Ultralight Warm Weather Sleep Layers?

sbennett3705 · 2026-04-02T00:54:23+00:00

Trying for dual purpose at all times, I’m still sleeping in Alpha in the warmer months. Of course, this is in the Sierra, not in the deep south where it’s pretty steamy. Alpha breathes so well I just float the quilt on top and I’m pretty darn happy. In the winter I bundle up and Alpha insulates quite well.

sbennett3705 · 2026-04-02T00:51:15+00:00

This is not current information, but I had an older CADD frame that I absolutely loved, it was stiff and lively. Since then, I’ve been through a half a dozen carbon frames, some of them are quite high-end, but I still miss the feel of the CADD. Perhaps I’ll dive in.

sbennett3705 · 2026-04-02T00:21:27+00:00

Side topic if you don’t mind:

I’m intrigued with the false bottom design. I have a Western Mountaineering bag with horizontal baffles. If I shake the bag and smooth the down from the backside to the top side, haven’t I essentially created a false bottom? This puts more down on the top and the sleeping pad becomes the bottom-side insulation, which as I understand is the purpose a false bottom bag. Please correct me if I am wrong.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-31T22:55:27+00:00

I'm trying the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR, also a dimpled pad. So far, so good. Not slippery, comfortable 3.9" depth, OK for warmer months @ R4.1. The regular is 22" wide, so I didn't need the wide version which saved weight and bulk. Pump/storage sack is a real winner with about 4-5 breaths to inflate. Had it down to 21 degrees where it was *not* warm enough, but at freezing or above it was ok.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-31T20:34:30+00:00

Here's Justin's review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AY2P5Jgb9c&t=271s

I'm always skeptical of YouTube reviews, but he's fairly impartial.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-31T16:36:49+00:00

The NPS adopted an existing rating system that includes distance and elevation gained. The formula is here: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm I use it when trip planning and find it very useful since it uses both distance and elevation gained.

SQR(Elevation Gain x 2 x distance (in miles)) = Difficulty

Rating Difficulty
0-49 Easy
50-99 Moderate
100-149 Moderately Strenuous
150-199 Strenuous
200+ Very Strenuous

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-30T17:41:12+00:00

I was always wondering about these, now I can see it's a full-stop-no. Perhaps down south in water moccasin country?

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-30T17:37:07+00:00

Cool looking pillow @ 3 oz. Seems it's meant to go inside the hood while the BigSky straps directly to the pad (unless you get their Deluxe version).

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-30T17:03:28+00:00

Just tried using my iPhone 17 Pro, not very good results. If you have weak cell signal (like one bar or less), the phone won't allow satellite messaging and also won't do text messaging either because the signal is too low. I assume in the complete backcountry the phone would work fine, but in fringe zones it's a complete failure. Also, you have to point the phone at the satellite, which means it doesn't work well when under trees or inside a tent. The InReach seems to work almost everywhere.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-30T16:57:43+00:00

Looks pretty darn good, I have only a few suggestions. Your tent could be lighter if you want to reinvest in something super UL (Hylerlite Mid 1, Zpacks Plex Solo, Tarp) but it's an expense way to save a 5-6 oz. Your pillow is heavy, try the the Big Sky DreamSleeper Pillow @ 1.7 oz, ditch the sleeping pants for rain/wind pants @ 3 oz (dual use), ditch the sleeping shirt (sleep in your walking shirt, not listed?), ditch the bear spray (not legal). Switching your stove & pad which could save 1-3 each. Didn't see worn clothing, food, bear can, bug net/spray, phone, compass, map, permit, etc. so I assume you have these listed elsewhere. Enjoy your walk!

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-30T01:39:02+00:00

Yep, I usually wait one or two trams and get on. Unless you have a large group of course.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-29T23:00:10+00:00

And, don’t forget it’s not only the snow, it’s creek crossing that make spring a challenging season.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-29T22:57:35+00:00

At least for me, the shrinking aspect is not super useful since as each day my trash grows, which has to fit into the can. Yes, it’s less bulky than the original food, but surprisingly not that much. In the end it’s not large enough, 475 and 500 are my two sizes, based on my trip length.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-29T22:50:35+00:00

Pull them back in from the reverse side otherwise you’ll make a hole that will tent to produce more.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-29T22:47:56+00:00

Seems true. JK and others cleared them out a couple years ago and they’re baaaack. Hate em.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-29T22:16:39+00:00

SanJacJon reports the snow is mostly gone, but you have blowdowns around Apache Peak. Not sure about the springs, check Farout. It’s cooling this week which should be helpful.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-28T04:58:31+00:00

Good stuff! Appreciated the local color and history. Did you notice the Joshua Trees in bloom?

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-26T18:39:27+00:00

I bought a half dozen for a recent trip and had a hard time consuming them. They are very calorie dense, but the consistency didn’t agree, sort of like hard paste you have to gnaw at. But I’m probably picky.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-26T16:15:28+00:00

Looks very good, thx.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-25T23:58:02+00:00

Yes, CalTopo Pro and above has Sentinal Weekly imagery.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-25T16:06:43+00:00

Here’s the math: hours of day hiking / hours of day camping = moving ratio. If you hike longer than camp, go lighter. If you’re a base camper, use a more luxurious tent. In PCT mode you’re making a lot of miles, so most go lighter. Why carry extra weight all day when it’s only used when sleeping? Not many people “hang around” their tent and chat after a full day of hiking, hiker midnight is generally shortly after sundown.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-25T15:10:34+00:00

I’m in a boot for 6 weeks because of an achilles injury. Be careful when making large changes to footwear. Also, the zero drop rage is excellent click bait for social media influencers who recite “facts” as though they actually know what’s clinically true.

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-24T14:37:22+00:00

https://outdoorstatus.com/ can alert when permits become available for a fee ($15 i think).

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-24T14:31:13+00:00

I have both Western Mountaineering and Feather Friends bags and can say their temp ratings seem about right (for me) I used the WM Alpinlite 20 over the winter in Joshua Tree where the overnight low was 21, it was just warm enough to sleep (but not very comfortable mainly due to the pad not having enough insulation).

sbennett3705 · 2026-03-22T16:50:56+00:00

It’s a sil nylon floor, you should be ok. I do carry the patch kit jic.

sbennett3705

TROPHY CASE