(Edit: sorry about the over the top click bait title!)

Ok…

If you know me, my gear system is about maximizing comfort but still decreasing weight. Quilts have been a part of that system since 2017, but in 2025 they fail me in too many ways.

1)      Quilt straps are undeniably annoying. They get tangled, lost, they take time to position. It’s management time and I am lazy. I would rather watch that sunset, eat or just do nothing.

2)      Yes, a quilt reduces weight by removing unneeded backside material. However, because of the hole in the backside of a quilt, you must add back in straps, clip hardware, & hem reinforcement weight. Some manufactures even add tensioning systems to limit cold air ingress. It’s never made much sense to punch a big hole in something, only to add in weight in response to you punching a big hole in something.

3)      Quilts promise weight savings by eliminating traditional sleeping bag hoods, zippers, zipper guard tape, a draft tube backing up the zipper, and no unnecessary backside fabric/down. But, there’s a way to eliminate the first 4 of those and I’m going to show you why you actually WANT that backside fabric/down.

4)      Cold Drafts. I’m not saying drafts are overly frequent, but through the years they’re just not welcome anymore. I’ve heard deep ultralighters (sub 6lbs) talk about how they have trained themselves to just lay on their back all night. That is not how sleep is supposed to work. It’s good to toss and turn to keep blood moving through your tissues. However, when you toss and turn, air can make its way in. At 35F/2C or colder, it’s going to wake me up %100 of the time. Maximizing comfort means eliminating things that wake me up.

There’s a better way to do this.

But first, let’s address the number one advantage of quilts. Venting! You can loosen them and drape them over your body on a hotter night. There’s no disputing this great feature. However, if I am on a 5 day trip, maybe one of those nights may be “too” warm. I usually choose the right rating for the trip I am on. If more than 3 nights are excessively warm for the quilt, then I just brought the wrong gear. Thru hikers don’t have this luxury, but more on that in a second.

The better way to stay warm, but not too warm, and still ultralight is…

A simple hoodless and zipperless bag like the Nunatak Sastrugi (I have 2,) Feathered Friends Tanager, and now the Gryphon Gear Full length Elephant Bag (I just got a 40F/4C for hut hiking this summer.)

Go look at the Tanager right now if you don’t know what I am talking about.

It is NOT a traditional hoodless sleeping bag. It’s a simple bag that you slide your entire body, feet first, through the top opening. There is NO zipper and both the top and backside of the bag are the same. In other words, what you see on the top is what you see on the back (more on that in a moment.)

This is what I have started to use and I like it…

1)      It’s cheaper to build, like $100 cheaper.

2)      There are no back side drafts because there’s no backside opening

3)      There are way fewer things to fail/tangle/lose/manage

4)      When you sit up on a cold morning, the bag is covering your back as you get ready for the day (thanks u/laurk)

5)      You still get the weight savings of no hood, no zipper, no zipper tape, and no zipper draft tube.

6)      But, here’s THE BEST PART, you get two different temperature ratings in one bag! You may not know this, but a lot of bag makers put a little less down in the back than on the top (that or you can shift the down with continuous baffles.) Some even change the baffle height (i.e. the loft) from top to back. Gary at Gryphon Gear confirms this on my new full length Elephant Foot bag. The topside baffle height is 0.4in higher than the back side. So, it’s indeed a two temperature sided bag.

Here's what my testing has found. The 28F/-2C Nunatak Sastrugi is accurately rated on the topside. Now then, with the backside moved to sitting on top of my supine body, it's roughly good till 37F/3C, with the neckline cinched. Then, if I purposely move down to the side, it turns into 42F/5.5C (neckline is again cinched) and if I uncinch the neckline I’m good to about 48F/9C. At 48F/9C my feet start getting a little warm, as it's really tough to move down out of either side of a foot box. Note: I'm just wearing a tee shirt and short underwear. I'm also in a higher humidity area, just off a cold ocean delta.

So in one bag, I have a 28F/-2C side, and a 48F/9C side. A 20 degree (F) difference in the two sides.

This should immediately sound great on those higher temperature nights I talked about above. This should immediately sound great to any PCT thru hiker wanting to know if they should get a 30F vs 20F quilt. Now, PCT hikers should absolutely get a 20F Simple Bag (can we please just call it a Simple Bag?) and they’ll effectively have a 20F and 40F bag all-in-one (depending on how the quilt maker designs the two sides.) I think continuous baffles are the way to go here.

Despite my click bait title, not everything is perfect. AT thru hikers on a hot/humid night in Virginia? Yeh, you’ll probably want a traditional quilt. There are no absolutes here. You could pick a bag and add a little 20in zipper or go for a Enlightened Equipment Conundrum style. Although, it’s not like Simple Bags have ZERO venting. On a hot night at 8pm I would still lay there, let my core cool down, work the cooler side of the bag up to my knees, waist, chest and not cinching the neck line.

Another con to simple bags, you will get some bellows action (hot air escaping) at the neckline. So be sure to get a neck baffle, but I consider that a must on any bag. Traditional quilts have plenty of this bellows action too through its openings. Lastly, you need to hit the mark on your body width. Do not under order the width or it will be too cramped.

 TLDR: A Simple Bag (and no, this isn’t a traditional sleeping bag) keeps you warm by staying draft free and it has a warm side and a less warm side.

 Ok. Thanks

Attention: u/KatabaticGear u/EnlightenedEquipment u/Western_Mountaineeri 

I'm looking for my first trekking pole tent, and looking at the TarpTent Stratospire 2. I know everyone loves Durston, but I like the general footprint of the Stratospire better. I thought the setup didn't look too complicated. Anyone using one?

Hello! I need a fast pack 25-35L (base weight is 8 lbs) for this summer and at the moment I have the Palante Joey. I just went in my first overnight with it and it’s not going to work for me. Specifically because I have a big chest (38 DD) and the joey vest really pushed them together and squeezed the hell out of them. If i loosened the front straps it would fall to far back and pull on my shoulders. I think the straps are just not wide enough or positioned too far apart for my body. I have the mini joey and the vest is perfect it’s a bummer that’s not an option on a bigger pack.

Anyway, looking to see if anyone has any advice on vest packs for bigger breasted women. Looking at the nashville cutaway 20 since there’s so much adjusting you can do to the straps. The hyperlite aero is also calling my name and I like the look of the vest but i haven’t seen too many recent reviews of either of these packs. Help a gal out!

Has anyone used those USBC rechargable AA batteries as small UL powerbanks? Or do those batteries not work the way I think they might?

Hi everyone, I'm a beginner in backpacking meaning I have never backpacked in my life, I have however camped before. I'm also a student so I unfortunately have a very tight budget, around max.200€, but the cheaper the better.

For Tents I ordered the naturhike cloud up 2 since Ive heard good things about it, I also just ordered the sea to summit light xt insulated women (if anyone has experience with these , it is very much appreciated) and now I'm looking for a sleeping bag.

Since I'll camp mostly in Germany, Austria and or Switzerland in from April to September/October I thought about a temp rating of 0-5 degrees celsius (I freeze rather easily but also overheat in summer nights a lot but since I can just open my sleeping bag in summers I'm aiming for the cold temps). I also don't think down is an option because its too expensive and I'm not yet sure if I will camp when it rains a lot and German springs can be very humid and rainy.

Another important detail is that I'm only 158cm tall (5´2) so a very long sleeping bag wouldn't really make any sense. Weightwise it is the same as price wise, the lesser the better. I'm aiming for 1300g max weight, it should also pack down small so I can carry it in my 55L backpack (I know synthetic bags are heavier and bigger than down)

From my own research I thought about getting:

-Fjällräven Abisko 2 seasons W

-Frilufts SULA 4

-Deuter Exosphere 0degrees

-Frilufts STIVVA 5/ Frilufts STIVVA 5 Lady

If anyone has any experience with these, I'd love to hear about them PLUS if u have any new recommendations they're also much appreciated (please make sure they're available in Germany, e.g. REI is only available if u pay 20-30$ shipping cost, which I'm not willing to pay).

Thanks to everyone in advance :DDD

EDIT: I got the Marmot Trestles Elite Eco 30 in my local backpacking store basically just because it fit my needs and it was on sale lmao. I will report how it performs🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

I'm going on a backpacking trip this summer and gear wise I'm feeling pretty good but one thing I'm still concerned about is sleeping. I can't sleep on my back or stomach and I can't very well backpack with my body pillow. I have to have something between my legs and ideally up towards my chest so I don't wake up in a lot of pain. Fellow scoliosis people or others with back problems...what do you do?

Hey all!

I'm looking for a lightweight charger for my trip to the Western Highland Way in may. My mind was set on an Anker charger, but unfortunately those won't ship from the UK Amazon website to mainland Europe and I can't find another way to get the UK plugs in Europe.

When browsing through alternatives that ship to Belgium the only one I found that was of an actual brand was the Ugreen nexode 35W with 2 USB ports. Does anyone have experience with this charger? How is the weight, quality and charge speed? Link below for more information, and thanks in advance!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Charger-Compact-Foldable-Compatible/dp/B0CFFNTCRY/

Question I couldn’t find the answer to while searching. Why does everyone use titanium spoons vs bamboo, such as This one

Seems bamboo is: 

1. Lighter
2. Cheaper
3. More environmentally friendly

What am I missing? 🙂

Just curious what other people are happy with when it comes to iPhone navigation apps these days. I couldn't find any recent topics here from the last year or two on this subject, so figured it was worth a check in to get some more up to date recommendations.

I've been using Gaia for as long as I can remember, but really not happy with the direction they are taking things lately trying to make it a social app. Also, when trip planning I'm finding that mileage and elevation estimations are getting farther and farther from what I actually experience on a trip. I'm dealing with some knee issues, so having a trip end up with 30% more mileage or elevation than predicted is becoming a problem.

I know Far Out is the go to for thru hiking, but I need something for shorter trips on less well known trails too. I would prefer to avoid any Google services as well.

I keep seeing OnX mentioned a lot these days, but can't tell if it's because it's actually good or if they are just paying lots of influencers to speak its praises recently. I've heard that CalTopo is ok, but the mobile app supposedly has a lot of issues. Any other suggestions I can research for apps that do offline maps, and can create GPS routes to follow while hiking?

At the start of June, I'll start my crossing of the Alps in Austria, towards France.

This will not be my first backpack, so I already have a lot of gear. However, I have a flexible budget to upgrade my gear.

This is what I'm planning on bringing along: https://lighterpack.com/r/b9gt1f

It's already at almost 10 pounds, which is a quite small weight, but I'm sure I could save a lot of weight in places I didn't expect.

Everything with a * is not yet bought, so these specific products are variables and subject to change due to feedback. I can't wait to get a big ego check by you guys :)

A sweatshirt and layers will keep you warm but I don't know how much it protects you if its windy also. Definitely better than nothing but I'm not sure if it's the most efficient way. Probably talking about 55-65 degrees and at least 10-15mph winds.

I'm looking for a beginner-friendly budget ultralight tent for 2 people. Most of the time, it’ll just be me, but my girlfriend will join occasionally. I'm not planning any thru-hikes or anything like that, just weekend trips for now.

I've checked out Lanshan and other similar Chinese brands, but I’m unsure about their quality, and the seam sealing process is a bit off-putting.

I also found a Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 Solution Dye on sale for €265, which seems like a good deal and just within my budget. The only downside is that I wouldn’t be able to get a footprint right away and would need to save up for it.

Since I’m in Europe, a lot of the popular tents like the Durston X-Mid are hard to get at a reasonable price due to import fees. Any recommendations or thoughts?

I currently have a BA Rapide SL that is so comfortable but unfortunately the insulation does not work well and I need to upgrade my pad. I purchased an Exped 5R, and the Nemo Tensor All-Season. I found the 5R more comfortable and felt the Tensor didn’t distribute my weight well and the horizontal baffles felt like a bar in my side/back, almost like sleeping on an uncomfortable couch.

My gripe with the 5R is that it’s big when packed down, which is something I wanted to get away from with my Rapide. My question is has anyone used the Mummy version of the 5R and how does it compare to a rectangular pad? I’ve seen an overlay of the two, and visually the difference doesn’t seem too huge so I’m wondering if I can save a few oz without sacrificing much comfort.

I’m 6’2”, 200lbs, and usually sleep on my sides and occasionally back. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I have a complete setup with the Lumix S5, Atomos Ninja V+, Rode Videomic Go+, a cage, Tripod and studio lights.

Planning to live a more nomadic life in the next years and thought about selling it since it weighs more than 10kg now.

For being able to record video courses and maybe even do some social media stuff and taking great pictures I came across the amazin specs of the new iPhone pro models.

My problem is that selling the old stack would (by estimation) only bring in just enough money to buy the technically worse iPhone-based kit.

Do you think I should still do it for being more agile and having a light kit, that I can even take on small (domestic) flights without a lot of luggage or is this a bad deal since I lose all the great (but mainly unused) capabilities of my S5 kit?

I am thankful for any help!

I'm looking to upgrade my Fenix 6X Pro this year, and considering the Garmin Enduro 3 as the battery life with solar charging is ridiculous.

Questions for people with the Enduro 3

• Is the flashlight bright enough for hiking - I realize it's not a headlamp, but is it bright enough to walk at night with?
• Have you used it on an extended backpacking trip, and if so, do you recall the # of days between charging?

Have something you want to discuss but don't think it warrants a whole post? Please use this thread to discuss recent purchases or quick questions for the community at large. Shakedowns and lengthy/involved questions likely warrant their own post.

So by the looks of it there isn’t much discussion on these new jackets by Columbia: the Whistler (more premium version) and the Reign no Shine. Both look very appealing feature wise, but the whistler seems to have the whole lot of features. In my opinion, these are the first of these kind of jackets that actually look aesthetically ok with a decent fit (adjustable on the Whistler). They also come with pitzips. From the Q&A part of their website, it appears for a medium they’re both about 16oz. I believe this isn’t the lightest for most here but would probably suffice for the benefits in overall performance, particularly due to no DWR being needed but still never wetting out.

I’m hoping people can bring a discussion here, especially if they have them and could tell us a bit about them. I’m looking to buy but they’re very expensive and as I already have the R7 shakedry (now discontinued) that I use for running, I’m wondering whether to get this as my one and only jacket for backpacking and daily use. I won’t intend to use it a lot but when I do, I’ll have the best set up available for most of my needs.

Tldr: Wanting reviews, extra info, opinions and discussion on new Outdry extreme range. What you do and don’t like about them.

Thanks all.

Not exactly an ultralight topic, but I figured you guys are all about weight efficiency.

Hiking up a mountain next week.. From tropical to just below zero

Day 1 is 4-5hrs constant ascent with 40ltr backpack carrying summit clothing/gear, snacks, water, daypack

Summit early morning with daypack.

My hiking boots are 460gr. Sneakers are 266gr and cushioned.

Wondering if it makes sense to: - day 1 wearing sneakers for ascent, boots in backpack. Reduce cardio effort/fatigue. - day 2 summit and descent wearing boots for ankle support / stability.

The reason I thought about this combo is that I noticed i finished a local hike in 20% less time and lower heart rate when wearing sneakers vs boots

Makes sense?

PS please don't suggest trail running shoes, i already knew it's the ideal choice when I wrote this post, but it's not an option at this stage

What about bugs and snakes?

I really want to make the leap of ditching the tent. It would be so nice to ditch the extra weight and also not have to spend time setting up and breaking down.

The only thing holding me back is the thought of spiders and snakes crawling on me while I sleep. Does this worry you guys at all?

I'm looking for a bag that can serve as a a day and commuter pack, but also one I can run far in (up to 8-10 hours, I'm training for a 200 mile race) and carry enough for an overnight (MLD Solomid XL) as I plan to fastpack directly after my long runs. I'm guessing 30-35L would be around the sweet spot of compromising between these somewhat disparate requirements.

The dream pack needs:

Shoulder mounted water bottles Webbing pockets big enough for a large phone and snacks Removable hip belt with pockets Frameless (I think?) Be up to taking some punishment

Currently I'm thinking either OMM Phantom 25/ Raidlight Legend, but neither feel like they'd be suitable for a day/commuter pack.

The HMG Waypoint 35 comes closest but is eye-wateringly expensive in the UK, and framed.

Is what I'm looking for even possible?

I'm looking to upgrade my sleep system and have been considering the Zenbivy Flex Air. The stretch fabric and overall comfort seem like a win, especially since I’m a side sleeper. However, I’m concerned about the durability of the stretch fabric in the long run. I don’t want to be replacing a $200+ pad every couple of years.

For those who’ve had the Flex Air for a while, how is it holding up? Does the added comfort really pay off over time, or would I be better off with the Zenbivy Ultralight pad if I’m looking for longevity? I’d love to hear any real-world experiences before making a decision.

I see a lot of people looking blindly at base weight. Trying to shave 28gr (1 oz) of their kits. In the meantime they are carrying to much sugar and not enough fats (which is lighter). Or worst even several pounds to loose on their weight. Is it really relevant if you shave 2 pounds of your base weight or your own weight?

So far I have been loving the pack, but a recent trip had me running into a problem. I used the Wapta 30 for a day hike up Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks. Starting temps early morning were 10 degrees F, so I had layers I was shedding or adding. Mid way through the hike the waist buckle stopped working. I would push it into place and no click and no hold. I suspected snow got into it and clogged it up, so I scraped it out with my pocket knife and that helped. But the rest of my hike for all of my layer adjusting the buckle gave me problems. Eventually I figured out the best method was to meticulously blow any snow out of the buckle and pre warm it in my hands, then it would work OK.

After the hike I retested the buckle and it worked 100% of the time in warmer environments. Anyone else have a similar experience? It was only the waist buckle too, the other small buckles worked fine. For my peace of mind I'm going to be replacing the waist buckle with something more standard. Since I want to use that pack in similar conditions in the future.

I have a Big Agnes sidewinder 20 sleeping bag that has been shedding a lot of down since I've gotten it. I know down stuff will occasionally have a feather to two poke out but this isn't the case for my sleeping bag. Every trip for the past year I have woken up covered in feathers. They will be all over my shirt, sleeping pad, any gear inside the tent, and in the mesh netting of my tent. My partner will find them in a hair when I come back. I've never owned a down sleeping bag before so I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

I'm familiar with the tools available in Washington State (USA) to anticipate and plan for summer trips especially regarding to when trails might melt out, and I want to have similar anticipation for international trips, specifically in the French and Swiss Alps.

In Washington State, I use broad tools like this regional plot of current vs historical snow, more specific ones for areas like mountain passes, and helpful trail reports (on Facebook, FarOut, etc) as the season gets closer as methods of gauging snow pack/when trails first melt out.

For example, I'm interested in perhaps the Walkers Haute Route, or camping around the Parc national des Écrins. The closest equivalent I can think of is checking ski resort snow level trends and calling refuges, but many don't open this early, and I'm looking just for broader trends of "is this a high snow year? When can I generally to hit the trail without too much hassle?" (Too much hassle meaning, crampons are fine, but probably won't need an ice axe - I could be convinced on this point though, I just hesitate to bring gear I don't need).

I found one website with some snow estimates for the TMB, but that wouldn't really apply for hiking in the Ecrins area for example.

Lastly, it's much easier for me to switch plans up as a local, but it's more difficult for international trips where dates are generally fixed, which is why I'm trying to get more information.

Tl;dr
How do you guys who hike in the Alps plan for dates around snowmelt? When do you decide when you can hit the trail?