Yeah, he sounds good.  Hopefully this is the year.  when I saw his listed of things he brought that rack was the one thing that made me cringe.  Those Performance racks are pretty popular on road touring but I just can't imagine them taking the beating of the GDMBR.

I'd be interested to hear how his hands/wrists are doing with those tires!

This is one of those things that you get what you pay for.  I would spend the extra coin and get the OMM.  That being said, I throw a wrench in everything and say that I have 2 friends that have done a 3 day bikepacking trip on rocky trails on a Performance seatpost mount rack and it held just fine.

Is that an actual cross bike he is on?  What size tires is he running (brand?).  Interesting set up.  I wish him the best of luck this year.  Hopefully it's the year the bad luck stay's away and he can get this done. 

Oh, and the messenger bag...geez, that would kill my shoulder!

Thanks for all the help.  The family rented a sweet house on Mt. Princeton.  Not sure exactly where though.  With a 3 week old baby I just don't have the heart (Or stamina, energy, and anything else one might need to ride a good distance) to head out for a super long journey.  I'm thinking 3 to 4 hours at a time max. 

Chris or anyone else, do you know where the spot is on the CT where it re-enters the singletrack towards BV?  I was thinking maybe I could get dropped off there and ride the singletrack all the way back.  I'd like to maximize my singletrack time.

The CT right off Mt.Princeton is great. You could just do an out and back or get picked up from several places.

North or South?  Which is better?

Are there any good routes in BV?  I'll be staying in a house on Mt. Princeton.  I'd also be interested in a road route if someone could point me in the right direction.

Good luck with it!  Once you figure out your set-up it's hard to ever go back to the ground. 
Enjoy!

Yep, biggest problem with a HH is staying warm (without spending money on an Underquilt).  IMHO the best and cheapest solution would be to get the following things...
First, buy a Speer SPE from Speer Hammocks.  It will help you stay on top of your pad much better.
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/SPE.htm

Next, buy yourself a Gossamer Gear 1/4 ThinLight Pad, cut it down to size when you get it and slide it into the SPE.  this is a very light solution.  It is a little bit bulkier but the ThinLight folds up much nicer than a blue CCF pad. 
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/thinlight.html

Also, what works great is cutting it down to about your knee-caps or so.  You'd be surprised how little insulation in you need on your feet.  Especially if you are sliding your pack under your knees to keep them from hyper-extending in the night. 

That pad should keep you warm to around 40 degrees, maybe a little cooler depending on your sleep system. 

I'd buy the GG pad first, try it out without the SPE and see if you stay on top of it.  If you do save yourself the money and don't get the SPE.  If you're sliding off it then get the SPE. 

Happy Hanging!

So I did it.  I went and bought a Thermarest Neopad.  That thing is THICK for 14oz!  It'll be awhile until I get to real world test it but holy moly.  It looks/feels awesome in the backyard laying down test. 
Wowzers.

I can't imagine a Z-rest or Ridgerest being any more comfortable especially compared to to the GG.  The added weight and bulk would seem like it would kill the deal no?

Which is why you need to learn to use a hammock my friend.

I know all to well how to use the pills for water as I've had to rely on them the past couple trips due to the Steripen going out on me.

I'm looking at getting the Thermarest NeoAir pad.  I'm waiting for Backpackinglight people to post up some real world reviews though.  I've got a big dividend burning a hole in my pocket!

Thanks Chris.  I knew you had the Montbell and was hoping you'd chime in.  I think I'll stick with the Emergency bivy just for cost sake.   

I don't know how you can get any sleep with that GG pad.  I have one for my hammock but I'd never want to actually sleep on it.
Oh, that's right, you ride and nap, not ride and sleep.  Congrats dude on another awesome and epic finish.

If I could not carry a filter that would be great, that'll be a last minute descision for me I think.  I can always prefilter using my headnet and then use drops.

I've already gotten Giardia once and it was not fun at all.  I'll take the precaution and use a filter.  I've switched to a pump after having TWO Steripens crap out on me ON TRAIL.  Those things were such a good idea but I've just had really bad luck with them. 

So is the Montbell Breeze-Tech bivy worth the extra coin when compared to the Emergency Bivy?  Weight wise they are similar but what about performance?

Yeah, my only concern with only using a pad (air pad) is puncturing it.  I'd like some sort of protection under it.  The ONLY reason I'm interested in this is for the AZT in the fall.  I really want to do a "fast and light" tour of it.  It kills me to even think about the ground though.  A hammock is like a good drug (so I've heard).  Once you start, you can't stop!

Mike, did you see our trip to Arkansas?  All 4 of us were in hammocks.  I still REALLY want to make out to NC sometime for a 3 day tour.

Dude, we took a LEFT onto the OC, not a Right.  See, this is why we got lost in the first place!

Does that hold up to repeated use (say 4 days?)

Wow, 6L is a lot of water to carry!  Ok, so is the water silty (meaning I need to pump it) or is it clean enough to use drops/chemicals?

Several different reasons really.  For one, I am not a Hennessy fan at all.  Mainly though, there are times when I would like to roll out the bivy and crawl in, get up, roll it up and head out. 

Like I said, I'm a HUGE hammock user.  It was hard for me to even ask this question.  But if/when I plan to do a race I don't want to take the time to set up the hammock (and all the special equipment I have that goes with it).  I just want to lay down for a few hours, then get up and head out.

So I'm a hammocker through and through but may be interested in a "fast and light" bivy set-up.  What do you use and how do you like it?  Pro's/Con's? 
I'm looking for ultra light weight stuff.  What is out there?  Links are nice