Colorado Trail FKT – An Overview of the Country, the Effort, and the Gear

The hike –

His 6# kit –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHmtdtctzzc

Comments on the gear and what UL means to him –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvQSA2XX0Y

This forum must be truly near dead if there are no comments on that.

Thanks Greg. John seem like a great man with an even more beautiful attitude.

Should Fastpacking be merged with SUL sub forum?

His kit is definitely set up for constant movement, without a puffy. His videos are like a long commercial for that camera. I want…

Gear Swap buries everything fast.

Missed the original post but subscribed to John’s channel on YouTube and have been watching his videos for awhile.  Always good to see what those on the low end of UL are doing.

He can really move.  Interesting to see his carry as well.

Subscriber. Good guy. Like that he’s man enough to let us see him cry, emote.

Let’s put this back on the front page (for a moment anyway).

Thanks for the links Greg, very interesting.

“this is a throwaway post to get by the stupidity of the forum software”

FWIW, it’s not the forum software, but a decision by ‘management’ that makes initial posts non-editable. They could change it if they wished to, they just don’t wish to (kinda like moving gear swap away from the regular forum like they did with chaff, it’s possible, just not, it seems, in the cards).

His Q&A got me thinking abut camp insulation vs active. While I do often spend time in camp with friends, hiking while cold and wet is what I really have to worry about since there’s always the warmth of a quilt and tent at the end of the day.

As an experiment I compared the weight of my typical fleece and down hoody combo (100 weight fleece and RAB microlight) with a warmer active setup and lighter camp jacket (nano air hoody and Uniqlo jacket). The weight is nearly the same, a little lighter with the nano air setup.

A few things I need to sort out:

• Nano air might be too hot as an active layer
• Combo of nano air and Uniqlo might still be less warm than the microlight and 100 weight fleece

Hi Doug –

“They could change it if they wished to, they just don’t wish to ”

Agreed. Kinda like a lot of stuff here.  I was trying to avoid names and personal pronouns ;-)

Can’t be to honest – wouldn’t want to get the Bob/Ken/?? treatment.

Now, back to the program: John Z.  got me to do some critical thinking about what I really need if I’m on a typical solo jaunt.  I’ve gotten complacent over the years, and my pack has gotten heavy.  It’s time to identify what’s critical versus “nice to have”. And then decide when “Nice” stays home.

‘Good guy. Like that he’s man enough to let us see him cry, emote’.

I like this as well. But moreover he seems to smile a lot at set-backs or ‘problems’. Good attitude.

It’s also interesting that like for example Heather Anderson he’s moving at a solid pace but nothing crazy. He’s doing the big days because he is out there for a long time and doesn’t stop for breaks (except that he finds the time to set up his camera to make all the nice footage).

Greg – I just got a smaller pack/vest and it forces me to narrow stuff down too. I’m planning a traverse in the Japanese Alps and the biggest problem is weight/volume of food though.

Ito –

Yes, at 120 calories per ounce he is carrying 50 ounces per day, or in this case, 31 pounds on Day 1, plus gear. Given his obvious discomfort in the early days, I’d give consideration to a Zpacks Blast or similar.

Speaking of food, it’d be interesting to see what he was eating no-cook for 45-50 mpd efforts.

Awesome vids, tho, and thanks much for linking. I learned some stuff.

Bob, He’s got a video about his food choices: https://youtu.be/ZmVgrAK3Ln8

?

Thanks for that link.

Yikes, totally candy-centric, but when operating on the razor’s edge he has clearly figured out what works for him.

I know that after a couple days of that I’d be craving a salad and a hamburger and fries. And beer.

Yeah, even after a day I really crave something savoury. I bring mixed nuts and dried veggies to soak. Some sesame oil and chilis for seasoning and calories.

But I might bring protein powder too next time for end of day meal. Still working on it.

thanks for the links!

Love watch John’s videos, amazing!

I have been following John for a bit now, everyone should take a quick glance at his new podcast series – Routes.

Sorry here is the link:  

https://youtu.be/0dcIfFrJzVA

Very good video and a heck of an effort! I like big days but man, that was brutal. Didn’t look very fun honestly but I get the accomplishment.

I’m also curious why he didn’t go with something like an ArcBlast or at least a pack with a belt that could take some of the weight? I’d think it would be way more of a hindrance for the first 6 days. I totally get frameless for supported and when you are making drops but for 10 days of food? My neck hurts just thinking about it! Would love to hear John’s reasoning.

@cmcvey23 Not rocket science. He sells those packs is why lol. Not good marketing if he uses someone else’s.