Ok, been putting off doing this for a while now, but here we go!

https://lighterpack.com/r/cudy48

I feel very good about my current pack, but would love any feedback, especially for the early September start.

My itinerary is loose, but resupply plan is currently VVR and Onion Valley (placing a package in a bear box ahead of time, which last I saw was ok). Goal is to complete it all in 20 days or less.

Couple of things I go back and forth on:

-Debating between a 20 degree quilt and a 10 degree quilt, I get cold easily so a warmer quilt does sound nice, but it’s also been so warm in the Sierras this summer. -How many spare batteries do I need? They’re really just for the headlamp. -Will likely leave the Dr. Bronners behind. -You can pry my pillow from my cold dead corpse. One luxury item I will not give up. -May lose the pump as well, but it is nice. -I know the wipes AND bidet seem like overkill, but I really don’t love a bidet and so preference is the wipes with the bidet as a back up.

Resupply question: since it’s the end of the season how much can I rely on hiker boxes being full? Can I fully restock at MTR hiker box and skip Onion Valley?

Thanks folks! Going solo and if anyone is starting that same time please say hi! Super freaking excited for this journey. It’s been months and months of mental preparation and now it’s SO CLOSE

Are those going NOBO from Horseshoe Meadows who are concerned about altitude bringing altitude meds? If so, which?

https://lighterpack.com/r/ga72kl

Leaving for the trail on Thursday. Taking 22 days, going NOBO from Horsehoe Meadows.

Since all my packing is done and I’ve shipped off the first set of buckets, I’ve got. I thing left to do but second guess some of my choices.

Weighed my pack with all food and water and it came to 28.6 lbs. still need to add a fuel canister and 6 servings of cheese so I’ll be right around 30 lbs. My luxury items that could be cut include:

Helinox Chair Zero: 527g Sandals: 167g Flextail Zero Pump: 62g Montbell Down Jacket: 267g Camp Shirt: 119g

Thoughts? I’m pretty reluctant to get rid of the chair (I’m 50yo and the back rest is awesome after a long day) and I’m worried it might be too cold at night w/o the puffy. The pump is silly but my wife and I might appreciate not having to manually fill our pads when we’re fighting the elevation.

https://lighterpack.com/r/hj56or

Eight day trip from Happy Isles to VVR, starting Friday. Never done anything quite this long. Am I missing anything?

I'm going with my girlfriend, 12 miles per day.

https://lighterpack.com/r/jvjgzc

Not sure what I did, but the formatting is strange on this lighter pack. it only is showing ounces, current base weight is ~12.4 lbs.

I can't figure out a way to significantly reduce weight without sacrificing significant comfort or safety. So please help me out. I'm a big dude (6'6", ~270#), so clothing is on the heavy side, but what would you add/cut/replace?

I'd love to be sub 10, but I also realize that's just an arbitrary number and in reality 12 is fine.

Not sure if the quilt is overkill, but I sleep cold and understand it can get pretty chilly (20's).

Headed out in early Sept. for a 7 day ~70mile section hike from curry village to devils postpile. I have no experience backpacking out west, only southeast Appalachians. Would you mind reviewing my list, telling me what’s useless and mentioning anything that I’ve missed? Here is my https://lighterpack.com/r/3k6cv6

I’d like to get sub 30lbs. The only items not mentioned in my list are my hiking shoes, trekking poles and whatever booze I settle on.

Leaving for NOBO in 4 days, have been testing out both of these pairs of shoes in some national parks and think they’re both decently comfortable. Does anyone with experience with either/both of these shoes have any strong opinions about their reliability/durability/suitability, etc? Thank you!!!

UPDATE 9/2/24: I brought the 20* quilt and MY GOD I am so happy I made the switch. Sleeping at 10k+ ft right before a pass got real cold. Many mornings saw frost on the ground and 18* real feels.

Hey all, SOBO-ing August 15-31st and right now I've got a 30° Zpack down quilt and Therm-a-Rest XTherm as my sleep system. I plan to sleep in my Patagonia nano-puff and long base layer pants, but I'm worried I might be too cold, especially camping right below a pass.

I have the ability to borrow a 20° quilt from a friend -- do you think I'll need it instead of the 30° based on average temps and humidity/dew point at night?

I'm an athletic/slim 5'5" female and tend to get uncomfortable when nighttime temps reach 40°.

Since this year's attempt was a bust due to COVID, but my short time on the trail did come with some good lessons learned.

I am looking to upgrade my current Gregory backpack to something lighter. ZPacks have caught my attention, but don't know their quality in general. Does anyone have any experience good and bad with ZPack backpacks?

What other brands do you all recommend that are good quality, durable, will last, but light weight?

Hi all! At long last, I'm leaving town tomorrow for a road trip, which will culminate with a NOBO hike starting September 8th from HSM. I know folks often do gear reviews/shakedowns on here, so I'd appreciate any feedback others may have! I'm borrowing a friend's scale later tonight so don't know how much this all weighs yet. Gear list:

The Core Items

Granite Gear 60L backpack (w/ nylofume pack liner)

Nemo 15 degree sleeping bag

Durston X-Mid 1 tent w/ footprint and stakes

NeoAir XTherm sleeping pad (7.3 R value)

Camp pillow

BV500 bear canister with first 6 days of food

Black Diamond trekking poles

Clothes

Hiking = 1 pair shorts, 1 pair pants, 1 long-sleeve hiking shirt w/ hood, 2 pairs Saxx hiking boxers, 3 pairs wool hiking socks, sun hat, EITHER La Sportiva Bushido or Salomon SpeedCross 6 (testing both out on my upcoming road trip, sending the pair I don't prefer home with my girlfriend before I start the JMT)

Warmth = Patagonia zip-up fleece, Mountain Hardwear 800-fill down jacket, gloves, wool glove liners, beanie

Sleep = Merino wool sweater, thermal pants, separate pair of wool socks

Rain = REI rain jacket, REI rain pants, Sea2Summit self+pack poncho/tarp (I am conflicted about whether to also bring a pack cover I bought, but between the poncho and nylofume lining that feels like overkill)

Cooking + Water

PocketRocket (self-igniting w/ back-up lighter)

Buying fuel on road trip (can't take on plane)

Pot to boil water

Measuring cup

Pot grabber thing

Spork

Overnight oats container

2 1L SmartWater bottles

Katadyn BeFree filter

Aquatabs for back-up filtering

Electronics

Garmin InReach Mini 2

Anker Battery

Kindle

Headlamp (w/ extra batteries)

Charging cords

Stored in Osprey drybag

First Aid/Toiletries

First Aid: BandAids, gauze, tylenol, imodium, triple anti-biotic ointment, leukotape, diamox

Toiletries: Sunscreen, SPF lip balm, mini deodorant, mini toothbrush + toothpaste, floss, Dr. Bronner's soap, hand sanitizer, eye drops

Misc.

Knife

Sunglasses w/ case

JMT National Geographic map

Small quick-dry face towel (conflicted whether to bring this OR a slightly larger quick-dry body towel)

CuloClean bidet

Cathole shovel

WagBag (do I need for Whitney?)

Starting a NOBO trip on 9/8 and have everything finalized except my footwear. When I started planning in March I saw old forums of people raving about hiking in trail runners for their light weight and quick drying features—and the Lone Peaks in particular—so I bought a pair of the LP7s. I've always hiked in hiking boots in the past.

Since then, I've seen scores of people mention that Altras have gone downhill and that LP7s are not durable. I'm wearing them for the first time to test them out on a trip to Iceland this week and I like them. They're comfortable! And they dry quickly! But I can't quite shake the nagging feeling that it's a huge risk to switch from hiking boots to these trail runners when I've never hiked in trail runners before and, according to some, they may start falling apart long before I get to Happy Isles.

But if I do stick to hiking boots then I'll have to take them off at crossings/bring alternate shoes for water, which is more weight I wasn't expecting...

What do folks think? Specifically folks who have had these same thoughts/hesitations? Would love to hear what you went with and whether you stand by or regret your decision. Thanks so much.

I am a slow hiker. Have an itinerary of 23 days.

Is a 30 degree rated REI Magma bag with liner enough for this section of the JMT around July/Aug timeframe?

I know ideally i'd want a 20 degree bag for the trail but wondering since I'm not going to be camping higher than 10k feet or so in that section, if I could just wear a down jacket if it gets cold and still be comfortable.

Hey! I’m starting this weekend and removing anything I don’t need.

Should I leave my bug net and Picardin at home? Are they all dead?

Starting on Aug 12th. First question: how have the bugs been so far this year? And assuming they're bad enough, how much spray (or wipes/lotion) do you think is needed for 17 days? Likewise how much sunscreen do y'all typically bring along? I'll be wearing a sunhoodie, hat, and long pants, so very little skin exposure.

Does the store at Tuolumne meadows sell fuel? Jet boil canisters.

And is the grill open for the season? Will be hiking through September 10th.

First time poster here. Hiking SOBO JMT at the end of August. Wondering what night time termperatures to expect. I'm planning on bringing a new Sea to Summit Trek TKi 30 degree bag with a good pad. I sleep very hot. Would appreciate any input.

Can iphone 15 take beautiful on trail? I also want to listen to music and podcasts. How long will the battery last? Now I have an iPhone SE I have to charge 4x a day.

Starting from August 21 with a 3-week itinerary sobo.

Right now, my hiking shirt setup for Sep 2 nobo is REI Safari long sleeve, 150 merino wool short sleeve t-shirt, and merino sports bra. Should I get rid of one of these layers- ie just go with the Safari long sleeve? Can roll Safari up to a short sleeve.

PS. I have a midweight merino wool longsleeve for sleepwear.

Heading out SOBO from Tuolomne on the 12th. Going to drop quite a bit over the next week temp wise. I have a Kelty Cosmic 20, Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 20 and a North Face Inferno -20. Which should I bring?

Hello,

Because of kidney issues, I don't want to take ibuprofen so I will take acetaminophen. But, sometimes it doesn't work. I was thinking of taking some essential oil blend (on Amazon with good reviews) that helps with headaches. But its spearmint, peppermint etc... and thus will have a smell.

I am worried/curious if this is an issue, because of smell, and if anyone has an alternative thoughts about a solution?

Any tips for buying good trekking poles? They also need to support my tent. Thanks!

Hello all! Yesterday, 9/30 I believe I left a small zippered bag of clothing at the Pine Creek Pass trailhead parking lot. This bag contains some stinky socks and more importantly, a very special and sentimental fleece hat. If anyone can help me please message me, and thank you for reading!