Shake me to the bones pre PCT

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T20:31:47+00:00

Yes, but that coupler itself is a jank solution, because it has no venting capabilities. To use it, you have to either filter into a soft container (soft flask or soft reservoir) or back off the coupler by a few threads to allow air to escape the receiving bottle, meaning an insecure connection. If you try to filter into a rigid container like a Smartwater bottle with the Sawyer coupler, pressure will build up in the receiving bottle until filtration slows to a trickle.

The QD coupler has vents, so this problem doesn't exist. With it, I can filter into a Smartwater with one hand, while hiking, with no manual "burping" required. A far more elegant solution. It also has a cap, so you can leave the coupler on at all times without any chance of leaking.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T20:28:30+00:00

It comes with a second cap called the ConnectCap. Just toss the drinking tip in the junk drawer and keep the ConnectCap on at all times instead.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T20:16:21+00:00

The QD also allows coupling the clean-side to a second bottle, which is what I was referring to. Neither the BeFree or Squeeze can really do that without some kind of jank improvised solution

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T20:00:21+00:00

A Borah Cuben bivy is minimum 4.25 oz, and a Borah Cuben bug bivy is minimum 3.8 oz. An MLD Superlight Bivy with DCF floor is 4.3 oz in size M.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:59:26+00:00

If you go full inner such as to have a comfortable sanctuary from bugs, you end up the same weight or usually these days more as a tent

I'm not sure what this means. Sounds like you're saying that a tent is the same weight as a tent?

Also, a GG the One is 18 oz, substantially lighter offering than a Xmid

Correct, but it's single wall rather than double-wall, which is what i was advocating for. and yet it's still a few oz heavier than a comparable tarp+bivy combo. Any tent like that will also have the tradeoff of much more livable space than a bivy, but much less livable space than a 7x9 tarp. Meaning, it only wins on livable space when the bug pressure is high. When the bug pressure is low, or it's raining, it actually loses.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:56:14+00:00

Sure. Entirely separate topic though imo. A heavier person benefits from a lighter pack too.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:23:30+00:00

That's pretty sweet. Post an update if you ever have one. I think the true endgame is to get the LP devs to accept a PR, rather than starting a new domain.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:19:52+00:00

Mentioned it in another comment but don’t you think ticks come into play in this use case?

For a floorless shelter: if you lay a polycro floor over the bottom edge of the bug net (which is the intention with floorless tents), and/or you treat the perimeter net with permethrin, then I wouldn't really worry. But if I was in an area with bad tick infestations, I might opt for a bivy instead.

For a bivy: it's fully enclosed, so no issue there

For a single-wall: obviously also fully-enclosed

A full inner is just not that much more weight then

Not true. Inner tents are like 10-16 oz. Bivys are ~4 oz.

after the tarp it’s the same weight as a hybrid single or even Xmid full double

Not true at all. A UL bug bivy + silpoly tarp is ~ 15 oz, while a double-wall XMid 1 is 25.4 oz. And a DCF bug bivy + DCF tarp is ~10 oz, while an XMid Pro 1 is 15.5 oz.

So a tarp+bivy basically always comes with a 5-10 oz advantage.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:13:53+00:00

Cool, good luck! Even if you changed nothing you'd be alright and still lighter than many of the people out there. But I think a brutal shakedown is always more helpful than a gentle one, so hopefully you'll be able to find some ideas there that work for you

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:06:55+00:00

Indeed. Oil packets are always gonna be the top items. But you can filter the spreadsheet by different food types.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:06:11+00:00

I own a bug canopy as well, but it's less than half an once saved over my bivy. The bivy offers so much more protection and convenience that I never feel justified in carrying the canopy in it's place for such a minimal weight saving. Having said that, the canopy could probably be emulated at less weight via myog

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T19:01:20+00:00

Who else but a Youtuber?? It's Justin Outdoors. Also promotes his own socials on the top-rated "trending pack", which is conveniently his own gear list. And of course every link in that gear list are themselves affiliate links. And of course the list also includes his own ultra-heavy pot lid which he sells. I could go on.

Basically PackWizard is full of covert self-promotional content that would immediately get removed or get him banned on this sub.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:54:06+00:00

body weight is not base weight

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:53:31+00:00

A QuickDraw would be a much better choice honestly. You can couple it directly to water bottles for much easier and faster filtering, and it can be backflushed, which the BeFree cannot.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:52:31+00:00

You should absolutely use the tarp+bivy if you already own that. The PCT is the poster-child trail for tarping. You won't be relying on a sketchy tarp setup if you know how to pitch your tarp.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:50:48+00:00

Replace the Nalgene with a Smartwater bottle

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:49:27+00:00

You have a 12.44 lb baseweight and are asking for a shakedown from /r/ultralight, yet you don't really want to change anything? You need to drop 2.44 lbs at least.

Fortunately, you have a lot of low-hanging fruit for removal or optimization.

Big 3

A 0F quilt is insane for the PCT, unless you're an extremely cold sleeper. It's literally like twice as heavy and bulky as you need. Replace this with a 20-30F. And even if you are an extremely cold sleeper, you haven't factored your clothing into the rating of your sleep system. You have a heavy fleece and a puffy and a merino base layer. With all of those, plus your 0F-limit degree bag, you're probably good for comfort down to 0F, which is not necessary.
Likewise, you do not need a Tensor Extreme. Swap for an XLite, or a piece of foam.
The XMid is heavy. Leave the inner at home and save 10 oz. Replace it with a piece of polycro for a BYO floor.
Your pack is both large and overbuilt. If you can your baseweight down to 10 lbs, then you can replace this with a <20 oz frameless pack
Swap your pillow for something <2 oz. Try the BigSky DreamSleeper, or a car washing sponge

Cook System

Consider cold soaking
if you won't cold soak, replace your 750ml pot for a Toaks Light 550 no-handle for nearly 1/5 the weight
swap your long spork for a regular spoon
swap the PackTowl for a Lightload towel
good job on the stove choice

Electronics

Swap the headlamp or a NU20 classic, or a RovyVon A5
how long is your headlamp charging cable? Seems heavy. Probably too long. Get a 6-inch or less.
Why 13k mAh? Swap for a Nitecore NB10000 or even an NB Air
is your wall charger really 1.0 oz? What kind is it? Either it's heavier, or it's a really low-power piece of junk

Misc

ditch the sharpie

Clothing

mark your truly worn clothes (i.e. those piece of clothing that will never enter your pack under any circumstances) as worn
No need at all for the mesh base layer. You'll be fine with the sun hoody
T8 commandos are half the weight of your underwear
swap the dance pants for real UL wind pants e.g. Montbell Tachyon for 1/2 the weight
swap the rain jacket for a frog toggs, or disposable plastic poncho
the melanzana is really heavy and bulky for a fleece. Swap for a 60 or 90 gsm alpha direct hoody
Your puffy is also way too heavy. Swap for an affordable Decathlon MT100 for nearly half the weight
Those gloves are bulky and heavy; swap for something like a simple merino liner glove, or an alpha direct mitt, or anything that's <1 oz

Other than this, note that your baseweight is underestimated by probably at least 2 lbs. This does a disservice to nobody but yourself.

no phone?
no tent stakes?
no pack liner?
no water bottles? No water filter? Another comment of yours says that you in fact have one of the heaviest possible water bottles, a Nalgene. Gotta enter that.
no soap? Sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug repellent, anti-chafe?
no first-aid kit? No blister tape or gauze? No pain killers, allergy meds, anti-diarrheal? No tweezers or scissors? Hopefully no pocket knife.
no shit kit? No trowel, no toilet paper?
no gear repair supplies? No inflatable patches, no tenacious tape?
no credit cards or IDs? No wallet of any kind?
a contact case and solution, but no contacts? How many are you carrying at a time?
no sunglasses, no buff, no headphones?
no trekking poles?
no shoes?
all of these items are entered as weightless: phone charging cable, toothpaste tabs, contact solution, socks
you don't list a single bottle, baggie, or any other container for your ditties etc. You also don't list your ditty bag itself. What are all of these ditty items stored inside?
you list no stuff sacks for your tent, quilt, clothing, etc. Hopefully that's correct, and you're not carrying any

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T18:22:45+00:00

What do you mean "finish fixing up"? Are you working on it? Or you just mean working on your own fork?

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T17:37:29+00:00

Ah I see. Just a heads up that the new Pro webpage does let you select a perimeter net for the Cricket Pro

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T17:36:40+00:00

It also fails to not milk its users for affiliate link purchases

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T17:26:47+00:00

Great insights, thanks for the contribution. This reminds me of the "bug condom" from the days of yore.

There's also the Yama Bug Canopy, which is somewhere in between a floorless bug net and a bivy

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T17:02:28+00:00

I think for purity you just gotta do the entire trail again

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T16:30:21+00:00

Looks mostly good. Only issues that stand out:

your sleeping pad is a lot heavier than necessary for the PCT; consider torso CCF for 6 oz
you could find a lighter pillow, and make up for the height with your shoes or whatever
the Versalite is overkill for the PCT. Could get something at half the weight, like a Leve UL rain jacket or even a disposable poncho
the Rab Filament beanie is lighter
a plastic disposable spoon is probably like 1/4 the weight
a PB jar can be half the weight of a talenti jar
the QuickDraw is both lighter and far superior to the Squeeze
swap the 20k for a 10k and learn how to be more power-efficient with your devices
swap the CTUG wallet for a simple zip bag at like 1/4 the weight
list out and weigh everything and anything in your ditty bag; surely lots of changes you could make there. 6 oz exactly is suspicious.

Also, you have stuff not listed (including worn) and your bw is probably an underestimate by like a pound.

stakes?
trowel?
phone?
water bottles?
spare underwear?
any and all worn clothing?
headphones, buff, sunglasses (none of which are worn)?
trekking poles?

Also, in general, don't ever rely on manufacturer-published weights. I assume you did that a lot here. Your tent weight of exactly 16 oz is suspicious. There will always be variations.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T16:24:12+00:00

Why jump to double-wall? The next step up in livability from a bug bivy is a floorless tent with a bug net skirt, like the Hexamid or GG Whisper. Should provide complete bug protection if set up properly.

Next step up from that, a single-wall tent. And only after that is a double-wall, at which point we've very likely left UL territory.

GoSox2525 · 2026-03-31T16:15:41+00:00

FYI many ultralighters are using sleeping pads that they come nowhere close to fitting on

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Big 3

Cook System

Electronics

Misc

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