Overnight: Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

First Test

A camping trip with two friends to Tuolumne Meadows inside of Yosemite National Park was my first real Pacific Crest Trail test. With a backpack full of gear, food, water, and a bear canister, I walked into the woods with the hopes of leaving with a better understanding of my gear choices. By the end of a long three-day weekend, I hoped to know which of my choices were spot on and what gear would need to be exchanged for something else.

Pack Weight

Right away, I felt great about my pack weight. While I can’t quote the exact weight like an obsessed ultralight hiker, it felt good on my back. On the PCT, I am going to make some adjustments to the hip belts and watch a few more videos on properly packing my bag. Beyond that, I felt pretty great about my choices, though there were a couple of pieces of gear I am going to switch out in an effort to achieve a lower base weight.

Tent

One of those pieces of gear was my tent. Coming in at a whopping four lbs., my REI branded tent was far from ideal, but I purchased it anyway. Now that I have had my first journey into the wild with it, I knew I had to get something else. In its place, I am now using a Big Agnes HV UL; which weighs 1.5 lbs. and packs nearly flat. Here in a couple of weeks, I am taking this…