Shelter, Pack and Sleep systems say a lot about a hiker. Here’s my CDT Big Three manifesto.
Shelter
Trailstar + Shaped Groundsheet + Bivy
The whole point of this combo was to meet successfully the diverse conditions inherent to such a long trip while providing all the usual: protection, comfort and light weight. The short answer is it did.
Trailstar
Nothing new or revolutionary about the Trailstar, it’s still my best bet in the endless quest for versatility in a shelter. I love how solid and dependable it is, giving me the peace of mind of knowing that I can camp in exposed locations, if needed, even in tough conditions. This is not only about perceived safety but also about avoiding potential constraints in camp locations thus helping to keep the daily pace going no matter the terrain. In practice, I looked for sheltered spots most of the time but it’s good to know your shelter can take a beating.
A CDT thru is a hike-till-you-drop kind of trip with limited shelter time so you might think you could compromise on room and be fine. Some hikers do and they make it work. One of my favorite features of the Trailstar on the CDT was actually the extra room. The time my shelter was up and I went inside was often the best moment of my day and I was immensely grateful that I could make my living inside. A bit ironic when one of the main points of the whole thing is being outside but by the end of the day I was too exhausted or it was too cold/windy/wet for anything but warmth and protection.
On the other hand, the big size together with the odd shape was sometimes an issue to find a spot in the woods. I needed to play Tetris big time. I took it as part of the fun even though it almost came up to Type 2 on occasion.
Bivy
The bivy is a legacy model from a long-gone cottage brand. It’s a most typical iteration of the minimalist, waterproof bottom, windproof top bag cover with a head zip opening and eyebrow mesh window, stake-out loops in all 4 corners and a hang-up loop on the head area. It’s silnylon bottom, Pertex Quantum top and it weights 203 gr.
The bivy was key for insect protection more than anything else. Many nights it was also important for some extra insulation and warmth. I hardly ever used it on its own and a few of those times I did I missed having skipped the tarp setting, too cold or windy for a comfortable camp time. I’m aware this is a good deal psychological as much as physical.
Groundsheet
This footprint was a home-made item built on a heavier-than-standard grade of silnylon. It was a bit redundant with the silnylon bottom of the bivy bag as most times I’d set up the latter on top of the former, at the back area, opposite the opening of the Trailstar.
I could have saved a good part of its 310 gr by taking a smaller area, lighter grade groundsheet but I liked the seamless ground cover and I guess it helped keeping everything drier inside the bivy by the extra barrier with the wet ground.
Trends
As of 2019, the trend is towards frameless, hiking pole supported single wall tents. Compared to my system, they’d be more compact, less complex to set up and a bit lighter.
What I’d do differently
In the worst of the bug season, I missed a bit having a fully enclosed shelter. Given the little use I gave to the bivy on its own, I might have been better off with a mesh inner.
Pack
Humman Packs prototype
This pack comes from cottage manufacturer in the making @humman_packs and it was provided to me free of charge in exchange for user feedback. It was built to my size and a few of my own specs so I had the invaluable chance of having all the small details to my liking, no wonder I was won before departure. That’s a great starting point but not a guarantee of success: only the trail would tell.
The pic above was taken a few days after finishing the CDT and it speaks for itself: the pack looks like new.
This prototype is a classic thru-hiking design with an open plan main body, solid fabric side pockets and mesh front pocket. It has a removable alloy frame that I didn’t use on the CDT, i.e. I used it in frameless fashion. The remaining elements are also common in this style of packs: wide, padded waist belt with generously sized, removable pockets, roll top with edge snaps and Y-shaped webbing top fastener, side compression webbing straps with quick release and a couple of ice-axe loops. The elusive load-lifters were standard too. The main body holds 50 l. at normal load. Main fabric is VX21 with 210 D Dyneema Gridstop in a few key areas.
This model is perfectly in line with modern trends in lightweight packs, it is simple and rugged and it’s built to last. Final trail weight in my scales was 1025 gr.
The pack performed beautifully all along, including the high loads of several 8 and 7 day sections or some big water carries up to 7 liters at a time. I estimate a max load of 16 kg. At such high loads, the pack didn’t suffer but my body frame did. Shoulder straps adjustment and load lifters worked great to shift the weight in such occasions.
It was my first time using VX21 and I loved the fabric. It’s waterproof, solid, durable and lightweight. It’s rigid enough to stand up on its own and it also folds gently where needed with no signs of wear at the folds.
The pack has suffered no major deterioration and only some minor wear in high friction areas. This is normal wear to be expected.
Even though the main fabric is waterproof, the pack is not and doesn’t mean to be. As per my previous experience with allegedly waterproof packs, I think it’s more realistic to accept some water ingress. Following advise from the manufacturer, I used extra waterproofing, in my case a generic, silnylon pack cover that worked well.
Trends
Current trends as I’ve seen during the trip go towards smaller packs of very similar design. As much as I like the aesthetics of a 40 liter pack, I personally prefer a 50 for a small weight penalty that allows me big food carries with everything still inside.
What I’d do differently
Pack adjustment feels like and endless learning process, at some point I might have benefited from remembering this. I got better with it as the trip progressed.
Feedback has been submitted to the manufacturer, hopefully contributing to make the pack even better on a few small details.
Sleeping
Nunatak Arc Specialist, CCF Pad
My main concern about this bag on the CDT was whether it’d be enough for the cold temps I’d find at the beginning and particularly the final month on the trail. It is a summer bag, originally rated to 30ºF/-1ºC with about 2″ loft. Neither of those figures apply anymore. As of 2019, the bag was 15 years old. I had just washed it before the trip. It gets better after every washing but it doesn’t get as fluffy as it was when new.
The variable width allows for plenty of additional clothing inside and I was counting on all my extra layers for the coldest nights.
If I ever was cold it was my fault for not adding spare layers. On the chilliest nights, I slept with all my clothes on, and I mean all of them, except the hiking trousers. That includes my rain gear, which was the last resort and proved very effective. It didn’t happen often, which is fine, I wouldn’t like to rely on the rain gear for sleeping on a regular basis, it could be too wet after its main role.
I keep using a closed-cell foam pad underneath. I’d set it up inside the bivy. Despite modern developments in inflatables, CCF is still best for warmth/weight ratio and virtually free of potential for failure. I’ll hopefully keep using it as long as I sleep well and it meets my packing style where I’d carry the pad inside the pack, rolled into a cylinder that would help giving rigidity to a frameless pack.
Trends
As if it’d need mentioning, most hikers nowadays use inflatables, they go well with the also current trend towards framed, small packs. Quilts, on the other hand, remain a relatively popular option.
What I’d do differently
I’d take the same bag again because it’s still the best compromise in my closet but if I could choose unconditionally, I’d probably go for a bit more down, a native 20ºF / -6ºC would be about perfect for the CDT.
Jordi
Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to let us know about your experience!
I don’t quite understand what is the advantage of using the combination tarp+bivy+floor+stakes&lines (1266 g) against a decent light tent of similar weight. I’m not talking about the flimsy under 900 g tents but about the more sturdy ones around 1300 g. Is it because of the ventilation that you prefer the tarp?
Viajarapie
It’s about versatility, which is particularly important on a long trip. You can set the tarp high for ventilation, low for wind resistance or you can spare the tarp entirely when conditions are favorable and still keep the sleeping bag covered. The whole system could have been lighter for up to 200 gr. by using a smaller area, lighter fabric groundsheet. Also the Trailstar has no zips so it really has nothing to break.
Jordi
Got it! It makes a lot of sense if you are going to camp in a very wide range of conditions during the very same trip. Thank you!