Went with a meetup group to the Catalina Mountains for an overnight backpack. A great time was had by all. I was the only hanger. Some notes:
Base weight was 12 lb. WBBB double 1.7, ULA Ohm 2.0, DIY alcohol stove, Toaks TI pot. Smart Water 1.5L bottles with one SmarTube. Ursaq and Opsak for food.
Had a gnarly thunderstorm right on top of the camp. This was my first trip with a Hammock Gear cuben tarp, and it was awesome. I had it in porch mode and watched the group's tents sag and droop as their silnylon stretched. I got the tarp with the doors, but didn't stake the doors down, just let them swing free. Gusty winds moved the doors around a bit but I didn't see any water getting past the tarp. Coverage was just right. UQ stayed perfectly dry. I enthusiastically recommend the HG tarp!
I used my new Enlightened Equipment 40F down quilts for the first time. Temp got down to 51F and I was snug and warm. the quilts stuffed down to nothing and lofted beautifully with a few shakes.
We got rained on hiking out. I deployed my Senz umbrella and Zpacks rain kilt and was dry and cool all the way up the mountain. The others had traditional gear and were wet and/or hot to varying degrees. The skirt was especially good because I was leading and knocking the water off the ferns lining the trail.
I think I'm getting the "hang" of this stuff. I had an issue in camp where I thought my tree huggers were too short for one of the trees. I did make it work (barely). I think I'm going to switch to at least one longer strap on future hikes. Or maybe just bring some webbing to extend the existing straps if necessary.
Cheers!
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks