I completed the PCT with the ULA Catalyst and she was an absolute workhorse. I took her on the Superior Hiking Trail, the Camino Portugués, and the Appalachian Trail. Only on the Appalachian did she really start to show some wear. I purchased the Ultra Circuit when I retired the Catalyst and took her on the Camino Francés, and she was flawless. However, we are limited to a 25 liter pack for the Inca Trail, so we needed some new gear. I cannot say enough about ULA Equipment, so it was only natural that we would buy our packs from them.

The smallest pack they make is the Custom Photon. They list the Photon as a 35 liter pack, however, the internal section is 25 liters. The only difference between my wife’s and my pack are the sizes, colors and I added the frame and load lifters. I simply prefer a more rigid pack. Also, I’ll be the one to carry the extra heavy gear.

My pack is similar to the one they show above, except I had the bottom made with their reinforced black material. It weighs in at 26.1 ounces, and is mostly waterproof. We will still use a garbage compactor bag on the inside to provide extra water proofing.

We have carried these on all our hikes for the past year, and they show no sign of wear. They are very comfortable to wear. We highly recommend them.

This year’s grand adventure is to fulfill one of my wife’s dreams since she was a child. When she was little, she was given a picture book about Machu Picchu in Peru. As she knows me well, she proposed that we backpack the Inca Trail to get there. It is a short hike in distance, but a rigorous hike with altitudes from 11,000 to 14,000 feet as we maneuver the ancient carved stairs.

This will be her first backpacking adventure where she will be sleeping in a tent and skipping showers, so that will be fun! She’ll hike with me anywhere as long as there is a shower and a comfortable bed at the end of the day. So, we will see how this goes!

Hiking the Inca Trail and visiting Machu Picchu requires permits, so this is a fully supported hike. We selected Alpaca Expeditions to handle all the details. As a fully supported hike, we have a guide, a porter and cooks. The porter will carry 7 kg of gear for us. He or she will carry our tent, sleeping bag, extra air mattress which is 3.5 kg. So, we can have them carry 3.5 kg (7 pounds) of personal gear. Our packs are limited to 25 liters in capacity, so we needed to buy gear specific for the hike.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll break down the kit I am taking as well as my wife’s. I will also post how we are training for altitude when we lowlanders live at just 600 feet.