[pct-l] Sleeping gear recommendations

[John Abela]

Hello,

>>  > > After some research, I really like the Hexamid solo with the bug
>>  > > screen, and toss in a well cut piece of Tyvek. I have a Western
>>  > > Mountaineering 20° Ultralite Bag.

Unless you have already placed your order well in advance for the
Hexamid solo, good luck getting one before the KO. I waited 7 weeks
for mine.

>>  > > The sleeping pad is a bit more of a trick. The NeoAir looks good - but
>>  > > it is expensive, and I have my doubts it could last for a thru-hike.
>>  > > Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I think if you have the Hexamid solo with just a piece of tyvek inside
you will find that a NeoAir will quickly get punctures in it.

If you could pick up in time one of the ZPacks CF bathtubs you could
get away with using a NeoAir with a lot less punctures.

It all comes down to level of comfort that you want. It seems a lot of
folks really love their Z-lite, but at the end of the day, both the
Z-lite and the NeoAir are identical weights for the regular size. The
comfort between the two are night and day. So for some, if they do
happen to get one or two punctures for the entire trip, big deal. Less
than 5 minutes to fix it, and they feel that they get a much more
comfortable pad for such a small issue. Not like we do not have other
gear malfunctions along the way. Anyway, just saying, ounces for
ounces, the NeoAir provides a higher r-value and a better sleep for a
whole lot of folks.

Best of luck out there!!
John