CDT – SOBO

That’s a very UL set-up.  I’d be more concerned about you cutting it a bit close on the sleep system, except you’ve done the PCT.  A 30F quilt/bag could be marginal early in the season, in the north, at higher elevations, unless you have a really warm pad, but it’s paired with a torso-length (19″ x 29″) pad.  If you know that combo works for you on cold nights (with your extra clothes on), go for it.  I see a puffy for your upper body but no insulation for your legs nor any warm socks.  I often go with that for daytime use, but, again, I’d want a little more for the cold nights, unless you’re willing to pick campsites very carefully to avoid the coldest, windiest ones.  Or maybe you just sleep warmer than most people.

That’s a lot of compass for an established trail and with your phone for navigation (and is also a compass).  I more often take (and use!) a wrist-band compass on my watch strap (the name brand $15 ones have stronger magnets and settle down better than the $1 eBay ones).  It’s enough to stay oriented when in the fog / clouds and therefore minimize use of your electronics.  It’s on my must-have list for the Aleutian Islands.

All cold food (no stove or pot)?  More power to you.  For me, no-cook gets monotonous after 10 days.  And your resupply options are greatly reduced if you’re shopping in trail towns and gas stations.

Those week-long food hauls?  Consider a $30-40, 3-ounce, sil-nylon daypack, worn backwards over your chest for the first few days after those largest resupplies (they roll-up to the size of a lemon when not in use).  I like having the weight more balanced front and rear so I don’t have to lean as far forward and the 15-18 liters in the day pack really helps with all the volume of your largest resupplies.

You’ve done a great job of trimming down the quantities and the weights of the toiletries.  I like the modest selection of OTC drugs.  I don’t have super-thick toenails and have always used scissors on them instead of clippers.  So I’d bring a 0.75 ounce Victorinox Classic ($5, resold after being seized by TSA) in lieu of the tweezers, scissors and nail clippers and it gains you a nail file and a small blade for the same or less weight.  1 gram seems too light for the Tenacious Tape.   A “Hotel freebie Sewing Kit” isn’t wrong but it’s not as capable of repairing, say, your shoes, as a glover’s needle and dental floss.  Supermarkets stock for $2.79 an assortment of speciality needles including a very sharp, large leather needle and a smaller, very sharp glover’s needle.

Dirty Girl gaiters to keep the sand and pebbles out your shoes, especially with those thin, low socks?

You know the camera is 7 ounces.  I’d just use the phone, but at least that’s 7 ounces for a lot of camera and not 2-3-4 pounds.</span>

David, thanks for the detailed critique.

For the sleep system, I didn’t have cold nights on the PCT, and am indeed meticulous about my campsites. I actually slept in just my hiking shirt and shorts all but one night on the trail, so maybe I do sleep a bit warm. Of course, things can happen on the CDT I figure, and I end up a little more exposed than is preferred. I used this exact sleep system combo through SoCal really comfortably, so we’ll see how it goes. I have a neo-air full length on stand by.

The camera, yep, I really have considered letting it go, though reviewing the photos from the day become a sort of 10 minute night time ritual in my bivy at night on the PCT. The quality is far superior than my little iPhone. Still though, an easy place to cut weight.

The more I learn about the CDT, the less I feel the compass is merited, especially with a basic one on my watch already.

For the food hauls, I have a sense of dread about the first two days or so, but I did get through the sierra with 6 days + BV 450 in a hip belt-less pack, unhappily. Does wearing a front pack not impede your vision with your steps? I do find myself trying to adjust my center of gravity going uphill when it’s heavy on my back though.

Going stoveless. So far, this is not a big deal. It does reduce food choices for resupply, but I have celiac disease, and for that reason I do 100% boxes. I sent 22 on the PCT, and have planned around the same this time around. It is what it is, but it’s the only way I have found that I can get enough food. Gas station resupply just isn’t possible unless I’m willing to subsist on chips and Paydays alone. Cross contamination is real drag. Interestingly, Shawn Forry is also a celiac.

I’m conflicted about the gaiters. They’re an annoyance to take on and off, but I did find myself emptying my shoes often on the PCT.

Replacing the sewing kit is something I haven’t looked into, but will do this time around.

I don’t have a problem seeing over the daypack on my chest 99.7% of the time.  Unconsciously, I’ve memorized where my feet are going – something I think most experienced hikers do, except when you’re really picking your way through some rock garden.

This is the kind of needle assortment I’m talking about:

About $3 at the grocery store or fabric shop.  It’s that leather needle you want – the tip is super sharp and you can fashion a thimble out of many things in a pinch.  It’s also fabulous when excavating splinters or ticks.  I’ve occasionally used that half-circle upholsterer’s needle to work on a pack from the outside and avoid doing alternate stitches from inside the pack bag (or a pocket – ugh!) but usually when I’m back home.

If you crack open the dental floss container, there’ll be a spool inside that weighs 1/4 of the whole assembly.  Make sure you get thread and not a teflon strip.

Having to mail everything (i.e. wait around for post offices to open) must suck.  I guess eating the wrong food sucks even more.

I find when I really need a compass (in fog, at night), I can’t take a +/- 1 degree sighting on a distant peak anyway.  I do much prefer to quickly glance at my watch wrist band than to keep pulling out the phone / GPS.

The little ones fit (double check it) on your watch band.  The larger one has its own velcro strap and would be great for running through an orienteering course for time, but it’s more than I use for most hiking.  Maybe what’s on your watch and the app in the phone is already enough.  I’d definitely skip the base-plate compass.  The main reason I bring a baseplate compass (and a larger one at that), rarely, is for the mirror, because I can’t see sunburn or thorns or insect bites on my own face and hitchhiking happens faster when you’re more presentable, but, likewise, “there’s an app for that” (the selfie camera on the phone).

12 grams of TP seems minimal.

A few safety pins can effect a repair of a tent or jacket zipper quickly.