Month: August 2026

Background/history

My first headlamp came from the Black Diamond outlet store in Salt Lake City. It was a now discontinued model.

It used batteries and was water resistant, though not enough. It died on trail during a particularly rainy section hike. It stayed at my office when I retired (I had called in on an attempted warranty claim over lunch and just never brought it back home).

I then picked up a BD Storm to replace that headlamp.

The Storm is waterproof, has multiple colors (in addition to white it has red, green and blue light modes), superior brightness and weighed five ounces. It uses batteries. Newer models weigh less and have a rechargeable option.

Batteries were easy to pick up at any trail town.

Happy had a Black Diamond Spot which weighs an ounce less and was generally better.

The Black Diamond headlamps now both live somewhere in the gear closet because we moved to lighter (and better) Nitecore headlamps.

First we got NU20 headlamps that used USB B connections to recharge.

There was a community hack for replacing the straps with shock cord that was eventually adopted by the company for their upgraded model.

Factors

These are the factors that go into choosing a headlamp.

Weight mattered more than I expected and I found lighter was generally better. You can think “it’s only an ounce or two” but you’ll notice the difference.

Brightness is interesting as it turned into a non-factor.

On the one hand, the brightest setting was never enough on neighborhood training hikes.

Yet, on trail, away from city lights and glare and such, I always hike with the lowest brightness setting and am happy with that.

I went from wanting something brighter to not caring.

Colors — having a red light mode for shelters and shared spaces is important — especially on the Appalachian Trail or when hiking in a bubble.

Other than red and white (the baseline color), other colors are situational and I never used them.

Batteries were easy enough to find but the rechargeable headlamps seem less trouble. It was always easy to find batteries or include them in resupply boxes.

Waterproof (to 1 meter—enough for rain & such) is essential. There will always be rain on trail.

USB C (for recharge). I like having all my devices share the same recharge cable design. One less thing to fiddle with is always good.

Having one type of cord is much better than having three types (usb b & c and a lightning connector were possible needs for some people back in the day).

Adjustable tilt. Your headlamp should offer a tilt function so you can adjust where the beam falls on the trail. This is a very common feature and important.

Everysooften a headlamp ships without this feature so watch out.

Recommendations / Gear List notes

Obviously the Nitecore NU25 is my first choice. I have other headlamps I own, but it is what I carry. I recently lost my headlamp and the NU25 is what I bought to replace the NU25 I lost.

That said, you can’t go wrong with the NU20 Classic. Sold everywhere for just under $25. On paper it beats the NU25, I just don’t prefer it.

In a pinch you can go with whatever is for sale at Home Depot or Lowe’s. There are lots of $10 (or less) headlamps at hardware stores that will get you to your next resupply or outfitter.

For comparison: The PCT 2025 survey results for most popular:

1 Nitecore NU25. $37. 1.66oz USB-C

2 Nitecore NU20 Classic$25 1.34oz. USB-C

3 Black Diamond Spot 400 $55 3.03oz. Batteries.

Note, many surveys don’t include headlamps. The 2024 survey did not. Everyone should carry a headlamp.

An almost recommended would be Flextail’s offering. Really bright. Kind of pricy and heavier than Nitecore. Flextail makes a lot of stuff I’d almost recommend.

Afterwords

I’ve been doing more consistent night hiking recently. Mostly getting up early and hiking a half hour or so in the dark.

Happy and I have rarely been on trail hiking after night has fallen, though we have done that.

Some lamps come with a stuff/storage sack that diffuses light and can be used to make a headlamp into a lamp. Such a feature is more important for camping rather than backpacking.

The further from June 21 or so we get while on trail, (depending on when the solstice or longest day of the year is) the longer Happy6 and I are likely to hike before dawn.

Other night hiking and headlamp use is situational, especially in hot times (think the PCT aqueduct stretch) or similar situations.

But we’ve been using headlamps on trail for ten years or so in all sorts of situations, especially in the rain or early mornings. It has been fun to see how our use has evolved.

I will note that the real test of what you prefer/recommend is what you buy for yourself when you have just lost that gear item and have the whole world to choose from and no time pressures. For me it was the NU25.

This is a trail in Wyoming, usually hiked by people who come from Idaho.

Often it is hiked as a loop with 4,300 feet of elevation. https://girlonahike.com/hiking-to-table-mountain-wyoming.html

The loop (including the parking lot distances) is about eleven miles.

I managed to overwork my right leg/hip muscles in the first mile (the steepest) and was in pain the rest of the hike.

It flattens out but it isn’t level or flat.

The last ascent is very steep with rock, scale and gravel. But then you get the view from the top.

Then, after the four miles up the return loop is seven miles down.

We parked at the return trail head (Teton) and road walked to the Face Trail trail head. It is a couple minutes in the morning but I read a number of people who parked at Face Trail and walked back in the afternoon and it took 5-10 minutes.

We got up at 4:00 am. Had breakfast, grabbed sandwiches at Winco, a cooler at one brother’s office to store drinks in for the return, and left the trailhead at 7:10 am.

With stops for views and lunch we got back to the truck at 3:57 and headed back. Then after pancakes and eggs for dinner headed back to Grantsville where we pulled up just as Happy6 arrived to take me home.

Video of Face Trail

I’m hoping to be able to sleep on my right side tonight. 😀

On quilts

I’ve written from time to time that above 20-30 degrees a quilt works well. I’ll note that a 20 degree quilt also weighs almost a half pound less than a 20 degree bag.

Many thru-hikers use quilts instead of bags, especially once you get away from cold weather (such as is often encountered on a March start on the Appalachian Trail).

At 20 degrees a short 950 fill bag weighs 1 lb 13.2 oz and a baseline REI Magma bag in Short weighs 2 lbs. 1.9 oz. In Medium Wide the Magma weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz.

Lighter bags than these are generally not really 20 degree bags.

If you are careful and avoid all the extras that add weight, a quilt weighs significantly less than a bag at the same warmth. With the extras a quilt can become much heavier than “a quilt.”

Quilts also take up less space in your backpack than a sleeping bag.

I have had summer weight quilts for some time. However, I just bought my a Loco Libre economy quilt for “warmer” (but still cool) weather where the NatureHike/AegisMax quilts are borderline.

The white quilt in the picture above is 14-15 ounces compared to my bag at 1 pound, 12 ounces (which is lighter than stock because it is customized to my height).

My new, warmer quilt is about 5-6 ounces heavier than the lighter one but still saves half a pound or more over my bag and is perfect for weather in the 40s. A 40 degree quilt would have been lighter still but I would be concerned about warmth.

Happy6 got one just like mine and added some snaps so we could join them together. That increases the range of their warmth.

Her bag is not a custom short and is slightly heavier than mine (1.2 ounces) so she gets more of a reduction than I do.

If I was willing to sleep in my puffy (or my fleece) then the 14 ounce quilt would be plenty warm. I just prefer to wash my puffy less and not sleep in it.

Be aware that you can always save weight by sleeping in your fleece or puffy for extra warmth. The trade off is the smell your gear picks up.

Compare:

https://sierradesigns.com/products/cloud-quilt-800f-20-deg-sleeping-bag-reg—a quilt that is even cheaper, but just doesn’t save any weight.

Recent hikes

We hiked much of the Timpooneke Trail recently.

We got to the first set of campsites and weather started to blow in so we headed back down towards the parking lot.

Then the weather cleared out but we decided to head home. It was a fun hike.

Next is Face Trail.

I’ll report on that separately.

Introduction

There are three kinds of gear list and I will be discussing all four. 😀

Naked or Bare Lists

The most common of these are like the ones at REI.

This sort of thing:

• Hiking boots or shoes
• Backpack
• Tent
• Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
• Stove and fuel
• Kitchen supplies
• Plenty of food
• Water bottles and water-treatment supplies
• Weather-appropriate clothing
• Emergency and hygiene supplies
• Small repair kit
• https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacking-checklist.html

That list has now merged with the second type of list (see below).

Another example of that kind of list is at https://aztrail.org/the-arizona-trail-gear-list/. It links to a number of type two lists, but with more curation (curated lists are type four lists—almost completely extinct which is why I said “three types” and that I would discuss four).

The problem with naked lists is that they don’t really provide any guidance.

Shopping Catalog Lists

These are “lists” that are are basically just lists of lots of gear in each category that either use affiliate marketing links or are selling gear on a website.

What you learn from those lists is what the author thinks they can sell.

Many of them have huge holes or sub optimal choices. The problem with these lists is that they tend to ignore alternatives that are “too cheap” or that don’t provide kickbacks.

Worse, this type of list has taken over the internet.

Almost every entry is really a disguised “why you should buy this product” entry with a click out to an affiliate marketing kickback sales portal.

Survey Responses

You can find surveys that tell you what hikers on various trails are using.

• https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/2026-pct-gear-guide/
• https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/continental-divide-trail/cdt-gear-guide-2026/
• https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/john-muir-trail/john-muir-trail-hiker-survey-2024/
• https://thetrek.co/we-surveyed-triple-crowners-about-their-gear-their-answers-surprised-us/
• https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/top-stoves-filters-rain-gear-and-more-on-the-appalachian-trail-2025-thru-hiker-survey/—broken into many parts

The weakness of these lists is they reflect decisions made prior to hiking and are usually a little out of date.

Curated Lists

Often these are lists of “the gear I’m using right now.” This category used to include surveys of what was being used with analysis and suggestions. They can be good but are prone to flaws.

For an example, my curated list on rain jackets follows.

The cheapest (that works)

That would be Frogg Toggs —$22.74. Usually 6-7 ounces for the jacket. The pants are found ripped out in many a hiker box.

A lot of hikers use this option. I can’t say anything bad about Frogg Toggs other than the jacket is a little fragile but easily repaired with duct tape.

Recommended. Often skipped from lists because the kickback on that price is tiny compared to other alternatives.

Too heavy and too expensive

Arc’tryx Beta. This is a $500 jacket, often discounted. 12 ounces. It works. I confess to having one, but I no longer take it on trails. I bought it before I knew better.

The Arc’tryx kept me safe and dry in hyperthermia conditions. I really like it, just not on trail or where packed bulk matters. I could not recommend it to any beginning backpackers or for a thru-hike.

The alternative in the picture is the 11.2 ounce Outdoor Research Apollo. I got it on trail when my existing rain jacket was leaking a little more than I was comfortable with. For $129 it isn’t bad, just heavy.

If you are in the middle of nowhere with no other choice, then you could do worse. Again, I could not recommend it to any beginning backpackers or for a thru-hike.

A shopping list type gear list would be giving you a reason to buy both of these anyway (other than lack of alternatives). Don’t be fooled even though both show up on a lot of lists.

Perfect

Lightheart Gear’s Rain Jacket. $150. Six ounces.

Light. Reasonable in price. Works—it does not wet out or leak until you’ve worn it out and then the leaks are tiny pin pricks giving you plenty of warning to replace it.

It is what I recommend. I bought one for my wife who I love more than life itself.

The strange alternative

ThePacka.com. Like a poncho with real sleeves and a pack cover merged into one item.

$110, including shipping (and yes, there are more and less expensive versions). 13 ounces.

If you don’t need a pack cover and you don’t expect to hike protected from the wind but in rain, day after day (ie the conditions on the Appalachian Trail) you have other choices that are better.

https://andrewskurka.com/review-packa-rain-jacket-poncho-pack-cover/—pretty solid review though the Packa has been improved since then.

My wife and I both used this product on the AT. Loved it.

The weaknesses of curated lists

The weakness of most curated lists is that they often don’t really consider the alternatives and can be limited by experience and expectations.

It is also tempting to link to only products with kickbacks or to the more expensive alternatives.

Ok the alternatives

In many ways the Versalite is a great rain jacket. My wife loved hers until it wore out. It worked well enough that we bought their rain pants. About six ounces. The downside is that it costs $285.00 which makes the jacket pricey.

The Visp has had great results for many on trail. It will eventually wear out — maybe too quickly. https://sectionhiker.com/enlightened-equipment-ultralight-visp-jacket-review/ is a fair review.

The Visp is often sold out. That makes it hard to recommend the Visp to people.

The biggest complaint I run into on the Visp is people who want it to last as long as the Arc’tryx but still weigh six ounces and cost only $250 or less. Sorry. That isn’t going to happen.

I’m currently hiking with one. I bought it when it was available. If I had to do it over again I would have gone with Lightheart Gear but I had been chasing it me for several years.

I just wanted to try one. Given I’m using it for Western hiking it will probably outlast the rest of my backpacking career as long as I don’t use it dual purpose as a wind shirt too.

It will wear out much faster if you use it as a windshirt as well as a rain jacket. Don’t. That risk of failure isn’t worth saving 1.7 ounces. Wind shirts also need to be washed from time to time which is really hard on a rain jacket.

What surveys suggest

Frogg Toggs and Versalite are the leaders on the PCT. It is the same for the CDT. Frogg Toggs for the AT are the number one choice.

My other thoughts on rain jackets.

I first started blogging as a response to grief and loss. Then because it helped others.

When we started hiking it was therapeutic and it was all new. An amazing adventure that was good for us.

Every hike we did had its interruptions. A grandchild being born. Family matters. Terrible weather.

We finished the Appalachian Trail by returning and hiking it and finishing off what we had missed while working in Virginia.

Then we started on the PCT. Covid, fires and record breaking snowfall got in our way.

While waiting on permits and such we started on the CDT. Again weather had us flipping about. Weather and fire has also blocked routes.

But what we have left to do on those trails isn’t new. The therapeutic effect is over. I’ve gotten old too.

Sure. I could finish sections at ten miles a day much like many of the JMT (John Muir Trail) hikers we talked to today are doing.

But both of us are going “why?!?”

We still have lots of shorter hikes. Explorations (the Lost Coast Trail was great). So much of Europe we still have not seen.

So we continue to think of what to do next and where to go. But I don’t want “more of the same” even though we have lots to explore.

If there wasn’t anything else it would be different, but there are other adventures.

And I’m still excited about having done Forester Pass. Looking forward to a shower too. Life has a lot of zest remaining to it.

We got up early for more headlamp hiking. It had rained a little through the night but it was looking like it would warm up.

Could we have done that first mile the night before? Could wild dogs have found my body? Both were possible but unlikely.

The initial climb is about a thousand feet over a mile to the side trail to Bullfrog Lake at 10,527 feet of elevation from the Vidette Meadow campground at 9,599 feet.

There we were on the route to Bullfrog Lake which is also .2 miles shorter than the Kearsarge Pass direct trail that branches at 10,747’ of elevation.

Never did see the junction?!? That was ok since we were on the route we wanted.

We saw a lot more ducks here than we had at Duck Lake, but no Bull Frogs.

The two trails came together after about 2.4 miles with switchbacks going up to the junction and more after.

In some ways it was very similar to Forester Pass.

As we climbed towards Kearsarge Pass at 11,791’ it warmed a little and we started seeing a lot more people. We probably encountered 50 to 100 total by the end of the day.

Video of Kearsarge

We also got Garmin satellite service that we hadn’t been able to get lower in the deep mountain shadow. With that Happy6 contacted the shuttle service we had used before.

The path down was one you could jog for much of it. Great tread, steady down slope but controlled grade. We were even passed by a pack train — the same guy who said he wouldn’t sell hikers showers because it was too much work regardless of what the business advertised.

We passed rabbits, marmots and a fearless pika that we had to wait for as it crossed the trail.

Eventually we reached the trailhead at Onion Valley Campground at 9,025’ of elevation. We got there 15 minutes early to meet the shuttle driver who was also early.

In Lone Pine we passed some hikers headed towards Cottonwood and agreed to offer them a ride.

They were from Florida headed to the JMT. They had 55 pound packs and a plan to take 7-8 days to hike Cottonwood to Kearsarge. They had spent the night in Mammoth Lakes to train for altitude.

I really wanted to have done Forester. Now I have. 13.5 miles. Finished today at mile 788.3.

The pass tomorrow is at 790.1 and 10,747’. We then hike out 7.5 miles to 9,025’

Currently we are at 9,533’

We got up at 4:40 am and on the trail at about 5:12. Our goal was to avoid the summer storms.

Last night the rain was solid for hours. Our bear canisters were wet inside. Tonight they are upside down. That won’t leak.

There was a lot of water on the south side of Forester. Many, many lakes and streams.

The trail up isn’t as obvious as some trails are. The pass isn’t that much lower than the surrounding peaks and the switchbacks are cut into the side of the mountain.

I kept thinking “surely that isn’t where the trail goes.” It is.

Going up there are a lot of steps and rock.

Once you cross over the initial trail is smooth tread and many switchbacks.

When the snow hasn’t melted hikers glissade all the way to the frozen lake then hike out to the trail where it crosses over.

The snow was long melted for us so we hiked down.

Switchback after switchback. Some beautiful trail and some fields of large rocks (to counter erosion).

I was sad when the smooth trail turned into fields of fist or shoe sized rocks.

Finally we hit the tree line and took a break.

We took a couple more breaks and then hit the established campsite that was our goal, set up our tent, cooked dinner and dealt with a lot of clouds.

Sleeping bags fluffing out and blocking the sun.

We took the bags in before the rain came.

Day one: saw a tour group of fifteen and their guide as well as several families.

Day two: saw some groups headed to Mt Whitney and more hikers coming up that way for a loop.

Day three: crossed paths with many JMT hikers. Most wanted updates on Forester.

One was a guy we had passed climbing up. He had taken a video of Happy6 and I and wanted to send it to us.

We should get it in 10-11 days when he is back where there is cell service.

Tomorrow we have 8.7 by the shortest route to the trailhead.

We got off to a good start. Happy6 got several compliments on her Jolly Gear hoodie. Jolly Gear hoodies have been worn by families and other hikers a lot on this section.

Section hiking without trail legs is different than thru-hiking.

I’m thinking that I might charter one of the horse trips to finish this section. Though I’m still looking forward to hiking KMS to Walker Pass.

Today we got started on the trail by 6:06. The mountains cut off the sun rise but it was light enough we didn’t need our headlamps.

The wind was dry and we drank a lot of water. Usually it is about a liter every four miles. Today we drank more.

We did stop for a siesta at about ten miles. There was a fair amount of traffic from the Whitney Portal area.

.1” of rain between 11 and 5 was forecast.

The wind picked up and some thunder started so we hurried to Tyndall Creek. The trees provided good cover for the wind and we set up the tent.

Then the rain started and was pretty solid until 6:00.

Tomorrow we are looking for an early start to climb Forester Pass and get down before there is rain or thunder.

We did not get on trail until 10:30 or so.

We started at Cottonwood Pass after breakfast in Bishop, leaving a five day resupply at Kearsarge, dropping by the Whitney Portal (wrong turn) and tarping up the car.

It started off gentle and then the switchbacks started.

Lots of ups and PUDs. Finally down to water and a wonderful campsite.

I’m going to be asleep by 7:30.

Changes for this leg

We were going to switch to summer bags. Now we aren’t with the lows around 40 degrees. We could but the switch gives us a little more leeway for cold nights.

I’m bringing my puffy for use at night. I can make do with just the fleece but I’ve decided I like it.

Bear canister instead of the Adotec bags because the regulations are different.

Ultraventures. My Terraventures are worn out. The Traverses gave me blisters and ankle pain.

Two power banks paired with a shorter cord and the really short cord. The long cord makes sense when I’m in a bubble but it isn’t needed outside of a bubble.

Thick Darn Tough socks.

25.75 pounds with full food but no water. Up from 21 pounds last trip.

Bear canister, heavier bag & puffy made a difference.

Plan

Cottonwood Pass to Kearsarge Pass. That is three ~15 mile days. Forester will be straight up for four miles then down. Three days of food then our resupply at Kearsarge.

At Kearsarge we can use the showers at the horse camp or catch the shuttle to Bishop.

If we feel like it we are 5 days to Muir Ranch.

From Muir Ranch it is VVR and Duck Lake Pass and we are complete for the Sierra.

Then Walker to KMS in the fall with cooler weather and more water and a finish for the PCT.

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Misc

Using unpaste for toothpaste. Three water bottles though the water looks good enough to go back to drink one/treat one.

Weather is looking good.

Replaced my screen protector. It took some dings last trip. Battery changed from charging to 80% to 100%.