People who section hike the Appalachian Trail, hike it a segment at a time, on weekends or whenever it’s convenient for them to get away for a few days. There’s no need to quit your job or school. While it’s not as glamorous or social as a thru-hike, you can still relish in the joy of hiking the trail and face many of the same challenges that thru-hikers face. Section Hiking has many advantages who have families they can’t abandon for the 6 months required to complete a thru-hike. You can hike the trail in whatever direction you want, mixing northbound and southbound sections as needed. You can day hike portions and backpack others. You can hike sections out of sequence or hike the trail during the times of year when its less crowded and the weather is better. The only requirement is that you complete hiking the 2000 miles of trail required by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (click for application) to be recognized as an AT finisher. Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat’s the best section of the Appalachian Trail to hike first?The best section is the one that’s easiest for you to get to. If you’re still trying to decide whether section hiking the Appalachian Trail is a good idea or you’re a beginner backpacker, ease into it by planning a few short one or two night backpacking trips covering 10-15 miles to try it out and get used to using your camping gear before you tackle a big section hike. Planning a long trip to a distant but scenic section of the Appalachian Trail puts too much pressure on yourself. Plan a section hike you can drive to or that’s located near your extended members, so you can bail out without financial ruin if things don’t go as planned. How expensive is it to section hike the Appalachian Trail?The biggest expense for section hikers are shuttle driver fees when you drop a car at one end of a section and take a shuttle to the other end so you can hike back. After that, hostel and motel fees will probably be your next biggest expense depending on how frequently you go to town for a shower and a clean bed. How do you find shuttle drivers and how much do shuttles cost?The best place to find the shuttle drivers and their phone numbers/email addresses is in David Miller’s AT Guide. Different drivers charge different fees so it’s best to ask how much the fare will be before you get in their vehicle. Some charge $1 a mile, some $2 a mile, but it varies. Is it safe to park at Appalachian Trail Head parking lots?It used to be safer. Your best bet is to stay with a hostel or B&B in town and ask them if you can leave you car there for a few days while you go hike your section. You might have to pay them for shuttles at both ends, but it’s one way to keep your car safe. You can also park in municipal lots and garages if towns have them or in Walmarts and grocery store lots, although it’s best to ask permission to avoid getting towed. Wherever you do park, don’t leave anything valuable in your car and don’t make it obvious that you’re a hiker by plastering bumperstickers all over it. How much advance planning is required to hike a section of trail?Some people take planning to an extreme and chart out a day by day itinerary when section hiking the trail. But the trail and the weather have a tendency to derail rigid schedules. Your best bet to to plan out your travel arrangements to and from the trail including shuttles and to make sure you know where and when you need to visit towns to resupply. Other than that you can largely wing it when hiking the trail and take it as it comes. (See also – Different Styles of Section Hiking.) Can you day hike the Appalachian Trail?Absolutely. You can day hike sections or mix and match, day hiking some and backpacking others. Do you need maps to hike the Appalachian Trail?Most thru-hikers and section hikers don’t carry maps on the Appalachian Trail anymore because the trail is so well blazed and signed. Navigating trail towns to find grocery stores, hostels, and restaurants that are hiker friendly is a different matter entirely. Everyone carries pages torn from David Miller’s AT Guide with them (not the entire book), which lists all of the services, campsites, shelters, water sources and road crossings mile-by-mile on the trail. If you want to carry a map, your best bet is to use Guthook’s AT Guide which is a GPS cell phone app that runs on iPhone and Android phones. Do you need a tent to hike the Appalachian Trail?It’s a good idea to bring a tent, hammock, or tarp shelter when hiking the AT, just in case the shelters are full or they’re full of snoring obnoxious people you’d rather not sleep with. Bringing your own shelter also means you can stop when you want and set up camp without having to hike to the next shelter or when you’re tired and want to rest. The best shelter for the AT is probably a hammock because you can sent it up just about anywhere, especially when all of the campsites at shelters are already taken. See What is the Best Tent for the Appalachian Trail for a discussion about the pros and cons of each tent and shelter type. How many days of food do you need to carry on the Appalachian Trail?It varies, but most people carry three or four days max to keep their pack weight comfortable, popping into town more frequently to resupply. There are some longer sections like the 100 mile Wilderness where you have to pack more food, but the Appalachian Trail is close to many towns so you need to carry less food than you would for a true wilderness hike. How prevalent is Lyme Disease on the Appalachian Trail?Lyme disease carrying ticks remain a serious concern on the Appalachian Trail so it’s best to take precautions. Spraying or soaking your clothing and sleep system gear with Permethrin, wearing gaiters, and rubbing DEET or Picaridan on your skin are good precautions to take. Are dogs allowed on the Appalachian Trail?Dogs are not allowed on the Appalachian Trail in three areas:
Leaches are also required for dogs along 40% of the Appalachian Trail. See the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for more information. Do you have to worry about bears and snakes on the Appalachian Trail?Black bears are quite active on the trail and while human attacks are rare, it’s best to hang your food at night or store it in the bear boxes that many shelters have to prevent bears from stealing it. If a bear approaches you, wave your arms and scream at it and it should run away (See Eastern Black bears and Safety.) There are poisonous snakes including copperheads and rattlesnakes on the trail from Georgia thru Massachusetts, but they’re shy and easily avoided if you stay away from their habitat. If you encounter a snake, don’t aggravate it to try to pick it up. This results in more snakebite incidents than any other cause. Can you get a cell phone signal on the Appalachian Trail?You can get a cell phone signal almost everywhere on the trail at this point, even in Maine’s 100 mile Wilderness. Verizon, by far, has the best network connectivity (See The Appalachian Trail Cell Phone Guide). People who carry cell phones keep them charged up by carrying battery rechargers. Do you need a gun to hike the Appalachian Trail?No. You don’t need to hunt animals to obtain food on the Appalachian Trail and there’s very little danger that wildlife will attack you. The people you meet are generally very friendly and you shouldn’t fear for your personal safety. If you’d still feel safer carrying a gun, be sure to check each state’s local gun laws in advance to make sure you’re properly licensed and permitted before carrying a weapon across state lines. How crowded is the Appalachian Trail?The trail can get crowded when the wave of northbound thru-hikers passes through an area or on weekends when local day hikers and backpackers share the resource, particularly in popular recreation areas. Other than that, you’re likely to see other hikers every day and at shelters, but they won’t be crowded. Should you hike with a partner on the Appalachian Trail?While hiking with a partner can make shuttle logistics easier, provided you both drive your own vehicles, it’s not strictly necessary. You’ll meet plenty of people on the trail and you may end up hiking with them informally for a few days. If you’re looking for a partner to hike the Appalachian Trail with, your best bet is to meet them on local trail club hikes or backpacking trips where you can assess your backpacking partner compatibility in less trying circumstances.
The post How to Section Hike the Appalachian Trail: FAQ appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/how-section-hike-appalachian-trail-faq/
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Hyperlite Mountain Gear makes small and large packing pods which are the ultralight equivalent of the luggage packing cubes that people use to pack travel bags. They’re U-shaped to fit snugly into Hyperlite’s backpacks and can be used in place of a white plastic compactor bag to provide extra moisture protection for the gear stored inside them. They won’t survive a complete dunking because they have sewn-on (untaped) zippers, but they increase the space utilization inside a Hyperlight backpack so there’s virtually no wasted volume inside. Made out of DCF (formerly called cuben fiber), they’re also exceptionally lightweight, so you can swap them out for your existing stuff sacks without a weight penalty. Specs at a Glance:
In addition to better space utilization, I’ve found that the biggest benefit to using them is organizational because I can pack many more items into one than I do today into several smaller stuff sacks. For example, my quilt, sleeping pad, sleeping clothes, and electronics all fit snuggly into one, which I can then shove to the bottom of my pack. This keeps them all together and separate from stuff higher up in my pack which is packed more loosely for more frequent access. When unpacking in camp, the clamshell design makes it easy to find exactly what you want without a lot of digging around, because the top zips open like a footlocker and you can pull out exactly what you need. Here are a few more observations about the pods:
These Hyperlite Mountain Gear packing pods aren’t revolutionary and they really are just stuff sacks with a unique shape. But they are a clever way to help you organize your gear and pack it in a way that efficiently uses all of the space in your back. I was surprised at how much more gear I could get into my backpack when using them, which becomes increasingly important as the weather becomes colder and the amount of sleep insulation I need to carry increases. Disclosure: The manufacturer provided the author with sample pods for this review.
The post Hyperlite Mountain Gear Packing Pods Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/hyperlite-mountain-gear-packing-pods-review/ The Zpacks Nero is a frameless 38L ultralight backpack that weighs 10.9 ounces and is made with waterproof Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF), formerly called cuben fiber. It’s seam taped inside, making it effectively waterproof so you don’t have to line it with a plastic garbage bag or cover it with a pack cover to keep the interior dry in the rain. At 38L and frameless, packing and using the Nero is quite different from using a backpack with a stiffer frame or load bearing hipbelt, so I include a number of usage tips below to help you make the most of this exceptionally lightweight backpack if you decide to try it. Specs at a Glance
Backpack DesignThe Nero is laid out like a typical ultralight backpack with a roll top closure, side water bottle pockets, and a long rear mesh pocket. It’s frameless and best for carrying loads under 20 pounds, with a hip belt that’s a simple webbing strap and not designed to be load bearing. With 38L of capacity, it’s a good size for overnight or multi-day backpacking trips if you have a compact and lightweight gear list with a base weight of 10 pounds or less. The side water bottle pockets are easily reachable while wearing the pack and I can remove and replace bottles stored in them. Both pockets are made with solid DCF, so they have better durability that mesh pockets, with drain holes to prevent water accumulation in rain or if you stuff wet gear into them. The bottle pockets are nice and deep, capable of holding two Smart water bottles each, with an elastic rim to keep bottles from falling out. The Nero also comes with a closed cell sit pad that located behind your shoulders and back, much like the pad on the back of Gossamer Gear’s overnight packs, although the Zpacks pad has a smooth surface not a dimpled one. The pad is held in place by elastic cords and looks a bit amateurish, but it’s surprisingly easy to use, effective, and reasonably durable. You do sweat under the pad when the pack is worn in warm weather, but it’s easy to pull out and reseat when want a dry place to sit, and prevents sharp objects in the pack from poking you in the back. Being frameless, the Nero carries best when it’s packed full of gear, so that your gear forms what is, in essence, a virtual frame. Otherwise, it collapses in on itself like a shapeless sack – which is pretty typical of frameless backpacks without frame stays. When packing the Nero, it’s best not to pack it too tightly however, because the back of the pack will barrel roll into your back. At 38L, the Nero is a pretty high-capacity pack, so the best way to take up the space without exceeding the 15-20 lb max load is to pack your sleep insulation loose. You can also mitigate the lack of stiffness a bit by moving the sit pad inside the pack or by using a stiffer foam pad. The Nero’s hip belt can be non-destructively removed if you don’t want it. It can also be moved up or down between three fixed positions (through sewn on loops) if you want it to ride higher or lower. Zpacks claims that this makes the Nero an adjustable torso length pack, but I’d take this with a grain of salt. This isn’t a load bearing hip belt, so there’s no pressing need to have it rest on your hip bones, and it’s only function is keep the bottom of the pack from bouncing against your back as you walk. The top of the Nero’s main compartment closes with a roll top, with a velcro stiffer to help keep the sides closed and make it easier to roll shut. You typically need three rolls to achieve a waterproof seal on a roll top. The sides of the roll top don’t clip together (they’re both female) and there’s no top strap on the pack. The sides of the roll top clip onto male connectors tied onto the end the side compression straps, sharing the same non-elastic cord. Overloading the functions on the one cord works fine, and doesn’t interfere with using the side compression straps to hold longer items stuck into the side pockets. It also simplifies backpack construction. RecommendationThe Zpacks Nero 38L is a sub-1-pound ultralight backpack that’s good for ultralight backpacking and travel, with plenty of capacity to carry loads up to about 15-20 pounds. To appreciate the Nero, you have to understand that this is a streamlined backpack that does not have any of the frame stays, load lifters, extra shoulder strap padding, internal pockets, hydration ports, ice axe loops, trekking polders, external pad pockets, sternum strap whistles, or webbing straps that you’ll find on other packs. It is also essential that you pack light when using the Nero, because it doesn’t have a load-bearing hip belt. Made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics (formerly called cuben fiber), the Nero is highly water-resistant and a good choice if you hike in wet climates. Solid water bottle pockets also increase the pack’s durability, although care should be taken not to rip the relatively fragile mesh back pocket or hang up the extra cords hanging from the pack on overhanging vegetation. Being frameless, the Nero takes the shape of your gear when loaded, and therefore takes a little practice to pack if you’ve never owned a frameless backpack before. This can be a tricky because there’s a real temptation to fill its 38L of volume with too much gear, exceeding its max recommended load. However, once you dial in your packing strategy, the Nero is a comfortable backpack with wide 2.5″ shoulder straps that distribute the load across your shoulders and eliminate pressure points. Disclosure: Zpacks loaned the author a Nero backpack for this review. See also:
The post Zpacks Nero Frameless Ultralight Backpack Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/zpacks-nero-frameless-backpack-review/ “South Twin must be the most climbed mountain on the 4000 footer list”, said my friend Lisa, “It’s on the way to so many other peaks”. South Twin Mountain is at a cross roads for anyone hiking from the Pemigewasset Wilderness to the Zealand Valley or Crawford Notch areas of the White Mountain National Forest. Every Appalachian Trail thru-hiker has to climb it, but they’re easily outnumbered by the thousands of people climbing the 4000 footers every year. I’ve climbed South Twin twice, just in the past month, and expect to climb it again before the year is over. With an elevation of 4902′, South Twin is the 8th highest White Mountain 4000 footer. It’s the highest peak on the north side of the Pemigewasset Range, towering over neighboring Galehead Mountain, and Zealand Mountain, which is also nearby. There are three trails that meet at its rocky summit: The Twinway, the Garfield Ridge Trail and the North Twin Trail, which climbs South Twin’s 4760′ sibling first. Previous Trip Reports to South Twin Mountain
On this trip, I hiked up the North Twin Trail which starts mellow, but quickly gets very steep (climbing from 1840′ to 4760′). I can only remember hiking this trail once before in 2009, when we glissaded down it on our butts after a winter backpacking trip. Climbing up it when the rocks and roots are exposed is a very different experience and requires a lot more energy. The secret to climbing a peak like this is to take small steps to avoid tiring the big muscles in your legs. Slow down to a pace that you can hike comfortably without breathing too heavily and you’ll get to the top and still have gas left in the tank. While we didn’t plan it this way, I played tag all the way up the mountain with the University of New Hampshire Outing Club, which was running a trip up North Twin on the same day. They stopped for a half-dozen rest breaks as they climbed the trail, while I kept going pretty much non-stop, repeatedly passing them, before they’d catch up and pass me. They were very nice trail companions, always making room for me to pass, and I chatted them as we climbed up the mountain. October has been shockingly warm this year. Actually, autumn has been kind of delayed and the red maples were only just coming into color this past weekend, when they’re usually peaking on Columbus day. While it was cool at the trail head, only about 40 degrees, I quickly heated up when I started hiking and stripped own to a single layer. The day heated up as the sun climbed higher, but it was still cool above treeline in the wind. Perfect hiking weather actually, dry and sunny, with just a touch of mist on the distance peaks. The North Twin Trail begins at the end of Haystack Rd, a seasonal road which is gated and inaccessible by car in winter. The bottom of trail is a mellow walk along the Little River, crossing it three times before it starts climbing. The crossings can all be rock hopped but it takes time to scout them carefully. Marked (with cairns), the crossing points are also often not the best or easiest places to cross, which is pretty typical in the Whites. The steep part climbs about 2000′ in 2 miles but levels off at about 4500′ where you enter a long stretch of krummholz at treeline. The dwarf trees provide plenty of wind protection up to the summit. There’s an outlook spur trail there, to a ledge that has a great view of Mt Garfield, Franconia Ridge, and the small peaks between Mt Garfield and Mt Galehead. The latter is a very strenuous section of trail to hike, full of mud, slippery ledges and large boulders. The North Twin Trail drops about 200′ into the col between the North and South Twin summits. It’s a very pleasant stretch of trail, bordered by storm battered trees, before you start climbing again. After that, there’s a fine open ledge where you pop above treeline, before climbing the knob atop South Twin. I stood there for a while and watched as a glider from the Franconia Soaring Association soared silently above. A perfect day. I hung out on South Twin for a while talking to the people I met there. A pair of backpackers recognized me. They’d just come over the Bonds that morning. They’d tried to summit Bondcliff the previous evening but couldn’t get across it because the wind speeds were too high. Scary stuff. That’s one cliff you don’t want to get blown off of. They camped below the Hillary Step and got across the following morning. This being an in-and-out hike, I turned around and retraced my steps back down the North Twin Trail. It took a few hours to get back down, but I didn’t mind the walk. It’s been nice revisiting the 4000 footers this year and the trails leading to them. Total Distance 10.75 miles with 3500 feet of elevation gain. Recommended Guidebooks and Maps:
The post Climbing North and South Twin Mountains appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/climbing-north-and-south-twin-mountains/ The Katabatic Gear Flex 40 is a premium quilt-style sleeping bag. It’s filled with 900 fill power goose down and comes with an effective sleeping pad attachment system to help prevent drafts from blowing under the edges of the quilt when you move around at night. Katabatics’ Flex quilts (available at multiple temperature ratings) also come with draft collars that snug around your neck and prevent heat from escaping when you move. The Flex footbox can be zippered closed and has a draw string vent, which is convenient for temperature regulation as your body cools at night. Finally, you can also unzip the Flex fully and use it as a blanket in warmer weather – hence the name Flex, because this quilt has a chameleon of uses. Click for my detailed review of this quilt. Deadline to EnterThe deadline to enter this raffle is Tuesday, October 31, 2017, at midnight PST. Rules
To EnterTo enter this random raffle for a chance to win a free KB Flex 40 quilt, answer the following questions in a comment below. One entry per person only. Brevity is appreciated.
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Answer these 4 questions for a chance to win. Brevity is appreciated. Incomplete answers will be disqualified.The post Enter for a Chance to Win a FREE Katabatic Gear Flex 40 Quilt Style Sleeping Bag appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/enter-chance-win-free-katabatic-gear-flex-40-quilt-style-sleeping-bag/ Hikers swear by Darn Tough’s wool socks because they last forever. Darn Tough even guarantees them for life, and will send you a replacement pair if you wear them out. I bought 6 pairs of Darn Tough Hiker Boot Socks three years ago and I’ve worn them almost continuously since for hiking, backpacking, and kicking around in town. The wool in them has compressed a bit with use so they’re not as fluffy as they were when they were new, but I haven’t been able to wear a hole through the heel or forefoot. I’m still using those same socks today. How is possible to get by with just 6 pairs of socks? I often wear them for days at a time, when I’m hiking, and even at home. I’ve never gotten a blister while wearing them. They’re wool, so they don’t get smelly unless I step in something wet and awful. They’re perfect for traveling because I can get by with packing fewer socks. Before I switched to Darn Tough Socks, I hiked in wool socks made by Smartwool. They never lasted long and I’d blow through more than a dozen pairs a year. I hike in trail runners, so gravel from stream crossings and trail dust would filter past the mesh in my shoes and rapidly wear down my socks, under my heels and my forefoot. It was a big problem on the last big hike I did, hiking 200+ miles on a coast to coast trip across Scotland. I remember scouring the tourist shops in Loch Ness looking for replacement socks, finally finding two pairs embroidered with the monster’s likeness. They lasted a few days until I could get to a proper outfitter and buy some thick wool hiking socks. I know I probably emphasize gear durability more than most other backpacking gear reviewers, but I really hate replacing gear that wears out or breaks before its time. It’s not even a matter of money. I enjoy using gear that I treasure for a long time. It’s hard to explain, like using a favorite fountain pen when you write a letter or wearing a watch that you inherited from your Dad. There’s joy in using gear that’s you’ve had a lot of adventures with. That’s the feeling I get when wearingDarn Tough Socks. We’ve had a lot of history together. Disclosure: The author purchased all of his Darn Tough socks with his own funds.
The post The Darn Tough Sock Guarantee appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/the-darn-tough-sock-guarantee/ Cooking in a camping tent or ultralight shelter can be quite hazardous, but sometimes you don’t have an option because bad weather prevents you from cooking outside. What are the hazards you have to watch out for and how can you cook inside a tent safely? What’s the best camping stove for safely cooking in a tent?
Carbon Monoxide PoisoningCamping stoves give off carbon monoxide when you cook with them. This is a odorless invisible gas that’s generated as a by product of burning carbon-based fuels including canister fuel, white gas, alcohol, solid fuel cubes and even wood. Inhaling too much carbon monoxide can kill you or cause severe brain damage. The best way to avoid carbon monoxide when cooking on a camping stove is to use it in a well ventilated place, either outside, or in your tent’s vestibule (See, what is a tent vestibule?) with the outer door wide open. If you’re tent doesn’t have a vestibule, unzip all the doors and fold them back, allowing for plenty of ventilation. Contrary to myth, carbon monoxide is not heavier than air and will diffuse evenly through the air inside a tent if you don’t ventilate it. Setting Your Tent on FireIf you use a camping stove in your tent, there’s a very real danger that you could set it on fire while you’re inside it and severely damage or destroy it. Not having a shelter in cold or stormy weather because you’ve burned it down, can be as life threatening as being burnt and seriously injured. Many conventional tents (like those sold by major manufacturers) have been treated with fire retardents, that will slow or stop the spread of flames. However, many tents and ultralight shelters from smaller manufacturers have not been treated, requiring extra caution if you use a camping stove in one. Severe BurnsCertain fuels like white gas or alcohol are dangerous to cook with inside a tent because you want to use a stove and fuel type that is easy to see and that you can retain complete control over without spillage. When priming a white gas stove, it’s normal to set it on fire in a huge fire ball when excess fuel is pumped from a pressurized fuel bottle. You want to avoid this because you can get burned in the confines of a small tent or vestibule or it can set your tent on fire (see above). Spilled white gas can also become a fire hazard. If you must use a white gas stove, prime it outside your tent and only then bring it inside when you can control the flame height. Alcohol is also very difficult to see when it’s burning and it can to tough to tell if your stove has been extinguished or not. . Odors can attract AnimalsIf you cook in a tent, it can retain a food smell and attract animals, like bears, mountain lions, and coyotes, to come investigate. In order to reduce food smells, avoid cooking strong smelling foods like friend bacon or fish inside your tent, and bring freeze-dried or dehydrated meals that you can rehydrate with boiling water. Best Stoves for Cooking in TentsThe best stoves for cooking tents and ultralight shelters are all-in-one canister stoves that come with an integrated pot and camp stove combination like the Jetboil Flash, Jetboil Joule, the MSR Reactor, and the MSR WindBurner.There’s very little flame up when you light these stoves and they’re fairly windproof so you can still cook efficiently in a breezy vestibule if the wind is blowing. I prefer the MSR Reactor and the MSR WindBurner because both stoves are effectively flameless. They heat up a radiant burner which is a rounded concave surface, covered by a wire screen, that sort of looks like the surface of the sun when it’s been lit and burning gas. While the burner pulls in air through side ports to enable combustion, it is completely covered and enclosed by the Reactor/WindBurner pot. Isobutane canister stoves are the easiest type of flame to control in a tent:
Some stove manufacturers sell hanging stove kits for canister stoves. These are best used outside in the open air in snowy conditions suspended from skis or branches, and not in your tent, because they move the stove flame unnecessarily close to the ceiling of your tent. You’d be much better off bringing a small piece of reflectix to set your stove on (the ground) to insulate it from snow when cooking or melting snow in your tent in winter. (See MYOG Reflectix Insulated Stove Base for Winter Camping) Think low and away, when it comes to flames near the ceiling or wall of your tent. See also:Written 2017.
The post How to Safely Cook in a Tent appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/how-to-safely-cook-in-a-tent/ The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak daypack is a 17L backpack made with two layers of black Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF), a waterproof laminate that makes the Daybreak lightweight, durable, and highly water resistant. The Daybreak is laid out very much like HMG’s overnight backpacks with two side water bottle pockets and a rear stretch pocket. However, it has a U-shaped clam-shell opening with a brightly colored orange interior, which is faster to open and close than a roll top on a lower volume daypack. You do open and close a daypack more frequently than an overnight backpack and having the clam-shell design really does make it much faster to access or put away gear. Specs at a Glance
If you already own a Hyperlite Mountain Gear backpack, you’ll have no problems acclimating to the fit and form of the Daybreak backpack, which has the same shoulder pads used on HMG’s other backpacks, including daisy chains for attaching navigation tools and other accessories. If you’re a day hiker but don’t want to carry one of HMG larger overnight backpacks, than the Daybreak is a fully featured day hiking pack which will let you experience the benefits of owning a daypack made from Dyneema Composite Fabric, chiefly durability and water resistance. At 17L, the Daybreak is about 40% of the volume of Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s 2400 series backpacking packs. Still that’s plenty of room to carry the extra clothing, food, and water you’d need for a long dayhike or a winter hike when you need to carry extra traction aids like microspikes or crampons. Most of the pack’s storage volume is in the main compartment, which is large enough to stuff the “10 essentials”, including a puffy down jacket, hat and gloves, a rain jacket and rain pants, headlamp, first-aid kit, a small fire starting kit, swiss army knife, map and compass, plus snacks and a lunch. There’s an internal hydration pocket which can hold a water reservoir and an internal stash pocket that’s large enough to hold your cell phone, wallet and keys. The side pockets easily fit 1 liter water bottles, which are easy to reach, pull out, and replace when wearing the pack. The hip belt has lightly padded side wings, but isn’t meant to be load bearing as much to keep the pack close to your back. Although the stiffness of the double layer DCF fabric and the foam back panel provide a hint of stiffness and load transfer when the hip belt is worn. When it’s not needed, the hip belt stuffs into a hidden pocket behind your waist. The rear stuff pocket has drain holes, so you can carry wet gear or a dripping wet water filter. The stuff pocket is hard-faced, not mesh, so it can stand up to bushwhacking without being torn to shreds if you take the Daybreak daypack off-trail. It’s also large enough to store microspikes or a crampon case, although I’d recommend keeping your crampon points covered to avoid poking through the pocket. There are six attachment points on the back of the pack that have an elastic cord strung through them, so you can lash gear like a emergency foam pad to the outside of the pack, although in a pinch the Daybreak’s foam back panel can serve as an insulating sit pad. Finally, there’s an ice axe loop and a shaft holder on the back of the pack to carry a walking axe. None of these features are really earth shattering, when it comes right down to it, although they do make the Daybreak a bomber tough and functional pack that’s great for more technical day hikes, scrambling, and off-trail bushwhacking. If there’s one gotcha with the Daybreak Daypack, it’s the price, which is $225. That’s a lot of coin for a 17 liter daypack, even if it is made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics. Disclosure: Hyperlite Mountain Gear provided the author with a sample backpack for this review.
The post Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Daypack Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/hyperlite-mountain-gear-daybreak-backpack-review/ The MassDrop Klymit Ultralight V Sleeping Pad is a lightweight insulated sleeping pad that’s the result of a special design collaboration between MassDrop and sleeping pad maker Klymit. With an R-Value of 4.4, the Ultralight V is ideal for spring or autumn backpacking and camping when the ground temperature is cold and you need a little extra insulation without a huge weight penalty. It also makes a good primary sleeping pad for a winter backpacking sleeping system when coupled with a closed cell foam pad. If you’re not familiar with MassDrop, they’re a community-based retailer that offer discounts to its members (membership is free) on backpacking gear, much of it from cottage or smaller sized manufacturers like Enlightened Equipment, Zpacks, Luke’s Ultralite, Jack R’ Better, ULA and many others. MassDrop also works with manufacturers to create small lots of customized products exclusively tailored for their community member’s needs. MassDrop’s Ultralight Backpacking Community Manager is a guy named Danny Milks and he’s helped discover and create some really great products with like-minded manufacturers, most notably Fizan’s ultralight aluminum trekking poles, which are as light as many carbon fiber trekking poles with the durability of aluminum ones. Comparable Sleeping PadsPriced at just $59.99, the new Ultralight V Sleeping Pad is a great deal if you’re looking for an insulated inflatable sleeping pad to extend your backpacking season into the shoulder season months. It’s lightweight enough that can use it year-round and with a durable design that can stand up to frequent use. A regular size 72″ x 20″ Ultralight V Sleeping Pad weighs 17.2 ounces with an R-value of 4.4, and comparable to the following inflatable sleeping pads in terms of R-Value and gear weight.
However, each of these pads cost 2X to 3X times what MassDrop is selling the Ultralight V for, something to consider if you’re looking for a low price, but high-quality alternative. While these weights are kind of heavy compared to a lot of summer sleeping pads, remember that the Ultralight V has an R-Value of 4.4. There are very few sleeping pads available at these weights and dimensions with this high of an R-value. (See Sleeping Pad R-Values) Note: A short 60″ x 20″ version of the Ultralight V is also available that weighs 14.7 ounces if you want to shave some more weight. Updated DesignThe new Ultralight V Sleeping Pad reviewed below is an upgraded version of the MassDrop Klymit Static V Sleeping Pad (See Review) that I reviewed in September, 2017. The chief differences between the earlier version and this new pad are the use of a flat inflation and deflation valves instead of a stick valve, a new non-slip coating on the bottom of the pad to prevent slippage in a tent, and the availability of multiple sizes including a short 60″ x 20″ size, which I field tested and review below. Flat Inflation and Deflation ValvesThe new Ultralight V sleeping pad has two flat valves, one for inflation and one for deflation. Flat valves are much more durable and harder to damage than stick valves on sleeping pads because they have no moving parts. To inflate, open the valve and blow air in. There’s a flap inside to prevent air from escaping in between your breaths. Deflation is also much faster with a flat valve, since it’s basically a wide hole that air can flow through more easily. If you’ve ever struggled to get the air out of a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite or Xtherm inflatable sleeping pad which have stick valves, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Multiple Sizes AvailableThe Ultralight V is available in multiple sizes, depending on your needs, including a wide and long size and a short size, which is good for kids and smaller adults.
Given how inexpensive the Ultralight V is, it might be worth shortening it yourself if you want to make a short wide pad or a even shorter torso-length pad to save some more weight. (See Short Length Ultralight Sleeping Pads) If you’re used to sleeping on a 72″ long pad, switching to a shorter 60″ is pad isn’t that dramatic a change. Your feet and lower legs need less insulation at night, which you can get by laying your backpack and extra clothes under your legs. This is an old ultralight backpacking trick that works most of the year, except in the dead of winter. Non-Slip CoatingThe Ultralight V comes with a non-slip coating to prevent the pad from slipping around on the floor of your tent or bivy sack. It’s a cool idea and helps prevent your pad from getting away from you at night. Some tent makers, most notably Tarptent, recommend painting stripes of silicone seam sealer on the bathtub floor of your tent to achieve the same effect. But having the non-slip coating on your sleeping pad is a much better option that makes it compatible any tent, regardless of the fabric used to make it. I don’t recall ever seeing this feature on any other sleeping pad, but it works great and is clearly a winner. Small Packed SizeThe Ultralight V sleeping pads folds up incredibly small with pre-scored folds that let you fold it up in thirds, length wise, before rolling it up. While gear weight is always an important variable when choosing backpacking gear, don’t overlook the value of carrying very compact gear. Carrying a smaller sized sleeping pad can let you carry a lower volume and lighter weight backpack, for instance. Comfort and InsulationThe Ultralight V sleeping pad contains 60 grams/m2 of synthetic insulation to capture and retain your body heat. I’ve camped on cold ground using the pad and it is significantly warmer than the less insulated, lower R-value inflatable sleeping pads I own. As a side sleeper, my hips float on top of the pad without bottoming out in the gaps between the V-shaped air compartments. However, if I get up on my knees, they hit hard ground if positioned in the voids between the pad’s air chambers. It’s not a big issue for me, because I only use my pad for sleeping, but if you’re more of a social camper and less of a eat-and-sleep backpacker, then this might not be the pad for you. Otherwise, the surface of the pad is comfortable to sleep against with bare skin, although for cold weather use you’ll probably want to wear long johns. The pad is also quite quiet without the crinkly sound you find on some of Therm-a-Rest’s NeoAir sleeping pads. RecommendationThe new and improved MassDrop Klymit Ultralight V insulated sleeping pad, now available in multiple sizes, with more durable flat valves, and a non-slip coating, is an even better value than its predecessor the Insulated Static V. Priced at just $59.99, you’d have to pay 2 to 3 times as much for a lightweight insulated pad with a comparable weight and R-value from Therm-a-Rest, Exped, or Sea-to-Summit. This is really a steal. Highly Recommended! See MassDrop for complete specs and product availability. Disclosure: Massdrop provided the author with a sample sleeping pad and sponsored this review.
The post Massdrop Klymit Ultralight V Sleeping Pad Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/massdrop-klymit-ultralight-v-sleeping-pad-review/ Pungent. That’s the best way to describe the smell on the Zealand Trail as you approach the Beaver Ponds. They’re an essential part of the Zealand Valley ecosystem providing open space for migrating flocks of birds to land and rest while accelerating the decomposition of the trees and grasses they flood. I’ve never seen a beaver there, but their terraforming work has had a profound influence on the area. I was hiking in to the Zealand Hut for a quick snack before backpacking around the Wiley Range, a sequence of 3 four thousand footers that overlook Crawford Notch. I planned on climbing them from north to south, ascending from the east side by the A-Z trail and the following the ridge bagging each summit in turn. Autumn was in full swing in the Pemigewasset Wilderness as leaves fell around me like fresh snow. I’d slipped just slipped into “the zone”, where I stop thinking about myself and all my to-dos, when I spied a member of the Zealand Croo hiking towards me with a backboard on his back. We’d just had a big national holiday and I imagine he was hiking out some trash from the guests for a pickup. Except for early spring helicopter drops, all supplies and refuse from the huts must be carried in and out by the crew (spelled locally as “croo”) on wooden packboards weighing up to 80 pounds. “Philip Werner, what are you doing out here?”, he called out. My name is Chris. I was on one of your hikes a few years ago. I said, Mt Tom, right? “I was just looking at a picture of us both us few days ago”, I said, when we’d posed together for a summit shot. Back then, he’d told me his ambition was to join the AMC crew and it was nice to see that he was working in one of the huts. I detailed my trip plan, which included a stop at the Zealand Hut, and he said “When you get to the hut, tell them Chris said you can have a free baked good or soup.” I felt honored. The baked good of the day was carrot cake and I ate two large pieces when I arrived, leaving the crew a nice tip and payment for the second piece of delicious cake. I left the hut and hiked to the A-Z trail junction, a short distance away, which climbs up to the Willey Range, a series of three peaks named Mt Tom, Mt Field, and Mt Willey. It’d been many years since I’ve hiked this section of trail and I found that I’d forgotten a lot of it. It begins with a gradual climb through forest and over bog bridges, before becoming a rocky scramble near the Mt Tom/Mt Field col. I took a break when I reached the trail junction and planned my next move. My plan was to climb Mt Tom which was 0.6 miles away, before hiking back down the range to Mt Field and Mt Tom. I was very conscious of the time because the sun sets so early now, at just 6:10 pm. It’s getting late in the year for backpacking trips and I wondered if this would be my last solo trip of the year. A frost was expected that night and it gets a little lonely camping by yourself when the sun goes down so early. I headed up to the Mount Tom summit. It looked a lot different from what I remember, when Chris and I has posed at the summit. The trees were taller and the trail was wider, probably because of all the hiker traffic it gets. The summit views have mostly grown back in since my last visit, so I headed back down to the col and started making my way to Mt Field where there is a good view of Mt Washington. The hike to Field was longer than I expected, but pretty uneventful. The biggest challenge was keeping my trail runners dry with water streaming down the rock ledges on the trail. I summited but was met by a huge black dog who only understood French, I was told by his owner. I didn’t feel like dealing with the dog or anyone for that matter, so I exited left at the cairn and continued on to Mt Willey. The day had started sunny but had gotten cool and gloomy, so I layered up with my low-tech rain jacket which can double as a wind shirt, with torso length pit zips to help regulate and vent heat. There were two false summits before I finally made it to the top of Willey, but I felt strong although I was conscious of running low on water and knew I’d have to filter more soon. I reached the viewless Mt Willey summit by about 3:30 pm and then dropped down to the outlook ledge below it where you can see the lower half of Crawford Notch, some 2500 feet below. The valley was awash in red autumn color, a sight that never ceases to fill me with wonder when I see it year after year. I chatted with two other hikers on the ledge about hiking and backpacking in the Whites. This was their second 4000 footer and you could tell they were hooked and eager to climb more. The descent from Mt Willey back down to the Ethan Pond Trail is super steep, dropping over 1500′ in less than a mile. Part of the descent or ascent if climbing is on ladders, which is why I wanted to climb Willey before winter. I didn’t know if the ladders are removed in winter or not and didn’t want to risk them not being there later in the season. I walked down them like stairs rather than turning around and backing down them like house ladders, leaning slightly backwards so I’d fall on my butt if I slipped. There’s a stream at the bottom of the climb, just before the Ethan Pond Trail junction where I filtered some water with my BeFree 3L water filter. I’ve been using this filter and soft bottle system for over 200 miles of backpacking this year and it’s super speedy for filtering large quantities of water. The soft bottle has held up to all kinds of abuse and hasn’t torn, which was one of my early concerns with the system. It’s virtually eliminated my use of Aquamira drops, even for purifying larger quantities of water. The BeFree is so fast, I just use it instead of waiting the 5 minutes for the Aquamira drops to turn yellow before use. The sun was beginning to set when I started up the Ethan Pond Trail towards the Ethan Pond Shelter and back around to Zealand Hut. I decided to check out the shelter but didn’t really want to camp there because they’ve had a lot of bear activity at the camp site. The pond below the shelter was high and the wind starting to pick up across the water. I stopped at the shelter and surveyed the scene, taking in the sign warning of bear visits. I’d arrived a day after the Columbus Day weekend and figured the campsites were probably still trashed from the crowds that descend on the White Mountains. I often wonder if I’m partially to blame for the increased popularity of hiking and backpacking in the White Mountains, but my friends assure me that it’s the result of social media instead. I headed back to the Ethan Pond Trail and started hiking west with the intent of camping somewhere off trail along the North Branch of the Pemigewasset River which parallels the trail. I wanted to get a mile away from the shelter to minimize a bear encounter and to find a stealthy site the required distance from the trail according to local camping regulations and where no one could see me. It was slim pickings though and I got discouraged after three off-trail detours to check out possible sites. That area off the trail is a wet, mossy realm full of brambles and downed wood. The clock was ticking when I finally found a barely passable site to pitch the tent I’d brought (a NEMO GoGo Elite), which thankfully has a very narrow footprint good for sites like this. I bushwhacked to the river to cook away from my tent, and stood on a gravel bar in the middle of the stream where I cooked up a pot of Ramen noodles with olive oil and chunks of summer sausage. It was dark by the time I started digging into my food, eating by headlamp. After I cleaned up, I hung my Ursack bear bag and bushwhacked back to my tent for the night. It was cold that night. Really cold, reaching into the low thirties but I was bundled up in my Feathered Friends 40 quilt-style sleeping bag, augmented with a down Montane Featherlite Jacket and Possum Down Gloves. I was so comfortable, I slept in the next morning, only leaving camp at 9:30 am. I also wasn’t in a rush, intent on enjoying the autumn colors for a few more hours. I’d done the hard work of climbing mountains the previous day. I broke camp and continued past the Shoal Pond and Thoreau Pond Trail junctions, that I’d backpacked past just a few weeks ago on a Shoal Pond Loop. The Ethan Pond Trail turns northward as you approach Whitewall Mountain and approach Zeacliff, the eastern prow of Zealand Mountain. I thought about climbing it then and there, but I was feeling deliciously lazy and decided to punt it to a future trip. The morning sun helped intensify the autumn colors and I was perfectly happy to enjoy the view from below. It’d been many years since I hiked this trail, back when I was section hiking the Appalachian Trail back in 2009. Time flies, I guess. I remember having an amusing encounter with territorial Spruce Grouse on that hike or one on an adjacent section. The Appalachian Trail follows the Ethan Pond Trail through the valley here. My route continued through the narrow valley between Zeacliff and Whitewall Mountain, though they were both hidden by the trees that border the trail. I soon passed the spur trail to branches off to Zealand Hut and retraced my steps from the previous day back to the road and inner Zealand road lot. Soon, the Forest Service Road to this parking lot will be closed for the duration of winter, making the natural wonders of the Zealand Valley harder to reach on foot. I felt lucky to squeeze this short trip in before the big freeze arrives, although winter brings its own pleasures and rewards with it. Total distance: 18 miles with 3200′ of ascent. Recommended Guidebooks and Maps:
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ABOUT MEHello my pleaseure to introduce myself, I am Jose Johnson. I am 26 years old from Monroe, LA. I love to got for hikings with my friends on holidays. Archives
April 2019
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