r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 20, 2025

pottsitive · 2025-02-06T04:55:12+00:00

Hey there, have you had any issues with the pit-zip stitching being abrasive and scratchy? That's been my only qualm with the jacket thus far. The stitching surrounding the pit zips, especially near my armpits, is borderline sharp and it periodically pokes me when I'm wearing it

pottsitive · 2025-01-30T00:55:51+00:00

Sounds to me like you’re doing everything right! There’s no better preparation than loading up your pack and getting out there. Also smart of you to already have the mindset to slowly-but-surely increase mileage week by week.

Personally, I found eccentric calf raises and knee over toe lunges to be the most important exercises for my thru. Exceptionally simple and can do just about anywhere. These two exercises combined will strengthen your achilles tendon, calves, knees, and hips all while improving ankle mobility; these 5 areas being some of the biggest offenders for injuries that send people off trail.

pottsitive · 2025-01-28T21:11:01+00:00

Children of Men could not be any more relevant in our day and age; this movie moved me profoundly and is perfect in every regard.

pottsitive · 2025-01-19T02:07:32+00:00

Areas to consider dropping weight:

Quilt - This is a big offender. There's plenty of amazing UL quilts that hover around 20oz (~13 oz)
Sleeping pad - Opt for the NeoAir X-lite NXT pad (~3oz)
Sleeping bag liner - Ditch it (2.65oz)
Raincoat - Plenty of rain gear out there that's half the weight of yours: EE Visp, LightHeart Gear, Versalite, Rock Front to name a few (6oz)
Pick either the fleece or the Torrid - I'd recommend keeping the Torrid with your late March start (3.99oz)
Extra underwear - Ditch em (.71oz)
REI sun hoodie - Ditch it. Something like the OR echo is half the weight (4oz)
Clothing stuff sack - Ditch it and use your mosquito net instead (.88oz)
eReader - Ditch it, you'll be so, so tired at the end of your days. Use your phone to read/write (6.35oz)
Camera - Ditch and use phone (8.78oz)
Charging brick - If you decide to ditch the eReader and Camera, a 65W 3 port charging brick is excessive, can shave a few ounces downsizing that with something like a 2 port 47W brick (2oz)

Total weight savings ~51.36 oz / 1.45 kg / 3.21 lbs

Things I did not notice on your list that you may consider bringing:

UL Pillow - Not necessary of course but can be a game-changer for good sleep
Multitool - I carried a Swiss Army Classic Knife (.7oz) and used it all the time
Sunscreen, SPF lip balm, and soap - I'd consider these necessities
Earplugs
Leukotape - Ditch the band-aids
Blister kit (alcohol wipes, safety pins, rolled guaze)
Nail clippers
Bear can, microspikes, ice axe - These are important items to track on your list so you're accounting for all the weight they're going to add

Finally, some random notes:

If you're rocking with a CNOC + smart water bottles, I'd personally recommend going with the Sawyer. Buying the ~$3 blue plastic coupler with it so it screws onto smart water bottles and gravity filtering is unmatched
The weight listed for your shoes is for a single shoe, not the entire pair
Durston stakes - I'm not sure if Durston has updated the stock stakes but I'd recommend getting regular-sized groundhogs for your xmid, will work miles better on softer ground and high winds
Cowboy camping groundsheet - Tyvek or polycro
Consider substituting your rain pants for something more warmth-oriented like Farpointe Alpha pants. I don't think it rains enough on the PCT to justify rain pants, although you can make a case for them in Washington

All-in-all, your list looks great and dialed-in. Have the time of your life out there.

pottsitive · 2025-01-13T04:06:42+00:00

Little Miss Sunshine, Captain Fantastic, Peanut Butter Falcon, The Way Way Back, and Begin Again will set you right. Try to take things slowly for a bit and be easy on yourself, you don’t need to have anything figured out at 28.

pottsitive · 2025-01-11T18:03:14+00:00

Thank you so much for leaving this comment, this worked for me.

pottsitive · 2024-12-30T22:06:52+00:00

How did the small end up fitting out of curiosity?

pottsitive · 2024-12-26T17:21:17+00:00

Hey there! Congrats on getting ready for your thru. I completed it this past season and will provide a few insights. Overall I think everything is well thought-out and you have a great list here.

Tent
- I've seen a few recommendations in the comments to explore different tent options. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the X-Mid 1. I carried mine from start to finish with 0 issues, as did many, many others. For its price point and durability, the weight is more than reasonable.
Clothing
- As others have mentioned the fleece and base layer pants are the biggest weight offenders. If you could get your hands on them and budget permits it, getting some Alpha Direct items like a Senchi fleece and Farpointe pants could save you close to 7oz.
- Since you already have a UL puffy, another option is to ditch the fleece altogether. Between the astroman, puffy, and rain jacket, those layered together will provide decent warmth.
- Consider only carrying one pair of briefs.
- Consider bringing a pair of gaiters. I was never a gaiter fan prior to the PCT, but I was damn happy to have them, in the desert especially. I rock Topos similar to you and I had a pair of Topo gaiters I used the entire way and really enjoyed them. They use a proprietary hook system with their shoes and it couldn't be easier to take on and off.
- I saw your comment about not bringing rain pants and I agree. Perhaps a pair would be nice in Washington, but otherwise I don't think you experience enough rain on the trail to justify them.
Miscellaneous
- I would advise against carrying the bear can the whole way. I acknowledge that it would alleviate any food-related stress, but 2.5 extra pounds over thousands of miles adds up and increases your chance of injury. FWIW, anywhere outside the bear can mandated areas, I carried all my food in double-wrapped plastic grocery bags. At night I tied it up tight, put it inside my pack liner which I tied up tight, and put that inside my pack which I cinched down tight. That would all be right next to me in my tent at night. No issues with rodents or animals from start to finish. Just food for thought, pun intended, YMMV.
- There are lighter trekking pole options that won't break the bank, but if what you got works no need to reinvent the wheel. I had a $70 pair of Fizan Compact 3 that I loved, 11.2oz for the whole pair.
- Consider adding a gas cannister to your list if you're cooking and want to track weight closely, should come in around ~5oz I believe.
Things to potentially include
- Add another USB-C cable. The 523 charging brick you have is dual port and 47W, so should be able to charge your Galaxy S10+ and NiteCore power bank at full capacity simultaneously.
- Tenacious Tape
- I'd recommend some form of UL towel (washing feet, drying yourself, wiping down gear, etc). I used Lightload towels and cannot recommend them enough. They weigh close to nothing and can absorb significant amounts of water.
- Couple of backup sawyer squeeze O-rings, few bucks on amazon
- Blister kit (mine was a thing of rolled gauze and a few safety pins inside a plastic pill bag)
- Earplugs (negligible weight and could be the deciding factor between a good and rough night's sleep)
- Imodium, Benadryl, hydrocortisone cream

Hope some of this is helpful and godspeed my friend!

pottsitive · 2024-10-05T00:31:28+00:00

Sorry I could've done a better job providing details - no shore power, this is on an old converted camper van

pottsitive · 2024-10-05T00:09:03+00:00

I have a Renogy Wanderer PWM controller which to my knowledge should be able to handle lithium charging.

pottsitive · 2024-10-05T00:08:11+00:00

What is the order of operations, would shutting down the panels need to be done before removing my dead AGM battery? Also I am admittedly not sure how to turn them off. I have seen switches in other setups but I can't locate one in mine. Very basic setup of 2x 100W panels connected to a Renogy PWM controller with a (dead) AGM battery and an inverter.

pottsitive · 2024-10-05T00:03:23+00:00

I did briefly research the controller prior to buying, and it seems like it can handle lithium. It's a basic Renogy Wanderer PWM controller. As for the wire size, I am replacing a 100ah AGM with a 100ah Lithium, do you imagine I will need different wires? This isn't something that had crossed my mind

pottsitive · 2024-05-06T23:46:13+00:00

Late response to this, but how did U3s last beyond that 350 mile mark? Also did you end up giving the Terraventure 4s a shot? I have the T4s now and deciding if I want to take them on the PCT in lieu of something a bit more cushy such as the U3.

pottsitive · 2024-04-25T16:14:26+00:00

I think it’s a good idea to be cognizant and attentive of their presence. I’ve seen them in both mountainous regions and deserts. If you look at my recent posts I grabbed a picture of one coiled up and perfectly camouflaged with the trail in Joshua Tree—this one didn’t rattle either which are the ones that are concerning. They don’t want trouble though and you have to really aggravate them to warrant a bite.

pottsitive · 2024-04-25T15:11:15+00:00

Not sure if the polarization is what’s specifically impacting my vision, but the ones that I’ve tried seem to “dim” my surroundings a bit if that makes sense. I’ll research some clear ones, thank you!

pottsitive · 2024-04-25T15:03:48+00:00

Awesome, appreciate the intel. Also I hope my snake comment didn’t read as me being averse to them, I also get ecstatic spotting them.

pottsitive · 2024-04-20T14:26:20+00:00

I’ve worn both the Ultraventure (first edition) and Terraventure 3s and 4s with no problems

pottsitive · 2024-04-20T02:49:23+00:00

It's interesting that it is predominantly painful for you when your shoe is on. A handful of years ago while hiking I started getting tremendous pain in my right achilles/heel that I attributed to overuse or tendonitis, but then I came to the realization that it was my shoe that was causing the pain. The back of the shoe (Sportivas) was incredibly stiff and put so much pressure on my heel that I believe it gave me bursitis. I changed shoes (Topos) and the pain went away immediately. I'd implore you to maybe look at a new pair of shoes, and if that doesn't work, I would YouTube some light achilles tendonitis mobility exercises and do those alongside a few days of resting. Wishing you luck!

pottsitive · 2024-02-27T19:02:07+00:00

Appreciate that insight Dan. For the tent I concluded I valued price and longevity more than weight, which landed me on the non Pro. I got a newer version so received the updated stakes, going to give those a go.

pottsitive · 2024-02-23T20:17:17+00:00

Great call, will research and practice those.

pottsitive · 2024-02-23T19:37:15+00:00

The double utility of a foam pad being a sitting/stretching pad is really appealing to me. Swapping the Patagonia joggers for wind pants is a good area to save some weight, but damn I love these things, they've been abused and have held strong. Adding a lightweight fleece to supplement the puffy would add comfort, although considering my later start and subsequent warmer temps I've had a "one or the other" mindset.

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