It may be early but… First cut at JMT list for 2014

I just finished the JMT last weekend, so here are my thoughts.

I carried a zpacks blast, about 58 L, with a 4 panel zrest as the frame. Loved it! Carried like a champ and had no issues at all. Left MTR with just under 30 lbs and 8 days of food in a BV500…no issues.

Go with the hexamid. This is what I used and it was amazing. Pitched easy with rocks, rarely had a hard time finding an area large enough to pitch it. I survived some serious hail and rain during 2 days. Not many mosquitos this year, but, if there were I would have really appreciated being able to hide out for a bit in a fully enclosed shelter. Fantastic shelter and worth every penny.

Edit: I should add that my blast is the cuben hybrid material.

Arn:

Thanks for the comments. I had not looked at the zpacks blast so I'll take a look.

Glad to hear you liked the hexamid. I'm guessing you have the tent – is it the solo or solo plus? And what did you use for a ground cloth?

I do think highly of the zpacks products. But my concern with much of the truly ultralight gear (read cuben fiber) is the cost – or more significantly the cost per oz. that I'm saving by buying lighter equipment. Here are four options I was looking at (out of about a dozen different configurations:

The weight difference between the silnylon and the cuben options (up to 10oz.) is real. Just not sure if it's "real" enough for my wallet. I also like the flexibility that is available with the flat tarps.

Anyway – I'd like your perspective (or anyone else's) on what works for them. Or what doesn't.

I have the solo tent with beak and purchased the bathtub floor from zpacks after a particularly windy and cold trip with a polycryo groundsheet. IMO the bathtub floor really made this shelter bombproof. Expensive…definitely, but for me it was worth it after trying many shelters.

This is the way I look at the cost. I started out thinking that the cost was too much and ended up going the route of flat tarp and bivy, then tarptent, then a used solomid and then finally bought what I was lusting after the whole time, a hexamid. All that money spent to get to what I really wanted from the beginning. IMO just skip all the inbetween and get the hexamid, you won't regret it.

Perhaps also consider the zpacks 8.5' x 8.5' cuben fiber tarp.

If you are already not using the volume of a Pinnacle then you have a lot of choices in packs. I have an older Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus and the new Gorilla. I like the way the Gorilla fits me. Only problem is, since I hike with my family a lot I don't get to use it much, preferring one of my daughters or wife use it for it's comfort.

My brother has a Six Moon Swift. I like the pack as it has nice pockets and it's light. The only drawback for me is the fact that a sleep pad goes Inside the pack instead of outside like my GG packs. If you never get to your pad during the day then it's not a big deal. I like to have mine available.

Take a tarp. If you go in August you really won't have to deal with bugs. If you do just take a headset. I use a Gossamer Gear Spinn Twinn which won't help you since they are out of production. If I have more than 2 then I also have a silnylon 8×10 tarp I like to have also. It weighs a bit much for solo though. I really like the Hexamids a lot . Lots of coverage and easy to use.

Enjoy your trip.

I just made the jump from a Hexamid enclosed tent (which I used a total of 3 nights after jumping from a moment) to a Tarp and ended up taking the Tarp on my JMT thru hike this year. I am using the Yama Mountain Gear Cirraform CF tarp with polycro ground sheet. I also brought with me a Borah Gear cuben/M90 bivy to complete the sleep system depending on weather and bugs. I had one night that it poured all night with sideways winds and I am happy that I had the bivy, at about 6 oz it was not a huge penalty and John over at Borah is a great guy to work with. The other 7 nights were pretty passive and I used a variety of set ups from bivy only "cowboy" camping to tarp and quilt only.

I still have the Hexamid long, and it has still only been used a total of 3 nights, but i am hanging onto it in the event that I plan a trip that may be a bit wetter, or where there will be more time spent in the shelter(bugs) it s a great piece of equipment from a great company

As far as a pack goes I go back and forth between the HMG Windrider and the Borah Gear Stealth, with a slightly inflated Xlite pad as the support. both carry weight well.

Best,
Jeff