8.7 Pound Ultralight Backpacking Kit - Colorado Trail FKT

what's up guys juice here on thursday august 6th i'll be attempting to break the current unsupported fastest known time of the colorado trail and this is going to be everything that i'm bringing with me besides food now for those of you that aren't familiar the colorado trail is a 486 mile trail that runs from denver to durango and there's two options you can take the collegiate east or the collegiate west and both total about 486 miles in total the current unsupported fastest known time is owned by none other than john zahorian at 9 days 12 hours and 32 minutes which is just a little bit over 50 miles a day now for those of you that aren't familiar a fastest known time or fkt as it's referred to is the fastest recorded time that someone has hiked the entire duration of a trail now you can do an fkt supported with the crew you can do it self-supported where you do your own resupplies or caches along the way or you can do it unsupported which means that you have to carry all of your food all of your gear and everything that you're going to need for the entire duration of the trail you can also not accept any aid you can't resupply and you just have to pretty much do everything on your own which is what i'll be doing so now that we've broken down what an fkt is and where i'm going to be going let's talk about what i'll be bringing along now let's start with what i'll be wearing and this is it so starting at the top just got a basic uh stretchy trucker hat and i've got ray-ban sunglasses i have some cheaper crappier ones but honestly these are just a lot more comfortable and just work better for me i've got a little lanyard on the back uh that way i don't have to put these in my pack if i don't want to wear them if it's cloudy or i just don't feel like wearing them i can just pop them down and they'll just sit around my neck so i found that works out pretty well for me um then we have my shirt so this is the outdoor research echo hoodie it's a sun hoodie so it's super light it actually weighs i think less than my uh cheap synthetic t-shirt that i've been wearing over the last couple of years uh it's long sleeve it's got a sweet hood so that when it's really sunny pop this bad boy up protects your neck front and back protects the sides of your face and uh gives you just a lot more protection than most uh most shirts are going to so i've probably put two 300 miles on this thing so far and it's been awesome it's really light it breathes super super well i never feel like i'm overheating it or anything like that so i would highly recommend um by the way if you guys are interested in any of the things i'm talking about today i will put some links down below for some of the gear if you want to check it out that way it makes it easy to find all right moving on i've got the shorts these are just the gore r5 uh running shorts they're really stretchy really comfortable there's no lining in them these things are great um and then underneath i wear compression shorts these are under armour and uh those are what i wear for my underwear i don't bring a second pair or anything like that and they uh definitely minimize the chafing and then shoes these are the hoka evo speed goats uh for those of you that aren't familiar if you've heard of the speedgo threes or fours they're very similar but have an entire redesigned upper mesh uh it's made of a kevlar match which is what the evo stands for uh the kevlar is awesome this is my second pair and the only reason i got a second pair is because i put over 400 miles on the other ones and i didn't want to start a 500 mile trail with a shoe that had that many miles on it now the kevlar is great because it's thinner it's lighter it's more breathable and it's a lot tougher so i usually get a lot of breakdown in my shoes especially towards the fronts and the side of my foot and i've had zero breakdown in the upper after over 400 miles and i've never had that in a shoe also kevlar doesn't absorb water so as it rains or you go through streams it doesn't absorb water so your shoes are not nearly as heavy as most feathers are so overall this has been the best pair of shoes that i've ever owned the colorways may not be my favorite but as far as performance-wise easy to overlook the color and the look of them when they uh are as comfortable and work as well as they do so shoes are awesome um these socks are the injinji running socks so pretty basic i used to struggle with toe blisters once i switched to injinji it's been great they're not my favorite socks in the world i actually prefer darn toughs for most situations but for super high mileage i love the injinji running socks these things are solid uh yeah moving on poles these are just the lucky vario aluminum poles uh i've had these things for quite a while these things have been awesome they're aluminum i haven't had any problems with breaking or bending or whatever these things have been great and i wrap a little bit of duct tape around them just for some extra just in case i need it all right and uh last up part of what i'll be wearing is the watch so this is the garmin 935 part of an fkt is actually proving that you did what you say you did so they require two forms of gps so i'll be using my garmin 935 since this is the most accurate for my daily tracking and then i'll also be using a garmin inreach mini which isn't as accurate but it does provide live updates so if you guys want to follow along i'll put a link down in the description where you can click on that see where i'm at see if i'm still going or if i've bailed whatever happens you'll be able to follow along on the adventure so if you'd like it's down in the description all right now that we're through the basics of that let's move on to what's in the pack so total weight of the pack is going to be 9.9 pounds now that includes all my gear consumables everything besides the water bottles filled up and the food that i'll be carrying now 9.9 pounds plus about 24 pounds of food plus probably two plus pounds of water uh going to be pushing about the 36 uh 36 pound mark so that's why i chose this pack this is the mountain smith zerk 40. um it's not the lightest pack on the market but it is one of the most comfortable in my opinion so uh this thing carries weight really well has a little bit of a hip belt it is a frameless pack but for the packs that i own this thing has been solid which is why i chose it it's got the volume that i need and it carries weight super well um total weight was 9.9 pounds for uh the gear besides food now most of you ultra lighters out there are going to say wow 9.9 pounds that seems pretty heavy for an fkt attempt and you're probably right but 10 days by yourself there's a lot of things that can and will go wrong with an fkt attempt and you can't accept any aid you can't stop you can't resupply so if something goes wrong you're on your own so you got to bring everything that you're going to need for the what-ifs and the just in cases so i've got a little bit extra gear and that's just because that's what you got to do with a long fkt attempt so let's just stop rambling let's get into what is in the zerk 40. we'll start on the outside right on top i've got my rain jacket so this has actually become one of my favorite pieces of gear this is the gore r7 shake dry rain jacket this is the trail version so the trail version both versions are made with a material called shake dry which is typically pretty fragile but the trail version is 30 thicker uh so it's better to wear with the pack it's better for abrasions i've had zero issues and in my opinion this is the best rain jacket on the market and i know that's a bold statement but i've used jackets from outdoor research from arterics from cottage vendors and honestly nothing's come close every single one of them eventually wets out shake dry won't wet out it's amazing i've been in multiple day heavy rainstorms i've been in hail i've put this thing through the ringer over the past couple of months and this thing has been amazing it will never wet out it's super light it weighs six or seven ounces it's super comfortable to wear it's pretty windproof and it's just it's comfortable i love it it does everything that you want a rain jacket too and i've never had that before so gore r7 shake dry trail jacket it's amazing this is all my warm gear so with an fkt attempt you want to have gear that you can wear while you're moving so i don't need a puffy because i'm not going to be spending any time in camp but i'm not going to be in my uh in my sleeping bag so everything i'm going to need is going to be in this bag as far as warmth the average uh elevation on the colorado trail is 10 400 feet so i'll be sleeping at high elevation most nights it's colorado at elevation it can get down to you know 30s or even 20s sometimes so i've got a little bit of extra gear to keep me warm because i'll be on the trail for about probably 15 to 16 hours a day first thing these are the uh gore uh wind gloves so they've got some waterproof properties to them too uh they're really light they're really comfortable and they keep me warm uh pretty much no matter the conditions that i'll be seeing because i'll be moving i wouldn't want to really wear them too much around camp uh because they're not gonna be a sitting glove they're meant to be more of an active uh moving glove all right my uh warm layer is the patagonia r1 this is the the quarter zip with the hood this thing's been solid it's a great active layer again it's not really you can sit around camp with it but if it's going to be 40 even 30 degrees you're going to want something like a puffy that's going to keep you warmer but i won't be spending any time in camp i won't even be eating in camp i'll be eating on the trail so as soon as i get to camp i'll set up and hopefully pass out so this thing will be pretty much all that i need and if i need an extra layer i'll just throw my rain jacket on over top right cheap rei beanie and then last up my pants these are the salomon waterproof pants uh they feel more like a wind pant they're pretty light they're like five or six ounces um they're really windproof they've uh they're pretty waterproof and they're just comfortable to wear while you're on trail and uh when the wind kicks up in the mountains man a lot of times you need just something on your leg so uh this is what i brought so these things have been uh tried and true and got a piece of gear poop kit this is the deuce of spades trowel just a little bit of duct tape kind of makes it easier to hold in your hand and it's extra duct tape just in case and then i've got two packages of uh cottonell flushable wipes to bring with i definitely prefer wipes over toilet paper so this will be all i'm bringing and all i need moving on to the side uh sir he's got a lot of cool pockets and stuff like that to put extra stuff so a lot of stuff i'll be putting food trash kind of whatever on this side i keep my water bottles which i have a one liter and then a .75 the other side this is where i'll be keeping my entire days of food i like to keep it on the outside just so i can reach around take it when i need it water i use the uh catadyne be free um these things are amazing out of the box the flow rate is just second to none um they don't last as long as most other filters so this is a brand new one that i'll be starting out with the trail and then this is the uh one liter version which i definitely prefer over the smaller bags so catadyne be free good piece of gear all right moving around to the front got the uh garmin inreach mini i'll be using this like i said as a secondary way to track i'll be posting the link down in the description so if you want to follow along it'll be posted there um these are just some nice pockets on the outside shoulder straps and uh i usually put most of my food in there um as well as the side uh right here this is a cool little keepsake my uh my wife got me for father's day i do have two kids and it's a nice little picture of them a good reminder while i'm on the trail days get long times get tough and it's nice to have a little reminder your family from back home so uh i'll be uh sucking up the weight consequence on this one to bring this along um right here just a cheap pair of uh wired headphones i prefer bluetooth but that's just another thing that i have to keep charged so i'll definitely be going wired on this trip this is just a buff spear hiking trail buff that i got when i set the fkt on the spear hiking trail in 2018 i don't wear it that much which seems odd that i would bring it i more use it to uh wipe off my tent the condensation in the morning i'll use it to uh wipe off my legs and my body if i go take a dip or you know trying to wash stuff off um but i think it's a it's a good piece of gear that i love to have with me so uh yeah definitely makes the kit all right that's it for there last up on the outside is the fanny pack so this is the uh through through pack fast bum um the only thing that's not in it is my cell phone i use the pixel 4 xl which i'll be using to shoot video along the way and it goes in here but obviously i'm filming on it so it's included in the 9.9 pounds but not gonna be in here for the video all right squirrel's nut butter uh this is for chafing this is great for chafing on all your parts this is good for uh rubbing on your feet in between your toes i actually have two of these because this is not something you want to run out of it's definitely worth the wait and it's actually wrapped in a bunch of lupo tape luco tape is amazing it's great for putting pretty much anywhere on your body it'll stay on for multiple days works even when it's wet uh luco tape highly recommend bug spray this is the picaridin lotion so i actually have five of these total one i keep in the fanny pack the other four are going to be uh inside the bag uh the keratin is great smells better doesn't eat your gear and this stuff lasts for a long time so uh got one of these lighter this is just uh for safety i don't plan on having any fires but just in case you don't want to be lost without it and uh have some more luco tape on that as well chapstick with uh spf uh this is just a little swiss army knife it's got the knife uh scissors and a toothpick pretty much everything that you're gonna need headlamp this is the olight s1 mini baton this thing's awesome it's uh it's light it's just a little over an ounce the battery life on it's great uh it gets up to 600 lumens uh it's magnetized on the back and uh i love that you can carry it in your hand uh you can clip it to your hat which is typically what i'll do with it um it's awesome and uh one thing you don't want to have happen on the trail is to run out of battery life especially if you're hiking late into the night or early in the morning um so i actually will be bringing an extra battery for it these are proprietary to olight so i bought an extra one of these um that way if this thing dies while i'm on the trail i have to do is open up the fanny pack pop this in and then i'm good to go and then i can charge this one whenever i get a chance so an extra battery is definitely something that i prefer on something like this last up toothbrush this is just a cheap target toothbrush collapsible had it for years and then just a little bit of toothpaste in this little bag and i think that is it for the outside of the pack let's get in to the inside all right right on top got the shelter this is the z-packs uh pocket tarp with doors uh just a little bit under nine ounces total for this thing it's awesome i've used this thing for the past about a year year and a half and had no issues it's super light gives you a ton of protection doesn't have a bug net but i haven't really had too many issues with not having bug nets so uh this is what's coming with me out on the trail the stakes i have eight stakes uh they are all the uh msr mini groundhogs um so i have seven of these and then i have one regular msr groundhog for uh the main guy point that comes off the beak of the tarp so eight of these total in a little sill nylon bag battery bank typically i prefer maybe a ten thousand milliamp battery this is a twenty thousand i have to go nine to ten days with uh charging all my devices and kind of proving that i did it by keeping those gps uh devices charged so um i'm bringing a bigger battery bank this is the anker 10000 pd um so i also have three cords i have one for my watch uh one for my headlamp and then one for the rest of my devices which are usb-c um and then i also have a little 18 uh 18 watt charger um i can't charge while i'm on the trail but assuming that i get to durango i have to take a bus back up to denver to fly home so i'll need to charge my devices so i'll need something there so uh bringing a little uh one ounce uh 18 watt charger along all right this is the ditty bag so i'm gonna went a little bit closer here so you can see it this is just a little z pack stuff sack right on top one of the most important things vitamin i uh so there is 100 advil right here and the reason for it is is that 50 miles plus a day is brutal on your body and if you get injured sometimes the only thing keeping you going is ibuprofen so i've learned that the hard way i've run out before and this definitely helps me sleep at night too so i'll take a couple of these um and yeah don't leave home without it especially when you're doing huge miles so um yeah advil next up it's a little medical bag uh so i have some repair tape in here so i've got some cuban repair tape or dyneema um i've got a repair kit for my uh inflatable sleeping pad got some kt tape some neosporin i've got an extra cap contact solution in this contact case i've got an extra set of contacts that are in there i've got a benadryl and an imodium just in case you know you want to get yourself plugged up because uh things are not going well uh so yeah that's everything in there sunscreen just a little roll on stick this actually lasts a little bit longer because you're not wasting it so i'm pretty covered with uh the gear that i wear but as far as your face your hands and knees and legs it's nice to have something to roll on just in case zeke will at night after long long days my legs are throbbing so advil helps but it's definitely nice to have something to kind of coax you into sleep so i bring nyquil as a little bit of a sleep aid an extra stick of the squirrel's nut butter which i'm sure i'll use some extra packets of the picaridin uh lotion and uh yeah that's it for the little ditty bag get back into what else we got this is all the stuff that i want to keep dry got the sea to summit arrows pillow i know it's a luxury item but trying to sleep on trail for 10 days when you're putting in big miles is pretty important so i definitely prefer a pillow definitely worth the wait to me sleeping pad this is the neo air uber light in a long wide it's been a great pad it's super comfy i haven't had any issues i've taken it down to freezing or maybe a little bit below and stayed warm so this thing's been awesome got one extra pair of socks again these are the uh in jinji running socks the toe socks and then last up is the quilt so this is the enlightened equipment enigma 20 degree um like i said the average elevation is 10 400 feet on the colorado trail temperatures can get down into the 20s in august so it's definitely worth having a warmer quilt so yeah great quilt i keep everything in this isle of fume trash compactor bag and that keeps everything dry and it seems and that's it except for what i use for the frame of my pack this is the gossamer gear 1 8 inch pad uh provides a little bit of support in the frameless pack um i actually unfold it it's actually cut it to a three-quarter length and i put it underneath the uber light just for a little bit of extra insulation a little bit of added protection and when i'm stretching in the morning and uh at night i use this too so uh this thing is uh definitely worth the wait and yep that is it for all the gear um yeah it's gonna be a crazy trip so uh like i said the current record is nine days 12 hours and 32 minutes so i'll off to average about 51 miles a day so yeah uh wish me luck it's gonna be a heck of a trip heck of an adventure and uh this is everything that i'm bringing with um i will be putting out a video hopefully in the next couple of days about all the food that i'll be bringing uh but this is everything besides that so thanks for watching hope you loved it and uh yeah subscribe if uh if you thought it was worthwhile all right juice out

Channel: Juice’s Journeys

Views: 135,912

Keywords: Ultralight Backpacking, FKT, Fastest Known Time, Colorado Trail, Backpacking the Colorado Trail, Backpacking, Hiking, Zpacks, Enlightened Equipment, Enlightened Equipment Enigma, Zpacks Pocket Tarp with Doors, Gore r7 Shakedry Trail, Gore, Zerk 40, Mountainsmith Zerk 40, Thrupack, Katadyn Befree, Patagonia r1, olight s1 mini, hoka evo speedgoats, Backpacking Gear, Thru Hiking

Id: EQ434HMczaA

Length: 22min 28sec (1348 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 03 2020