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!

JMT Gear List 2011

My goal for the gear I used on the John Muir Trail in 2011 was to go as lightweight as possible while still being safe and comfortable in a wide range of conditions. With this combination of gear I was ready for the warm days with extreme sun exposure on the mountain passes to very cold nights and severe wind on top of Mt. Whitney.

A bear canister is required on the JMT so the list below is about 1 1/2 pounds heavier than I would usually carry in other areas.

The base weight (all items carried not counting food, fuel and water) is just over 8 lbs. This includes a camera and Spot II personal locator beacon in case of emergency and to track my progress.

There are several items on the list that I made myself. I designed the cuben backpack borrowing generously from some of my favorite ultralight packs. The down quilt was made using a kit from http://www.thru-hiker.com/ , although I used Momentum55 instead of the fabric that came with the kit. Momentum55 is a new extemely lightweight downproof/windproof fabric that has a triple DWR to shed water spray. The quilt has 12 ozs of down and is rated to 20 degrees. For the windshirt and rain jacket I used a pattern from http://www.thru-hiker.com/. I can't beleive that I hiked and camped for so many years without a windshirt. It is a very usefull item, especially considering the light weight. My rain gear is very similar to my wind shirt, except that I used 0.51 oz/sqyd cuben fiber from http://www.zpacks.com/. I added large pit zips to the rain gear to provide some breathability.

After almost a year of researching and trying a lot of different gear this is my latest version, of course subject to change. . .

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