My first Durston tent arrived in 2023, but how did I get here?

None of my other tents I had, were really usable any more. They were either too big or the material has gone bad or in the case of my Nemo Hornet, just disillusioned. I was looking for a new tent and I was reading up a lot about tent materials and designs.

One day somehow I stumbled on this YT video and it was an interview with q certain Dan Durston 🙂 talking about materials and I was fascinated.
When I looked at the tents themselves - only X-mid at the time - I was struck by the design and how optimal the floorspace was. That combined with the use of either dyneema or sil-polyester, and the weight; for me it was a done deal. I did compare to a lot of other competitors in the field and nothing had that wow factor.

Today we own two Durston tents - an X-Mid and an X-Dome. IN both cases we have the solid inner and the fly is sil-polyester. Really glad to have chosen sil-polyester over dyneema, although heavier, just seems to be better in many other aspects than dyneema.

The short of this story is not that we bought Dan's tents because of hype, but because they are innovative and well engineered.

I like the X-Mid for its simplicity in pitching and it is the goto for tougher mountain trails. I like the X-Dome for its space.

#whatsinyourpack #tents #hiking #durston #durstongear #wanderlust

Digital packing lists make it a lot easier to build gear lists, but all of them have functional issues. For me, some of the most important feature items are CSV import and export.

I started with lighterpack, but later switched to Packstack as it had more features. This includes having multiple packs for a single trip.

However, Packstack's CSV is limited to inventory lists only and not specific pack lists. It also has some annoying bugs

I then tried LevityList, but it does not have a CSV export. It has nice interface, but not all of the features of Packstack.

I also tried BetterPack, but it is just buggy in general.

Gearli has a monthly subscription which is not worth it, given that its CSV import does not work.

TrailGearList has been the most promising, but once again its CSV import is broken.

#whatsinyourpack #hiking #gearlist #digitalapp #enshittification

Interested in buying a Thermarest inflatable pad, but not sure which one? Well, the good folks at Ultralight Outdoor Gear has made a great blog post with a graphic.

https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/blog/thermarest-neoair-sleeping-mat-ranges-explained/

#thermarest #ultralightoutdoorgear #whatsinyourpack #hiking #sleeping

Lyo Food: Moroccan Stew

Pros: Tasty. Really like that they use polenta instead of cous-cous. Includes pumpkin seeds and chick peas. Subtly spices, definitely not bland.

Cons: None.

Verdict: Definitely a yes for the trail. Although instructions said to add water to line 1, I think adding up to line 2 works well enough.

(@b3rgdw3rg seconds this outcome).

#trailfood #whatsinyourpack #hiking #lyofood

Adventure Food: Chocolate Mousse

Pros: Contains real pieces of chocolate!

Cons: Needs a lot of stirring to prevent clumps.

Verdict: After 4 days on trail, I am not sure this is exciting enough to cheer one up.

#trailfood #whatsinyourpack #hiking #adventurefood #dessert

Adventure Food: Vanilla Dessert

Pros: A simple dessert.

Cons: Finding the measuring line is hard - there are only two markers; not a solid line. Packet needs to be flattened out at the bottom before stirring. Difficult to avoid clumps even with a lot of stirring.

Verdict: No for me. OH says yes. Try at home first, before taking on trail.

#trailfood #whatsinyourpack #hiking #adventurefood #dessert

As far as hiking goes, I was for a long time an avid user of Osprey backpacks + Osprey hydration bladders.

I have however come to realise that I now have come prefer the UL-style packs with the two large side pockets in which I can place water bottles. It was using the LiteAF 46lt full suspension pack that has driven this transition.

So much so that I am now thinking of getting a smaller pack around 30lt for multi-day hikes where stoves, tents and sleeping bags are not required.

This is also leading to the point where I am considering selling off some of my Osprey packs. (I still a big fan of Osprey though and will continue to use some of their other products).

I do like looking into UL packs where I can order customised as much as possible. This is not a cheap option, but neither are Osprey packs. If I'm going to spend money like that, it surely is better to have something that is customised to me.

The one thing that niggles is that using a UL-style pack does not really work for the occasional snow hike. Bottles on the outside will freeze. UL packs are not really meant for carrying skis and snowshoes.

#whatsinyourpack #hiking #backpacking #ospreypacks #liteaf

Lyo Food: Chilli Sin Carne

Pro: Tasty. The best in the series of food tested in Feb & Mar '26. Using polenta makes a big difference.

Cons: None

Verdict: Currently the first choice to take on trail.

#trailfood #whatsinyourpack #hiking #lyofood

Lyo Food: Crema Catalana

Pros: Tasty, even better than some of the real crema catalana that I have eaten in restaurants. Real bits of orange peel make the difference.

Cons: None. (It is not going to look like a real crema catalana tartlet, but you are on trail).

Verdict: If I want to take a dessert on trail, absolutely yes. I would even take two ginger biscuits to round it off.

https://lyofood.com/collections/desserts/products/crema-catalana

#trailfood #whatsinyourpack #hiking #lyofood

Electronic I am taking on my next multi-day hikes:

- Mobile phone. I keep it in a pocket in my Forclaz trousers.

- Garman Fenix 6 smartwatch.

- Petzl Swift headlamp. I prefer the stronger beams that this offers as I use for walking in the dark and not just for camp cooking.

- Iniu powerbank. 20Ah. I am not taking my older Anker power bank as the Iniu has the capability of both usb-c and usb-a power out.

- usb-c to usb-c charge cable.

- usb-a to usb-c charge cable.

- usb-c to micro-usb adaptor (for charging headlamp).

- usb-c to garmin adaptor (for charging watch).

- 4lt Ultra-sil drybag from Sea to Summit for keeping everything together. This bag goes in the backpack as I don't normally need it in the day.

Not included in this list are camera equipment, spare batteries and chargers for cameras.

This time around I have cut some grams off the base weight by using shorter cables and then the adaptors instead of extra cables.

#FishRiverCanyon #drakensberg #southaftica #namibia #whatsinyourpack #hiking