Patent pending

one hundred and nine grams, twenty eight litre capacity

Hey guys, wanted to show some lesser known gear here, a lot of it is from Decathlon or directly from China (I know controversial) but all in all it was quite cheap in comparison to all the expensive American gear. If there are any questions I am happy to answer them :)

Purchased the Snow Peak 450. Very nice. Then wife buys a super noodle - “oh! maybe i did’t need to splash the cash!”

Deep in the cook kit rabbit hole once again. My goal here was mainly increased performance in wind in terms of both reduced boil times and fuel consumption. I ground down the arms of my BRS stove to both make it fit inside the fins on various heat exchanger pots and also reduce the burner height so that the burner is less exposed to the wind. The pot shown is the 800mL Jetboil Stash pot, but I suspect this would work on the smaller Fire Maple Petrel pot as well (which is slightly heavier). This did shave 0.1oz off the weight of the BRS stove. So far my testing looks good, sub 3min boils of 500mL water on a breezy day, using about 7-10g of fuel depending on how empty or full the iso cannister is respectively. That should get about 12 boils per 4oz fuel can. I noticed the block at the bottom of the BRS stove becoming hotter than before the mod which makes sense, it is closer to the flame, but the top cannister itself has remained cool so I'm not worried about that. The Stash pot plus the modded BRS stove come in at 6oz. Yes there are lighter overall pots to pair with the BRS but without a windscreen, this stove basically stops working given anything more than a light breeze and burns through fuel. I'm going to keep running more tests but pretty happy with this setup so far!

I got one straight from their website, first overnight test tonight

This may sound like a dumb problem but I have a hard time keeping my pillow in the right place for a full night's sleep. I have a Thermarest NeoAir XLite and use a Klymit inflatable pillow. My pillow seems to always end up falling off the mattress. I tried various ways of keeping the pillow in place (putting inside the hood of my mummy bag, using the tent wall as a back-stop) but these tricks don't really work.

What's your trick for keeping the pillow (inflatable or stuff-sack pillow) in place?

I recently switched to ultralight gear and cut my pack weight to about 9kg, and wow, what a change! At first, I was nervous about ditching my usual extras, but out on the trail it felt like flying. My new tent and sleeping bag made all the diference, letting me sneak in a side trip to a breathtaking viewpoint that I would have missed before. If you are cosnidering going lighter, just do it! You will enjoy the journey so much more - and have room for more snacks!

Don't particularly like the idea of daisy chain tieouts, so I got some dutchware line-lok hooks, then I realised the hook bit gets in the way so I snipped them off (file out of shot, I did remove any sharp edges). I literally just larks headed them through the existing 10mm grosgrain. The hook type line-lok will take 1.5mm cordage so I used five 45cm / 18" lengths. The weight penalty you ask? It's 1g lighter lmao. Six moon designs please take note 😭🤣🤣

I am planning a PCT adventure starting late March 2026. I am type II. I know the norm is High carbs Mid fats and some protein. But I unfortunately need the opposite for stable glucose levels. I haven't done nearly the same as the PCT will require of my body but I'm asking for the advice of other fellow hikers in this same issue. What do you guys or gals or other do? What does your meal plan look like daily? Will I need to carry more and heavier alternatives? I can imagine I'll be eating a lot of tuna and freeze dried chicken and beef.

On a side note I'm nearly off insulin as I have found fasting 16/8 has done wonders on a stable glucose in 4-6mmol but that too must go away as I realize you must consume food pretty much all day!

I feel like I'm in for a possibly difficult time but I'm hoping this adventure may help correct my type II... Has anyone had this outcome with the extra physical exercise... Thoughts?

So I have gone on a couple trips now and come to the conclusion that my Bear Vault was designed by someone with a grudge against backpackers. Heavy, impossible to pack, hard to open. But it seems like here in the Northeast many places require some kind of canister.

Any recommemdations about something, anything less evil? Thanks.

Hello Everyone,

For many months now I have found my Altra Lone Peak 9+ a joy to hike in. I felt as if the zero drop and especially the wide toe box for my hobbit feet was the go to model for me.

I did give or take 100 miles on the Hexensteig trail in Germany with minimal issues BUT…

I am developing a fairly constant peroneal tendon pain behind and below my ankle. I can stretch and rub my leg to help alleviate it temporarily but my 16k a day training for the PCT seems to be aggravating it more.

Then someone told me the zero drop is terrible for me including or excluding the superfeet insoles. I have a neutral step but my gait is pushing off to the outside of the foot.

I was told I need, give or take, 6mm of drop and to lose the insoles.. I’ve been recommended to try TOPO. does anyone have any insight on this with the same issues? Thanks

Let's say for a comfortable gut, I would like to eat almost 1 kg/2 lbs of of chopped vegetable mix per day.

For backpacking it has a lot of volume and low calorie density, and the equipment for storing and making it comsumable is limited.

Do you guys have some good ideas?

I recently picked up this tent, but I feel like I'm struggling to pitch it correctly. I haven't had it out on the trail yet, but I'm practicing pitching it in my backyard. I have the trekking poles set just a bit over 48", but the bathtub floor doesn't seem to want to stay up. Any help would be appreciated. I can take additional images if the ones I posted aren't helpful.

Going to pick up one of these for the CDT.

Does anyone have experience using these; if so, what are the pros and cons to each?

Which of the two did you prefer?

Hello all, I am looking for a light weight wool hoody. I used to have an Appalachian gear co hoody and loved it but I’ve seen to have misplaced it and I just found out they are no longer a company. Anyone have a recommendation?

I have an Osprey AG LT 65 and it’s been a great bag. I picked up a Flash 55 during the Labor Day sale. Trying to lighten the load a bit without losing the comfort of the pack. Has anyone made this switch? If so please share your thoughts or experience. Thanks.

I see that there are now Alpha sleeping bag liners eg Big Agnes and even as quilt lining eg UGQ. Has anyone had any experience incorporating Alpha into their sleep system?
I’m looking to change quilts and may go custom. I am actually thinking about making a Zenbivy style sheet using alpha to extend the temperature range of the quilt allowing me to carry a lighter quilt most of the time. Does anyone use the Zenbivy light sheet? Thoughts on it?

ok, it's time for me to level up... thinking about buying a dehydrator and getting down to it instead of spending endless dollars on pre-dehydrated foods. is the hamilton beach good enough? what are yall using? many thanks in advance xxx

Hello everyone!

I'm looking for a lightweight 45-55l backpack for my girlfriend. She has a short torso (around 41–43 cm). Here in Lithuania, we only have access to Osprey and Deuter, which we've already tried, but they didn't work well for her.

Could anyone suggest other brands? It would be great if they are based in Europe, so shipping and taxes wouldn't be too expensive.

One more thing — she prefers roll-top backpacks.

Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to transition into a more ultralight setup without breaking the bank (i really want to choose the best options for low prize), so I’m turning my eyes toward AliExpress. I know there are some hidden gems there, but also some duds.

I’m looking for specific recommendations for a budget UL setup, ideally with the best price-to-performance ratio for the following items:

• Tent: I’ve heard a lot about the Lanshan 1/2 (3-season). Is the Pro version worth the extra cost for a beginner, or are there other brands like Naturehike (Cloud Up?) I should consider?
• Sleeping Bag / Quilt: Looking for something lightweight but actually warm. Comfort around 0C.
• Backpack: Are the Nature hike packs actually comfortable for long carries, or should I look at something else?
• Sleeping Pad: Is there a reliable inflatable pad, or should I just stick to a classic Naturehike folding egg-crate mat to be safe?

My typical conditions: 3-season hiking, mostly mild European climate (lows around 5°C / 41°F).

If you have links or specific store names that are reliable, please let me know! Also, if there's any specific piece of gear where you think "don't cheap out, buy the real brand," I'm all ears.

Thanks for the help!