No permit is required to camp in the George Washington National forest, but there are rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping. You can find more information on the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest website here.
For this backpacking gear review video, I go over the features, specs and my personal experiences with the Outdoor Vitals Loftek Adventure Jacket for camping, hiking and travel.
Specs and Features as per the Manufacturer
LoftTek™ is the world’s most advanced synthetic down imitation. The loose fill nature of the fibers mimics down’s extreme weight to warmth ratios and packability, while the it’s synthetic nature allows it to stay warm in wet conditions.
Unlike down, LoftTek uses siliconized fibers that dry quickly and always stay lofted for optimal warmth – even when wet.
Get the ultralight warmth and packability of down and the versatility and moisture advantages of synthetic.
You can pack the entire jacket into its own pocket. Use it when you need and and pack it into itself when you don’t.
Because of it’s ultra soft material, your packed jacket can also second as a pillow. Another way to save space without compromising your comfort.
LoftTek™ Adventure Jacket is coated so that water will bead up and roll off rather than absorb into the fabric.
The LoftTek™ Adventure Jacket is fully weatherproof and can stand up to the harshest conditions including snow, rain, cold temperatures, and extreme wind without sacrificing warmth or performance.
If you find yourself storing too much warmth, use the underarm zippers to release some of the heat. These are especially useful during high activity.
The thumbholes in the sleeve ends allow the sleeves to stay fully extended and in place, even when layering up or being active.
The insulation dries extremely quickly so if you need to wash it in a hostel or hotel sink, it can air dry fast and be ready to go the next day.
Come along for 5 days of Hiking, Camping & Backpacking in Southern Utah’s Zion National Park.
For this adventure, I’ll be spending 5 days exploring Zion National Park with my friends Derrick, Dave, and Tayson from Outdoor Vitals and Randy from Outdoor.Detour on Instagram. We’ll be doing 3 different backpacking / camping trips: A backcountry West Rim Backpacking Trip, Exploring & hiking the Frontcountry Zion National Park area while car camping in Springdale, Utah, and a backcountry camping trip on a top-down Narrows hike, ending at the Zion visitor’s center back in Springdale.
Note: All backcountry camping in Zion requires a permit. For details, visit the Zion NPS website.
Objective #1: Backcountry camp on Zion Canyon’s West Rim
Trailhead Used: West Rim Trailhead, Near Lava Point Overlook.
GPS coordinates N37° 22.899′ W113° 01.370′
West Rim Itinerary, Day 1
Park at the West Rim Trailhead parking area on the dirt service road near Lava Point. This is a gravel lot with parking for at least a half dozen cars or so. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Springdale, Utah. The latter part of the drive is on a dirt road, but non 4wd vehicles should be fine with a bit of care.
Head south on the West Rim Trail
Setup Camp at West Rim campsite #4 GPS N37° 17.144′ W112° 59.030′
West Rim Hike Elevation Profile- Sintax77
West Rim Hike-In Mileage: 8 miles West Rim Hike-In Gross Elevation Gain: 1,073
West Rim Itinerary, Day 2
Backtrack north on the West Rim Trail
Return to the trailhead parking lot near Lava Point.
Have some tacos at the Whiptail Grill, right next door to the campground. I got the “Fire Asada” tacos and they were great. If you like spicy food that’s actually spicy, I would highly recommend the Whiptail Grill. Heck, even if you don’t like spicy stuff – they have milder options, plus a fun & unique casual atmosphere as well. Oh, and the view is amazing too 🙂
Objective #2: Explore Zion National Park’s Frontcountry & Springdale, Utah.
Take the free Zion shuttle, or a short walk north to the Zion National Park visitor center / entrance.
Take the Zion NP bus from the visitor center to Big Bend.
From the Big Bend bus stop, take the trail south along the Virgin River to Weeping Rock.
Road hike a bit along the Mount Carmel Highway to soak in the sights.
Hop another free Zion bus back towards the Springdale Visitor Center.
Explore Springdale, eat some ice cream at the Zion Candy Company on Zion Park Blvd.
Objective #3: Hike and Backcountry Camp the Narrows, from the Top Down.
Trailhead Used: Chamberlain’s Ranch Trailhead (aka Zion Narrows Upper Trailhead), Duck Creek Village, UT
GPS Coordinates N37° 23.121′ W112° 50.339′ Note: This was an end-to-end hike that required us to park a second vehicle at the Zion visitor center in Springdale to use as a shuttle back to the starting point. The drive from the visitor center back to the Chamberlain’s Ranch Trailhead is around 80 minutes.
Zion NP – The Narrows, Top-down Hike Itinerary, Day 1
Park at the Narrows Upper Trailhead in Duck Creek, UT.
Head southwest on the trail, which is actually dirt road, closed off to vehicles, for the first 3 miles.
Continue to follow the trail along the Virgin River, through the Narrows.
This trail is very easy to follow, as it is literally the river. A majority of the time will be spent walking in the river bed in ankle deep to knee deep water depending on conditions, depending on current water-flow conditions.
Note for reference: The ccf reading during our trip was roughly 40 CCF. Anything under 50 ccf is considered to be relatively ideal. Above 100 cfs, conditions can be difficult and hazardous. At 130 ccf, top-down narrows hikes will be closed. At 150 ccf, bottom up Narrows hikes will be closed. During a flash flood, flows can exceed 1000 cfs.
Setup camp at the Narrows campsite #12. N37° 19.982′ W112° 57.373′
Zion NP – The Narrows, Top-down Hike Itinerary, Day 2
Break camp and continue south along the Virgin River.
Exit the trail and catch the free Zion bus at the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop.
Return to the Zion NP Springdale Visitor Center
Drive back to retrieve starting vehicle (~80 minute drive)
In this episode of Sintax77’s Mail Call, I check out the new Sawyer Select foam water filter, and a hammock camping sleep system by Outdoor Vitals called the StormLoft Mummy Pod, along with their netless hammock system with whoopie slings.
I also open some viewer mail and discuss Permethrin vs Picaridin vs Deet for tick and mosquito treatment of backpacking and camping gear.
Links and Info for the Sawyer Select Water Filtration System
The three Select systems reduce chemicals down to 0.5 parts per billion (up to 40 times lower than the EPA’s maximum recommended level) and reduce pesticides down to 0.01 parts per billion (400 times lower than the EPA’s maximum).
The Select S2 and Select S3 models go even further, purifying contaminated water from suspect sources.
Select S2 filters out 99.99% of viruses.
Select S3 filters out 99.99% of viruses and reduces heavy metals such as copper, arsenic, and mercury down to 0.5 parts per billion (up to 260 times lower than the EPA’s maximum).
Weight: 9.25 oz total for bottle with foam filter and hollow fiber membrane filter attachment.
Links and Manufacturer’s specs for the Outdoor Vitals 15° StormLOFT Down Mummy Pod
Easily switches from use as a mummy sleeping bag to a pod system to fully insulate a hammock!
Patented footbox allows hammock to run straight out of the bottom of the bag and seal, or zip it up for use on the ground and insulating baffles keep your feet warm!
Redesigned shoulder baffles seal cold air out and add additional comfort!
StormLOFT™ 800 fill power hydrophobic down provides premium performance in both loft, warmth and dealing with adverse weather conditions!
NEW YKK Anti Snag Zipper makes it virtually impossible to damage your sleeping bag while zipping it up. It also provides easier zipper flow making it a breeze to get in and out!
Vertical baffles keep the down locked into place both on the hammock and on the ground.
Included suspension system keeps the bag from sagging or moving when using it on the hammock
Extra shoulder room (grid) keep the bag extremely comfortable and roomy.
Outdoor Vitals Lifetime Warranty: Here at Outdoor Vitals we believe in standing behind the craftsmanship and quality of our products. Anything that was our fault, we fix so you can feel confident that you’re getting exactly what you paid for!
Links and Manufacturer’s specs for the Outdoor Vitals Ultralight Solo Hammock
for Alcohol Stoves (plumber’s pad)