Catskills, 24 miles, 5 Peaks above 3,500 Snow wind and Ice

[dirtbag]

Companion forum thread to: Catskills, 24 miles, 5 Peaks above 3,500 Snow wind and Ice

This time Bob and I decided to do 24 miles of the NY Long Path which cuts through the rugged Slide Mountain Wilderness in the notorious Catskill Mount

[Bonzo]

Finally made the time to watch this; looks like it was a fun hike.  You guys were cracking me up with the bear print commentary…

“That’s…uh, that’s big.”
“Yeah, that’s a f***ing healthy one…”

Been there, for sure. ;)

Quick question: I think I saw most of what you were carrying at one point or another, but do you mind writing down a quick list of exactly what you were carrying on that trip?  14-pound base loads in winter intrigue me.

[dirtbag]

Ohhh hmmmm. I pretty much carry same gear.. well main items.. depends on weather conditions if heavier quilt, bigger pack… heavier sleeping pad.. I can try to remember exactly what i packed for that trip.. let me get my thoughts together and i will see what i can come up with..

[dirtbag]

My pack was a Zpacks Nero 38L Robic. I used my MLD eVent Soul bivy and Borah gear silpoly 5.8×9 tarp with 6 small dac stakes. I think I also used my EE 950 Down 30 degree quilt, possibly 20 degree.. I honestly dont remember which I used. A small cut piece of polycro for under the bivy. I also carried 2 one liter smartwater bottles and my steripen. A very miniscule first aid kit ( bare essential minimums).  I basically sleep in my clothes that I hike in but I did have my Patagonia nano-puff hoody with me. I also packed my Arc’teryx FL shells ( top and bottoms).  My headlamp is the NU25 core ( whatever its called) without the strap band..just use the cord. I carried my MSR Windburner stove and titanium long spoon (4oz gas cannister). Small ferro rod with mini swiss army minimal knife and a bic liter.. regular size, not a mini!! Kahtoola micro spikes. A pair of Smartwool liner gloves and Zpacks overmitts. A Neoair Xlite large size sleeping pad and a sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow. I do not carry any stuff sacks for any of these items.. I do keep my tarp and  bivy with stakes in 1 dedicated dcf stuff sack.. for this trip I believe I kept my quilt and pad inside the bivy and just rolled and stuffed it inside my pack altogether. I also do use a nylafoam plastic bag as a pack liner. SOoooo.. that may be all i carried off hand… oh yeah a Zpacks fleece beanie also.  I am sure I am forgetting something, but other then my food and water.. ahhh.. i used a Ursack also to carry and protect food. The hat and gloves and overmitts were probably in my pants pocket or wearing them.

[Bonzo]

Awesome list, man!  Thank you!!

[Kevin Babione]

I’m not sure how I missed this TR, but I’m grateful to Bonzo for commenting on it.  Oh – the number of times I’ve heard Bob come out with “That’s a bitch”…It cracked me up!

@Dirtbag – Silly question for you…Why the tarp and not your Gatewood?  I can’t imagine that you saved more than 2-3 ounces and on a trip with wind, snow, and rain the Gatewood would have offered you all-around protection.

[dirtbag]

@Kevin, lol funny about Bob. So I took the tarp mainly because I enjoy not being enclosed and being able to see in all directions around me all the time. The bivy would handle wind anyway.. so not a concern. Also but not why, the tarp packs sooooo much smaller and less space in my backpack and yes its a few ounces lighter.. but honestly that is a non factor for me at this point.

[dirtbag]

@Bonzo.. thankyou and no problem. Its pretty basic and i really try to take nothing at all!! I dont want to have to keep track of crap in camp and while packing up in morning.

[Bonzo]

I’m with you on that, man; I try to take less and less as time goes on, but when it turns cold the weight starts piling up.

[Author]

Posts