area is paramount, or else you'll just be sad and wet (ask me how I know)
3.) Pitching a tarp. This takes some experience. Having numb fingers and trying to remember knots is recipe for disaster, know your shit before you go. There are a ton of ways to do it, but I've mostly stuck with the A-frame, this tarp specifically doesn't lend well to other pitches, but A-frame is easy to setup and can be pretty bomb proof, especially if you paid attention to number 2. Usually I pitched it pretty low. Not a lot of room to sit up but optimum splash and rain protection. Not great for hanging out, good for sleeping tho. Moving forward would I buy another grace solo? I've thought about it, the weight penalty for a rectangle 7x9 is not that drastic and at $270 before shipping, the MLD is a pricey bit of kit. It has however, held up great all these years and the only item that's stayed with me from my first thru hike.
Thanks for checking out my review.
I've found a comment that I like that I want to reference in another community for discussion.
The link (the chain icon) on the comment is https://lemmy.world/comment/2024416 but this url produces an empty page using the lemmy.world web app. using old.lemmy.world this does seem to work: https://old.lemmy.world/comment/2024416 -- is this bug in the default web app, something weird with my setup, or am I misunderstanding something?
edit: looking at the request/response in Firefox Web Developer tools i see what a 400 error coming from cloudflare. does anyone else see this?