SUL Trans Catalina Trail Gear List

The Trans Catalina Trail

'SUL' or Super Ultra Light is a category used in the lightweight backpacking community which simply means that the backpackers baseweight is five pounds or less. During the winter months it is usually not reasonable (and at times bordering on unsafe) to go SUL, but in the summer it can be a fun way to increase the enjoyment of longer multi-day backpacking trips.

While planning for the Trans Catalina Trail I decided to try the lightest setup possible. Part of the reason for this is that I like taking a break from civilization and living in a minimalist fashion. This seems to provide a perspective on what is really important that is sometimes difficult to find with the distractions in civilization.

Also, I wanted to finish the TCT and a few side trips in three or four days. Although the actual TCT is a relatively short trail the rolling hillside topography means the total altitude change is an incredible 10,000 feet in just 37 miles. To give some perspective the John Muir Trail has about 40,000 feet of elevation change in over 222 miles!

The Cuben Wedge

The Cuben Wedge is a simple tarp shelter design borrowed from the groundbreaking ultralight backpacker Glen Van Peski of Gossamer Gear. I have spent countless hours reading Glen Van Peski's gear lists and trip reports and I have purchased lots of gear from Gossamer Gear. I noticed he was using a very lightweight shelter called the Cuben Wedge, so I decided to make one for myself.

This tarp shelter is made using 0.51 oz/sqyd cuben fiber from Zpacks.com. Due to the simple design there is no need for a ridge line, which saves weight and simplifies the entire process. The tie outs with heavier 1.43 oz/sqyd cuben fiber material. The guy lines are lightweight Z-line also from Zpacks.

The first time I used this shelter was on a trip in the Anza Borrego Desert in winter. While camping on a large flat plateau we had heavy winds all night with gusts up to 50 mph starting at 3:00 am. Although all of the other shelters were blown down and damaged during the night, the Cuben Wedge made it through (I did have to lower the pitch into storm mode during the night).

The final weight: 3.5 ozs including guylines.

Here are a few pictures:

The tarp is 9 feet long before the side tapers, which allow for even more space to store gear.