MLD zip and 20+ pounds???

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jeff, i think you should carry whatever you REALLY think/know you will use. i dont have your gear list so i really cant say what items might be too much. looks like mld says it can handle anywhere from 20-30lbs so im sure you could get away with an extra 5lbs (total 25lbs). ive find that UL gear and advice is adapted for a specific trip, person, and time of year. i dont own a zip, i use a gg mariposa so i have no experience with the zip pack. have you tried packing it with 25lbs and done a few laps around the block? that was my testing style. im sure plenty of cats at bpl.com have more info but thats my 2 cents. aloha

Hey Dave,

Right now Im looking at starting in June. I have my own company and my daughter will be born any day now, so this date could change on a few things. The real concern will be snow in June but right now it doesnt look like there will be much left by then.

I am considering starting at Tahoe city(going clockwise). A friend has a cabin I can park at(good security). I am really using this as a long distance training hike and am considering only resupplying once to more simulate some longer sections of other hikes I would like to do.

I am setting aside 14 days to allow for quite a bit of fishing. I am confident if no fishing was involved I could get it done in 10 with no worries.

If you where to do what I am planning, parking and driving not a concern, where would you start/end from? Your 5 day trip would be a great challenge indeed, would you be running some of that?

Matthew,

I just ordered the pack within the last two weeks. Wont have it till well into April and I need to start picking up some gear pieces now. I will be doing block hikes to test as soon as the pack is in my possession.

I am almost done scrutinizing my list and will post it within the next few days for more advice. This is my first long distance hike, so any advice on my gear will be much appreciated. I am having a hard time wondering how guys get down to a true 5 pound base weight. Even without my fishing gear or camera I cant get it there. I am in no way stuck on a number, just seeing how creative I can get.

An example of my gear cutting would be my water storage system. I have a platy 2 liter with hose and a msr 4l dromedary. Also was going to carry a 1l platy but then I took the scale out. Now im going to a 20oz Gatorade bottle for my trail drinking, dropping the hose altogether. Im also switching out the 4l msr for just one more 2l platy. This early in the season I am not to worried about having to haul more then 4l right now. I can always upgrade to a 3l platy when the hike gets closer. I do not have a Gatorade bottle to weigh right now but just losing the hose and switching to the 2l platy will save me around 4oz. I also have a few platy patches in my med kit so im not to worried about any leaks.

I live in Truckee, and thru-hiked the rim trail last summer, so I can offer some opinions:

Hiking in June, even if it means some snow and mosquitos, is probably a good thing. But there is still potential for too much snow this June, even though things seem to be rapidly melting.

The biggest challenge on the rim trail is water, so earlier is better in that regard.

The rim trail is an excellent place to go as light as you can; weather is predictable, the trail is smooth, well built, and well maintained.

Take advantage of resupply opportunities, because… why not?

While the higher elevations are on the eastern side of the lake, the more challenging terrain (due to older trail building standards on the PCT) is on the west side.

Greyson, I have read about your trip before. I dont believe you ever posted a gear list? If I missed it I apologize.

At this time my only real concern is the snow pack. I will be watching this up until I leave. Carrying snowshoes is not in my weight budget. I am trying to avoid it at all costs and if my work schedule permits, I might wait a week or two if need be to avoid it.

Any weather reports as the trip closes in would be much appreciated Greyson. In your opinion and experience on the trail. Is 4 liters with a 20oz gatorade bottle enough water storage that early in the season?

The resupply issue Is purely for my training purposes. If I do need to carry my snowshoes I will take advantage of more resupplies to counteract the weight.

Thanks,
Jeff

Greyson and anyone else who as traveled the TRT,

A friend and I are going to doing the TRT for the 1st time in Sept.

I have been concerned about water at that time of the year.

From your experience would you advise us to not travel in Sept due to lack of water on along the trail?

Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

-Tony

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Hey Jeff,
I just received my super zip a few weeks back and if packed correctly would not be to concerned about carrying 25lbs if you pack it correctly. Last Oct I was able to carry 30-35 lbs in a Jam2 for a 2 day Grand Canyon trip and the super zip has wider and thicker shoulder straps as well as a better hip belt. You should be fine as long as you do not pack any last minute insecurities…

Dave

You are very correct with my motivation for doing this hike. I have been camping, hiking and fishing CA my entire life (29 years). Its about time to leave my comfort zone and press on to new adventures.

Interesting that you made it in June with only 3l of storage. My paranoid side has been wanting to bring a 4l plus a 20oz drinking bottle but I have been thinking of one 3l platy instead of the two 4l'ers. Since im going early in the season I think the 3l will be more then adequate.

Thanks for the info so far Dave. I will go over my itinerary and gear stuff later today, need to get some stuff done.

Dave hit the highlights of the trip, but I carried as much as 4.5 liters of water last August (very dry year for the Sierra).

For those who asked about gear, it was my first truly UL trip.
Pack: Six Moon Designs Comet
Sleeping quilt: Jacks'R'Better no snivellere
Sleeping pad: 3/4 Gossamer Gear nightlight
Bivy: Titanium Goat basic bivy with headnet (older model)
Rain/shelter: Golite Poncho

Other shelter (I was part of a group hike, and was responsible for sheltering not only me, if I wasn't, the bivy and poncho would have been more than enough): Golite Den 2 (only carried part of the trip)
REI UL carbon poles

Clothing:
Columbia convertable pants
Injinji tetra socks
Salomon XA pro 3d shoes
Mountain Hardwear long sleeve button down shirt
Army surplus boonie hat
Polypro long underwear top and bottom
REI Gossamer hooded synthetic jacket
OR Ion wind shirt

Dave, I'm located further north in Southern Oregon, near Crater Lake, and we got dumped on this winter with snow. I can look out my window and see it snowing right now. I would have guessed the TRT would be somewhat the same as far as snow pack goes, the PCT in this area will likly not be free of snow until July. With the TRT being further south maybe the snow melts off faster with warmer / dryer spring conditions.

jeff that water system sounds good. im the same, i keep a gatorade bottle and some 3L bladder i got when i purchased some pack. i dunno if its just me but i hate reaching around for a water bottle. i still use the rule that the best place to store your water is in your body. man i love talking about gear lists, gets me excited everytime! aloha

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Ok well I just posted the gear list in its appropriate section. Will appreciate anyones comments

thanks
Jeff

While I have some zip owners attention here. Has anyone fit a gossamer nightlight torso pad in it? does it fit flat on the back panel?

thanks
Jeff

I just got a Zip a few days ago, but will have to exchange it for a larger size. So, I can't comment on how it carries weight just yet, but can tell you that the GG Torso Length sleeping pad fits nicely inside. I've been unrolling it and stuffing gear inside the pad. I had assumed that the pad would steal too much space from the packs interior, but I've found that isn't the case at all. I sometimes wish that the pad was a little bit wider so that the pad would extend a bit higher in the pack, but it's really not necessary. One panel fits nicely into the rectangular back portion, and the other 2 panels circle nicely inside the pack. A near perfect fit with some room to spare.

Excellent to here Eric, thanks for confirming that for me. One less thing to worry about

Eric,

What size is the pack and what is your torso measurement?

For what it's worth, I copied the basic dimensions of the zip in a MYOG gear project a few months ago (no shame). I use a cut down GG nightlight for suspension (36in) as a tubular frame, and have a bit of overlap. I haven't tried over 15 lbs, but up to 15 the pack carries exceptionally well. (My shoulder straps are the wider GG style.)

Dave,

Thank you for all of your observations and advice from your trip.

What were the temperatures that you were dealing with in Sept on the trail?

I am wondering if I can get away with using my 40 Degree Marmot Atom bag and MLD Soul Side Zip Bivy to stay warm or if I should take my 15 Degree Marmot Helium EQ.

Appreciate any more wisdom that you can throw my way. :)

-Tony

We were there last year end of August, first of September..for 4 days and nights after coming off of the JMT. It was around 34 to 40 degrees at night, so depends on when you go in Sept it only gets cooler.

Unforunately, I sleep cold.

This year's experiment is to see if using a MLD Soul Side Zip Bivy and MLD poncho tarp will work as a shelter and have the bivy enhance the warmth of my sleeping system.

If I am lucky, I can get away with using a 1 lb sleeping bag vs. my 2 lb 3 oz 15 degree bag, which I have used down to 5 degrees with no problems.

Gail…thanks for the info on your experience on the TRT.

-Tony

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