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Songbird Ultralight
United States
Приєднався 26 гру 2011
I love hiking, camping, and bushcraft. I put a big focus on ultralight base-weights, and have gotten my summer kit down below 5 lbs!
The channel has grown considerably since completing the Appalachian Trail in August. Thank you subscribers!
If you like backpacking and gear talk you are in the right place! Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you :)
Check out some of my links:
Super ultralight hiking gear list - lighterpack.com/r/1swtlg
Blog - www.littlelifehappy.com/
Book - www.amazon.com/dp/B076STVZ6Q
The channel has grown considerably since completing the Appalachian Trail in August. Thank you subscribers!
If you like backpacking and gear talk you are in the right place! Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you :)
Check out some of my links:
Super ultralight hiking gear list - lighterpack.com/r/1swtlg
Blog - www.littlelifehappy.com/
Book - www.amazon.com/dp/B076STVZ6Q
American Southwest - Last Day (Heading Home)
This was our last day of the trip. We drove to Vegas, seeing the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way, and spent some time in the city before flying home.
Thank you all very much for watching. Things don’t always go exactly according to plan but life is good. Grab a buddy and hit up a trail near you sometime soon. Spring isn’t so far away.
Thank you to Pancake for sharing this adventure with me and for the video, photos, and commentary you contributed to the episodes.
Next up, I’ve got some notes about the trip I’d like to go over with y’all if you’d like to keep watching some. I wrote down what what I could on a lunch break when I got back to work, and I think some of it merits sharing.
Thanks again for watching and thank you for your subscriptions and viewership. We’re almost at 600 subs! It’s crazy to have grown from 7, and it means a lot to me. Merry Christmas y’all and I hope everyone has a nice holiday break.
Thank you all very much for watching. Things don’t always go exactly according to plan but life is good. Grab a buddy and hit up a trail near you sometime soon. Spring isn’t so far away.
Thank you to Pancake for sharing this adventure with me and for the video, photos, and commentary you contributed to the episodes.
Next up, I’ve got some notes about the trip I’d like to go over with y’all if you’d like to keep watching some. I wrote down what what I could on a lunch break when I got back to work, and I think some of it merits sharing.
Thanks again for watching and thank you for your subscriptions and viewership. We’re almost at 600 subs! It’s crazy to have grown from 7, and it means a lot to me. Merry Christmas y’all and I hope everyone has a nice holiday break.
Переглядів: 271
Відео
American Southwest - Grand Canyon Visit
Переглядів 1154 роки тому
We road-tripped back to Vegas to catch our planes home. The drive to the Grand Canyon took us through the Navajo Reservation, which had absolutely stunning landscape features. I left most of the original sound in the video from the Grand Canyon so y’all could hear what it’s like in the main tourist area during this part of the season (November). After seeing the Grand Canyon from above, I’m gla...
American Southwest - Zion Day 4
Переглядів 1604 роки тому
Not the last day of the trip, but the last day of the hike! Man what a pretty day. Dramatic views, good hiking, and sketchy drop offs :) Hope you enjoyed the hike! Next up is visiting the Grand Canyon and Vegas before flying home. Thanks for watching.
American Southwest - Zion Day 3
Переглядів 1664 роки тому
Wow it gets cold in the desert! We woke up to chilly toes and frozen water bottles before walking along beautiful ridge lines that held the most majestic views in all of Zion. This was probably my favorite day of the trip for pure hiking and beautiful scenery.
American Southwest - Zion Day 2
Переглядів 1644 роки тому
Our first full day on trail was great! The only hiccup was that we had something like a 9 mile section through with no safe water. The landscape continued to blow our minds constantly, but we tried to buckle down and get some miles in. This was a great full day on trail.
FINAL EP 18 Hike Vlog
Переглядів 844 роки тому
It just felt wrong not having the final episode in the playlist for the vlog. The final episode was taken down for having radio play in the background. This is the re-release of the final vlog episode with the offending content removed.
American Southwest - Zion Day 1
Переглядів 2004 роки тому
In this video we wake up in the campground at the Zion Visitor’s center, drive just over an hour to the Lee Pass trail-head, and begin our Eastbound hike of the Zion Traverse. The views and terrain changes constantly blew us away as we made our way along the entirety of the LaVerkin Creek Trail to our first camp.
American Southwest - Getting to Zion
Переглядів 1404 роки тому
In this video I get packed up and run out the door to get to Zion National Park. Wow, what a trip to get there!
American Southwest - Equipment Selections and Researching Conditions
Переглядів 2224 роки тому
Warning: video is about weather and building a gear list on lighterpack. In this video I’ll show you real-time how I get started planning for a trip. Check out lighterpack.com to make your own gear lists.
American Southwest - Trip planning & Getting the Permits
Переглядів 1114 роки тому
Warning: Planning video, may not be very entertaining. Okay guys. I’ve been battling with the permit processes for each of the parks we’ve applied for. It has been a challenge, with work being busy each week, to get everything together for the trip. I’m muddling my way through it though. This video will hopefully show you a little about how getting these permits works and some of the obstacles ...
Last Minute Adventure - The American Southwest
Переглядів 824 роки тому
Hey guys! I’m finally getting back out in the woods... er... desert? For the first time in my life I’m traveling to the American Southwest to get a little hiking in with a good friend from the Appalachian Trail. It will be interesting to see what skills and equipment choices translate well from the AT to the SouthWestern United States and where we might run into new obstacles. We were looking f...
Nature Scene - 15 minutes in a peaceful place
Переглядів 3605 років тому
This is a long cut from footage I shot for my latest Last Minute Adventure - March video. I hope you enjoy sitting next to the North Fork of Citico creek and looking at the mossy river stones for a little while like I did. If you like these Nature Scene videos, let me know and I will make it a point to post more of these.
Last Minute Adventure - March in the Mountains
Переглядів 2625 років тому
I finally got out to have a little fun with my friend Dan! The weather has finally turned beautiful and the crush of winter in the south east has finally broken. Spirits are high and life is so good. Thanks for hanging out with us for a little while on our latest Last Minute Adventure. You can check out some of the long-cut nature scenes from this trip as shorter stand-alone videos on my channe...
Nature Scene - 30 seconds of creek rapids
Переглядів 6455 років тому
I’m just posting a couple of long shots from the Last Minute Adventure series. I figured some of these were nice enough that someone might enjoy checking them out. Thanks for hanging out for a minute. -SB
Nature Scene - a minute in Citico
Переглядів 375 років тому
I’m just posting a couple of long shots from the Last Minute Adventure series. I figured some of these were nice enough that someone might enjoy checking them out. Thanks for hanging out for a minute. -SB
Tag, you’re it! Are there 3 luxury items in my kit?
Переглядів 4665 років тому
Tag, you’re it! Are there 3 luxury items in my kit?
Your Sawyer Squeeze is NOT dead! (And why the heck did I buy a Sawyer Mini?)
Переглядів 4665 років тому
Your Sawyer Squeeze is NOT dead! (And why the heck did I buy a Sawyer Mini?)
Post Hike Reviews: Rechargeable Flashlight (and long-term EDC)
Переглядів 3285 років тому
Post Hike Reviews: Rechargeable Flashlight (and long-term EDC)
Post Hike Review: The Poncho Tarp - SUL excellence
Переглядів 27 тис.5 років тому
Post Hike Review: The Poncho Tarp - SUL excellence
How I Sharpen My Knife (basics of sharpening)
Переглядів 1325 років тому
How I Sharpen My Knife (basics of sharpening)
Hammock camping fishing trip - Last Minute Adventure
Переглядів 2805 років тому
Hammock camping fishing trip - Last Minute Adventure
Last Minute Adventure - The Equipment
Переглядів 1,1 тис.5 років тому
Last Minute Adventure - The Equipment
I SCREWED UP! - 100 Subscribers video ends with a big lesson.
Переглядів 2115 років тому
I SCREWED UP! - 100 Subscribers video ends with a big lesson.
Post Hike Reviews - Borah Gear Side-Zip Bivy Sack Review
Переглядів 19 тис.5 років тому
Post Hike Reviews - Borah Gear Side-Zip Bivy Sack Review
Post Hike Frameless Pack Review and Considerations
Переглядів 1 тис.5 років тому
Post Hike Frameless Pack Review and Considerations
Post Hike Sleeping Pad Review - Neo Air X-lite: final thoughts.
Переглядів 6145 років тому
Post Hike Sleeping Pad Review - Neo Air X-lite: final thoughts.
Ultralight Equipment: The Freedom to Adventure.
Переглядів 7465 років тому
Ultralight Equipment: The Freedom to Adventure.
A Gifted Trout - Safe eating considerations and how I fillet fish.
Переглядів 535 років тому
A Gifted Trout - Safe eating considerations and how I fillet fish.
If anyone wants a better version of this, get the Dutch DPM tarp poncho. You could also get the liner with it to make a lightweight sleeping bag. It also turns into a shelter.
OneWind has that poncho for $38. And they sell insulated ponchos quilts as well 👍
I don't have a use for this wonderful product. I appreciate your very nice review Sir.😊❤
Thanks so much! Even tho this is dated, it was helpful to understand the concept. Now, Brooks TRs have velcro already attached, and it was a surprising discovery while I was watching your video :)
Gore-tex shoes are great. Once you get them wet from sweat or water, it takes a week to dry em.
i was thinking about burning my sea to summit 70D nylon tarp/poncho but you changed my mind to give it a second chance
My only quesrion about using a poncho as both your rain protection and your shelter is how do you stay dry around camp when you have your poncho swt up as a shelter? Then you have nothing to keep you dry around camp. You have to stay in your shelter the whole time. Have you found that to be an issue and if so what is your solution?
Of course its an issue for toilet visits etc. But do you really walk around camp site while it rains? Its a huge 200-300h penalty to carry two tarps.
i live somewhere where importing products is very expensive. so i bought a nice poncho tarp for 30 bucks and a pyramid net tent. the poncho, i love, and have been learning and practicing knots and setups for hours. the pyramid net not so much. i gotta frickin use a ridgeline to hang the thing and the only config where that works under a poncho tarp made it so condensation wet my face in the early morning and i froze. i thnk the bivy is a better solution
Makes total sense.
Thanks
Where did you go? My guess- you have become a lawyer, hopefully a successful one! Thank you for all your post. You have helped me immensely sir!
Awesome info! Thanks so much for posting!!!
Wilderness Innovation makes the best poncho. But it is way past your price range, sorry.
How to tie poncho cap when using as tarp , to avoid any leakage
Hi, generally if you have drawstrings on the hood tighten them down all the way, twist the hood gently like you do for a bag with a loaf of bread inside and then fold the twisted hood in half over itself. Then just tie the drawstrings around the hood to keep it folded in half. If you don’t have drawstrings you can use a little cordage. The twist seals the hood opening, and the fold keeps water from sneaking through the twists to the hood opening to drip in.
@@songbirdultralight7384 thanks
Thanks for the vid. Why not using the super glue for the velcro which is delivered with the Dirty Girl gaiters...? And what type of glue is this, just for the people who do not live in the US? :D
Hey, thank you for watching. Sidenote: Some types of trail shoes come with velcro patches for exactly this purpose. I can't recall if when I purchased my Gaiters they came with velcro, but I know that as I went through a couple of pairs of shoes on trail I needed to put velcro on my new pair each time. The gaiters never wore out but my shoes sure did. I will typically use what we call Super Glue. This is a quick-dry glue that is readily available in most stores here. Not sure what else it might be called elsewhere but it's main ingredient is usually Cyanoacrylate. Have a great day!
Perfect - I so needed this information. Very helpful
Sleeping in a car in 50 degrees sleeping bag in 30 degrees outter temp in Germany. Have slme light underjacket. Winter hat. And feeling alright. Under my feet next to pedals I have some pillow like thing, imagine small towel just pillow like. To have some R value for feet. Also some wool back cover just around my "precious part" of the body and feel comfy af. I mean car is still warm, will see how it goes during the night. Hope I will survive lol
Merry Christmas Songbird! Thanks for all you have done for the hiking community. 2023 is my year for an AT attempt. Thanks for your inspiring videos. Happy Trails! -Barn Cat Gary
Hey SongBird! I´m proud to be your 1000th Follower. Your content is just great!! Love it. Best regards from Germany!
Excellent little tip. I still get crap in my high top hiking boots. Most gaiters are too warm for me. This is a great way to bridge the gap for a lot of people, I think.
Great content! In 2022, what Poncho Tarps do you recommend now? The market has shifted towards more expensive poncho tarps, and in my experience, poncho tarps are harder to research than other gear types. I did find the following tarps: Sea to Summit (low stock levels $70-$110 depending on what you want) Six Moon Designs - Gatewood Cape (Not a flat tarp, seems more of a tent with the bug netting) ($155 w/o bug netting) Six Moon Designs - Deschutes Plus Ultralight Backpacking Tarp - ($200) Bigger version of the Gatewood cape MLD PRO PONCHO - ($205 at the base cost, comes with guylines too) Do you know of any other tarps that are worth looking into? Thank you, and I just subbed, looking forward to seeing you hit 1000 subs soon!
Hello, I think at these price points the Gatewood Cape becomes very tempting. The main concern I have with the Gatewood Cape is the zipper and the seams. Front zippers on jackets always leave me with a wet line down my chest. If a zipperless version were possible, maybe just sliding the corner up the guy line to leave one side open, then I think the Gatewood cape would be more appealing to me. Also, with the shape of the tent(fly) comes seams. On my poncho tarp, the only seam is the head slot/hood. Vs with the GC there will be more seams. That said, I think with all prices within about $50. I’d try the Gatewood cape. I checked it out at trail days in Damascus,VA and almost bought it. The GC may allow me to use a lighter bivvy as well, with less water resistance and lower denier top fabric due to how protective a pitch it provides. MLD poncho looks like there’s a seam down the ridge line which is unfortunate, but it looks like a nice larger tarp. For both GC and MLD This means you may have seams on your shoulders instead of just the hood. I would worry about where the ridge line seams meet the hood seams. With seams anyway I’d probably prefer the design of the GC. Ultimately it would depend on the application (how long is your hike and what weather) and your other gear. With good seam sealing it might not be a problem, but I like my current tarp for the reason that the only seam is on the hood slot. Also, finally, 9/10 times I pitch a lean-to or improvised lean-to(one corner to the ground for a little more protection on the head end).I like the openness of the tarp. The big drawback with the GC for me would therefore be reduced pitching options. With a tarp, you can do tons and tons of pitches and set up pretty much anywhere. I say the fewer seams, more flexibility, and higher durability of something like the sea to summit would win out unless you like the feeling of the full enclosure offered by the GC.
incredible man... hiked the AT last year and looking for a big upgrade for my rain system (frogg togg, does the job but sucks in heavy rain) and my shelter system, which im in the process of converting to tarp... this will shed a LOT of weight from my system, and be more effective I hope... thank you SO MUCH! used to watch tarp poncho vids and think, thats crazy... now I'm searching poncho tarp setup vids xD much love man
Haha 100 subs And now it’s near 1000🎊🎉
Woohoo. :) Still surprised the raffle never got any excitement! Haha maybe at a million people will want to.
I’ve freedived there and my dive watch said it was 30 feet deep
Hello. Yes, I think normally it is shallower but water level varies. There was flooding at this time. Others present reported depth. I don't have a dive watch. The water was also super deep at the devil’s den nearby. We had to get in way up on the stairs as the regular platforms to enter were far underwater. It was really cool. I think I have video of that too :)
@@songbirdultralight7384 damn that’s super dope. I’ll have to check out that video.
This was a different channel, but 17:30 shows how crazy high the water was! ua-cam.com/video/t7_uvLrJOWg/v-deo.html
@@songbirdultralight7384 Really impressive you got to 4:04 static in 2 weeks. I have been diving and training all summer and my best is 3:37 and I am really inconsistent.
@@squarecracker I had trained previously while in college and doing scuba more regularly, and I was in super shape from hiking at the time. These things probably set me up nicely. I think the old low2 app I used at the time was very helpful as well. I’m out of shape now and my current static is probably awful haha. I dove Ginnie Springs again a few weeks back though and had a good time:). Well, my question would be are you getting the dives you want despite not having a certain static? I found at 4:04 I was very uncomfortable.I think I got too gung-ho about it at the time. My last dives have been pretty comparable in time and much more comfortable overall, which was weird I thought without all the training but maybe my comfort and confidence were higher? Have fun thanks for watching :)
Add a bungee cord loop to your tie out. It might be that the wind is causing damage to the attachment point.
Great job -- thank you!
Useful information. Thank you.
I'd like to convert my syn quilt into a poncho like this. but have a hard time finding information about the details. can you tell me how wide the head slit is and if it is mid way down the length of the quilt or not? Congrats on your hike. Thanks.
Thx from Belgium!!!
Thx!
Hey Songbird! I just discovered your channel and love it! I’m retired Army section hiker and have started viewing your videos from oldest to newest and am learning a lot. I hope you continue making videos. You are fantastic for the hiking community! Happy Trails!
Hey GR! I’m very glad you like the videos. Thank you for your nice words. YOU are a fantastic part of the community too. :) Any upcoming hikes for you? Happy trails, SB
@@songbirdultralight7384 I’m doing some section hikes in Virginia and may do a section of the Ouachita Trail in the near future. However, the AT keeps calling my name! I know you like poncho tarps, did you ever want something bigger on the AT like a 7 x 9, or is poncho still the way to go? Thanks!!
@@BarnCatGary the Ouachita trail looks beautiful. I have to say Southern VA had some of the most amazing little sections. (I spent waaaay too much time in Damascus haha) There were totally times where really bad weather would roll in and I worried a little about my coverage area. You do have to be more careful sometimes about setting up orientation/location. It’s nice to have that extra coverage absolutely, but I didn’t suffer. I will say the worst thing probably was trying to stay sitting up for long periods underneath when I’d had to pitch low for rain. But not terrible. A larger tarp would offer more coverage and comfort if you wanted to hang out sitting up on a rainy day for a while until it quit. Cheers
hi, does the argon67 is enough for the splash effect or the agon90 could be better ?
Hello, With my little tarp I chose the argon90. I really don’t know how the 67 would hold up comparatively, but when I ordered I did research and decided the 90 would be significantly more protective. Best, SB
@@songbirdultralight7384 thanks !
after using if for some time, would you rather have the ALL net borah net tent shelter or this one? OH, if you do the 100 drawing, count me in. just subbed. cheers
Hello Pharraoh. If I could only have one bivvy, I’d stick with this one as it’s nice to have in bad weather. I will say if I was primarily camping in the hotter part of the year (night time temperatures consistently 62+), then I’d want the all mesh top to a bivvy. Around 65+ I start to get pretty hot in a quilt or sleeping bag. Unfortunately there was little or no interest in the 100 sub drawing at the time. Next up we’re coming up on a thousand! So, I’ll count it as interest in a 1000 sub drawing :). If enough people are interested I think I’d like to try to give out a side zip bivvy for the drawing. Thank you for your question and for supporting the channel. SB
Pro tip: blow some air into you sleeping pad once it's all packed. Feels like butter!
how many times you actually slept in that though?
Many times :) I used a bivy for a large portion of the AT hike with the last 3 months or so of the hike using this particular bivy.
@@songbirdultralight7384 talking about the poncho tarp
@@surrealworld9850 oh sorry Yes like 5-6 months
Great vid. Do the corners peg out?
Thank you. I have never pegged them out. I don’t think it has peg loops. Borah will let you add them though I’m sure
Love this vid. Great Job. I think the only suggestion I would consider. would be to move the food bag to the outside pocket. Put it in first, followed by your tarp and bivy. Awesome set up !
How to you do laundry with no spare clothes?
Good question! Typically, at a public laundry, if my kilt isn’t too dirty I’ll wear it while washing everything else. If you are with a bigger trail group, you can wash most of your stuff all at once and wash the things you were wearing with a second mixed load afterwards. If I’m at a hostel I’ll wear loaner clothes (a lot of hostels have scrubs or T-shirts and basketball shorts for people to wear) or wear a towel while waiting. Technical fabrics/ Hiking clothes dry pretty quickly thankfully so you’re never waiting too too long for laundry. I used to hike with a bunch of spare clothes, and in winter conditions I’ll have baselayers (for example), but I’ve found all my clothes always get dirty after a few days on trail anyway, so I still had the problem of what to wear when doing laundry. I remember when I first started hiking, the first time I did laundry at a public laundry mat I wore my frogtoggs pants and jacket while waiting on my laundry. It was kinda weird but it worked!
2 years later and I pulled the trigger on this bivy and a 9x9 tarp for a flip flop in 2022.
This guy really likes to hear himself talk. Just get to the point.
Great video. How is the top of the bivy material(not mesh) in the wind? Will it block most of it?
The top of the bivy material does a good job with the wind when I’ve cowboy camped in the bivy. I’d say it’s like a good wind breaker jacket. Typically though I’m using it with my tarp, and the tarp is taking the brunt of the wind’s beating when it’s nasty out or I try set up somewhere that’s a little more sheltered. If I was sure I would be facing constant wind for the duration of a trip I might opt for my winter/ waterproof-breathable bivy. Like with a wind breaker jacket , if the wind is really going to be beating on you for a long time you might want the additional protection of a rain jacket even if the wind breaker might do the job. My winter bivy is mummy-shaped, and much tighter around my sleep system so there would be less flapping of material in heavy, sustained winds and a smaller mesh opening to lose body heat from through the night. I was very glad to be in my orange winter bivy sleeping on top of Anthony’s Nose ( an exposed/ rocky overlook) in NY when the wind got crazy up there.
@@songbirdultralight7384 thank you.
Great and informative video. Thank you
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are highly toxic industrial compounds. These chemicals can build up in the fatty tissues of fish and other animals, and in high concentrations pose serious health risks to people who frequently eat contaminated fish.
There are sleeping bags with a bug mesh, so a tarp can work without a bivvy.
I got the heavier Sea to summit poncho on ebay used. I think it's the 60 d not the 15d. Nice but I wish it had stronger snaps. The slightest pull and they come loose. Made a shelter out of it with a trekking pole. Have a Lux minipeak when hiking with the kids. I just use it floorless with some plastic on the ground.
This is one of the best hiking vedeo I've seen and I've seen a lot.
Nice video. Very helpful. Feeling ready to get a bivy!!
I'm sorry for thru-hiking this system looks very interesting to me but what do you do in the rain if you're taking off your rain gear to set up your shelter
Good video, agree with all the points you raise. Ive made 4 custom poncho/tarps, with head slit rather than circle (like the MLD design). A long slit, up to 40 cm long, definitely helps getting one's head through quickly & comfortably when wearing hat & glasses . Also a large head opening allows good ventilation up over the chest area. I reckon having things attatched to the front of your pack shoulder straps, like water containers helps with ventilation - keeping the fabric off your chest.
Awesome gear chat, great bivvy recommendation. I just acquired the Big Agnes bivy & it accentuates all the positive features and qualities you discussed, besides cost& maybe some weight, but it works awesome w/out poles or stakes, probably still about twice the weight of this Bora, but I can change clothes & stand my 66liter pack up next to my sleeping pad inside.
I did a lot of research before finally choosing a one person shelter.