Andrew Juhl Bio
Andrew Juhl is an avid hiker and adventure seeker with nearly 20 years of backpacking experience. Having grown up hiking and backpacking with his mom, his passion for the outdoors developed at a young age. He's always felt comfortable on trails and seeks them out whenever he can
Andrew grew up in Michigan and spent his younger years exploring the wilderness of the upper and lower peninsulas. Now, he resides in New York, where he spends lots of time in the Catskills and the beautiful Adirondacks. He is currently in pursuit of Catskills 3500 Challenege, and plans to focus on the ADK 46 next. He also makes trips back to Michigan and out west every chance he gets
Working in film production for fifteen years, Andrew loves combining his filmmaking and photography skills with his passion for the outdoors. You can often find him toting multiple cameras into the backcountry, always looking to capture all the beauty nature has to offer.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55 Review
It's a special thing when you acquire a new piece of gear that not only fills the needs of what you bought it for but also inspires you to use it as often as you can. That was how I felt when I picked up my Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55. This isn't a new pack for me; I've had it for nearly two years and have hiked hundreds of miles with it. Even after multiple seasons of use, I still daydream about my next overnight whenever I open my gear closet and see it hanging there.
Starting out as a small cottage company in Maine, Hyperlite is now a well-established pillar of the backpacking and mountaineering communities. If you look at any serious expedition, it's almost guaranteed that those involved will be using HMG products. And the reasons are obvious. My Southwest 55 has easily handled everything I've ever thrown at it. I've scraped it against the red rock walls of slot canyons in Utah, had it strapped to the bow of my packraft as I splash through class 2 rapids, and have hiked hours on end in the pouring rain without ever compromising the gear I've hauling. It's a simple yet comfortable pack that wears well and can handle up to 40lbs with no issues. The straightforward design features a 55-liter interior, basically one large roll-top pocket with a reservoir sleep inside. On the outside are two oversized water bottle pockets, capable of carrying two 1L Smartwater bottles each, and a large middle pocket with plenty of additional storage. The hip belt is comfortable and features two easy-to-open zipper pockets. The Y strap on top makes it easy to strap bulky items like a packraft or a bear can on the outside.
I've used the Southwest for day hikes, quick overnights, and extended backcountry trips. The rolltop feature offers the convenience of using as much or as little of the 55-liter capacity as you need. It carries weight well, thanks to the aluminum frame stays. The Dyneema fabric is durable and can easily handle an extended bushwack without worrying about tears or abrasions. While it's not completely waterproof, most seams are taped, and it does a pretty good job of keeping things dry. With the addition of a nylofume pack liner, my Southwest has kept my gear dry after being nearly submerged during several river trips.
It's a great pack. Since buying it, I rarely, if ever, reach for anything else. My one complaint with the pack is the lack of load-lifters, something Hyperlite has never offered as a feature on any of their packs. While most of the time I don't miss it, there has been an occasion or two when I felt they would have helped better balance the weight of my packrafting gear strapped to the top. Aside from that, I can't think of any other complaints I've ever had about the Southwest. I love this pack and look forward to taking it out every chance I get.
Z Packs Plex Solo Review
As someone who loves backpacking gear, especially ultralight-focused gear, I find it hard to ignore companies like ZPacks and their claims about making some of the world's lightest gear. Thanks to the Plex Solo and its predecessors, ZPacks has dominated the UL tent market for years. Thru-hikers and gram counters alike have been using the sub-15oz tent on trails all over the globe. And for years I've tried to ignore those claims. Telling myself that I didn't need another UL trekking pole tent. I was OK with the cheap, Chinese-made trekking pole tent I had. A trekking pole tent is a trekking pole tent, right? How big of a difference can a few ounces really make? And aside from the weight savings, it couldn't be that much of an upgrade, could it?
Finally, this spring, I decided I couldn't bear another season of being envious of all the ZPacks tents I'm used to seeing on the trail and social media. When a used Plex Solo Classic popped up on my local marketplace, I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. I felt excited when I held the Plex Solo in my hands. I couldn't wait to spend a night in. So I didn't. Two days after buying it, I found myself setting up my new Plex Solo deep in the remote wilderness of the Adirondacks during a backpacking and packrafting trip in early spring. From the get-go, I was elated with how light the tent was. It made some long portages feel effortless compared to my old tent. (OK, maybe not effortless, but it is pretty light.) I spent my first night on an island in the middle of an alpine lake.
The first pitch went up easy. As it was not my first trekking pole tent, I had a pretty good idea of how to approach setup. Even so, I don't think it would be difficult even for a novice. After staking out the four corners, you insert a single trekking pole into the pocket on the front of the tent and extend until taught. Then, you stake out the remaining guylines and adjust tension as needed.
Inside, I was pleasantly surprised at how roomy the Plex Solo is. It easily fits me on my 25-inch wide pad, with my pack and accessories strewn around me. Head and toe room was also plentiful and can be made even better by strategic guyline placement or implementing a stick on either end (or both) for even more interior space to stretch out in. The bathtub floor features a mesh vent that allows easy runoff of condensation. Adjustable shockchord lifs the floor to avoid splashback.
The Plex Solo is also different than other half-mid trekking pole tents in that you can easily roll back both sides of the door. Tents like the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1 require one side of the door to be staked out, with only one side of the door able to be rolled back. With the Plex Solo, you can roll back both and enjoy a 180º view. Keep them both open to take advantage of a breeze and reduce interior condensation.
Lucky for me, the Plex Solo is also quite storm-worthy. I didn't have to wait long to test that aspect. That first night on the island, I stayed completely dry and comfortable after a thunderstorm popped up directly overhead in the middle of the night.
Since then, I've spent upwards of twelve more nights in my Plex Solo and have grown to love it even more. It's hard to believe that a tent marketed as the lightest in the world doesn't skimp on space, comfort, or ease of use. I now get what all the hype is about, and I'm happy to add to it.
