N2 Trail Hiking
Route-Tested Since 2017
Six resupply points, four months of field data, and a 14% bonk-rate spike between Tuolumne and Muir. Our route team logged every box, every bear-canister check, and every water-source gamble from Happy Isles to Whitney Portal — and rebuilt the canonical JMT resupply calendar around it.
Read the report
No gear picks by press release. No route reports by satellite. Six full-time testers, a 14-person beta network, and a controlled Sierra Nevada testing corridor — audited here, every quarter.
Sourced from the N2 quarterly transparent revenue & mileage report, Q4 2024. See the full masthead →
Every product below spent at least 120 trail miles under testers carrying 28–42 lb loads between 8,200 and 13,150 ft. Bonk-Risk deltas are scored on the N2 1–100 nutrition-pressure index, not marketing copy.
Lighter than the Crown2 by 4.1 oz, but the hip-belt migration on a 32 lb load is real. Tested by Marcus T. over the JMT northbound, the carry improved past mile 70 once the foam broke in. Bonk-Risk delta on a 4,200-cal day: −6.
9 min 14 sec to a rolling boil at 11,400 ft with a 20 mph crosswind. The Tri-Flex pot support stopped rattling after the third use. Bonk-Risk Δ: −2 on the 2,800-cal rehydration window.
Per-gram carb density beats the category median by 14%. On the 14-day Wind River route loop, our team logged zero GI events across 84 servings. Bonk-Risk Δ on a sustained 6,200 ft climb day: −11.
All reviews run ≥120 trail miles through the Sierra Nevada corridor. Browse the full Gear Lab →
The only public scoring system that rates a multi-day nutrition plan on a 1–100 pressure index — built from blood-glucose logs, perceived-exertion surveys, and 1,400+ miles of field tests. Lower is better. None of these numbers came off a treadmill.
JMT SOBO · 18 days · Class 1–2
Baseline. Failure point: hour 6 above 11,000 ft without electrolytes replaced.
Median reader scoreJMT NOBO · 21 days · Class 1–2
Tested by three route-team members. Zero bonk events past mile 80 across 240+ miles logged.
N2 recommendedPCT Section K · 12 days · Class 1–2
Two testers dropped out at mile 90. Performance ceiling collapsed above 9,200 ft on a 4,800 ft climb day.
CautionCO 14ers loop · 6 days · Class 2–3
Subscriber-only plan. Lowest published Bonk-Risk score in our database across any 6-day window.
Pro tierScoring methodology: 1,400+ miles of tester logs, 312 product passes, and 4,200-reader survey baseline. See the full Index →
Every route report, gear verdict, and Bonk-Risk score on this site is logged by a name. No anonymous freelancers, no AI-generated trail beta. Names below — plus a 14-person volunteer beta network across the Western U.S.
Co-founder · Sierra Nevada lead
Bishop, CA · JMT, Rae Lakes, SEKI
3 WFR certs · 412 mi logged in 2024
Co-founder · Nutrition & physiology
Bend, OR · PCT OR, Three Sisters
2 WFR certs · 388 mi logged in 2024
Senior tester · Pack & load systems
Boulder, CO · CO 14ers, CDT CO
2 WFR certs · 274 mi logged in 2024
Tester · Long-distance & resupply
Asheville, NC · AT, PCT Desert
1 WFR cert · 218 mi logged in 2024
Tester · Stoves, water, shelter
Bend, OR · PCT OR, Winds
1 WFR cert · 198 mi logged in 2024
Tester · Photography & field logistics
Flagstaff, AZ · AZT, Grand Canyon corridors
2 WFR certs · 162 mi logged in 2024
Plus a 14-person volunteer beta network across the Western U.S., each with at least one WFR credential. Meet the full masthead →
A printable PDF built from this winter's 1,400+ miles of route data. No recycled guidebook boilerplate, no affiliate links — just the planning document our own testers use.