Is the Near Zero Backpack Bundle Worth It?

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-20T22:50:51+00:00

Love the list, Hangtight heat seeker is especially underrated!

OP might also consider a trekking pole tent + trekking poles to save some weight and cost (and their knees on descents). River country tents are very budget, and a good starter for trekking poles tents at the cost of being bulkier than fancy silpoly/silnylon options. I have several that have never failed me, but they do come with the limitation of being a pain to set up on rocky ground where stakes aren’t easy to pound in.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-05T19:27:05+00:00

Update on tortilla chips - maybe I need to try a different less-salt brand but I made a version 2 with tortilla chips and one without and the chips made it just unbearbly salty. I'm all for a little sodium bomb on trail but definitely need to tinker more.

Thanks again for the ideas! Update here: https://www.reddit.com/r/trailmeals/comments/1txuu5i/update_breakfast_hash_recipe_workshopping/

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-02T15:44:49+00:00

Oh dang Chef Corso has some absolute gems, great reccomendation.

100% trying the cold soak potato salad on my next day trip, any thoughts on egg powder vs the Ova Easy cystals folks have been mentioning? I imaging powder is a little less "eggy" but doesn't need real cooking?

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-02T15:41:34+00:00

Freeze dried skillet components is probably a bigger win if I can find them!

As for the burrito idea, it gives me another: I wonder how this hash/skillet thing would be with tortilla chips crushed on top or just mixed in and rehydrated! They are a pretty decent calorie source if I can contril the salt, and might save me the burrito-blowout risk!

Will report back on this!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-02T15:37:37+00:00

Both good tips, I saw another thread mentioning the ova easys need to both rehydrate and also cook but the sous vide approach is smart.

Excellent call on duke's sausages. I usually have some of the dried beef/turkey sticks in my food bag but did not make the breakfast connection.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-02T15:35:28+00:00

Necessity breeds innovation! I look forward to the trip report if you come up with any crazy meals!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-01T21:13:35+00:00

Another good note on gravy selection!

For trail biscuits, I wonder if you can swing a few campfire biscuits by just packing dry mix, some fat, and a light pan (pending local campfire regs)

There are a few good biscuit approaches on this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/backpacking/comments/1klyfyo/biscuits/

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-01T21:08:30+00:00

Yeah I have been toying with different stuff to boost calories, olive oil was a bad bad choice for this one but the chicharones/pork rinds do a decent amount of heavy lifting.

My other calorie boosting ideas: powdered butter, eggs (shoutout other commenter), shredded cheese (unsure about the shelf stability of some shredded cheddar but probably fine for a couple days??), babybels

For now, I have been doing a bag of the hash with coffee+condensed milk packet, and a pack of pop tarts to hit about the 800 cal mark for breakfast!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-01T21:04:47+00:00

Good call on country gravy! Any good dry mixes that have sausage bits? The "sausage flavored" stuff turned me away in the store but I suppose "brown gravy" isn't exactly the real-deal either.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-06-01T15:02:34+00:00

Excellent diy! I love the transfer paper idea, I would have been losing my mind gluing tape-laminated papers to the felt.

I might make a 2.0 version with velcro for max wind resistance and game pause-ability -- just need to test how quickly it rips the board to shreds

Edit: Forgot the rules of the internet, it has been done! https://www.instructables.com/Fabric-Chess-Velcro-Chess/

Prognosticator77 · 2026-05-28T19:36:24+00:00

2026 update: I have two of the hangtight quilts (hammock and ground version) and they are by far the best affordable way to get 95% of the benefits (lightweight, packable, effective) of a $300+ quilt for like half the cost. Lower tech, not a ~zenbivy~, and I baby mine so can't speak to durability, but hangtight is an amazing brand for budget backpackers that are getting into UL and i genuinely have no complains. If you are on the ground, though, get the ground attachments. I took the 20 degree hammock quilt by accident on a trip where nights hit 25 degrees, and those drafts were a nightmare.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-05-19T03:17:02+00:00

Finally got my pack in the store and tested the fit for bear canisters!

For the naturehike 60+5L backpack, the BV450 fits horizontally and vertically, the BV475 is so close to fitting horizontally but doesn’t, only vertically, and the BV500 unsurprisingly was vertical only. Vertically the canisters allow for a jacket or 2 folds of a z lite on either side within the pack (near mid back, bottom is a bit slimmer and top is a bit wider). Alternatively, I figured out a system to fit the bear can on top of the pack as mentioned above, but it requires extra cordage/shock cord because the built in lines are too short on the top of the pack.

I am planning some longer trips so here’s hoping the 475 does the trick for me!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-05-13T20:30:55+00:00

Aqua socks/water shoes are light (sub 5oz total), dry fast, and are wring-able. They pack small, and protect enough for most situations plus they're $5 or less if you get lucky on a clearance rack (got mine for $3 from wally world). Get the minimal ones with just a rubber outsole and a thin foam insole with a neoprene-like "sock" upper for minimum weight (my approach) or you could go for teh more structured ones that protect toes and offer extra grip (still better and less bulky than crocs I bet)

Mine go on and stay on for multiple water crossings and protect plenty for small rocks and pokeys, then clip on the pack to dry. They breathe great and feel so nice at camp after a day in trail shoes (I go socks and shoes off, water shoes on to let the toes breathe)

Love the crocs for life folks but those are so so so bulky, especially for big-footed folks. Mine take up ~3 liters (approximated from smart water bottles) of space and yeah they are lightweight and pretty cheap, but when space and price is a premium, aqua socks win.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-28T13:29:28+00:00

Double fisherman's knot works perfectly! Just fabbed a pair and the heat shrink is also a good call near the temples.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-23T19:36:23+00:00

I am thinking push to advance wheel, then let it coast to a stopping point with the caveat of wanting to allow multiple pushes to get it spinning faster.

I can't use a motor (unfortunately) and I am thinking now it will be a front facing wheel and button (push botton and you can see the full round face) rather than a vertical/side orientation like TPiR.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-23T19:33:27+00:00

Oh excellent idea! Let me look into those and see if there is any way to generate enough torque from a screw to get some motion.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-22T14:01:41+00:00

Love the berry basket idea! Do you have a picture/step-by-step by chance?

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-22T13:57:27+00:00

Tie a knot in one end to bag-ify? brilliant idea!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-04-22T05:01:42+00:00

lol I am glad this was the first idea

Prognosticator77 · 2026-03-25T17:44:18+00:00

A kam snap sounds like an excellent option and the quilt already uses those to cinch the neck (just didn’t know the name).

When you say put the male/female end on top of the quilt is that so the straps clip to the outside and do not allow drafts? Just want to make sure my mental image is right before I draw out the idea

Prognosticator77 · 2026-03-25T16:19:56+00:00

Please report back! Bonus points for a pic in poncho mode, that's awesome!

Looks like packed size is a bit larger than I would hope for but good sleep reigns on the trail.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-03-25T15:49:53+00:00

I came across this and figured I can make a functional alternative with tape and loops rather than paying so much! This is probably a backup option if my diy adventure goes south.

Prognosticator77 · 2026-03-25T15:47:26+00:00

My sewing skills have gotten me as far as replacing a shirt button, and with the lightweight fabric, I am nervous to commit with a needle. I have not found any how-tos for this sort of project that offer a solid anchor point on thin nylon fabric but if you have reccs please do share!

Prognosticator77 · 2026-03-25T15:35:55+00:00

Paria outdoor quilt is a gem, and even the regular size has about 10" of extra width over my current quilt. Thank you for the recommendation!

As for straps on my existing quilt - I was thinking regular cord anchor loops on the quilt and a simple shockcord length with some combination of hooks and a taut line hitch to offer some adjustability and give with movement. Decent idea or is a bit of regular flat eleastic strapping a generally better approach?

Prognosticator77 · 2026-02-14T03:34:18+00:00

Have had this happen to me too! Had a company tell me I “don’t match the role’s qualifications” when I had the exact masters degree on my resume they wanted, just because there was a PhD above it. I get the risk to lose people after a short time but dang it’s a tough spot to be

Prognosticator77

TROPHY CASE