A look at my current sub-10 pound, 3-Season Ultralight Backpacking Gear List.
In this video we’ll take detailed look at all of the items in my current 3-Season Ultralight Backpacking system load-out. This is the exact same load-out that I used in West Virginia during early October for the Ultralight Backpacking in the Cranberry Wilderness video. On this trip the overnight and morning lows got down as low as the mid-thirties and I made it by using the gear seen. Now, I wouldn’t take this load-out for sustained expected temps in that range, but in a pinch, at least I know I can get by. This is pretty much my go-to backpacking system for everything except for winter, from Tennessee up to Maine.
As seen in the video, I use a hammock camping system, running at 9.5 pounds, but I’ll show you some modifications for ground sleeping as well as warmer weather options to save weight (as low as 7.5 lbs), in both the video as well as my different gear lists, which are available on the Gear Lists page of my website, for those who wish to see specific weights, categories, and item descriptions. Below is a simplified list of the items seen.
Join the crew for 3 Days of Winter Camping, Backpacking, & Campfire Cooking in Dolly Sods, West Virginia.
For this adventure we decided to revisit the Dolly Sods Wilderness for some early December winter camping and backpacking. Full GPS track data for this trip is available on the Trip Data page for those who like to follow along at home. Waypoints for campsites and water crossings / sources are included in the GPX file.
List of Trails Used, In order:
Day 1 Park at Red Creek Trailhead, N38° 58.372′ W79° 23.847′ Red Creek Trail TR514
Cross Red Creek at junction with Big Stonecoal Trail Big Stonecoal Trail TR513
Set up Camp at “Tj’s Moustache Camp”
Here’s how to find it: Heading north on Big Stonecoal, pass the intersection with Dunkenbarger trail on your left. Not to far ahead, Big Stonecoal will make an abrupt right turn to make a water crossing across Stonecoal Run. Instead of making the turn, continue straight along the banks, towards the woods. The camp should quickly become apparent.
Water is obviously plentiful. Firewood is probably another story, as this looks to be a popular area in warmer weather. We were equipped with hatchets and saws to process down tress, so all was well. However, during a warm weather trip without tools, I doubt we would have found much smaller stuff just laying around.
Dolly Sods Winter 2104 Day 1
Day 1 Stat Totals
Mileage: 5.85 Miles
Gross Elevation Gain: 1,444′
Gross Elevation Loss: 453″
Campsite Altitude: 3,613′
Day 2
Backtrack a little bit to previous day’s water crossing.
Continue on Big Stonecoal Trail TR514
Arrive at the junction with Blackbird Knob Trail and Breathed Mountain Trail
Continue on Breathed Mountain Trail TR553
Turn left at junction with Red Creek Trail TR514 ** Shortly after heading out on Red Creek Trail, we found a decent supply of running water on the trail, which was much appreciated, as there would certainly be no water up towards Lion’s Head, where we intended to camp. As it was running in December, I’m thinking this may be a good option in other months as well. No guarantees though. It’s possible this was just snow melt run-off from up above. If all else fails, you could bushwack down to Red Creek, as we had actually planned to do, prior to finding this little gem on the trail. Continue on Red Creek Trail TR514 Bear to the right on Rocky Point Trail TR554
Turn abruptly right at the unofficial spur trail to Lions Head at N38° 59.243′ W79° 22.062′ ** This is not an official trail and will not be found on maps, however, it is marked with a cairn (pile of rocks). Head straight up from the cairn. There is a false summit a little ways in, but you need to actually bear to the left in order to navigate towards Lion’s Head and the eventual campsite. If you go straight towards the false summit, you’ll know it, as there is no where else to go but straight down. No worries, relax, enjoy the view and retreat towards whence you came. You’ll have to hop down some rocks, but the path should be apparent.
Head north on the Unofficial Spur Trail Towards Lion’s Head
Pause to “ooooh and ahhhh” at the sights
Continue north towards camp
Setup Camp on the ridge beyond Lion’s Head
Dolly Sods Winter 2104 Day 2
Day 2 Stat Totals
Mileage: 8.6 Miles
Gross Elevation Gain: 1,083′
Gross Elevation Loss: 1,099′
Campsite Altitude: 3,678′
Day 3 Bushwack Northwest towards Rocky Point Tr
Continue on Rocky Point Tr TR554 Turn left to head south on Big Stonecoal Trail TR514
Take Red Creek Trail TR514 Back towards Parking lot and vehicle
Find a cheeseburger!
Dolly Sods Winter 2104 Day 3
Day 3 Stat Totals
Mileage: 3.6 Miles
Gross Elevation Gain: 127′
Gross Elevation Loss: 1,332′
Come along for 3 days of ultralight backpacking and fall camping in West Virginia’s Cranberry Wilderness.
For this adventure, I’ll be taking my newly refined ultralight backpacking loadout for a three day overnight hiking and camping trip in West Virginia’s Cranberry Wilderness. After my last couple of vista-packed trips, I’ve had some requests for more footage & discussion once we get to camp – site selection, shelter setup, fire making, cooking, etc. Well, this video has plenty of all that, and then some. In fact, this ended up being my longest feature length video so far.
For those of you looking for something a little lighter, there’s a full back catalog of shorter videos that might hit the spot, but if you’re ready to get into the finer details of ultralight backpacking gear and spending time outdoors (from my own warped perspective of course), then this is the video for you. A little gift for the hardcore fans 😉
Overview of the route I took. Recorded with my Garmin Oregon 650 GPS.
Parking: North South Trailhead on State Route 150
38.276530, -80.237829
Trails Used Day 1
Start at North South Trail Head on West Virginia SR 150
TR 688 North South Trail
TR 267 Laurelly Branch Trail
TR 271 Middle Fork Trail
Setup Camp on Hell for Certain Branch
This is a large campsite across from trail on opposite side of the Middle Fork River with plenty of fresh water available from the nearby river.
Day 1 Total Mileage: 13.2 miles Day 1 Gross Ascent: 1,102′
Trails Used Day 2
Backtrack on TR 271 Middle Fork Trail towards junction from previous day
Continue on TR 271 Middle Fork Trail
TR 207 Big Beechy Trail
Setup Camp just after summit of Sugar Creek Mountain.
This is a medium-small Campsite, in a beautiful mossy area. Make sure to pack in enough water, as there are no nearby sources. The elevation was around 4,400 feet and the landscape was somewhat conducive to wind, so be prepared for temps that are possibly quite a bit lower than locally forecasted.
Day 2 Total Mileage: 9.06 miles Day 2 Gross Ascent: 2,405′
Trails Used Day 3
Continue on TR 207 Big Beechy Trail
TR 272 North Fork Trail
TR 688 North South Trail towards SR 150
Return to North South Trailhead Parking Lot
Day 3 Total Mileage: 3.17 miles Day 3 Gross Ascent: 367′
Total Mileage for Trip: 25.39 miles Total Gross Ascent for Trip: 3,974′
Come along for 4 days of hiking, backpacking and camping in Maine.
For this trip, we’ll be backpacking a loop hike of the Grafton Loop in Maine’s Grafton Notch State Park. Full GPS track data along with points of interest (campsites, water sources, etc) available for download on the Trip Data Page.
Grafton Loop – Route Overview
The Grafton Loop is a roughly 39 mile, 9 summit hiking loop formed by connecting a portion of the Appalachian trail with the Grafton Loop Trail. Portions of the trail traverse both Maine’s Grafton Notch State Park as well as a good deal of private land. For this reason, designated campsites are mandatory for most of the loop’s route, along with a restriction on campfires. For those of you who like to stealth camp, you’ll have to do a bit more planning for this trip. It took several years to come to an agreement with all of the land owners the that trail traverses, so it’s best to stick to the script and keep them happy so we can continue to enjoy this route.
The four of us chose to do the loop clockwise over the course of 4 days. Many people choose to do it in 3 days, and a rarer few do it in 2. Don’t be deceived by the rolling beauty of the photos you see though – the Grafton Loop is still in the White Mountains region and has it’s fair share of strenuous elevation and steep inclines, littered with roots and rocks. If rain is expected, be prepared to move carefully on the many sections of solid and potentially slick rock faces on the balder summits. We stacked up nearly 13,000 feet of elevation gain over the course of our trip. Not too shabby. For comparison, that’s almost 3,000 more feet than the Pemi Loop. Be aware of your group’s capability, as well as desired amount of relaxing versus mileage, and plan your number of days accordingly.
Summits: Bald Mountain, Puzzle Mountain, Long Mountain, Lightning Ledge, Old Speck, West Baldpate, East Baldpate, Miles Notch, Sunday River Whitecap
Parking: 985 Maine 26, Newry, ME 04261 Near intersection of Rt 26 and Eddy Rd
Hike approximately one half mile south from parking lot to the Grafton Loop Trailhead located at 44.530831,-70.825252. Note: Parking is not allowed here at this trailhead, hence the road hike.
Trails Used Day 1: Grafton Loop Trail
Setup camp at the Slide Mountain Campsite Day 1 Mileage: 10.86 miles Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 4,094′
Elevation Profile Day 1
Trails Used Day 2:
Old Speck Trail / Appalachian Trail
Grafton Loop Trail
Stealth camp in col between West Baldpate Mountain and East Baldpate Mountain Day 2 Mileage: 11 miles Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 4,364′
Elevation Profile Day 2
Trails Used Day 3:
Grafton Loop Trail
Setup camp at Stewart Campsite Day 3 Mileage: 13 miles Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,596′
Elevation Profile Day 3
Trails Used Day 4:
Grafton Loop Trail
Return to parking lot and Graton Loop Trailhead on Rt 26 Day 4 Mileage: 4.5 miles Day 4 Gross Elevation Gain: 843′
Elevation Profile Day 4
Trip Totals:
Distance: 39.36 miles
Gross Elevation Gain: 12,807′
Elevation Profile for Entire Route
Our trip began here, at the Grafton Loop’s western trailhead.
Snowmobile Bridge
A more laid back Grafton Loop sign.
Mossy rocks on our first ascent.
Lunch break on Day 1
Mike’s Orange Creamsicle cocktails that he made to celebrate the end of Day 1.
Offers a great view of the Grafton Loop, and far beyond.
View from Fire Tower
Our view as we ate breakfast on Day 3.
As seen from in between West and East Balpate mountains.
Preparing some breakfast on the Baldpates.
Looking back on West Baldpate
From here we left the AT and rejoined the Grafton Loop Trail.
One of two sections on the Grafton Loop that employ the use of iron ladders.
Sara and Danielle always manage to find a spot to kick back…
Come along for 3 Days of Hammock Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking on a classic Pemi Loop in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
The Pemi Loop, made popular by it’s distinction as one of “America’s Hardest Day Hikes” in a May, 2005 Backpacker Magaizine article, is not actually an “official” trail, but rather a series of AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) trails joined to create a 31.5 mile tear drop shaped loop in New Hampshire’s Franconia Wilderness Area. GPS track data is available on the Trip Data page.
For this hike, I’ll be solo hammock camping with my Hennessy Hammock and the larger 12′ x 10′ Deluxe Hex Tarp, due to the threat of cold and wet late summer weather. In the White Mountains, weather can turn on a dime even with the brightest of forecasts, so when the weather report actually says things are going to be iffy, you’d better take it seriously. For this trip we’ll experience a wide range of conditions – from hazy summer heat, to gusty bursts of hail and chilling nighttime lows.
A video review of the Hammock Gear Burrow 40 Top Quilt.
Specs for the HG Burrow 40 Down Top Quilt (Standard Model) Length: 74″ Width: 50″ Fill Weight: 7.0 oz Total Weight: 11.6 oz
**Total weight for Model Shown in the video: 13.7oz + .40 oz stuff sack, due to upgrading outer fabric to the slightly heavier Argon 90.
Outer Fabric: Argon 90 Woodland Camo (.90 oz per sq yard) Inner Fabric: Argon 67 Black (.67 oz per sq yard) Fill Weight: 7oz ( Quilt uses a Baffled construction for optimal warmth. Overstuffed by request. )
Other Temp Ratings available in the Burrow series:
HG Burrow 50 (sewn through construction)
HG Burrow 0 (Baffled constrution)
HG Burrow 20 (Baffled constrution)
All models available with down overstuff as desired.
(1 pair)
, folding
w/ battery
trail runners
, due to the threat of cold and wet late summer weather. In the White Mountains, weather can turn on a dime even with the brightest of forecasts, so when the weather report actually says things are going to be iffy, you’d better take it seriously. For this trip we’ll experience a wide range of conditions – from hazy summer heat, to gusty bursts of hail and chilling nighttime lows.
equipped with
for Carrying Camera Gear
, 
, 
