kevinw

I've had this tent for about a year. I have the version with 2 doors. I haven't been in tough weather with it, but it's been great so far. While there is a weight penalty compared to ultralight tents, it's big, roomy, solid, and I can't say enough nice things about having 2 full side doors. Zipping down both doors leaves the tent looking like an arch, making for a nice sun shade. You could use either zero, one or two vestibules, depending on how much weight vs. space you want. If you're buying one, there is a non-fire retardant version that is ~ 8 oz lighter. I initially bought the FR version from REI and then returned it and had FF order the non-FR version. Plus, they were nice enough to match REI's 20% off... Off the top of my head, all up weight with stakes, etc. was on the order of 6 lb even. This is the non-FR version.

Congratulations on your trip. The WL trail is a classic. For me, it's turning into an epic... I made my second attempt week before last starting at White River, but I stopped at Longmire -- I pulled a hamstring between box canyon and reflection lakes. I had fun running the downhills though -- I did White River to Nickel Creek in 5 hours, and got up to about 120 fpm descent coming into Indian Bar. In retrospect it wasn't such a hot idea, but it seemed fun at the time.

I've been training to do this as well -- But my goal is 36 hours. I made an attempt last week, but got dehydrated and I decided to bail at Mowich once it started raining. I'm going to try again the next full moon. Some advice: If you have support available at Mowich and Sunrise, the run becomes substantially easier. My plan is to do it self-supported though. There's lots of water on the trail, so you don't need to carry too much. Last time, I started with 3.5 L and carried iodine tablets. Next time, I'm going to carry less and bring a filter. The filter costs less weight wise, because when you stop at a stream you can always drink the weight of the filter immediately instead of waiting a half hour... Regarding food, I took 60 shots of GU (4 gelflasks, plus 8 refill packs), 2 bear valley powerbars (some protein and fiber), 3 PBJ sandwiches, plus 20 oz of gatorade mix. Next time, I'm going to take about the same, but perhaps 2 or 3 packs less GU. I took about 12 lbs of gear including shoes, clothing, poles, etc. (+ 6 lbs food, +8 lbs water). My bivy system consisted of a FF helios jacket, shell pants and a cut down 3 oz blue foam pad (and a loaned tarp from the ranger at Mowich Lake - Thanks). Next time, I'll bring a light bivy sack and sleeping bag, just for the security of being able to stop in comfort. A 40 degree night in the rain with the gear I brought is easily survivable, but lower in the comfort scale than not stopping at all... There are parts of the trail where you won't want to stop because of mosquitoes. If you keep moving, they have trouble keeping up. Regarding timing, I hiked the uphills at 40 fpm, and ran the downhills for an overall average of about 3 mph (some stops). You don't have to move too fast to make it in 48 hours, just keep going...