The best laid plans...

[Tosto]

I've put together a pie chart of all the gear I'm planning to carry, almost down to the particular item. I'm pretty astounded at the weight already, and I'm looking for ways to cut it down before I start making the intended purchases.

It's a pretty good way to trim the fat where it counts. No use spending an extra $70 on a lightweight stove when your pack is the real culprit.

Some of you might already do this, but I like to point out the obvious for us slow and simple people.

-Of course, this will probably all go out the window during the first week on the trail!

[Appalachian Tater]

Yes, your pack and bag are heavy. Your hammock and tarp are a pound heavier than a tarptent. You may also have a lot of clothes. Your chart does reveal where your weight is.

[Hooch]

Your hammock and tarp are a pound heavier than a tarptent.

But more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. I'd rather have a little extra weight and be comfortable, but that's just me.

Don't worry about getting a light pack just yet. Not until you hve other gear purchased, IMO. If you buy a light pack and then other gear, you just wind up with a light pack full of heavy gear, which defeats the purpose entirely. Lighten up the gear that goes in the pack first, then worry about buying a light pack.

[max patch]

Well, I carried 48 pounds with 5 days of food on my thru, so your pack weight of 32 pounds seems pretty light to me.

But you can knock off 2 pounds real easy by only carrying 2 quarts of water instead of 3.

[Egads]

ditch the filter and use aquamira

[Flush2wice]

That's not too bad. 2lbs of food per day is high and 5 days of food is rare. 3 quarts of water is high- you don't need more than 1 since you'll pass a water source every couple miles. So in reality your food and water will be closer to 8lbs instead of 16lbs. And that's with a full load.

[Alligator]

I think your hammock weight is wrong. My homemade Speer was less than that, are you pulling that weight from his site? I think you are including a tarp weight then adding back in a McCat tarp.

[PJ 2005]

Definitely ditch the water filter. I prefer bleach, since it's cheaper than aqua mira and just as effective.

Down a liter in the morning before you start, and you'll seldom need more than a quart at a time.

You could probably resupply ever 3 days, and 2 pounds a day could be trimmed.


Is that 54 ounces of EXTRA clothes??? Ditch the extras - after shorts and a shirt, all you really need is a raincoat, a fleece (I kept it through the summer, used like an extra shirt and a just-in-case), a winter hat, and MAYBE long underwear. I can't imagine that it would add up to more than 2.5-3 pounds.

[Alligator]

You mostly have the idea with changing out the stove. Try to calculate the cost per ounce of weight saved. That would maximize your money. That assumes your budget is deep and you can afford to replace anything in your pack. For instance, if you only have $70, you might be unable to replace your pack or sleeping bag. Then you have to find the next affordable replacement that has the best cost per ounce saved.

Some $70 replacements:
Raingear to Frogg Toggs
A lighter stove
filter to Polar Pur, Aquamira, or an online Sawyer
titanium stakes
lightweight tarp lines
a homemade quilt
swim trunks
trail runners
silnylon stuff sacks (I like onion sacks for some stuff)
lightweight dropper bottles
grease pot or ti pot
etc.

If you post a list, folks can give you more specific suggestions. You may have just been thinking out loud here though and wanted to be general.