2020 Gear Upgrades

COVID-19 was the perfect opportunity to look at my gear, identify weight savings, and research upgrades. Here is the 2020 haul and first impressions!

1. Hydrapak Seeker (2L) Water Storage & 600mL Water Bottle

Over the past few years my water storage game has changed. Initially I started with water bladder which fit well inside my old Osprey backpack but upon switching to HMG's 3400 backpack they didn't fit well. Plus, I like to keep track of my water intake and hydration bladders don't allow for this easily. Number of trips I have run out midway during a hike or have arrived to camp finding out I only drank 1L over several miles.

I must admit, I too was a culprit of the plastic water bottle gang, and each trip replacing with a new one. So this year I wanted to find something that was lightweight and reduced my carbon footprint!

This year I picked up a Hydrapak Seeker which is offered in a 2L or 3L capacity. Made of (?) TPU, these are durable and stowable bladders. Easy wide mouth makes refilling and cleaning a cinch. If you use Katadyn Be Free water filers, these can attach right to the top! Still like bladder style, you can purchase long tubing to drink from it while sitting in backpack side pockets. I plan to use the seeker as water storage that'll sit in my side pocket, ready to refill the smaller bottle I plan to drink from. In my shoulder pocket, I'll be using the 600mL soft sided flask by Hydrapak as well. These fantastic running bottles are light and come with an adaptable long straw to make drinking easy without removing anything. There is no straw inside but a vacuum is created once sealed and will fold up on itself while drinking. You never have to squeeze or flip upside down to get water. Awesome! I'll be keeping my eye out for a 1L bottle for less refilling time but 600mL should do the trick for now.

2. "The Deuce" Trowel and WanderWomen "Pee Cloth"

If you've ever tried to dig a cat hole with the bright orange plastic trowels the you know it is basically fruitless endeavor because that sh*t don't work! I spend a lot of time in the Adirondack park where the ground can be hard and full of roots and rocks, making cat hole digging somewhat of a pain. Enter the "The Deuce" trowel with its innovative tooth design to make it much easier to cut through the earth. I opted for the largest and heaviest, at 1oz, to make life easier!

Continuing with Outhouse updates, I picked up a pee cloth from the Women led company, Wander Women Gear! These are fantastic for ladies who don't want to pack out TP every time they urinate (or dig a cat hole for that TP every time). The cloth is made out of bamboo which has antimicrobial properties and is quick drying. Just hang it off your pack and let the UV light blast it for even more cleaning.

3. Simms SolarFlex BugStopper Sun Hoodie

In May 2019 I adventured up Mt Whitney via the Mountaineers Route under the guidance of Ross at Sierra Mountaineering International and he got me excited about sun hoodies! With the extremely high snow pack of 2019 we encountered plenty of snow fields which of course where no match to my muscle tank and heavy sun screen use. Ross used a sun hoody the entire time and was very comfortable in the warmth of the day plus well protected from the sun.

Fast forward to this year, I decided to take sun health more seriously. I picked up a Simm's SolarFlex Bugstopper Hoodie with SPF 50 protection. I am most excited about this hoodie for the bug protection so I can use less DEET and protect all my gear. The material is extremely light weight feeling and uses a COR3 technology to help move sweat off your skin and quickly evaporate so you don't feel or look like you are drowning in your own sweat! Almost all the sun hoodies out there are synthetic based and if you can't already tell, I prefer wool based fabrics to help with the stink factor but another bonus of the Simm's hoodie is that they treated it with an anti-odor finish!

4. Loco Libre Down Pillow

On the quest for a perfect night of sleep I have cycled through countless air pillows and have yet to find anything that is truly comfortable. Either too hard, too loud, too plastic-y feeling on the face, or the damn thing just slips out from your head.

I was gifted the Loco Libre pillow by my fiance after plenty of hinting! What caught my eye on this beauty was the 2.75oz of 800 fill downtek duck. Keep your noggin warm and the duck has been treated so if you drool it won't be tooooo detrimental. Weighing in at 3oz was not the lightest pillow I own but comfort vs weight savings made it quite worth it. Loco Libre also supplies a shock cord with the pillow to easily attach to your pad to prevent slipping off; love this!

5. Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 2 & Bear Paw Wilderness Designs Half Insert

To finish off this year's upgrades was the hefty purchase of a new tent! For the past few years I've been sleeping in a Tarptent Stratospire 1 with my dog, but needed something larger and lighter. Bonus, my fiance can also join me in this new tent (Goodbye HEAVY Sierra Designs Nightwatch 2). After seeing the durability of my HMG backpack I new a DCF tent was in my future but which one to pull the trigger on?! After months of comparing the Duplex to Tarptent to MLD, I finally decided on the UltraMid2. WHY? Ease of set up, modulatrity with inserts or none, and overall space. Plus, I must say, I am a loyal customer from their backpack. The tent weighs in at 19oz with guylines and is set up with minimum of 5 stakes (8 is best) and two trekking poles lashed together with Voile straps. The star of the show is DCF8 at 0.8oz a yard which is tough without sacrificing weight.

I've never used tarps before and wasn't sure I was ready to jump into being on the ground all the time so I opted for a half insert to give protection from wet grounds and bugs. HMG does offer a half insert but I opted to go with John's custom design at BPW which was lighter and cheaper but without skimping on quality!

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