I do the same and have found in even moist climates like the AT, the heat from my back and the non-absorbent nature of my GG Crown backpanel kept the soaking to a minimum.

Not a lot of marmots in our old neck of the woods I’m afraid. The Portuguese sweet bread is delightful, however. Slice a hunk of that with the Rambo knife? 🙂

None taken. Discussions are good!

There is no right way to hike. Each person should assemble the gear that works for them. Experienced hikers, like Paul, can provide insights on what works for them, but we don’t need to blindly follow their preferences. There is a saying, “If you learn from your mistakes, I must be a genius.” Therein lays the value of evaluating what others have learned. The growing number of quality blogs, like this one, provide hikers with so much more quality information that was not available even 10 years ago. The greatest value Paul provides, IMO, is the emphasis on the journey itself, not the tools.

AK: I suspect you and I (and Nick. WE have corresponded a lot.) have similar gear, nay outdoor, philosophies. But I don’t think you read The Fine Articles I linked. 😀 I said three-season backpacking on trails for a reason. Winter backpacking ( you know how much I ski!), hunting season (look at my photo!) and bushwhacking are a different balls of wax. And I use a Ziplock bag as my “wallet”. Read The Fine Article I linked to… 🙂

I’ll never be a cool kid either. You are in good company…

ps. Though I think chest pockets are still useless…

I use trekking poles. My knees thank me.

I have said trekking-pole-supported tent. I’ve never had it collapse because of a trekking pole failure. I can just hear Bill saying, “not yet, you havent!”

I have tall gaiters. I use them for winter, bushwhacks, and trips on trails that are so unpopular that they might as well be bushwhacks. Sometimes I put them on and discover that the conditions are friendlier than I thought. If I’ve brought them, wearing them is the easiest way to carry them.

I have the orange pack cover. I also have a pack cover for my day pack, of all things. It helps with the day pack because the day pack has a zipper closure, and as was observed above, zippers leak. (The day pack had other features that I did like, but I do wish it had a rolltop closure instead of zippers.)

I had a pack with a lot of excess attachment points, that was always getting fouled in brush. Now I have one with fewer. I’ve used just about all of them, I think, but some of them I use only in winter. An ice axe loop isn’t very useful unless you’re carrying an ice axe.

I use a backpacking wallet. It’s called a Ziploc baggie. Sometimes I put it in that little chest pocket that doesn’t seem to be good for anything else.

And I bring a coffee maker. And for that matter, a cell phone, even though coverage is scarce to nonexistent where I go. It’s my GPS. And a lot of times, mapping the trails is one of the reasons why I’m on a given trail. It’s a tool.

I guess I’ll never be one of the cool kids.

For real shells (as opposed to Frogg Toggs which I only wear for short periods at a time), I like pit zips, too.

Actually, the newer Samsungs and iPhones make really good P&S cameras. I use one myself. Usually for quick trips or when traveling.
https://pmags.com/smart-phone-camera-photography