Ounces add up to pounds! Carrying less weight is the main objective for my gear decisions – while still being comfortable and safe, of course!
Next month we will start our Great Divide Trail (GDT) LASH (“LASH” is hiker lingo for “long ass section hike” 😆). In our case, as previously noted, we will be tackling exactly half of the 1100km trail, connecting the US border in Waterton Lakes National Park to Field, BC.
With some thru hiking under my belt, the gear decisions are not as difficult or major as they were before the PCT. However, different conditions (trail, weather, elevation etc) require some fine tuning of our chosen items. For the “Big Three” (tent, backpack and sleep system) I am bringing some new and some trusted items along.
The Big Three
The new one: I have previously and very happily used a Zpacks Duplex tent which I still love. Trekking pole tents use the poles you are already bringing for walking to support the tent, therefore eliminating the need for separate tent poles. The Duplex is a 2-person tent that uses two trekking poles which creates a lot of headroom.
However, I had some concerns about dog paws on the DCF floor in the Duplex. It’s durable, no doubt … but I just don’t want to deal with any holes in the floor 😳 So we will be using a new Durston X-Mid Pro 1 tent on this trip.
With a personal connection to Dan, and the cult-like following of his brand and products (because they are just so good) it was just a matter of time until I joined the cult 😁
The X-Mid Pro 1 is a one-person DCF tent with the option of a woven floor (silnylon) – still waterproof but a bit more durable than DCF. This way, I don’t have to worry about the dog’s paws and don’t have to bring any booties for her. The tent weighs 17.1oz/485g and has an innovative design with lots of headroom (2 poles) and plenty of vestibule space (two vestibules, two entrances, lots of ventilation when opened). The floor area is 90”/2.3m long and 32”/81cm wide, giving dog and human enough space to stretch out. I’m excited to try this new tent on our shakedown hike in Banff National Park later in July. Pictures to come!
On cold or short hikes I sometimes bring inflatable sleeping pads but they are susceptible to punctures, be it from sharp objects below or above (e.g. dog paws). Once they leak, sleeping on them is pretty miserable. So I much prefer CCF (closed cell foam) pads which you just unfold.
They are bulkier and a bit heavier than the lightest inflatable pads but they always work. I am of the opinion that you can train yourself to sleep on harder surfaces and in certain positions so while a thin foam pad is not optimal for a lot of side sleeping, being on my back or front works just fine. You also don’t have the height of an inflatable pad, which means you don’t “fall off” and you are further away from the walls.
The CCF pad’s R-value (warmth rating) is not high but should work fine for mid-summer hiking. I will have a short (120cm long) Nemo Switchback for myself, with a Thinlight underneath and another Thinlight for the dog. Because chasing a pillow around the tent at night is annoying, I have crafted an attachment system for my Sea to Summit Aeros Down pillow (which gets attached to the foam pad with cord, cord lock and a Buff over the pillow; see picture).
The dog will have a fleece jacket for the nights, which makes it easier to keep her covered. She also has a Ruffwear dog bed on top of my old thinlight. I’m not expecting the ground to be very cold but of course, in the mountains the nights could be chilly.
A no-brainer is my Katabatic Flex 22 quilt (weighs 22oz/630g) which comes on most of my trips. It’s a trusted, high quality companion. Weight is saved over using a sleeping bag by not having a bottom; when you lie on down it doesn’t provide warmth. Instead it uses an attachment system that keeps the quilt in place on the pad. I am not planning on getting close to the comfort rating of 22F/-5.5C but anything is possible in the mountains.
As for how I am going to carry all of this and more: I’m a big fan of frameless backpacks, having tried internal frames before and finding them uncomfortable and causing chafing on my back. I currently use a KS Ultralight 50 backpack (about 3 years old). Laurent, the owner, makes backpacks out of Japan that are almost fully customizable. It has done well so far, and with my light load it should continue to do so. Once I have it all packed up I will try to find out the weight!
Dog Gear
Ksanka will carry a fitted backpack with some of her food or gear, whatever fits. While the carried weight is not as important, I have learned that it is critical to have a harness on the dog in case she needs to be carried over suspension bridges (with broken rungs!) or through deeper water – yes she can swim but she isn’t very tall or heavy (about 35 lbs) so sometimes it will be necessary to have a safe attachment to get her through these obstacles.
For the whole hike she will be on a leash attached to my hipbelt. The parks require it and even outside the parks, it’s just safer and easier to keep her attached. This has worked well so far on previous hikes.
Other Gear Items
This time, many of the campsites will have bear lockers (no bear can required). But I will still bring my Ursack which is a bear resistant food bag that gets attached to trees for the night. All food, toiletries and dog food will go inside it.
Also coming along: Leki carbon trekking poles, a 750ml Titanium Toaks pot, Soto Amicus Stove, Sawyer Squeeze water filter with Evernew bladder and Smartwater bottles to carry water, a Garmin inReach to send checkin messages and a fanny pack instead of hip belt pockets (I find this more comfortable to carry items you need during the day).
Luxury items … meaning the little extras that are not necessary: Kindle and 400ml Nalgene bottle (which can shake up my breakfast – more on that in the next post – and also be a hot water bottle).
Feet
Footwear is a popular topic in backpacking circles. While I used Altra shoes for years (wide toe box, zero drop) I have now switched to Topo Athletic Pursuit trail runners. They have the same features but are more durable; I recently retired a hiking/running pair with 1500km on it! So with a new pair of Topo Pursuit and (ALWAYS) Darn Tough socks, I will be setting out again this year. Of course my Dirty Girl gaiters will be coming along too (they keep rocks and dirt out of the shoes).
Clothing
My typical “uniform” that has worked well in the past consists of long hiking pants, a Columbia button up shirt, a Patagonia sports bra, a Sunday Afternoon hat and sunglasses. Being mostly covered, I only use sunscreen on my face.
Besides what I wear during the day, I will have extra socks, extra underwear, homemade alpha direct pants (ugly but cheap!), an ultralight alpha fleece (Norrona), a sun hoody, a fleece hat, wool liner gloves and waterproof over mitts. My puffy jacket is an Enlightened Equipment Torrid (from the PCT), my rain jacket an Arcteryx Beta SL. I use a rain skirt instead of pants (Enlightened Equipment Rain Wrap) and always bring a bug headnet.
Other useful items … Leukotape on label paper (much easier to cut and use!), wet wipes (2g each).
Did I forget anything? If you have questions, just send me a comment and I will answer them!
Lots of thanks to both Dan Durston and Damian Counsel for answering my many questions about gear, routes, weather and more for the GDT! 😍
Happy Trails!