Getting Back Into Backpacking + 2023 3-Season Gear List
08 Sep 2023
On a roadwalk near the town of Woodstock, VA
This past year or so I’ve been getting back into hiking and backpacking. Exploring the DMV area on foot and metro had been fun, but I wanted to get back to nature. One issue was that I no longer had a car, so I started going to Meetups as a way to get rides to trail heads. Eventually, this lead me to going on trips with DC Ultralight Backpacking. I was mostly a solo hiker before, so the social dynamic of these group trips has been refreshing. Just weekend trips, but that’s been enough adventure for me so far.
2023 3-Season Gear List/lighterpack
An early version of my 3 season gear from lighterpack listed below. I got pretty into making this and ended up weighing all my gear myself. The base weight of ~19 pounds is pretty accurate, on my last trip my total pack weight (with food, water) was around ~25 pounds.
Some Thoughts On Ultralight
I’ve been leaning more into the “ultralight” approach to backpacking since joining DC UL. There’s a lot that’s been said about what “ultralight” means, from sub 10 pound base weight packs to “it’s just a mindset bro”. In my mind, ultralighters tend to:
- Pick their gear with very objective and thorough approaches. They’re the type who weigh everything, organize stats into spreadsheets or lighterpack, watch GearSkeptic, and have endless discussions about the pros/cons of materials, cottage vendors, etc.
- I was naturally drawn to this because it can be very technical and I like to nerd out a bit over gear. Even though I know it’s not really worth the squeeze for the weekend trips I’ve been going on, I find it fun to weight all my gear, optimize my pack list, etc. Of course there’s a danger in thinking about gear more than using it. And in the case of ultralight, optimizing for weight can get into “stupid light” where you are unnecessarily miserable or even in danger.
- Walk all day and minimize camp time. This, I think, appeals to certain endurance-holic type folks who have boundless energy and/or love a challenge. Walking 20-25+ miles a day can be considered standard.
- I don’t lean 100% into this idea. I love to walk and can do it all day. There is an appeal to the challenge of hitting 20-25 miles. But my “natural” tendency, especially if I’m alone, is to go slower and soak in nature.
Near Big Schloss.
Gear: Big Three + Shoes Overview
Below are the Big 3 (pack, tent, sleep) and shoes I’ve used so far and will likely continue to use for the rest of the season.
Backack: Gregory Baltoro 65 (~2015)
This was my first and only backpack. I bought it thinking I would eventually “grow into” it as I went on more ambitious trips. Unfortunately I never turned out to be that adventurous and it’s way more pack than I need for weekend trips I’m currently going on. Still, I’m fond of it and it has held up great. It’s still towards the back of the list of things I’m thinking about upgrading.
- Pros: comfortable heavy-hauler, durable, lid can be removed and used as a day pack.
- Cons: very heavy (~5 pounds), more than I need, some out dated design features such as tiny hip belt pockets and lack of stretch mesh pockets.
My pack and trekking poles on recent trip
Tent: Tarptent ProTrail (~2015)
This tent was also a first and only purchase. It was/is a budget, lightweight (~26 oz) tent. Overall I’m not a huge fan of it, I’d like to hop on the X-mid band wagon soon.
- Pros: relatively affordable (at the time), lightweight
- Cons: pain to pitch, don’t like front vestibule and way held with velcro, front entry is awkward to climb in/out of, not comfortable to hang in, not confident it is very storm worthy
Sleep System: Warbonnet Diamondback Topquilt (20 degrees) and Thermarest RidgeRest SOLite (torso length)
I used to have a Kelty Cosmic sleeping bag, but I recently replaced it with a Diamondback Topquilt. This was my first big purchase in awhile and so far I’m very happy. The upgrade gave me a modest reduction in weight (~48 -> 26 oz) and so far I’ve liked the quilt form more than a sleeping bag. My RidgeRest sleeping pad is yet another piece of gear I’ve had since ~2015. I actually don’t really want to replace it, I love how simple and robust foam pads are. I’m thinking of getting a inflatable pad just for colder weather, but I’ve also thought about just stacking another foam pad.
- Pros: down is lightweight, prefer quilt form factor, foam pad is dependable and multi-functional
- Cons: quilt won’t work if it gets wet, pad slips around in tent, pad not going to be enough by itself in colder weather
(I want to note that I have a hammock set-up as well. But I’m going skip going into detail because only used it once a few years ago)
Shoes: Vivobarefoot Tracker Decon Low FG2 (spoiler: no good for me)
I used to just hike in boots. I had a pair of Solomon Quest boots that had lasted me quite a while. But they’re heavy duty tanks (my size 14 are 3.4 pounds) and were probably never really suitable for trips I have done or will be doing. I wanted something like a trail runner as a replacement. I looked to where I’ve gotten some of my favorite minimalist shoes, Vivobarefoot (been wearing Primus Lites almost everyday for a few years). That’s how I landed with getting the Tracker Decon Low FG2s. They were a new line-up, a low-cut version of one of their hiking boots. Sounded great! However, I ended up having issues with them.
For one thing, they swung too far the other way and did not offer enough cushion. Part of this was me underestimating how rocky and rooty the trails in/around the Blue Ridge Mountains are (I’m suspecting most proponents of Vivos for hiking are concentrated elsewhere… lol). The other part was me having to run into my limit with minimalist shoes when hiking big miles (15+ a day). Another issue was they didn’t really fit me. They’re partly too large, partly maybe not good fit for my feet type, and partly maybe just plain ol’ not well designed. They scraped the back of my heels to the point where I had to apply Leuk tape. One final issue is I don’t think they are even that lightweight, which you would hope would be the major benefit for a minimalist shoe. While they’re made of durable materials, like some leather, those materials are heavy. Comparable trail runners would of been the better choice.
I really should of returned them but it was a classic case of being stubborn and wanting to make them work. I did wear them on three weekend backpacking trips and overall have 100+ miles on them, so I know they are viable. They just didn’t turn out great for me, at least not as they were. I found including mid soles from an old pair of Converses helped a lot with rocks and the fit. But the plan is to retire them from backpacking early and use them for day hikes. I ordered a pair of Altra Lone Peak 7, so we’ll see how I like those.
- Pros: look pretty cool, prefer to have as minimalist shoes as can, some ability/hacks to adjust cushion through adding soles, seems durable
- Cons: expensive, not great for rocky terrain, didn’t fit me well, heavier than comparable shoes
Gear Swaps
Here’s a few gear improvements I made this year as I was researching how to get my pack weight down:
- Naglene bottles -> Smart plastic water bottle. A classic ultralight upgrade. Still saving the naglene bottles for sub freezing winter camping as they can be filled with boiling water.
- A Frogg Toggs rain jacket
- MSR SweetWater Microfilter -> Sawyer Squeeze
- Various changes to toiletries, first aid kit, and utility stuff (towels, compass, power bank, etc). In general, reducing and minimizing stuff to be more appropriate for short weekend group backpacking trips.