My 3 Season New England List

John,

Great list, IMO. Although Mike C is going to be upset that you are carrying TP :)

Is the TiGoat bivy water resistant/breathable? I would stay away from water proof bivys in 3 seasons. Also, I would not drop the bivy, once you get used to the Gatewood Cape. Down must be kept dry, and a poncho tarp does not give you 100% coverage in many situations.

You already identified a lighter quilt is planned in the future.

Nick,

The TiGoat bivy has a waterproof bottom and a breathable/water resistent top. I agree that totally waterproof bivies are not suitable for down bags.

A lot of people use the Gatewood Cape without a bivy since the coverage is really good compared to most ponchotarps. I'm just not sure it's suitable for a wet climate like New England especially considering how the camp sites are so heavily used. I need more experience with heavy rain in the Cape. (Last year sometimes I cheated in bad rain and stayed in the shelters that are often available up here.)

re: TP – I know I know maybe someday I'll try without, but right now it seems like a necessary comfort item for me.

>>Mike C is going to be upset that you are carrying TP :)

TP is nice to have for the privy's that are at many backcountry campsites in the Whites.

I'm also not convinced a poncho/cape is a good choice for very steep trails. I like the rain jacket and tarp tent combination.

>>> I'm also not convinced a poncho/cape is a good choice for very steep trails. I like the rain jacket and tarp tent combination.

I thought the Cape worked out ok on steep trails. But on some of the really rugged trips I did last year (Mahoosuc Traverse and 100-mile (sorta)Wilderness) I used the Cape for shelter but also took a rain jacket.

John,

I have a Wild Oasis tent, which sets up just like the Gatewood. If you pitch it close to the ground, you are going to get a lot of condensation with a high dew point. And it you move around during the night, and your sleeping bag makes contact with one of the sides, it is going to get wet. If you pitch it higher, then rain/drift is going to get the bag wet also. So I use a bivy with it. I only use it in snow. And I use a water proof bivy with a vapor barrier liner inside the bag. This system allows me to use a lighter bag, with insurance the bag stays dry.

Most of the time I use a 'conventional' poncho tarp in the A-frame mode. Much better ventilation, and I can use a lighter breathable bivy. I also use this set up in light snow conditions.

There just is not one perfect set up for all conditions.

shoulder seasons in New england you will need more than polypro gloves. Fall at elevations in the Pres. can be quite chilly.

I'm ok with liner gloves in New England until somewhere around October or so. I guess I consider 3-season in New England to be something like late April until mid to late September. Outside of those dates I definetely make some other changes to the list.

Nick,

It sounds like based on your experience I'll probably be sticking with a bivy when I use the Cape.

>>> Most of the time I use a 'conventional' poncho tarp in the A-frame mode. Much better ventilation, and I can use a lighter breathable bivy. I also use this set up in light snow conditions.

There just is not one perfect set up for all conditions. <<<

I agree. I will also be trying out a tarp/bivy combination for rock climbing (since I need a rain jacket) and rugged hiking where the Cape might be a problem in rain gear mode.

Joe at Z-Packs is making me a custom cuben fiber cat tarp which should be arriving any day now. Once the tarp arrives and I get an actual weight with the guylines and tensioners, I'm going to post a seperate list with the tarp as my shelter and seperate rain gear.

John,

Another thing we often forget is that in most cases a ground sheet is not needed with a bivy.

The lightest sheet is around 2 oz for a GG polycro and Tyvek can weigh anywhere from 3 – 5 oz. So in this case your TiGoat has an effective net weight of around 2 to 5 ounces. Don't you just love 'new math'? Heck my wife saves us hundreds of dollars each month by buying shoes and clothing for herself, which is on sale :)

Right Nick….my Golite Poncho/Tarp weighs only net 4 oz because it allows me to leave the rainjacket at home.

Great list John, that should all do very well in the whites as long as you know how to protect down in the weather we get up here. Only comment/suggestion I would make is to swap out the e+lite if you plan on doing any real night hiking. Good call on the Inov8 295's as well, I used those models last summer with great success. The sticky sole on them is great on wet rocks and roots. Only downer is they break down faster.

My custom tarp arrived from Joe at Z-Pack so here is my proposed New England 3-season list with a tarp as my shelter. Again, at some point I intend to replace the sleeping bag with an Ark Specialist from Nanatuk.

In the cooler seasons I could probably ditch the windshirt and just use the DIAD for both rain gear and windshirt, but in the mid-summer I don't think that would work too well. Also I switch out to a BPL PRO90 quilt and WM flash vest for mid-summer. That saves 12.5 ounces.

I also have some other reduncies until I get more comfortable with these ultralight systems such as a rain cover and pack liner as well as bivy sack and ground cloth.

Total Base Weight: 6.16 pounds

WORN/ CARRIED

BPL UL Merino Wool LS Top, 5.15
Prana Shorts, 10
REI nylon Ballcap, 2
REI Peak UL Trecking Poles, 12.4
Inov-8 RocLite 295, 20.05 (pair)
Custom Superfeet, 3.95 (pair)
Ultimax Socks, 1.9

PACKED CLOTHING

Montbell UL Down Inner, 7.6
Polypro liner gloves, 1
GoLite Whisp, 2.95
North Face DIAD, 9.15
Patagonia Cap 2 Longjohns, 5.3
Turtle Fur skullcap, 0.85
BPL Mosquito Net, 0.35
Ultimax Socks, 1.9
Cuben fiber rain skirt, 0.8

PACKING SYSTEM

Z-Pack Blast 18, 6.1
BPL Pack Liner, 1.3
Cuben rain cover, 0.8
Z-Pack small plus cuben stuff sack for clothes, 0.17
PCT Bear Bag system, 1.54

SLEEP SYSTEM

GoLite Adreniline +40 bag, 21.8
3/8" GG Pad cut to 35", 2.95
FlexAir Pillow, 0.56

SHELTER SYSTEM

ZPacks custom 9x6x5 Cuben Tarp with tensioners and guylines, 4.6
TiGoat Bivy, 7.25
Polycryo Groundsheet, 1.5
Vargo Ti stakes (8) in stuff sack, 2.4

HYDRATION

1 Liter Soda Bottles (2), 3.3
Water Scoop (modified platy), 0.5

COOKING

Caldera Keg System, 2.7
130ml Fuel Bottle, 0.6
TiWare Spork, 0.54
Mini Bic, 0.4

TOILETRIES/PERSONAL

Mini balm containers for sunscreen and balm (2), 0.78
Micro dropper bottle for DEET, 0.18
Alcohol Gel, 1
Hygene (tooth brush, foot and tooth powder), 1.25
Alosak for TP 9×6, 0.43

EMERGENCY/MISC

Petzel e+Light, 1
Emergency Fire Kit in Alosak, 0.85
Swiss Army Knife, 1.1
First Aid, 2
Compass, 1

CONSUMABLES

Food
Water
Aquamira Tabs
TP
DEET
Sunscreen
Balm
Fuel

Very nice.

3-season season start's in two days … looking forward to field reports1

I like having waterproof shells for the hands. Liner gloves are fine until you add rain or wet snow, not uncommon in spring and fall in New England. I have had hands almost unable to do zippers, or laces and other functions, even in Georgia along the AT as well as in Baxter SP, ME.

Shells can be found at thepacka.com and MLD. (eVent Rain Mitts)

http://www.thepacka.com/index_files/Page429.html