2008 Backpacking Light Staff Picks

Very interesting to see the range of favorites from those at the front of the herd. Although I'm plodding along near the back – but not in the last row that gets eaten by wolves – I love the Beartooth Merino Hoody and BPL FireLite Ti Trappers Mug. Both have made 2008 a great gear year for me.

I always look forward to the Staff Picks and the Picks from those on the forums. Here are mine:

1. BPL Long Handled Spoon–best eating utensil in the backcountry
2. BMW Torsolite–best pad I have ever used!
3. Steripen Adventurer–Allows me to drink as much as I want fast; no wait for purification! Only downside is battery life.

-David

Montbell UL Thermawrap Parka – fantastic UL insulating parka. Don't get the jacket – it only has 50 g/m of Exceloft as opposed to the parka's 80.

ID eVENT Shortie Gaiters and MLD eVENT rain mitts- In the category of gear that does exactly what it is designed to do with nothing unnecessary added, these two pieces of clothing take the cake. They are perfect because there is no longer anything to take away.

TarpTent Double Rainbow – My brother and I spent two weeks in this shelter in May and loved every minute of it. The headroom is great, the total floor area and usable space are massive for a two person shelter and the vestibules are actually usable.

BPL Thorofare Pants

GG Lightrek 4 poles

SMD Serenity Net Shelter

-Osprey Talon 22
-Patagonia Traverse Pullover
-Spandura scree gaitors (velcro heel attachment!)

Inov-8 shoes… for me it's a toss up between the more grippy and cushioning 295 roclite and the more durable sole with slight more natural feel 310 Flyroc.

Injinji Tetratsok… which when combined with the Inov-8 shoes have meant NO blisters no matter how many miles I put in or how wet my feet were.

Platypus BigZip SL Hydration System… fast and easy to fill, reasonably light, tube quick release works well making it easy to switch between being part of a gravity filter system and a hydration bladder on the trail.

Items I've most appreciated in 2008 (more than three):

Any tent designed by Henry Shires. IMHO, they are better ventilated and have less condensation than any other single-wall–and a lot of double-wall–tents on the market.

My Western Mountaineering Ultralight Super sleeping bag, which kept me snuggly warm in temperatures well below freezing. I didn't have a thermometer, but the water in my dog's dish froze completely solid.

Pacific Outdoor Equipment Insulmat Max Thermo (how's that for a mouthful!) insulated air mattress. Even more comfortable than the mattress on my bed at home. The newer version is the POE Ether Thermo, whose name is slightly less of a mouthful. Despite the lighter name of the newer version, both old and new weigh the same.

Six Moon Designs Comet pack. It performed admirably even when I had to carry close to 37 lbs. My back, shoulders and hips were fine, although my knees and feet screamed. What I learned from that incident is that if you want your ashes scattered out in the wilderness, please pick a place that's close to the trailhead and easy to reach. Human cremains weigh at least seven pounds. It's asking too much of your relatives to carry them to a place that's 4 days' hike from the trailhead.

ULA Amigo Pro gravity water filter. It saved me considerable lower back pain caused by bending over a water source pumping. It also saved me considerable time sitting by buggy streams stirring with a Steripen.

Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat. I'm allergic to most sunscreens, and this hat eliminates the need for sunscreen except on snow or close to bodies of water. Unlike other hats I've tried, it's very comfortable, has lots of ventilation and doesn't bump against my pack.

you were looking for under insulation that is affordable, easy to use. Jacks R Better have a down 2/3 length Underquilt that is made for the Hennessey lineup (but will fit any gathered end hammock) on a special order program. it is not listed on the website. Contact Pan or Smee for info. I understand it is a 3 season quilt that wont work for most winter conditions, (maybe here in southwest, HI, or the south..) but its great for next spring. No, I dont work for them even if I sound like it! mike.

my fav 3:

petzl e-lite
reading a book in bed never seemed so easy

montbell inner snap neck vest
sub 4oz is a great core warmer

orvis traveller 8' pack rod, 5wt
great reason to hike to sub-alpine lakes

(favorite DIY gear is hands down my bridge hammock system – tarp, quilts included)

Gossamer Gear "The One" tent

My favorite tent: only 17 ounces, bathtub floor, very easy to set up, full rain and insect protection, and very versatile. What's not to like? Could it be better? Sure–make a Cuben version and get the weight down to only 10 or 11 ounces.

Feathered Friends Swallow Sleeping Bag + Nunatak down balaclava–custom bag for me made without a hood and with an excellent neck collar, made with NANO fabric–listed at 20 degrees, 25.9 ounces + 3.6 ounces for the Nunatak Balaclava. I think the neck collar and the Nunatak Balaclava make this a 10 to 15 degree bag with a wide comfort range. Western Mountaineering, Marmot, and Nunatak get most of the sleeping bag kudos on this board (and they all do make excellent bags). However, Feathered Friends does too and their customization on fabric, size, length, quality of down, etc., combined with their production speed (compared to Nunatak) and excellent service give them an edge IMO.

Gossamer Gear Lighttrek 4 Trekking Poles

These new adjustable trekking poles rock! Their big advantage over Ti-Goat's adjustible poles (which are also very nice) are the superior handle grips.

IPOD Nano 16 GB

For only 1.5 ounces I can listen dozens of full audio books and thousands of songs and have 20 to 24 hours of battery life before recharging Don Wilson–Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" is available for download at audible.com. Thanks for the tip on this book.

Simblissity Scree Gaiters

These gaiters fit very well and don't require a strap under the shoe (which always wears out very quickly). Not waterproof, but also very breathable and not too warm. Perfect for non-snow hiking with trail runners.

New to me this year that I've really liked:

1. WM Ultralite sleeping bag.

2. Merino wool hoodie made from sewing a balaclava to a l/s shirt based on Bill Fornshell's idea.

3. Bicycle spoke added to my cooking pot for a bail/handle.

MLD Zip – It's been replaced by the more durable Exodus, but my first generation Zip was tough enough to function as my day and overnight pack for a full season of on- and off-trail guiding in Denali National Park and come out looking good as new. Light, tough, simple.

Mont-Bell Peak Shell – At 11oz, it's far from the lightest jacket out there, but the combination of breathability, features (really nice hood, hand pockets, big pit zips), and durability made it the perfect choice for a wet Alaskan summer. I practically lived in this jacket, including 5 weeks of solid rain spent slogging through blueberry bushes, willows, and mountain alders, and there's not a hole to be seen.

RailRiders Weatherpants – Indestructible. Just as perfect guiding in Denali as doing sub-zero WFR scenarios in the Tetons (with a set of Patagonia R1 Bottoms underneath), these pants are comfortable, cool/warm as needed, quick drying, very wind resistant, and bomber. Despite a lot of abuse, they still look brand new.

Other gear of note

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Patagonia R2 Jacket – My go-to fleece. Supremely breathable on the move means that wind cuts right through, but throw on the rain jacket or wind shell that you're always carrying anyway, and you're quite toasty.

Patagonia R1 Hoody – My second skin. Breathable, warm, built-in head and hand warmth, long waist, and tough. If it stays below 50F for the day, this is it.

Backpacking Light Cocoon UL 60 Hoody and Pants – For the volume of a medium stuff sack and a total weight of 17 ounces, you get an insurance policy against being cold. These were especially wonderful to have above the Arctic Circle in late September; they kept me warm standing around camp and easily pushed my 32F bag into the teens.

Western Mountaineering Summerlite – For 19 ounces and a teeny stuffsack, I'm comfortable from freezing on up. The hood and full-zip let me use it as a quilt, hatches-battened bag, and everything inbetween. Combined with my Cocoon clothing, it's a solid three-season bag.

Books – Sibley's Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, Wildflowers of Denali National Park, Dena'ina Plant Lore, Discovering Wild Plants, Kantishna, and so much more. The more you put into the world around you, the more you receive. Learning about where I was and carrying that weightless knowledge into the backcountry added to all my experiences in untold ways.

Doug, Doug, Doug,

It's December '08, mon. Don't jump the gun just yet! Haven't you received your Cuban-carbon fibre hoody/shelter prototype?

Sheesh,

Rick