Hiking the Ultimate White Mountains Backpacking Loop

3 Days of Hammock Camping, Hiking & Backpacking on the White Mountains Presicat Loop.

For this 3 day, 2 night summer backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking a 30 mile backpacking loop in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest.  I call this the Presicat loop because it’s comprised of the Carter Range and Wildcat Range on one side, and the northern section of the Presidential Range on the other.

This route creates a grand tour of the northern White Mountains with a section of the Appalachian Trail and Mt Washington as it’s centerpiece.  Along the way we’ll hit 9 major summits (NH48’s) and 8 subsidiary peaks, while racking up 15,228 feet of elevation gain on some pretty rugged trails.

For sleep and shelter I chose a minimalist ultralight hammock camping system. This allowed me to get my base weight down to 9 lb.  Notable gear can be found in the gear section below. Or check out my full printable list with weights and links on LighterPack.

Presicat Loop Route Overview 2019 – Sintax77

No permit is required to camp in the White Mountains, but the trailhead I chose did require a self payment of $3 per day. Rules and regulations regarding backcountry camping can be found on the USFS website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

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Hammock Camping on an Abandoned Mountain Farm – Quehanna Trail Ultralight Backpacking

Hammock Camping, Hiking & Ultralight Backpacking on the Quehanna Trail.

Yes, we’re once again camping in the rain. 🙂 For this overnight backpacking trip, I’ll be hiking a 22 mile loop in Pennsylvania’s Quehanna Wild Area, within the greater Moshannon State Forest.  Luckily, I learned from my last camping trip, and packed more adequate rain gear this time.

Itching for another hammock camping trip, I decided to have some fun and go back to more of an ultralight backpacking load-out for this adventure, clocking in at roughly 8.5 pounds base weight.

My full backpacking gear list, with weights & gear links is available on this lighterpacks.com link. A truncated notable backpacking gear list can be found at the bottom of this post.

Quehanna Short Loop – Route Overview – Sintax77

No permit is required to camp in the Quehanna Wild Area or the greater Moshannon SF.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

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Mail Call – Mystery Dutchware Gear & Water Filter Face Off

Tips, tricks, and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

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Mail Call – New HG Hammock, Trail Magic Etiquette, Titanium Sunglasses

Tips, tricks, and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

Disclosure: A commission may be received for purchases through the links in this post. Your support is appreciated and makes the backpacking trip videos on this channel possible. Be smart, make your own informed decisions, duh. 😉

Mail Call – Back from Zion NP, Alcohol Stove Mods, Backpacking Pillows

Tips, tricks, and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

Gregory Optic 48 Review

A Review of the Gregory Optic 48 Backpack. 

The Optic line of backpacks is aimed at weight conscious and ultralight backpackers. There is a larger Gregory Optic 58 for those with additional space needs as well as a women’s version called the Gregory Octal 45 and Octal 55. All of these packs are very similar, so this review should hopefully be applicable to hikers looking at any of these backpacks.

You can check out my full 7.5 lb Summer Ultralight Backpacking Gear List using the Optic 48 here: Sintax77’s Summer Ultralight Backpacking Gear List 2018

You can see the Optic 48 in action on my ‘Hiking the Standing Indian Loop – 3 Day Hammock Camping‘ video where I take it out for a 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip in the Nantahala National Forest.

Gregory Optic 48 Specs, as per the manufacturer

  • Gear Capacity (L)
    SM: 45
    MD: 48
    LG: 51
  • Gear Capacity (cu. in.)
    SM: 2746
    MD: 2929
    LG: 3112
  • Product Dimension h x w x d
    SM: 26 x 12.5 x 10.5
    MD: 28 x 12.5 x 11.5
    LG: 30 x 12.5 x 12
  • Weight (lbs)
    SM: 2.39
    MD: 2.47
    LG: 2.62
  • Rain Cover Weight (lbs)
    SM: .21
    MD: .21
    LG: .21
  • Stripped Weight (lbs)
    SM: 2.28
    MD: 2.37
    LG: 2.51
  • Material(s)
    100% Nylon

*Optic 48 pack furnished by Gregory for Trial & Evaluation. Opinions expressed are my own.