What are your BIG THREE?

[Magnet_]

What were or are your 'big three' items?
Shelter / Sleeping Bag / Pack

Mine varied on the pct but included:

Pack: Granite Gear Stratus Latitude
(also used some 11 oz, 25L pack from Vaude towards the end)

Shelter: Big Agnes Seedhouse 1 (fast fly setup in the desert and full tent in the sierra)
(also used a poncho/tarp for the last parts of the desert and Echo to Belden)

Sleeping Bag: Sierra Designs Flash (0°) (earlier in the season and KM - Tuolumne) and Western Mountaineering Ultralight (20°)

[footslogger]

Magnet ...question for you.

Would you carry a zero degree bag again ?

I'm planning on carrying a 15 degree bag and making up the difference on cold nights with clothing layers.

Thanks

[Magnet_]

Would you carry a zero degree bag again ?

Hmm.... I am a very cold sleeper and slept warm every night with that bag. I could have gotten away with the WM bag (20°) the whole way if I had had a down jacket to throw into the mix. I think you're plan with the 15° would work fine for most.

If anyone is wondering about the Flash... I'm not a big fan of Sierra Designs bags, but got the Flash cheap. I was actually pretty impressed and it was very light for what it was at under 2 lbs 7 oz.

[Doodlebug]

MY big three:

pack- osprey aether 45- no longer made, saw lots of folks with it's replacement- the Atmos 50- heavier, more bells and whistles- hip belt kills my hips anyway. I love my aether 45- if you could find one used it's a great pack. Roll top, perfect size- wish it had came with better hipbelt pockets.

sleeping bag- probably one of the more popular bags on the PCT Western Mountaineering Ultralite. 1 lb 10oz- full zip. I sleep cold and I loved it. Pricey but worth it.

shelter: Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. pound and a half- lots of room, full enclosure. I broke the zipper (my fault) on it last summer and had my Tarptent Virga sent from home-such a difference- hard to sit up compared to the Lunar Solo. Ron also is making a Lunar Duo that I am lookng forward to checking out.

[footslogger]

Disclaimer: Subject to change at any time if something better and lighter comes along !!

Pack: Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone (3lbs)

Sleeping Bag: Marmot Helium 15 Degree (1lb 10oz)

Tent: Six Moon Design Lunar Solo-e (23 oz)

[AlohaTink]

Pack: Gregory Advent Pro (Lg) 2 lbs 13 oz

Sleeping Bag: Mont*Bell U. L. Super Stretch Down #2
Rating 24 degrees comfort range
1 lb 13 oz

Tent: Tarptent Squall 1 lb 15.5 oz with 4 extra stakes and
and stuff sacks and 2 poles

Hammock: Varies usually 3 lbs with netting and tarp etc...

[girlscout]

pack: ula catalyst
bag: western mountaineering ultralite
tent: shires tarptent rainbow

loved all three!

[chai guy]

pack: Granite Gear Vapor Trail
Great pack, comfortable, durable and inexpensive ($100 on sale at REI), it's only flaw is that it couldn't hold a bear cannister with my other gear. Be sure to check your pack's ability to hold one with your gear before you purchase it. Next time I might bump up to Granite Gear's Latitude Vapor, with 200 extra cu's but the same great design as the Vapor Trail. 2 lbs.

bag: Marmot Trestles 35 degree synthetic
Because I didn't have a tent, I felt a synthetic bag was worth the extra weight. I was impressed with this bag for the price ($120), but it was just too bulky and heavy at 2lbs 13oz, next time I'd look at a bag from synthetic bag from Lafuma, they're much lighter and pack very small.

tent: US Army issue Rain Poncho

[footslogger]

[quote=chai guy;319]pack: Granite Gear Vapor Trail
Great pack, comfortable, durable and inexpensive ($100 on sale at REI), it's only flaw is that it couldn't hold a bear cannister with my other gear. Be sure to check your pack's ability to hold one with your gear before you purchase it. Next time I might bump up to Granite Gear's Latitude Vapor, with 200 extra cu's but the same great design as the Vapor Trail. 2 lbs.

=====================================

Exact reason I am going with the Nimbus Ozone. Already have the Vapor Trail and carried it on my AT thru in 2003. Really like the VT but already know that between the cannister issue and the heavier loads I wanted something that would carry the load comfortably.

[Ender]

What were or are your 'big three' items?
Shelter / Sleeping Bag / Pack

Hmmmm... not an easy question for me, because I'm always looking for new things... First I'll do what I used on the PCT...

Pack: LuxuryLite pack... right about 2lbs.
Bag: Western Mountaineering Ultralite 1 lb 11oz
Shelter: Hennessy Hammock 1 lb 15 oz
Total: 5 lbs 10 oz

So now, things are a little different. Even though I like the LuxuryLite a lot, and it's probably the most comfortable pack I've carried so far, I'm looking for something that's going to carry the weight a little closer to my body. Something like the Granite Gear Vapor Trail, or the Osprey Atmos 50.

The Hennessy is great, best night sleep in the outdoors so far, but staying warm in one is a hassle, and I wouldn't mind getting the Gossamer Gear Shires Squall tarptent for the fringe seasons.

The WM Ultralite bag stays though. I don't think there's a better bag on the market for me right now.

[mangofence]

Since my wife and I are hiking together, we're going with:

Packs: ULA Catalyst (2 lb 14 oz with double stays):
We wanted to make sure we had the extra volume and comfort for hauling extra water in the desert and food in the Sierra.

Bags: Western Mountaineering Summerlite (1 lb 3 oz)
-Rated to 32 F, which might be pushing it in the Sierra (or even a cold night in the desert!), but we're counting on zipping them together to share body heat; these bags have a full zipper. We're also both going to have a down jacket and, worst case scenario, we can open up both bags fully and lay underneath them for a full 4" of loft above us.

Shelter: Tarptent Double Rainbow (2 lbs. 8 oz. including 6 stakes):
LOVE this thing! Can handle freak snow loads at each end of the hiking season, sets up FAST, and has the option of freestanding if we ever need it. Plus there's lots of sit up room.

~Mike and Kat
2008 PCT Hopefuls

[Marta]

Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus
WM Ultralight
Shires Tarptent Virga I

I haven't done the PCT yet, but this is what I took on the JMT. One night I would have like a warmer sleeping bag, but the rest of the time I was fine.

Marta/Five-Leaf

[handlebar]

Here's what I plan to carry on my 08 PCT attempt:

Backpack: Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian 3 lb 8 oz
This pack carries heavy weights very comfortably and has plenty of room for a bear can and extra water. Pack performed well with about 75 lbs on Maine Appalachian Trail Crew volunteer weeks this summer.

Tent: Shires Tarptent Rainbow 2 lb

I just got this and have only set it up once with my hiking poles to check out the freestanding option. It is nice and roomy. It's also much more roomy than my twice-as-heavy Marmot EOS-1 that I carried on the AT. Hope to give the Rainbow a dry run in the Smokies when I volunteer for RockyTop crew in late Oct.

Bag: Mountain Hardware Phantom 15*

This is a 800 fill power down bag and is quite comfy. I used a MH 15* synthetic on my 06 AT thruhike in spring and fall and a Marmot Pounder 45* for the summer. For the PCT I wanted something lighter and more compressible. Plus, away from the humid east, I'm more confident carrying a down bag.

Total weight: 7 Lb. 7 0z.

Handlebar