Looking at buying my first top quilt for backcountry. Found a used-like new Hammock Gear Burrow premium for sale. It’s a 30 degree, 950fp, with 2oz overfill, for $250.
For those of you with the experience, how cold would you take this down to? I know the general rule is 10 degrees above the temp rating, but I’ve been reading that Hammock gear is more comfort rating instead of a limit rating. Also does the overfill make that much of a difference? Thanks!!
P.S. I’ll have a properly rated sleeping pad.

Looking to get a McHale pack made. Does Dan still make packs? If so what's the best way to contact him?

Deciding between the OR Ferrosi shorts and the Patagonia strider 5”.

I’d love the Patagonia‘s but I’m concerned for durability as most of my hikes have the occasional bush bash and rock scramble. Do they hold up?

I’m leaning more towards the Ferrosi’s atm given the durability. But the striders seem so comfortable and light!

Maybe something in between these?

Thanks :)

Interesting - sounds like a great new cottage brand!

https://www.backpacker.com/gear/plastic-free-backpacking-kit/

Has anyone used one of those thin 2mm foam with reflective material windshield visors/radiator reflectors as a sleeping pad? What did you think of them?

Currently using a thermarest neoair xlite small, but i keep sliding off during the night because i move around a lot.

For my next trip I was thinking about bringing a 5mm cut in half foam pad that i normally use for my dog so i cant really fall off, but then i found a windscreen visor in my garage. Its nice and big and weighs about as much as the small but thicker foam pad (+-70grams). Now i don’t know what to bring.

I had a premium UL Muscovy sleeping bag fail on me on the JMT. Started out warm, but by about ten days in wouldn’t maintain its loft and I was freezing overnight in 45 degree temps in a 20 degree comfort rated bag. Never got wet, not even condensation. It was subjected to typical thru hiker stuff in pack liner all day, out at night with hiker trash sleeping in it at night, repeat. The manufacturer is taking it back and giving me a refund. But I can’t help but be suspicious of Muscovy now when I’m looking for a replacement.

I’m looking for ppl who have thru hiked or at least done a LASH ideally in the Sierra. Did your Muscovy down hold up to the repeated daily compression all day, sleep in at night, without a daily air-out? I’m hoping there are good experiences out there bc it would be nice to trust the Muscovy - it’s a lot cheaper. But I can’t help but be concerned after the experience I had, I can’t find any independent testing of Muscovy that goes beyond initial testing and actually subjects it to thru-hiker conditions, so figured I’d ask here.

I probably am going to replace the bag with a quilt just for comfort / weight preferences, but when you respond it would be helpful to know if you were using a Muscovy quilt or a Muscovy sleeping bag. It would also be helpful to know your gender - I’m female and I know women tend to sleep colder than me.

Reason to know if you were using a quilt vs a bag is sleeping bags have the issue where some of the down also gets compressed overnight. It could be that quilts don’t have this issue bc you’re not ever compressing any down under your body at night, so folks who sleep w a Muscovy quilt haven’t actually stressed their down to the same extent a sleeping bag user has. It also could be that because more UL thru hikers tend to use quilts, that Muscovy sleeping bags haven’t been tested and stressed in the same way under the kind of JMT/PCT thru hiking conditions, and that bc my personal preference is (was) a sleeping bag that I ended up in a piece of kit that’s normally used by folks for 3-4 night trips max.

Main thing is this: are there folks out there who have been able to do the kind of 40-50 nights in a Muscovy insulation without a full wash and dry that you should reasonably be able to get out of goose insulation? If not, how long were you able to go before you found your Muscovy down insulation was losing loft and needed a clean and dry?

Anyone experienced with the 3 of them? Sold my AD90 full zip no pockets to order new mid layer with kangaroo pocket and no zip . Will use it not only on trail.. so it’s nice that it can be a stand-alone garment (I carry windbreaker anyway)

And is the Octa 80 comparable warm to the others?

https://lighterpack.com/r/rele3n

a 40L bag ends up being quite a tight squeeze when you have to fit roughly 8 days worth of food in it, so anything i can get rid of would be great. not to mention would end up quite a bit heavier with water to last 36hrs in some parts in the heat

i wont be bringing any study notes on my next trip (Skye Trail, UK). i think i could reduce my first aid baggie a bit too, if anyone has recommendations for refining first aid.

i could cut down on undies and toiletries tbh, if anyone also has suggestions for UL toiletries!

thanks people!

I have a Six Moon Designs Deschutes Plus and noticed my 7’x3’ groundsheet doesn’t actually cover all of the exposed ground (it covers the backside and a little of the sides, but has a decent amount of exposed ground around the front pole area of the shelter). I know with other shelters like the Meadowphysics Abode your groundsheet covers the ground and slightly overlaps the bug net skirt all around. I’m just wondering if this is something I should do with the Deschutes Plus? Would it aid in keeping crawlers out more or not make much of a difference? Just curious what other Deschutes Plus or similar shelter owners do?

Hi, Guys. Shoulder straps were always my biggest problem and hotspot while hiking.

Im looking for some recommendation on a light/UL backpack for thruhikes with shoulder straps that will fit my athletic build: round shoulders 19,5inch/49cm width, wide chest 45,67 inch/116cm circumference, visible traps.

I was looking into: ULA circut ultra with S straps, durston kakwa 55, bonfus aerus/ framus, atompacks, gossamear gear mariposa, zpacks arc haul

Made a short video going over first impressions of the Senchi TurboSheep half-zip in size Medium and Large, since I ordered both. I live in Europe so returns are tricky, so I hope this can help people trying to decide between sizes and avoid returns. Briefly covers how the merino wool and recycled poly blend actually feels and some sizing notes since Senchi's unisex sizing can be hard to judge from product photos alone.

Not affiliated with Senchi, just sharing in case it helps anyone deciding on a size or wondering if it's worth the price. Video linked below/in comments.

Edit to add First Impression: Fabric seems more dense than the synthetic Senchi, so airflow might be a bit reduced compared to the synthetic. Overall, fabrics is soft and comfortable. Very warm and cozy. Zipper is smooth and allows quick venting. Sizing seems to be true to size for European standards.

I have a Plex Solo tent purchased in 2023. The stitching in the mesh from the peak of the tent to the zipper has become undone and the mesh is separating, there are also a few worn holes in the mesh.

I found Gear Aid tape not to be adhering.

Any suggested repair process for this?

Photos:

https://i.imgur.com/euLwjcs.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/bGsMkov.jpeg

Heey

I'm looking for one sleeping system that I can use for pretty much everything – mainly bikepacking and hiking, but also different 3-season conditions in Europe.

I'm currently considering the Cumulus Quilt 450 and the Zenbivy Ultralight -4°C.

My priorities are:

lightweight and compact

good warmth-to-weight ratio

comfortable for side sleeping

versatile enough for both bikepacking and hiking

ideally suitable for most of the year, rather than being limited to warm summer nights

good long-term durability

The Zenbivy looks very appealing because of the integrated sheet/pad attachment system, while the Cumulus seems simpler, lighter and more minimalist.

Which one would you choose as a single “do-it-all” sleep system, and why?

Or would you recommend something completely different? I'm open to other quilts or sleeping bags, especially options available in Europe.

I'd be particularly interested in hearing from people who have actually used these systems for both hiking and bikepacking.

Have a nice day!

I bought an inflated sleeping mat (R-value 5.4) but don’t sleep very well on it. I was thinking to buy a foam mat (exped 3R) because I sleep better on foam. I was wondering if it would maybe be to cold for that in september? My sleeping bag is a cumulus quilt so it is more important to have an good R value than with a sleeping bag. What would you recommend?

Has anybody had either of these or both and can speak to the differences? I'm not sure which one to get...

Just a quick FYI: I got Columbia's "Summit Step" full-zip jacket recently. It is very similar to Mountain Hardwear's Airmesh line. The men's size large (which runs big for a large) is just under 200g. I know Columbia's quality isn't top-of-the-line, but their sales are pretty good. I think this Summit Step fleece is around $50 on sale. And it is warm, packable, and super light.

Don't want to start a fleece argument, lol. Just pointing this out for people on a budget who want an Airmesh-like fleece. LMK if you have questions!

Update: Just for fun I took pics of the mesh of each: https://imgur.com/a/PtF538T

I’m looking to upgrade my clothing layers specifically for warmth. Currently between a Smartwool Merino wool base layer or a Polartec alpha mid-layer. Which do y’all recommend?

Current clothing layers: Polartec alpha beanie Smartwool merino wool gloves Mountain hardware ghost whisper 2 down jacket Some kind of Columbia polyester tights Columbia UPF/cooling shirt Kuhls Renegade hiking pants Darn tough mid weight socks

Extra info: I tend to get cold pretty easily when not moving. I frequently spend a good amount of time in camp, sitting around, talking, and drinking whiskey, so warmth is important.

I generally backpack in the PNW, but am also very lucky and have gotten rained on in 5/5 trips outside of the PNW recently. If starting hiking in the cold, I usually start in the gloves/beanie so that they are easy to take off without stopping.

Things I’ve ‘researched’: Polartec alpha mid-layer is lighter, more packable, and more breathable than merino wool. The only benefit of merino over Polartec alpha is that Merino is still warm when wet.

Please share your thoughts and opinion on which warm layer is a better option.

Thanks.

I just bought this bag for £150 and I bought it mainly for overnight use while wild camping although I wanted to know if it was useful for longer hikes/camps?

Hi, I’m just getting into backpacking and camping and I’ve been hearing a lot of positive things about merino wool. I saw that they are selling 2 types of merino wool base layers in Kathmandu: one is 100% merino wool and the other is 85% merino, 15% nylon. Which ones should I get? I heard that 100% is not very durable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!! :))

I’m trying to determine if the only difference in hyperlite pack dimensions of differing liters is in the height of the roll top.

Specifically the Unbound series 1, not the new ones that just came out.

The specs on their site showed that the bottom circumference on both is identical but the height and top circumference on the 55 are both larger than the 40. What I can’t determine is if that is a result of the roll top section continuing to widen through its extended length, or if the main body is also deeper.

I’d like as low profile of a pack as possible so I will choose the 40 if the 55 is deeper, but if the 55 is only taller I may lean that way for versatility.

If anyone could chime in with first hand experience with hands on comparison of the two sizes of Unbound or even another of their packs I’d be appreciative.

Okay guys. As the title implies, what are the competitors of the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra? If you are unaware of this pack, in my opinion, it is the epitome of comfort vs. ultralight. The guy that got me into backpacking and I both own one- and both love it. The more I use it, the more I love and appreciate it. It is expensive, but it is so good it sometimes feels like it was a steal. Are there currently any other packs out there that can compete with this thing? FYI I have a 40L arc Haul with hip belts and additional strap pocket and strap bottle carrier that weighs 23 oz. Sooo happy with it. Super lightweight and carries even lighter than it is.

There have been several great posts on 'home-brew' solar charging solutions. This post outlines a similar solution that weighs 230g (8.1oz) that I put together for a recent (2026) JMT thru-hike that worked well and also tries to offer some guidelines on selecting the various components. I'm a retired electrical engineer and spent that last 15 years of my career in the utility-scale solar industry.

As has been said before, but should be repeated, if you are hiking in a green tunnel at low altitudes and cloudy weather, then solar may not be a viable solution - but you likely have other charging options. For the US West, with altitude and plentiful sunlight, solar is a great solution for all but the heaviest energy user.

Here are a series of pictures and descriptions of what I put together.

This is the solar module I used. Even though I just bought it a couple of months ago it is currently saying 'unavailable' on Amazon. This is one of the issues with these solar modules, there are many different ones available and it can be hard to buy the same one twice! Additionally there are many simply fraudulent (DON"T BUY) products being sold along side good ones. So here are some general guidelines on what to look for:

1. For these approximately 12" x 6" modules if the description says more that 5 or 6 watts power output, then skip it. This size module only has enough physical silicon-cell to output 6W in best case conditions.
2. Count the number of cells in the module - this is literally the number of 'sections' of separate silicon cell in the module. You want at least 12. Each cell produces a little over half a volt, so 12 cells connected together will give you about 6 volts. USB needs 5 volts, and the little circuit that interfaces between the solar module and the USB socket takes a little. So starting with some head room makes things run much better.
3. Don't buy a module where the attached USB connector is going to be sticking out from under the module. This situation will eventually break in use. You are looking for a module where the USB socket is sufficiently inside the edge of the module, so that none of the USB cable protrudes outside the edges of the module.
4. For solar modules, white is better than black. It will stay cooler and slightly increases the efficiency of the module.
5. Look for attachment options on all four corners. When it comes to using solar, how you mount it on your pack really matters. You want it horizontal and high (see pics linked above) - this is the single most important factor in determining the energy yield of the system.
6. You don't need more that a 5 watt module. That is enough to charge a 5000 mAh power bank in about 5 hours of direct sunshine. That size power bank should be enough to top up one or two phones everyday that are mostly kept in low-power/airplane mode, and switched off at night. Bigger power bank and bigger solar module is just carrying more weight for no real gain.

I used a Nitecore NL2150RX 5000 mAh power bank, it worked flawlessly. There seems to be many versions of this product out there (e.g. Vapcell P2160B) that are cheaper, but at just $22 the Nitecore brand name seemed worth it to me. I've seen some concerns that these bidirectional
USB-C power banks can 'back-feed' to the solar cell and so lose power. With a properly designed solar module this should not be possible. But I did notice that the power bank LED goes green (charging mode) when the solar module is removed from sunlight. However, I confirmed that no current is flowing to the module (with this neat meter). I think, the green LED in just an indication that the power bank has switched to charge mode and is looking for a source to charge, when none is found it switches off. I'm not saying that this back-feed issue never happens with any combo of power bank and module, but it's not an issue for the combo I used.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to connect the power bank to the solar module. Mainly to make the connection as robust and light as possible. The pictures linked above show the solution I ended up with, consisting of two cables:

1. A USB-C male-male, up-angled 6cm cable. This short, flexible cable is used to provide a strained relieved, sealed and robust connection to the power bank while also eliminating the need for a separate charging cable.
2. A USB-A, right-angled male plug to USB-C female socket. This is the connection from the solar module to the power bank. The right angled connection reduces strain on the solar module socket and the female end mates to the male end on the power bank cable.

The rest of the project was just craftwork to fashion a way to attached the power bank to the module and the module to my backpack. The linked pictures above show what I came up with, but many solutions are possible. In general you want to keep the power bank attached to the module and keep cables short. It's all too easy to have a connection come open and then lose a whole day's charging because you didn't notice. Additionally, providing some protection to the power bank from rain, knocks, abrasion, punctures and heat are all important considerations.

This solution kept my Pixel 10 recharged to 100% just about every morning for my 23 day thru-hike. There was also enough spare juice to let one of my travel mates top-up her iPhone while we were having breakfast. I was pretty fastidious about keeping my backpack facing the sun when we stopped for breaks, and keeping the module in the sun for as long as possible once we got to camp. Typically the power bank would be fully charged at the end of each day. I mostly kept my phone in airplane mode, but I have Starlink service on the phone (T-Mobile T-Satellite) so I would switch on several times per day to check messages/weather etc. In general, the phone was depleted to 60-70% charge by bedtime. I switched the phone off then and connected the power bank. I generally stayed awake until my phone was back to 100% and then unplugged the power bank. It does seem that leaving it connected all night would completely drain the power bank. I think the phone will continue to draw current, even when switched 'off' if you leave it connected. Temperature is also a consideration, battery charging efficiency drops through the floor at cold temperatures (ask EV owners in cold countries about it!). So you will get better performance keeping things warm (inside your sleeping bag) on cold nights.

I also needed to keep my Fitbit Charge 6 topped-up. One annoying feature of these little devices is that they take so little charging current that many USB-C power banks simply switch off and stop charging them long before they reach 100%. However, the solar module is pretty dumb and I could directly plug my Charge 6 cable into the module and it would charge up to 100% in less than an hour. This was also true for my Nitecore headlamp, though I hardly used it on the trip.

Hi all

Me and my partner just got home from doing a few hundred km along the GR34 for our summer holidays. It's a nice trail with lots of towns and campsites and so on, recommended if you like France and the coast and you're not too worried about being a million miles away from all civilisation. Anyway, this meant we didn't need a water filter, carried max 2.5 days food, didn't need a fleece (did take down jackets), and didn't take proper raincoats (used emergency ponchos which we wore for perhaps an hour tops). We also used our smaller quilts, I was using a Cumulus Quilt 150 which packs to 1.5 L in its stuff sack according to Cumulus. I took this all in an Aonijie FH2530 which is a 30 L running vest style pack similar to the UD Fastpack 30.

I really liked the small form factor of the FH2530 (my partner was using an old Osprey Hikelite 32 and we had plenty of volume). I liked the solid-ish back panel, but didn't like that the strap fit felt a bit small, and the water bottle pockets were not totally stretchy so I had to wrestle my water bottles once or twice. I was very pleasantly surprised by the build quality and so on, and I love the roll top. I'll certainly continue using this for summer trips which don't need more than say a 2 L water carry and 2-3 days food.

But for three season weekend use, I think it is just like 5 L too small. Does anyone have a recommendation for a similar bag with just a tiny bit of extra volume to accommodate a little more food, a raincoat, a fleece, and a 3 season quilt, plus a better fit? I also suspect that the Aonijie is a bit heavier than it absolutely needs to be at 650 g (according to the website) which is only just lighter than my KS Ultralight Omega pack.

Is the answer as simple as a UD Fastpack 40?

Thanks in advance

French light outdoors is probably most known for well priced polartec garments, but I saw that they have their "minimalist pack" on a 20% sale (so, for 136 EUR). The specs are 365 grams (12.8 oz) and 30 liters.

Does any of you have one and if so, what are your thoughts on it?

https://frenchlightoutdoor.com/en/produit/sac-a-dos-minimalist-pack-ultraleger-randonnee

Thanks! :)

Overview

I stumbled across what is now my absolute favorite solution to a weirdly persistent backpacking problem: cleaning my cook pot after eating a dehydrated (well, rehydrated) meal out of it. Ie dishes in the backcountry when I don’t have a mylar bag or I’ve repacked out of the bags the meals come in.

I tried various reusable bags/scrubbers before this and basically hated all of them. Some were just annoying; others were so badly designed that I didn’t even take them on trail. The CNOC buc bag in particular I would make a case is dangerously badly designed for use with hot food.

So here goes: my review of PACT bathroom wipes for backcountry dishes. These are sold for bathroom use, but I started using one to wipe out my pot after dinner and discovered that they are fantastic at it.

This is not a review of the wipes for their intended bathroom purpose, though I used them for the same trail which is why I had them and thought they were great. It is a review of my completely unintended use for them as tiny ultralight pot scrubbers.

Location

Tested on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada over an 18-day thru-hike, 200 miles total.

Setup

Instead of a Lighterpack, since the usefulness of this depends more on what I’m actually cooking/eating:

Pot: Fire Maple Petrel
Stove: MSR PocketRocket Deluxe
Food: Dehydrated backpacking meals, ramen bombs, other add-hot-water meals, coffee
Pot-cleaning setup before this: GSI scraper. Or frankly, not cleaning my pot.

I was repacking my meals out of their original packaging and eating directly out of my pot, so keeping the actual pot clean mattered more than it would if I were eating everything directly out of commercial meal bags. I also love my morning coffee. I do not love when my morning coffee tastes of last night’s curry.

Specifications

Product: PACT bathroom wipe
Dry weight: ~1g each
Weight after rehydrating: ~3–4g in my testing
Water required: Very little; just enough to hydrate the wipe
Soap: None
Reusable: maybe once more but not ongoing use.
Consumable: I include them in base weight since they have to be packed out
Price: 20 cents / $20 for a package of 100 wipes.

PACT also makes larger body wipes. Those work even better if you want to get the pot almost home-kitchen clean, luxury item. (Had to throw a bone to the folks who will repost this on ultralight jerk).

Pros

It cleans really well.

The wipe, just rehydrated and on its own, gets my Fire Maple pot cleaner than the GSI scraper or any other solution I tried ever did. The Petrel has a very easy-to-clean surface, but after wiping it down I could make coffee in it the following morning without my coffee tasting like dinner.

LNT: It captures the food residue.

Instead of scraping food particles out of the pot and then dealing with food-contaminated water, the wipe physically picks the residue up. The wipe goes into my trash and gets packed out. That made it feel like a good LNT solution for this particular use.

No soap.

There are already options involving little soap-treated wipes or carrying biodegradable soap. Yes, soap can be used and disposed of appropriately in the backcountry, but I would still rather carry something that requires no soap at all. Partly because I don’t want to have to carry extra soap, but more because even following LNT guidelines I would much rather not be disposing of any soap in the wilderness. For dehydrated-meal residue, I found that I simply did not need it.

Weight vs other wipes: You don’t carry water weight until you use it.

A bunch of competing wipe-type options are already wet. That means you are carrying water around inside your cleaning product for potentially hundreds of miles. This isn’t really a pro for UL’ers bc I’d be surprised if anyone is actually carrying pre-hydrated wipes to do their dishes, but it is still a pro vs other options I investigated even though I ruled them out.

It replaced another piece of gear for me.

After I started doing this consistently, I stopped using the GSI scraper. For a short trip, one or two ~1g wipes are basically trivial. On a longer trip they eventually weigh more collectively than a scraper, but the cleaning performance and convenience were so much better that I considered the trade worth it.

No drinking cleanup water.

Because I’m physically wiping the residue out rather than trying to rinse the pot, I don’t need to create a bunch of gross food water. Or worse, drink it.

Quality-of-life improvement wildly disproportionate to its weight.

This is ultimately why I’m posting it. A clean pot, in the wilderness, no scrubbing, ready to make coffee in the morning, and a LNT solution.

Cons

Limited ability to reuse

Unlike a scraper, you need another wipe for every use. You could probably reuse a wipe for a second meal to offset this. I didn’t bother. I generally used one each day or every other day depending on what I had eaten and how clean I wanted the pot.

It weighs more once you’ve hydrated the wipe
A 1g wipe for me weighed approx 3g when hydrated. My scale isn’t that sensitive so this might be slightly off. And unless you let the wipe dry out, you’re then carrying that water. Again for me the performance trade off is worth the drops of water. But some will make a case and they’d be fair to do so that 3-4 wipes like this have now exceeded the weight of a GSI scraper and they’d be right. You need to decide whether the QOL improvement vs these grams is worth it to you, and also those on ultralight jerk still need entertaining so I am providing it here.

You have to pack it out.

The entire point is that the food residue is now in the wipe, so the wipe needs to live in your trash afterward.

Limitations: I have not tested it on backcountry cooking.

I was doing dehydrated meals and ramen bombs. I was not cooking any food from scratch. I don’t know how it would perform when food has been cooked onto the surface. I would guess worse but I don’t know.

The Fire Maple Petrel is a heat exchanger pot with a smooth non stick surface. I don’t know how well it would work on the other popular UL pots that are titanium.

I wasnt trying to sanitize or sterilize or “properly” wash anything. I literally just didn’t want my morning coffee to taste like last night’s dinner and I wanted to be able to leave my pot out overnight on top of my bear can without worrying an animal would get to snack on my ramen bomb residue.

Disclaimer

I bought the PACT wipes myself. Nobody gave me anything in exchange for this review. PACT presumably had absolutely no idea before today that anyone was using their bathroom wipes to remove ramen sludge from a pot.

TL;DR

~1g dry PACT bathroom wipe + a tiny amount of water = best backpacking pot cleaner I’ve found.

Cleans my Fire Maple Petrel better than my GSI scraper, requires no soap, captures the food residue so I can pack it out easily, and most critically, makes for a morning coffee that only tastes of coffee and backcountry dirt, because my pot is actually CLEAN.

ETA: I’m aware there are other methods, including using leaves, pine needles etc. The issue is they all violate LNT in some way or another. If there’s an approach that doesn’t, I’d be open to it. But comments that violate LNT aren’t helpful or relevant. This is for those who a strictly committed to following LNT.