September trip to N. Yosemite Back Country (Yes, there are gear reports down here somewhere.)

Hilary and I hit a bit of cool weather. The high our first day out was a windy 45 deg. Night time lows at 10 to 11K were 16 to 22 degrees and daytime temps upper-40’s to mid-50’s. The guys running the ferry across the lake freaked when they saw our packs and found out where we were going. I really believe they thought we were going to freeze to death. They tried to convince us that we shouldn’t go out with that little equipment. (They were impressed when we met the ferry three days later looking cheerful and healthy.)

These conditions were an ideal test for cooler weather performance of clothing and sleep systems (under dry conditions). The RAB Top Bag was a standout performer. From this experience, I now feel that I could go out in the Sierras, solo, with a 9 pound base pack and be reasonably warm and safe. For a three day trip my pack would be around 12 pounds (16 pounds FSO). This excludes a bear can, if needed.

ULTRALIGHT PACKING MAKES MOUNTAINS POSSIBLE

On this trip I discovered an important benefit of light backpacking. To make the beauty of natural places accessable to those people of good heart and spirit that HAVEN’T been crazed jocks for longer than they can remember. With a sub-20 pound pack even an out-of-shape person can hike a fair distance.

This was Hilary’s first backpacking trip and first time in the high country. What an honor to show someone the grandeur of the alpine Sierras for the first time. To see her in awe of the beauty and solitude of this rugged landscape. We spent our whole second day at a 10,500 circ lake doing absolutely nothing except appreciate our surroundings. Well, with the possible exception of some au naturel activities on sun warmed granite slabs. Sometimes we, “experienced” packers, get so wrapped up in miles, performance and our equipment that we forget to take the time to enjoy where we are. To watch Hilary experience the high country made me think back to why I do all the planning and equipment stuff – to be somewhere of extreme beauty. An environment that nourishes the soul and spirit. Hilary now knows of one of the few places on the planet where I’m truly happy.

All this was possible because of light packing. Hilary is beautiful, intelligent, and loving. She is tenacious about accomplishing what she sets out to do. But Hilary is not exactly svelte or in good aerobic shape. Our trip would not have been possible for her with conventional packs. She made it, off trail, up over a very steep 11,200’ ridge the first day through her own determination and because her pack only weighed 13 pounds. On a few tougher sections our packs were light enough that I carried both. Hilary’s pack on my chest, “youth hostel” style. We made it into camp in good spirits with plenty of time to enjoy the late afternoon and evening.

I guess I must have planned the trip right because Hilary says she definitely wants to go on future trips with me. Hilary's Trip Report

GEAR REPORTS

Clothing:

Wearing every piece of clothing I brought, I was warm and comfortable cooking breakfast with some wind at +20F in the shade (sun didn’t hit camp until 8:30 AM). My clothes: Lt wt polypro bottoms, mid-wt REI MTS zip-T, REI nylon travel pants and shirt, Patagonia puffball vest, Marmot PreCip Jacket, polar fleece balaclava, light Thermax gloves, and Solomon wind raid shoes with Thorlo trail running socks (my Seal Skinz socks stayed in the pack for a possible snowfall).

RAB Top Bag warm to +20 with comfort:

I managed to sleep quite warm in my RAB Top Bag with a 4.1 oz silk liner on top of a 4.8 oz foam pad. Clothing worn while sleeping: light weight polypro bottoms, mid-weight MTS zip-T, nylon pants and shirt, and a polar fleece balaclava. The elastic draw cord on the bag and the silk liner created an excellent seal around my shoulders. This system was so warm that on the second night I slept with my arms out and balaclava off until early morning. This is a top notch sleep system. I will use the Top Bag for any trip where I don’t expect extended temps below +20. Total sleep system weight (bag, liner, pad): 1.6 pounds.

I can see how others might not sleep as warm in this bag. In my opinion the Top Bag requires that you sleep quietly on your back and keep the mesh bottom aligned at all times. If you do this, the bag is quite warm. On the other hand, if you roll over on your side, the edges of the mesh tend to get exposed and the bag becomes cooler. Moving around a lot while you sleep also makes the bag cooler. I slept on my side a few times a night at 5 minute intervals to stretch out a bit. I then carefully aligned the mesh bottom and returned to quietly sleeping on my back.

Hilary did not sleep as well. It took two Marmot Arroyo +30 bags to keep her warm. (See more below). Back at home I compared the loft of the Top Bag with the Arroyos. The loft of the upper layer of the Top Bag almost equals the loft of both the upper and lower layers of an Arroyo. On this basis, the Top Bag should be warmer as long as one controls drafts from the bottom mesh and wears a thick balaclava to compensate for the lack of a hood. If our trip is a reasonable test, this proves true in practice as well.

Cooking & Food Storage.

Snowpeak Giga Piezo Perfect:

The stove gets a perfect 10. It started the first time, every time. It boiled water quickly in windy 20 degree temps. For our use, a 4 oz fuel canister would last at least 4 days. Hilary drank out of a Evernew ti mug and I used the MSR Ti Kettle as my cup. Stove, kettle and mug all nest in one compact package. Total weight of cooking system for two (less fuel): 9.3 oz. I do not take a stove when I solo but hot food and drinks are great perks for most of the people I hike with. Hilary did not stir from her bag in the morning until I had proffered her a steaming cup of Darjeeling tea.

GoLite Breeze - Garcia Bear Can:

After hearing about Ursack failures, I opted for the Garcia Bear Can. Besides, it’s required for the Yosemite Back Country and only a$3 rental fee. I managed to fit the bear can and all my gear, including a Clip Flashlight and two sleeping bags, in my GoLite Breeze pack. I used clothing to fill in voids and pad the back of the Breeze. The end result was as a fairly comfortable carry for a 23 pound pack without a hip belt. I continue to be impressed with the comfort and storage capacity of this pack.

Hilary discovered a new use for the bear can. Fill it with cold water and put it in the sun. Because it’s black, a few hours later you have lots of warm water to do camp chores such as washing hair. Hilary used the ti mug to pour water out of the can and over her head. Worked great and improved her mood. Yours truly took the direct approach and jumped into the lake.

You could also use the bear can for daytime storage of large quantities of water purified from an in-line filter system or possibly use it for a siphon reservoir. Perhaps we could have a contest for new bear can uses? We could make the thing so versatile and attractive that people wouldn’t dream of backpacking without one ;-).

Clip Flashlight (a bit drafty):

The guys on the ferry scared Hilary enough that she refused to budge until I went back for the tent. I don’t think she was keen on the SilShelter to begin with. So I had to take the ferry back, walk to the car, get the Clip Flashlight and take the next ferry back. Only an hour lost. And after surveying the weather, and remembering that it had dropped to 16 degrees and snowed in the last three days, This may have not been a bad decision. This Clip Flashlight is fairly light, economical, but not ideal for cold, high altitude environments. At 3 lb. 10 oz., it’s certainly is not an ultralight tent.

The lack of a full fabric door cover (door is only mosquito netting) and a fairly high rain fly let a lot of wind in at night. We had dust and grit blowing in the front door even though we pitched the tent below a rise, against a stand of trees and shrubs and with a rock in front of the door. The tent was still drafty enough that inside temps were only a few degrees warmer than outside. On the plus side we had no condensation and the tent was a lot less windy than sleeping out or sleeping under a tarp. With a little more inclination I could have rigged a piece of fabric or clothing over the door and warmed things up a bit. In retrospect we may have slept warmer in the Sil Shelter since I could have pitched it flush to the ground and eliminated most of the drafts.

Hilary Sleeps Cold—Needs two +30 bags:

Hilary was not as fortunate in sleeping comfort. Hilary is slightly claustrophobic and sleeps very cold. She will not fully zip the upper portion of the bag (can’t have arms restrained) and a needs to flex a lot (must bend at hips and knees to sleep). I was glad that I had brought a second Marmot Arroyo bag as a backup in case the RAB Top Bag wasn’t warm enough for me. Hilary slept cold enough in her Arroyo that I had to unzip my backup Arroyo and put it over her bag as a quilt. Even then she needed to wear the following to sleep warm enough: two pair of socks, long underwear top and bottom, 2 pr nylon pants, 2 nylon shirts, a puffball pullover, balaclava, and gloves! Good thing she has a warm and loving heart.

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