Q1 was huge for upgrades! I’m now at the point where the only thing I’m unhappy with is my pillow, the Sea to Summit Aeros ultralight. I’m thinking I might just eat the weight and volume penalty and pick up a small foam pillow, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

First, let’s start with things I have yet to try out:

  • Picked up a Gossamer Gear shoulder strap pocket. It only comes in size large and it’s, well, large. Much bigger than is needed for my phone, and it looks silly on my Osprey Levity’s skinny shoulder straps. I may end up returning it.
  • Traded in my old Sierra Designs Backcountry Quilt for this year’s model, the Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt. It came a day too late to test on my most recent trip to the coast but I’ll be heading out to Ancient Lakes the next two weekends so I’ll have plenty of real-world data soon enough. 144g saved!
  • Picked up UST Starflash signaling mirror. Weighs 22g but I wanted something that I could use to inspect my face or other hard-to-see areas in case of a bite or injury on solo trips, and of course you can also use it to signal SAR.
  • Got myself the thru-hiker compass special: Suunto Clipper! After attaching it to my new pack I’ve now got a third method of navigation after Gaia GPS and the inReach Mini. I was being sloppy and not even carrying a compass before but I’ve since repented.
  • New umbrella! The Swing Trek LiteFlex (which I can’t seem to locate) is now replaced by the Montbell travel umbrella, which I thought I had also lost until finding it stashed in the bottom of one of the Exos side pockets. Savings: 147g. The travel umbrella is also pretty flimsy, so who knows. It looks like Six Moon Designs has their own fancy lightweight umbrella, the Silver Shadow – a possible upgrade if durability becomes a problem.
  • Picked up a pair of Lightrek bungee attachments to see if I can use these to put an ice axe on my new Osprey Levity. I’ll try it out later this week.
  • Got a bag of Tailwind Endurance Nutrition Fuel in the Tropical Buzz caffeinated flavor. This is, quite literally, just a big bag of flavored sugar and caffeine. It’s 100 calories per scoop so I thought it might be a more nourishing alternative to Nuun tablets.
  • Bought a Photon Freedom LED Micro Light. I wear my headlamp around my neck at night so that I never have to worry about rummaging around the tent desperately looking for a light source so I can go pee. However, headlamps are a bit bulky and heavy as far as necklaces go. This thing, however, seems like a more comfortable alternative at only 8g.

And now, gear I picked up this quarter that I’ve had a chance to use at least once:

  • Snagged a second pair of Drymax 1/4 crew socks as a dry pair to change into. I’ve seen recommendations for swapping out your socks at lunch so I’m going to give it a whirl. I already carry a spare set of Darn Tough hiker crews but they’re more for “emergencies” (main pair get soaked, etc.). I figure if I’m going to be intentionally hiking in a second pair of socks every day I’d rather have them be socks I truly enjoy using. Weight savings: 11g.
  • I’ve upgraded my inflatable pad to the wide rectangular version of the Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air. I accidentally fell asleep on it while testing it in my living room and then again when I was on the coast waiting for the sun to set – and I missed the sunset! This thing is that comfortable. Love it. Oddly enough, despite the much larger size, this actually shaved off 3g.
  • I got a Zpacks foam sit pad, which I was starting to really dig, but then:
  • I got a Gossamer Gear Thinlight 1/8″ foam pad. I had read that it would prevent sleeping pads from slipping, making it a nice alternative to slathering Seam Grip SIL all over the bottom which doesn’t do much for the resale value. I was able to confirm this this past weekend, the grip is incredible. This will also replace my almost-brand-new sit pad which I was just warming up to. Finally, it will help protect the bottom of my inflatable pad and also add a marginal amount of insulation as well. Net weight penalty: 41g.
  • Speaking of the Osprey Levity, that’s something else I purchased this quarter. Loving it so far. 257g saved!
  • Swapped out my Paria Trifold Carbon Cork trekking poles for a pair of Element Equipment Carbon 3000 poles via Massdrop. These are amazing. I only use the one to prop up the Lunar Solo but they’re crazy light. Weight savings: 63g.
  • Replaced my Glad trash compactor bag pack liner with the Gossamer Gear pack liner. Fan-tastic. 28g down the drain.
  • Exchanged my Outdoor Research Echo long sleeve zip for a Montbell Wickron light button-down shirt. It’s slightly less breathable and 10g heavier but it’s more modest – I felt like the Echo was too technical and that having it unzipped halfway down my chest wasn’t a super great look when leading trips.
  • Repackaged my Purell hand sanitizer into one of the Gossamer Gear mini accessory bottles, shaving off 28g.
  • Swapped out my Osprey 3L dry sack for a pair of Zpacks 2.2 liter Dyneema dry sacks, one for essentials and one for the camera.
  • Replaced my ridiculously overpriced Smith Redmond sunglasses (I can’t imagine I actually paid the list price but it’s been too long to remember) as they had fallen apart. Meet the new Tifosi Seek FC, same weight (26g) but only $29.95. They’re also better since they’re photochromatic (they adjust their tint based on the amount of ambient light) and they’re rimless which makes wiping off grime much easier.
  • New hat! Sunday Afternoons Charter Escape. Was finally able to upgrade to a wide brim since the Osprey Levity is shorter and fatter than the Exos, so no more hat bumping into the pack as I walk.
  • Replaced the Light My Fire spork (which broke when I sat on it) with the Gossamer Gear long-handle bamboo spoon, a 2g penalty for something which is much more functional due to the longer size. Also, hopefully it’ll be big enough where it won’t accidentally slip under my sleeping pad.
  • Got myself a CNOC Vecto water container to use with my also-new Sawyer Micro Squeeze in a fancy gravity filter setup.
  • Upgraded my phone from a Google Nexus 6P to a Google Pixel 1. Not for weight reasons or anything, but because the 6P wasn’t holding a charge anymore and was also not scheduled to receive any further OS updates. As a side effect this cut 71g off my base weight.
  • Upgraded my camera from an Olympus OMD EM-10 Mark II to a Fuji XT-20 with an F1/4 24mm equivalent lens. The Olympus just wasn’t cutting it in the astrophotography department so I decided something had to be done (I really, really like taking pictures of the Milky Way even though I’ve only done it a couple times). I have at least 4 backpacking trips scheduled this year during peak Milky Way visibility (including one to the Enchantments!) so I’m hoping to knock out some pretty badass shots.
  • Started carrying a pair of ASAP USA orange nitrile gloves, both as a first aid kit item as well as a vapor barrier to keep hands warm (which I learned on a WTA trail maintenance trip).
  • Replaced my Sun Bum lip balm with the Gossamer Gear lip balm, saving 7g.
  • In the face of some longer trips this year I started carrying a Zpacks ultralight toothbrush and some Archtek toothpaste tablets, which weigh 12 and 0.5 grams each, respectively.

Now that I’ve written it all down, this was an insane quarter for upgrades! But, I’ve also never been happier with my gear, and there’s only a couple things I’d even consider replacing: my pillow (as mentioned at the very top) and maybe my hiking shoes. I dunno, I’m still drawn to ultralight trail runners even though the Lone Peaks have failed both myself and Person B pretty miserably. I really like the look (and I mean that feature-wise, because those are some ugly shoes) of the La Sportiva Bushido and a pair is a good 300g lighter than my Oboz Sawtooth Lows.