So, What Is a “Perfect” Post?

I wanted to post something once a month after my first post in May, but I have not done that. I’ll just be honest, I’m scared! I’m scared that what I write will be formatted wrong, that the words won’t be read, or people will think they are stupid or pointless. I believed what I wrote had to be absolutely perfect. I even started to write a post, but it got so long I told myself I couldn’t use it.

So, what is a “perfect” post for a blog that is just beginning? What is the right topic? Will my writing be worthwhile? I want to apply to some gear brands for help with things during the hike and they all want to see my website and social media – what I write needs to be the absolute best, so I am chosen to represent!

Here’s the truth though, there is no “right” topic or “perfect” post, this is MY blog, what I write about is right for me and it is perfect for where I am on my thru hike preparation journey!

Now that I have that out of the way, I wanted to discuss gear, specifically the gear I am choosing. I feel like sometimes I’ve been obsessed with the research from big name companies to smaller well known cottage companies - the number of tents, sleep pads, quilts or sleeping bags, and backpacks alone could make a person dizzy. My packs up to this point have always been too heavy, I have known this since my first backpacking trip, so I knew I needed to have a different approach if I wanted to do this hike.

The first question I needed to ask myself was how “ultralight” did I want to be? What this translates to for me is “what comforts am I willing to forego and which ones are a must?”! This is a big question to ask with serious consequences on the trail if I answer wrong. First things first though, I needed to pick my big 4.

MY BIG FOUR

If you aren’t familiar with what the “big four” means, it refers to the pack you’re carrying everything in, your shelter, and your sleep system including sleep pad and quilt/sleeping bag.

When deciding on my big four I looked at three things.

First, I looked at what other ultralight hikers were using. Halfway Anywhere conducts an annual survey for thru hikers so I looked there to see what was being used.

Second, I read reviews from all over – manufacturer site reviews to Reddit threads to other hiking blogs, to see what other real-world users were saying about these items.

And third, weight! A super-duper ultralighter will probably look at weight first, but for me it was almost what I used as my deciding factor. If more than one thing looked great, how much does each one weigh?

Additional factors I considered once I narrowed things down were cost, ease of use, durability, and comfortability. Because I work for an outdoor retailer, I also took into consideration whether there were available discounts due to my employment. I created spreadsheets in order to collect all the data into one place and compare side by side and was able to make my choice for each of the big four pieces.

• My Pack: Osprey Eja Pro 55 – an internal frame pack with minimal pockets, lightweight material and a brand I could possibly get a discount on. If I want to make it even lighter, I can remove the brain of the pack as well.
  • Weight – 32 oz
• My Tent: Durston X-Mid 2 – a 2-person trekking pole tent known for its lightweight and geometrical pitching style that also allows you pitch the fly before the tent so you can stay dry if it's raining.
  • Weight – 31.86 oz
• My Quilt: Katabatic Flex 15º - a quilt that has a cording system that attaches to my sleeping pad so it will stay on top of me when I move around. It’s super lightweight and will keep me comfortably warm in all temperatures, from the deserts to the High Sierra to the cold and wet Washington days.
  • Weight – 27.1 oz
• My Sleep Pad: Nemo Tensor Extreme – this is a pad I already owned and love. It has the highest R rating on the market without adding a lot of weight. An R-rating is how insulated your pad is, so a higher R-rating will insulate you from the cold ground.
  • Weight – 22 oz

These four pieces start my weight at 7.16 lbs. When I started researching, my brain wanted to stay below 10 lbs, but I never thought I would be almost three pounds lighter than that. These items I have not wavered from since making my decisions.

Choosing my big four was the first of many endeavors to seek out the right gear for my adventure. In my next post I will discuss my search for the right pieces of clothing. One might think this should be easy, but it’s not just about what I’m wearing to hike in. I have to consider clothes to sleep in, layers for warmth and for sun and rain protection. Come back to hear about all of the searching I’ve done and the choices I have made regarding this next grouping of gear.