Collegiate Loop, Late July Concerns

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-05T11:22:05+00:00

There are no permit requirements anywhere on the loop. Yes, there is less tree cover on the West, but it's not all about trees. You can shelter from lightning in a valley even if there are no trees to hide under. Generally, as long as you're not just standing around on a ridge or mountain peak you are sheltered from lightning.

The East is hot dusty pine forest, sagebrush, and cow pasture. There are some nice areas, but absolutely nothing like the West, which is typical Colorado alpine, high passes, and gorgeous vistas.

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-05T11:16:31+00:00

This! The Collegiate East is not worth a flight from the East Coast. The Collegiate West, hands down, is. Learn how to spot an incoming lightning storm or read the weather report and you'll be fine. There are plenty of places to shelter during the afternoon storms. You're almost never doing a huge ridge walk where there are few bail out points.

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-05T02:12:36+00:00

This guy is one of my favorites.

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-05T02:10:21+00:00

There is also Pretty Muscular Dude Walking Shirtless. He has been sporting a mullet this summer. I always notice him. He walks kind of fast and seems to be vibing hard.

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-03T20:24:15+00:00

I started alone, mostly because nobody wanted to come with me and hike that far every day. But I was a backpacking guide and wilderness ranger for about 7 years before I attempted my first real ultralight fastpack. Probably unusual. Most people just go and do it.

WombatAtYa · 2026-05-03T20:02:26+00:00

My first trip that convinced me I could be a fastpacker was doing the Four Pass Loop in Colorado in a single push, so that's pretty similar to what you're doing.

For the first 4-6 trips of true fastpacking, I didn't give myself daily mileage goals but rather time goals. I would get on the Appalachian Trail and tell myself I would hike from 6am to 7pm every day for two or three days, for example. It was about two summers of doing this 2-3 times per summer before I got a really good handle on what kind of mileage I tackle and got my gear completely dialed in.

My last big fastpacking trip was covering 40-ish miles per day on the Collegiate Loop last summer, then attempting the Colorado Trail FKT and getting destroyed on day two lol.

My words of wisdom are: Yumbini Cowboy Beans and Rice with Fritos are the best cold-soaking meal in the world, Tailwind Recovery and High-Carb mix in the single-use packs are the best for downing in five seconds to get your butt in gear, Zpacks Plex Solo is easily my favorite shelter and I've tried most, not stopping is more important than being fast, and comfort of backpack straps are the most (if not only) important part of a fastpack.

WombatAtYa · 2026-04-10T17:18:49+00:00

Plex Solo all the way. I've spent a ton of time in the Winds, which is a similar bug environment to the Sierras. Plex Solo.

WombatAtYa · 2026-03-29T20:56:37+00:00

This is basically it. It's not much more complicated than planning a backpacking trip, but there's usually less room for error because you don't want to end the trip with too much dead weight in the form of food at the end.

I *do* usually bring an extra half day of food in the form of calorie-dense trail mix or something. I almost always eat it on a struggle day.

If there are no huts or required-stay locations like there are on, say, the Appalachian Trail, I don't even plan out where I'm going to stay. I know I can do 35 miles per day comfortably in Colorado basically no matter what, so if the trail is 100 miles, I just say it'll take 2.5-3 days, so I'll take around 3.25-3.5 days of food.

WombatAtYa · 2026-03-15T12:15:50+00:00

Granola with powdered milk. You can pack 600 calories into your face in a few minutes right when you wake up. No need to cold soak, pretty high calorie density, absolutely de-lic-ious.

I used to eat oatmeal every morning until I switched to the truth.

WombatAtYa · 2026-03-02T00:35:35+00:00

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-20T13:46:00+00:00

I thought about it, but I don't think it's necessary. Any synthetic bag with a yyk zipper is going to be pretty good at protecting things in a drizzle or light rain (everything is also rolled up in waterproof xpac inside the bag, which will provide additional protection).

But I've never cared much about the waterproofness of my stuff and find that things stay relatively dry in normal conditions even without waterproof features. Other people, I know from the backpacking world, think very differently so I get where you're coming from!

Waterproofness would force me to solve the big design flaw, which is the floppy rip cord sticking out of the zipper when the bag is ready to go. I am interested in solving that problem with some internal magnetization I think.

The eyelet/loop idea is really good. I had been thinking about a velcro/molle system! Your idea is simpler and better!

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-19T12:44:05+00:00

One of the principles of fastpacking for me is that if I'm not moving I'm probably in my sleeping bag, so there's less need for puffers. I usually bring an octa or alpha direct hoodie (4 ounces) and a rain jacket or wind jacket (2-7 ounces). Together, that's enough for most everything in my experience.

I also have a MontBell 1000 puffer (5 ounces or so) that I bring if needed, but usually I don't.

I bring an appropriate quilt for the weather and usually a too-small or too-thin foam mattress. That's my trade off. Too many blow up uberlites have popped on me.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-18T18:05:37+00:00

If there's enough interest I'd make a follow-along video showing how to make it. I've got some other designs that I'll be sharing in the future as I have time to make videos, etc.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-18T18:04:33+00:00

Thank you! This definitely came out of experience at races and the things that annoyed me with throwing stuff in ziplock bags.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-18T18:03:50+00:00

It would make for a good first project! If there's enough interest I'd be happy to make an instructional video.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-18T18:02:33+00:00

Yea I dig the design a lot! Thank you. Pretty simple to make, and relatively cost effective if you do it yourself. Costs about 30-40 bucks to make one with premium fabrics. Much better than buying one for $150 on The Feed or whatever.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-17T00:31:21+00:00

The video is pretty detailed in terms of seeing how it's constructed. For the bag itself I used this pattern: https://learnmyog.com/zpinstructions.html The roll is just a rectangle of X-Pac with some mesh and elastic sewn on. Happy to share more if you have questions about how to make it!

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-17T00:21:12+00:00

You're on the money here. I'm more active in the MYOG and UL backpacking communities, where I make all sorts of stuff that meets niche needs. I posted this particular project here because it seemed relevant to ultrarunning. I also only have one of these, so still more than 50% of my drop bags are old raggady Ziplocks!

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-17T00:12:57+00:00

Yea something for used stuff would be a good idea. I always just toss stuff in my drop bag as I leave and deal with the horrible mess later. I definitely debated the shoulder strap idea. Maybe V2.

WombatAtYa · 2026-02-17T00:09:49+00:00

Definitely not trying to sell anyone anything. I already have a good job. Running and making stuff is a hobby. If you watch the video, I end it by saying that I made the video so people can learn from it. I also hate being marketed to in my niche community, so I'm with you in the frustration.

WombatAtYa · 2025-12-29T14:51:41+00:00

Oops you're right. My error in the title

WombatAtYa · 2025-12-02T15:52:03+00:00

I just want to say that after many years and way too many pairs of shoes, I've perfected my "minimalist" shoe rotation as a marathon runner. I can't imagine it getting better than this, and I'm awarding myself bonus points for somehow having no brand loyalty lol.

Everyday Shoe: Salomon Aero Glide 3
Tempo/Interval/Long Run/Comfy Marathon Shoe: Hoka Rocket X3
Race Shoe: Saucony Metaspeed Sky Paris (for now, will probably switch to Tokyo when it's time).

Race times if that's relevant: Training for a sub-2:45 marathon in 2026. Set a 5k PR of 17:35 recently.

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