I have the zenbivy 20 degree quilt and rapide sl. I recommend using an additional pad under the rapid if you expect colder temps. I tested mine on an over night trip in the spring and it got down to 29-30 degrees and I woke up at 4 AM shivering. I have since added an additional sleep pad and will be carrying either a stealthy pillow quilt and or a bag liner. My finished set up may still be in the works.
Thanks for that info. Very helpful. I’m considering an extra sleeping bag top or a bag liner. I have the north face one bag. I believe that’s what it is called and it has a detachable top so it could act as another layer. Maybe I’ll practice with that. Thanks for following along. I appreciate you.
That sounds good. But I already have a couple of outdoor vitals pillows that I’ll sandwich together as I’m a side sleeper. Thanks for following along I appreciate you
Things look good. I would suggest you take the baskets off your trekking poles. It will make them easier to stow and be out of your way getting in/out of your tent when you use them for tent support. Have fun.
Thanks, I am using them now because hiking in snow up here (at least one of them-I lost the other one, ha ha). Thanks for following along. I appreciate you!
Hey Dave! Im starting the trail and been on and off carnivore for almost a year wanting to go as much carnivore WOE on trail when I start in April! Asked on FB if anyone was doing carnivore on the trail and someone suggested your channel. Will be wat hing and liking religiously before I head out:)
Thanks Hilltop Packs. Are you jealous of my fancy bear bag, electronics bag, emergency kit bag, and clothes bag? Ha ha. Thanks for what you do! Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Hi Dave, I would leave the lid to your pot if you bring the frying pan. Leave the solar charger. Leave the paper books, get a digital Bible. Get a Write in the Rain pad for journaling ( the AT is really wet). Slug
Thanks Slug! Unfortunately, the lid and the frying pan are not the same size. Yeah, I will probably leave the solar charger...but kind of like the idea of it, I guess more than its utility. ha ha. Also, I really want to carry a Bible and not do a digital bible, but you are right, it will save the weight, and most likely get ruined with rain. Finally, I will look into the Write in the Rain pad. That sounds cool. Thanks for following along. Cheers. DA
Good luck on your thru hike. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you may regret your tent. That tent has a large footprint that may be challenging to find a large enough tent site. It also has short guy lines that make it challenging on uneven tent sites. There’s a really good Durston vs Duplex video that discusses all of the above. I’m sure you’ll be fine in either tent.
Thanks shoresy. Yeah. I watched all sorts of videos and fell in love with the Durston. I’m sure that I will have trouble at times as you said but will just have to bite the bullet so to speak. There is a good chance that I will get a small Nemo free standing tent for the White Mountains and into Maine. But will decide when I get closer. Thanks for following along and providing the insight. I appreciate you.
We've run the Kakwa, X-Mid, and Zenbivy all over the AT...suspect you'll find them functional and durable. Also big fan of the Flextail pump...super convenient. Good luck
Mate, your Zen Bivy quilt is comfort rated to 35. The 25 is the limit rating only. At 35 degrees or under, you're gonna feel it. Also you've marked literally all your clothing as 'worn'. You only mark as 'worn' what you're actually wearing most of the time (the rest is base weight). The latter point is only a factor for your lighterpack (to help you lighten the load) but you might want to seriously consider buying a warmer quilt or bag to start with and use the one you have here as your summer quilt. Also dont forget to add in your tent stakes and your fuel can (you only have fuel listed).
Yeah. I get it. I’ve slept in it at 25 deg and it was good. I sleep warm so may get a sleeping bag liner before I leave. Still have some shakedown hikes and camps to do before I leave. Oh yeah. I divided up my clothes a little better. Will share that in another video. Thanks for following along. Appreciate you.
About 13 pounds. I have a link to my lighterpack.com list in the description of this video. Has all the weights of my gear. Thanks for following along.
Great gear especially the Durston Gear. Worked great for me this year. Spam is great straight out of the package on a tortilla with some pepperoni and a pack of mustard. So much better than it sounds. The flextail is awesome. Didn’t need the pump sack
how do you quantify durability, your most important parameter, if you have not used these pieces of gear on a thru hike before? stuff just breaks, manufacturer defects are a thing, and others’ opinions of gear should be viewed with skepticism. also the solar panel would probably the opposite of overkill. you would be hard pressed to find a successful AT thru hiker who carried a solar panel the whole way, found it useful, and recommended that others carry one.
Thanks for the input. I have to base the durability on something so I looked at the info available to me. So yeah, won’t know until I do a thru hike but need to start somewhere right. Also the solar was a gift from a well-meaning friend so I will try it out before I leave and maybe use it… maybe not. Thanks for following along. Appreciate your input.
Thanks for the coroboration on the flextail. I like the idea of using it...just thought it might be too loud in camp. Especially if I get in late, ha ha. Thanks for following along!
How you treat your gear will determine its durability much more than the gear itself. For instance... People have hiked the AT with a Walmart backpack.
Nice break down Dave! I have that video I promised up. I just posted it this evening, 22 Dec. Let me know what you think. I think you will be surprised.
Good video but you lost me on all the grams and ounces...and I'm m a gram counter. After adding up several thousand grams and hundreds of ounces I just wanted to know how many pounds...a bad word, I know.
Thanks. I probably lost myself too. I have made several changes to my clothing. So will do an update in my next video. My final pack weight will be somewhere between 13 and 100 pounds. 😂 but seriously. Will give better update in next vid. Thanks for following along. I appreciate you!
Here are links to my most popular gear. Items I am taking on the trail with me in March: linktr.ee/daveabbett
I have the zenbivy 20 degree quilt and rapide sl. I recommend using an additional pad under the rapid if you expect colder temps. I tested mine on an over night trip in the spring and it got down to 29-30 degrees and I woke up at 4 AM shivering. I have since added an additional sleep pad and will be carrying either a stealthy pillow quilt and or a bag liner. My finished set up may still be in the works.
Thanks for that info. Very helpful. I’m considering an extra sleeping bag top or a bag liner. I have the north face one bag. I believe that’s what it is called and it has a detachable top so it could act as another layer. Maybe I’ll practice with that. Thanks for following along. I appreciate you.
@@daveabbett If you were considering taking a pillow - we recently found these neat pillows that house an extra quilt if you need it. UGQ Quillow.
That sounds good. But I already have a couple of outdoor vitals pillows that I’ll sandwich together as I’m a side sleeper. Thanks for following along I appreciate you
and Merry Christmas
You too! 🎄
Things look good. I would suggest you take the baskets off your trekking poles. It will make them easier to stow and be out of your way getting in/out of your tent when you use them for tent support. Have fun.
Thanks, I am using them now because hiking in snow up here (at least one of them-I lost the other one, ha ha). Thanks for following along. I appreciate you!
I always use the mud baskets. I guess I've gotten used to them bc I have no difficulties.
Hey Dave! Im starting the trail and been on and off carnivore for almost a year wanting to go as much carnivore WOE on trail when I start in April! Asked on FB if anyone was doing carnivore on the trail and someone suggested your channel. Will be wat hing and liking religiously before I head out:)
I have found that the availability with carnivore is tough. Doing my best and augmenting with some peanut butter.
great gear choice and loadout. Goodluck on the AT
Thanks. Appreciate it! Hope you have a great hiking year too!
Great video. Thanks for all the info.
Thanks and My pleasure. Happy Hiking.
excited for you
Thanks. Appreciate that. 👍🏻
Nice setup!
Thanks Hilltop Packs. Are you jealous of my fancy bear bag, electronics bag, emergency kit bag, and clothes bag? Ha ha. Thanks for what you do! Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
@daveabbett very jealous! Lol merry christmas!
Merry Christmas to you as well.
Hi Dave, I would leave the lid to your pot if you bring the frying pan. Leave the solar charger. Leave the paper books, get a digital Bible. Get a Write in the Rain pad for journaling ( the AT is really wet).
Slug
Thanks Slug! Unfortunately, the lid and the frying pan are not the same size. Yeah, I will probably leave the solar charger...but kind of like the idea of it, I guess more than its utility. ha ha. Also, I really want to carry a Bible and not do a digital bible, but you are right, it will save the weight, and most likely get ruined with rain. Finally, I will look into the Write in the Rain pad. That sounds cool. Thanks for following along. Cheers. DA
Good luck on your thru hike. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you may regret your tent. That tent has a large footprint that may be challenging to find a large enough tent site. It also has short guy lines that make it challenging on uneven tent sites. There’s a really good Durston vs Duplex video that discusses all of the above. I’m sure you’ll be fine in either tent.
Thanks shoresy. Yeah. I watched all sorts of videos and fell in love with the Durston. I’m sure that I will have trouble at times as you said but will just have to bite the bullet so to speak. There is a good chance that I will get a small Nemo free standing tent for the White Mountains and into Maine. But will decide when I get closer. Thanks for following along and providing the insight. I appreciate you.
We've run the Kakwa, X-Mid, and Zenbivy all over the AT...suspect you'll find them functional and durable. Also big fan of the Flextail pump...super convenient. Good luck
Thanks. Appreciate the info! Happy hiking!
Mate, your Zen Bivy quilt is comfort rated to 35. The 25 is the limit rating only. At 35 degrees or under, you're gonna feel it. Also you've marked literally all your clothing as 'worn'. You only mark as 'worn' what you're actually wearing most of the time (the rest is base weight). The latter point is only a factor for your lighterpack (to help you lighten the load) but you might want to seriously consider buying a warmer quilt or bag to start with and use the one you have here as your summer quilt. Also dont forget to add in your tent stakes and your fuel can (you only have fuel listed).
Yeah. I get it. I’ve slept in it at 25 deg and it was good. I sleep warm so may get a sleeping bag liner before I leave. Still have some shakedown hikes and camps to do before I leave. Oh yeah. I divided up my clothes a little better. Will share that in another video. Thanks for following along. Appreciate you.
I start Georgia on Jan. 1st. Coming soon!
That’s awesome! Brrr. 👍🏻
base weight is?
About 13 pounds. I have a link to my lighterpack.com list in the description of this video. Has all the weights of my gear. Thanks for following along.
just an FYI - the link to your lighterpack list doesn't work. @@daveabbett
Great gear especially the Durston Gear. Worked great for me this year. Spam is great straight out of the package on a tortilla with some pepperoni and a pack of mustard. So much better than it sounds. The flextail is awesome. Didn’t need the pump sack
Thanks. Yeah. Probably not take the stuff sack. And will practice eating the spam. Ha ha. Thanks for following along.
hey dave im on for feb reg and all
That's awesome...it's getting real!
how do you quantify durability, your most important parameter, if you have not used these pieces of gear on a thru hike before? stuff just breaks, manufacturer defects are a thing, and others’ opinions of gear should be viewed with skepticism.
also the solar panel would probably the opposite of overkill. you would be hard pressed to find a successful AT thru hiker who carried a solar panel the whole way, found it useful, and recommended that others carry one.
Thanks for the input. I have to base the durability on something so I looked at the info available to me. So yeah, won’t know until I do a thru hike but need to start somewhere right. Also the solar was a gift from a well-meaning friend so I will try it out before I leave and maybe use it… maybe not. Thanks for following along. Appreciate your input.
I seen lots of people using the flextail and everyone that had them loved them so I bought one while on trail also. Yep it was great !
Thanks for the coroboration on the flextail. I like the idea of using it...just thought it might be too loud in camp. Especially if I get in late, ha ha. Thanks for following along!
How you treat your gear will determine its durability much more than the gear itself.
For instance...
People have hiked the AT with a Walmart backpack.
Totally get it. I day hike with a Walmart outdoor products backpack. Have for about 5 years. Thanks for following along. Appreciate you.
4,000 days!!!
Go for it. 👍🏻.
Nice break down Dave! I have that video I promised up. I just posted it this evening, 22 Dec. Let me know what you think. I think you will be surprised.
Thanks Ed. I’ll check it out now.
Good video but you lost me on all the grams and ounces...and I'm m a gram counter. After adding up several thousand grams and hundreds of ounces I just wanted to know how many pounds...a bad word, I know.
Thanks. I probably lost myself too. I have made several changes to my clothing. So will do an update in my next video. My final pack weight will be somewhere between 13 and 100 pounds. 😂 but seriously. Will give better update in next vid. Thanks for following along. I appreciate you!