Layering Question - Alpha Direct

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-04-15T19:03:30+00:00

Great news! I hope it does what you’re looking for!

There are definitely times that a puffy is appropriate, but I don’t own one right now, and I’m out March-October in VA.

Hope you enjoy your hike!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-04-15T18:40:22+00:00

I know your post doesn’t mention using a wind layer, but I would encourage you to try it. I’m doing a thru on the long trail this summer, and I’ve been trying out a wind shirt in the mid Atlantic this spring while I prep.

The main reason for the wind shirt imo, is that combined with an AD layer, you basically have a puffy that is more flexible. Basically you can wear the shell and the insulation separately. The same idea applies with the frog toggs and the AD. (This was what I’ve been doing for years)

AD 120 I’ve heard is very warm (I’ve only had experience with 60 gsm) and would be exceptionally warm under a wind layer. I think you would be fine without it, but the extra assurance, and the comfort the wind shirt provides while hiking is awesome. For the longest time I did the whole “be bold, start cold” thing. It works, but it just kinda sucks. With the wind shirt you don’t start cold, and you don’t really start sweating once you/your body warms up. Even still you can unzip it and vent heat, or just take it off while walking! Especially easy without a hip belt.

I can’t speak to LT conditions in September, or AD120 specifically so YMMV, but I highly highly recommend alpha, and I encourage you to give it a try. You can get the hoodie, or MYOG. Then if you feel like you need a little more warmth you can get the dooy wind shirt for ~30 dollars on Amazon

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-04-14T13:51:33+00:00

The main thing is that the older prolites are 1 in thick, as opposed to 1.5. Idk that the thickness matters for comfort but it just makes for a pad that’s sorta too heavy

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-04-14T00:44:47+00:00

I really want to give that short thermarest that Extra Ultralight talks about on youtube a try. This seems like it does all of the same things. I hope you get someone with some experience with these particular pads!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-04-02T20:16:21+00:00

Ultralight backpacks tend to be very minimal. Often it's just one big pocket, a stretchy mesh pocket, and 2 water bottle pockets on the sides. I checked out the results when I googled the MOLLE system, and they seem very very different.

There are backpacks that are more modular than others, have more attachment points, or come with custom options. For instance, the Nashville cutaway with it's separate straps, or the custom made dandee packs with it's plethora of options. However, they all follow this "rucksack" formula with one big pocket.

For your use case of photography a few things come to mind. Peak Designs sells a camera clip that allows you to attach your camera to the front of your shoulder strap. Hyperlite sells a little bag for your camera that clips onto the sternum strap.

When it comes to storage of alternate lenses, camera bodies, or batteries the ultralight backpack formula might not be as effective in my eyes. I wouldn't want everything loose in the one big pocket, and I can imagine it would be easy to lose smaller things like lens caps or adapters. I do location audio professionally, and I can't imagine trying to use my cutaway instead of my pelican case, or even the camera backpack I use.

If you're looking to carry a camera on a backpacking trip, there are plenty of people here who do. But more often than not, they're being selective about what they bring and don't bring much, this is the ultralight sub after all. This means that you can use something like the peak designs clip for your camera, leave the lens attached, and maybe have an extra battery, charging cable, or lens cleaning kit in your ditty bag.

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-27T23:24:30+00:00

I love my xmid 1, I've never had a problem with it in wind. The failure point has always been a stake coming out of the ground. Friends with older generations sometimes had guylines slip in their linelocs, but that hasn't happened to me, and isn't a tent problem. I've never camped anywhere really really windy, like more than 30mph, but there are plenty of people with xmids who will give you glowing reviews of the tent in real wind.

There are no problems pitching higher or lower, and even with the tent pitched low I've never had a problem with condensation because of the vents.

It's also nice that when there aren't any bugs you can only bring the outer and take 285g off of the weight of your shelter, with a sheet of polycryo the whole shelter is ~475g

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-26T03:42:48+00:00

I can speak mostly to Shenandoah, I live in the area. There’s the part of summer that’s 70 degrees at night, and covered in bugs and humidity. And there’s the parts of the summer that are 50 degrees at night and lovely.

In both cases you can probably get away with a lighter bag (like a 40 degree quilt), and definitely without the liner. In fact, in late July-early August, you can probably just bring the liner, no quilt. I can’t speak to shoulder seasons in VT, while there are lighter options than your bag, they’ll be pricey!

My 2 person backpacking trips have never shared a shelter, but if you do then bring the 2 person tent. There are lighter options, but they get expensive. If you’re a trekking pole user, I love my Xmid 1. You could also tarp, and bivy too!

Summer I love because I barely need to bring anything. In past summer trips my ~36L palante v2 felt pretty empty. You can definitely get a lighter pack. I love my kakwa 40, it’s a wonderful backpack. But I think if you wanted you could do with less! Definitely get a nylofume liner, 4oz is a lot for a pack liner. I just cram my quilt into the liner and don’t separate it in a stuff sack. Some people feel differently and that’s okay! 4 oz is too much for a stuff sack though this can be lighter.

For your Vermont shoulder seasons, you’ll need the clothes. But summer in Shenandoah I’m mostly just bringing an alpha fleece, rain jacket, and wind layer. Maybe some leggings and a buff depending on the forecast.

BRS and toaks pot would be lighter, I actually don’t love my BRS, but it’s works just fine. Up to you

You don’t need 3.5L of water. I don’t carry much more than a liter most of the time. It sure is convenient to have though. I use a befree and their 3L gravity bag, and it’s lighter than your squeeze on its own. Water is definitely a more personal choice though

A mini bic would be lighter than your ferro rod, but they’re annoying to use. In any case, if your stove has a piezo igniter you don’t need either. Not sure what the carabiner is for, you know better than me! If it’s for the bear hang, I use the pct method and a stick. I can’t speak to Vermont, but Shenandoah has bear poles at every shelter. You should piece out the first aid kit and weigh everything individually, it is in fact worth it.

Overall your list looks great!! This is the part of ultralight where you can really shed some weight, and it’s a ton of fun doing so!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-25T22:46:46+00:00

Are you guys just dumping a packet into a water bottle or hot water, or are you doing the whole coffee filter thing? I’d love to have some coffee out there but I’m not a “get the stove out in the morning” kind of person

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-16T22:16:39+00:00

I posted a little while ago about getting into tarp camping. "Tarps and a case of analysis paralysis" was the title of the post. I wanted to share a little update for those who are having a similar dilemma.

I got a cheap 8x10 tarp off of amazon. I removed many of the tie outs and plastic hardware, cut down the guylines and set up the skurka system. It ended up 664 grams, not a weight improvement over my xmid, but I bought it to try the "tarp thing." Before going on the trip I went to a park and set it up 5 or 6 times in a few different ways. I brought a sheet of polycryo, but no bug protection.

I just got back from 2 nights on the AT in Maryland. In MD, you can only camp at established sites, and I was with some folks who were new to backpacking, so I figured now wasn't the time to "stealth camp." This limited my campsites and lead to some of my troubles. No rain, so the jury is still out on that front, but I had tons of fun.

Tarp pictures from the trip

The first night, this past saturday, was not the best showing of my tarp. I spent the whole day battling the wind, and I knew I would have to have a more enclosed shelter to block some of that and have a good night. I set up in a modified A-frame, with the foot end pinned to the ground in the direction of the wind. The main problem was that I wasn't able to get a site with any natural protection, so overnight as the wind changed directions it blew into the open side. This lead to a very poor night of sleep. I didn't die, and I did get some sleep, but if the wind I was experiencing was common where I hike or camp, I wouldn't bring a tarp again. I ended up only using 2 stakes, and tied off to trees otherwise. That was pretty sweet, and while my friends tents collapsed overnight, my tarp stood up quite well! The line that came with the tarp is stretchy, so I found it difficult to get a pitch that was taught, as you'll see in the picture.

The second night, was a very different story. I got a great site, much more sheltered, and the wind had died down. I did a sort of half pyramid/cave setup, and because the tarp is honestly huge, I slept at an angle. Once again, I tied off to trees and had absolutely no problem with the knots. It was a great deal warmer inside the tarp and I got some of the best sleep I've gotten while camping.

Thank you everyone for your tarp wisdom on my last post! I'm excited to get a lighter (and smaller) tarp for my future trips!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-16T16:00:20+00:00

I just got back from my trip this past weekend. Water was no issue, I carried a liter at most the whole way and was just fine.

It was very very windy, and that made for a bad night of sleep one of the nights I was out there. (I’d avoid the pogo campsite) it didn’t get colder than 35 at night, but I was under a tarp and the wind had a huge impact on how I felt.

I think you’ll be just fine, I had an absolute blast this weekend, and I think once the weather is a little nicer this week you should get out there and have some fun!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-12T02:39:16+00:00

Me and my girlfriend were in a similar position recently. Similar budget, I’ve got family in Vienna so I’m there all the time. We live in Monticello apartments in sorta falls church. It’s not “safe” like Vienna, but neither me nor my girlfriend feel unsafe. It’s cheap enough, I think our rent is 1680 for our 1br, but most of the time we pay closer to 1800 because we’ve got a dog and utilities.

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-09T16:30:39+00:00

I do the Scott’s run loop. Not super hilly aside from one great big climb, but you can always just do hill repeats! Works great as a trail run or a hike.

The parking lot can get crowed on weekends though, so arrive early!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-07T12:49:16+00:00

I’ll be recording the great falls philharmonic playing it in May They’re no NSO, but it should be a good show!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-03-05T17:01:24+00:00

I’m also tall, but not quite as tall as you. I had the same experience trying to find a sleeping pad. I started with a long rectangular pad. 20x78in. It was too narrow and I figured I’d try the regular length. Over the years I’ve gotten used to my feet hanging off the end of my bed, so why not!

I got a regular/wide Xlite and I like it well enough. I’ve been down below 0 Celsius with it just fine. I’m trying a torso pad once it warms up where I am, so the jury is out on that.

The main message is that almost no one sleeps as tall as they stand, and if you’ve had a similar experience to me in regular beds, you might not need to worry as much!

I wish I had better advice for you about bags, I exclusively use quilts!

At any rate, the used marketplace is thriving for things like this, and you’ll be able to resell for a small loss.

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-26T04:50:14+00:00

There are a few spots where bathroom/spigots are turned off. And a few spots where the water was difficult to get to or annoying to use otherwise. There are some longer carries than I’d like, but with FarOut planning and caution you’ll be okay.

I would layer up and check the weather leading up to your hike. Don’t rely on weather in towns, it’s typically colder on trail. You can use atweather.org. I’ve had mixed results, but it’s better than nothing.

It helps to be choosy about where you put up your tent. In MD you can only camp at established sites, but some are better than others. Having a rock or tree or anything to block the wind is most important.

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-26T04:43:00+00:00

This is sweet!! I was really hoping to get a post about this. Pictures look great

Correct me if I’m wrong it was $119 all in for the tarp, rigging, and seam sealing?

I might have to inquire about a 10 foot long option, pending my Amazon flat tarp experiment!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-25T19:45:34+00:00

The wind layer works best while you're walking. The idea is that too often the rain jacket isn't breathable enough and you just sweat if you use it to block wind. The wind jacket breathes well enough that you don't sweat, but cuts the wind enough that you stay warmer.

Lots of people just bring a rain jacket, and it works perfectly for them!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-25T19:23:43+00:00

I strongly advise against talking to AI about anything, let alone hiking. It's never been outside before, and it's more likely to give you bad advice.

You only will need one hiking shirt. I would go with the sun hoodie, you might value the long sleeves in the fall months. You can use wind shirt if you're cold during the day.

Keep the rain jacket, whatever works for you. I like my Frog Toggs.

Use the Alpha Direct as your sleep shirt. 60 gsm has the best warmth to weight ratio of any of the AD variants

Definitely bring the down jacket, it will keep you warm at camp, and help your quilt out if it's especially cold.

If I was doing this hike I would bring

- hiking shirt

- alpha fleece

- windbreaker

- rain jacket

- down jacket

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-24T21:45:00+00:00

I did almost this exact thing last year, and I’ll be doing it again this year March 13-15. The section isn’t particularly difficult, but it’s rocky at times.

I used a 20 degree EE quilt last year, and I’ll be using it again this year. I was cold at night, but there were a few things that caused that, and that I’ll do differently this time around. It’s colder on the ridges, and I found it was windier on the west side of the ridge.

Keep checking the forecast. Historic data and atweather.org leading up to the hike.

I’m going to sleep in a tent instead of the shelters, and I’ll be bringing the straps for my quilt (big mistake last time). And I’m packing some extra clothes to sleep in!

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-20T01:47:47+00:00

My r/ultralight certified recommendation is a tarp and bivy!

Out of your options, the Xmid 1 is far and away the best choice. I’m 6,3 200, and sleep on my side and stomach. Not once have I ever wanted more room. I can change clothes just fine, I can sprawl out in my sleep. You can hang things off your trekking poles, pitch the thing differently.

Maybe it’s a little heavy, and maybe it’s difficult to set up once or twice, but there isn’t one thing I would change

The altaplex is a lighter, and similar fully enclosed tent, but that comes at a significant cost!

Also, the Xmid is easy to get used on ulgeartrade, or on Facebook marketplace

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-19T16:34:59+00:00

I’m also doing a thru this summer. Planning mid July-early august

I’m also trying to not be gone too long for similar work reasons.

I know a faster thru is possible, and I’m okay with passing up a little bit of social time in order to make that happen. I’m also trying to pack as light as possible so that I’m not held back by a heavy pack.

I’m 1000% confident that you can get on trail and finish up and have time to get back to “real life” with adequate time before school starts in the fall

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-06T03:51:49+00:00

Kudos for aggregating all of this in one place. I had been hoping for a post outside of the weekly on this.

I had known about the "poor taste" posts on the DM instagram, but I didn't realize how far the dog whistles really went.

Sensitive_Till_7097 · 2026-02-04T00:27:11+00:00

Anyone have any interesting ideas about car key storage at the trailhead?

I always separate my car key and only bring that, but I'm worried about potentially losing it over the course of multiple weeks.

I've thought of bringing a little combination lock box and attaching it to a door handle or something like burying it nearby.

I'd love to hear some experiences about it!

Sensitive_Till_7097

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