The Final Gear List

Alright, if you have been following my posts, at all, you’ll know that we have made a lot of gear switches, but this is the system that we finished with

Big 3 ish

I say big 3 ish, because we all know that most of us have a shelter, a bag, and a pack, in reality, there are usually a few more pieces to that general setup.

Backpacks

Smugness: Gossamer Gear Mariposa

Sprite: Gossamer Gear Kumo

We carried these packs from Lincoln, NH, all the way to springer. We had a few small complaints, but for the most part really enjoyed them. Smugness expeirenced small tears on the straps caused by tension from cinching, and disliked that the mouth of the pack did not bell out like other packs, making the packing process slightly more finnicky.

As for myself, it got the job done, it was the right size but there were a few things that did bother me. The hip belt, being removable, made transferring weight very difficult. I really had to cinch the belt tight to get a supportive ride. Additionally, despite the removable back pad, carrying a bear vault in it was really uncomfortable. I’m sure this is just how carrying a Bear Vault is with ultralight packs, and it’s a trade off to live with. I will try this at home with other ultralight backpacks to see how it contrasts.

Bonus goat fact: you can tuck your rain gear in behind the back pad to give you more cushion and lumbar structure.

Shelter

Smugness: OR Helium Bivy

Sprite: ENO Silpro Rain fly and Guardian SL bugnet.

The bivy? Smugness really despised it. Despite every effort, there is no way to keep the bug net taught. It was constantly resting on his face, making the net almost moot. Additionally, the foot of his sleep setup aas wet almost every morning from condensation inside the bivy itself. Smugness said he’s still pro bivy, but gives the Helium a solid 3.5/10 and will not use it again.

I really enjoyed my experience with this shelter setup. I’m sure there are lighter setups but the convenience was amazing

Sleep

Sprite: Hammock Stuff

Smugness: Amazon Rumpl knock off and Amazon blow up pad

I loved that he loved this… it was inexpensive and effective. It just goes to show you that gear doesn’t have to be brand named and expensive… I will say that the pad already has mould inside of it though.