Warmth and damp hiking

[Lythe]

And getting used to the idea that you can be warm and steamy in the right gear without being perfectly 'dry'...

2 weekends ago I did a mud run, and while this isn't me in the video it was shot the same day on one of the obstacles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=50qAW3-7d4M
I was wearing a quick dry shirt, merino sweater, and another t-shirt overtop, plus a cape from my costume. I actually didn't feel the water (even with torso 90% submerged) until the very end when my feet slipped off the rope 2 feet from shore

[VictoriaGuy]

I'll definitely be doing other hikes and can drop a lot of stuff for them, the WTC is just the harshest of them all.

The stuff you have listed is about what I'd take on most any overnight summer trip in BC, and 40# (18kg) is a pretty reasonable/light pack IMO.

You'd probably have to spend $1000+ to drop another 10 lbs, I'd guess.

How fit is your wife, and how does she feel about carrying a similar pack weight?

Is the WCT 'hammock friendly' ?

[Lythe]

Thanks BillyBob, just what I needed to hear.
Using a hennessey expedition zip, sleeping bag is Marmot Trestle 15 http://marmot.com/products/details/trestles-15
Night time temperatures average a low of 10C (50F) and shouldn't hit lower than 7C (44F), but with lots of exposed camp sites, wind and mist. Any given day for when we're planning to go (early september) we can expect a 44% chance of precipitation.

oh there is a zoom button on the top left of the gear list

[Lythe]

The WTC has been done with hammocks, but it does require creativity at some spots.

My wife isn't that fit, and while she was laughing at me joining the hammock forums a week ago, she is now going to attempt to make her own TQ/UQ combo with down (her $25 tera gear bag was very heavy and the zipper failed). I'll be carrying all the cookware, but going how heavy my pack is right now I think she's realized I won't be helping her much. We went on a 3-day 2 summers ago and her 30lb pack almost killed her (though some of that may have been a poor fitting backpack). She still needs most of her stuff. I think my gear list weights made an impact on her.

[VictoriaGuy]

My wife isn't that fit, and while she was laughing at me joining the hammock forums a week ago, she is now going to attempt to make her own TQ/UQ combo with down (her $25 tera gear bag was very heavy and the zipper failed). I'll be carrying all the cookware, but going how heavy my pack is right now I think she's realized I won't be helping her much. We went on a 3-day 2 summers ago and her 30lb pack almost killed her (though some of that may have been a poor fitting backpack). She still needs most of her stuff. I think my gear list weights made an impact on her.

I guess you have 'your hearts set' on the WCT, but......

It doesn't sound like a recipe for a pleasant trip (not that I think the WCT would be pleasant anyway, but that's for different reasons...).

Probably it's considered sexist nowadays, but when I backpacked with my wife, she carried her personal gear and I carried everything else. (I was fitter then, and our backpacking trips were my way of getting in shape for climbing trips...)

You can have a lot of fun doing other styles of hiking-
-Sleeping in a cheap motel and doing day hikes
-Basecamp style where you slog in with gear and then day hike (Garibaldi/Black Tusk for example...)
or....

At some point, if carrying a heavy-ish pack is not acceptable, perhaps backpacking is not the ideal way to spend a 'holiday' ?

[Lythe]

The WTC has been a dream for her for a while, and we would have considered it this year if we hadn't been busy all summer. The reason we got into hammocks in the first place is because she was looking for tent alternatives. And she really gets things done when she sets her mind to it, last year she trained for and did the Qualicum Beach Triathlon (400m swim, 18K bike, 5K run), and she'd never been a runner or cyclist before that.

[VictoriaGuy]

We went on a 3-day 2 summers ago and her 30lb pack almost killed her (though some of that may have been a poor fitting backpack). She still needs most of her stuff.

If your wife needs to buy a pack, it would be worth a trip down to MEC in Victoria (assuming you get 'down south' once in a while) to try on packs. They have a good assortment of weighted bags that you can pack into backpacks you are considering.

Again, too many choices!

IMO, having a properly fitting heavier pack is better than something light that can't handle the load.
BTW, there always seem to be a lot of 'hardly used' women's packs at the MEC gear swap web page, which could be a message for us guys!

[nothermark]

I cannot see your spread sheet but it sounds like the confusion over you vs you and your wife is part of the issue. There are some things you can do to work down your load weight as well as get better gear without breaking the bank. If your wife is going to make her own quilts then check the other DIY threads as well as the camping threads and watch the sale threads. You need better pads but CCF is cheap and light if you get the right ones. You might also want a SPE she can make. If you go that route I would put polar fleece on the sleep side. Bulky but more comfortable and has some insulative value. I'd also be careful about low cost base layers as some of them are great but some are no better than cotton and cotton will freeze you. It also sounds like you need to do some backyard testing to figure out a good setup for all weather.

[Lythe]

I've noticed little mention of hammock socks. And when I look up socks, I always hear mention of cold dry weather, never wet. Should I forget about adding a sock for the damp, or would this help?

[nothermark]

I've noticed little mention of hammock socks. And when I look up socks, I always hear mention of cold dry weather, never wet. Should I forget about adding a sock for the damp, or would this help?

Socks can help. As I recall you are using Hennessy hammocks. Their over cover and undercover or similar from other sources will probably weigh less and work as well or better for what you need.

The basic cover vs sock vs tarp issue comes down to volume of trapped air. The smaller the volume of trapped air the more the heat lost from you will warm it a bit. Over covers are smaller volume than a sock so your lost body heat will warm you more than a larger volume sock. You probably do not make enough heat to warm a tarp noticeably. In damp conditions both the sock and overcover/undercover combination limit the amount of damp air you will dry out. That limits condensation that you cannot avoid so you need to manage. A closed tarp pitched close will also help by limiting air exchanges and cutting losses from the wind blowing through.

My suggestion with your gear and ideas is that you pick one area at a time and look for suggestions/information. There are too many ways to play with gear lists to point out something you are not seeing. OTOH looking at something like cooking for two people lets the peanut gallery focus on stove and cook kit options where there is a lot of information that can be tossed around for your edification.