packing light and bugs

[Early Bird]

i have a question i would like to present to the forum that i hope other people have thought about as well.

how do people pack lightly for a week long backpacking trip?
i try and cut back but there are always staples that keep my pack at the same weight.
i would love to hear what people stuff their packs with for a long backpacking trip.

also,

does anyone else have problems with bugs?
how do you keep the bugs from eating you alive?

[Alaskanhkr23]

I've asked the same question,and i've been told this-Go for smaller hikes to cut down what you dont' need or use.So i did and found that about 10 pounds of what i brought i did not use at all-so i went through my pack and realized that half the stuff i brought can be used for multiple things. After that hike i only brought the equipment that can be used for more than one thing,now i went from 25 or 30 pounds to 19,That and buying ultra light or golite equipment

[bpitt]

I'm wondering about the bugs, too. Here we have massive horsefly's and deerfly's. I always seem to attract them when in the woods in the summertime.

As far as packing light, the thing I figured was take on some of the ultralight ways. I've reduced my pack weight by trimming off excessive straps, etc. I don't need such a heavy sleeping bag, in the summer you might be able to get away without having one.

Also, just don't take as much food.

[Blissful]

DEET. I also took a head net.

As far as packing light, tough to say until you post what you have and what you think you might need. Then there will be suggestions galore on how to cut it down.

[Egads]

The best way to drop your pack weight is to leave the non-essentials at home, not cutting straps and sawing the handle off a toothbrush. The next best way is gear selection. Use a hammock or tarp instead of a tent. Buy a 1 to 2 lb pack instead of a 5 to 6 lb pack. Trade in hiking boots for trail runners.

The heaviest item in your pack for a week long trip will be your food. Use dehydrated instead of packaged foods to reduce the weight. You can make your own or buy convenience. You can get away leaving your stove behind if you carry a pot and use a fire for cooking. You can carry an alcohol stove if you feel your fire making skills are inadequate or you feel you need a faster heat source.

Site selection, seasonal hikes, Permethrin, Deet, & netting are the best defenses against biting bugs. I wear a hat most of the time too. It seems to confuse some of the flying ones and makes a good offensive weapon for the more persistent ones. Also covers up gray hair.

Egads

[gravityman]

Bugs - Permethrin on the clothes every few washings. Deet on the skin when you can't stand it any more.

Weight - As others have said, start by eliminating what you don't need. Next get rid of what you might need, finally reduce the weight of what you absolutely need.

[Early Bird]

wow,this is all such great feedback.
allow me to post items i carry with me on a regular basis inside my pack.

-sleeping bag
-compression pillow
-sleeping pad
-stove
-fuel
-bug spray
-1st aid kit
-matches,food,clothes,bungee cord,rain cover,rain gear
-multi tool,2 nalgenes,1 bladder,steri pen
-hiking poles,head lamp,utensils for eating,batteries,toilet paper,whistle
-toothbrush,bandana,ball cap,steri pen prefilter,hand sanitizer.

can't think of anything else off the top of my head..

list is in no certain order.....

i'm doing a pretty lengthy trip next month and want to try and cut back on weight but everything i have i seem to use.
-

[Snowleopard]

Weigh everything and make up a list or spreadsheet of everything you carry.
Some of the heavier things are likely to be:
Backpack
Tent or other shelter
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Stove, fuel.

Start out eliminating everything that you can, especially heavy stuff.
Depending on your budget replace heavy items with lighter versions (but remember that if you can eliminate it completely it's $0 for 0 lbs).

[Egads]

Gear selection

Stove 1
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colem...id=2010&brand=

Stove 2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/stnax082.jpg

Which would you rather carry for a week?

[flemdawg1]

wow,this is all such great feedback.
allow me to post items i carry with me on a regular basis inside my pack.

-sleeping bag down bag or quilt
-compression pillow toss it and use your clothes bag
-sleeping pad CCF pads and bA Air cores are popular light choices
-stove Alcohol stoves are fairly cheap and very light
-fuel
-bug spray take the smallest quantity to get you thru the hike, avoid metal spray cans
-1st aid kit Definately some room to cut weight by looking to multipurpose items (mine is just some immodium, ibu, neosporin, and some gauze)
-matches,food,clothes,bungee cord,rain cover,rain gear
-multi tool,2 nalgenes,1 bladder,steri pen
-hiking poles,head lamp,utensils for eating (spoon/spork and you multitool knife),batteries,toilet paper,whistle
-toothbrush,bandana,ball cap,steri pen prefilter,hand sanitizer.

can't think of anything else off the top of my head..

list is in no certain order.....

i'm doing a pretty lengthy trip next month and want to try and cut back on weight but everything i have i seem to use.
-

.......................

[Wise Old Owl]

site selection is critical - slightly windy areas with little or no grasses or fir trees. Less places to hide. One UL poly pro shirt is white and carry a bug net. Deep Woods Off is my favorite

[jrnj5k]

for me temperature is important because it controls how much i can bury myself in my bag with out over heating. If i can drape my bag over me like a quilt i can comfortably sleep at 60 degrees and put a headnet on to cap it.

As it gets warmer i can bring a silk liner and sleep in that with the head net.

As is gets cooler i mummy up in my bag and wear the headnet.

Headnet always..

Hope thats helpfull

[Foyt20]

Trade the nalgenes for plastic quart bottles.
What is the bungee cord for
Pack your stuff in plastic bags and you dont need a Rain cover
How heavy, and what is your raingear
Steri pen pre filter, jjust use a bandana

I think everything else was hit.

[BR360]

Pack your stuff in plastic bags and you dont need a Rain cover

Contrary view on this:
I've done it both ways, and I * highly * recommend a rain cover for this reason: A raincover will keep your entire pack dry. Just using plastic bags inside your pack means that your pack will get wet (fabric & straps), as well as all the crevices inside the pack fill with water, which means that you are carrying around many ounces/pounds of water until your pack drys, which is much heavier than the pack cover. Use plastic bags (they weigh next to nothing anyway) but use the raincover, too.

Also, look at your clothing list. Go minimal to save a couple to five pounds.

[Tinker]

Contrary view on this:
I've done it both ways, and I * highly * recommend a rain cover for this reason: A raincover will keep your entire pack dry. Just using plastic bags inside your pack means that your pack will get wet (fabric & straps), as well as all the crevices inside the pack fill with water, which means that you are carrying around many ounces/pounds of water until your pack drys, which is much heavier than the pack cover. Use plastic bags (they weigh next to nothing anyway) but use the raincover, too.

Also, look at your clothing list. Go minimal to save a couple to five pounds.

Or use a poncho for raingear, pack cover and sleeping shelter.
Use a frameless pack which uses a closed cell foam pad for the "frame". Mine weighs less than a pound (plus 8 oz. for the pad) and got me through the Hundred Mile Wilderness last September. I slept in a hammock with a bug net (ENO) and used a much too big 10x12 tarp. I didn't weigh my pack but estimate that it didn't weigh more than 32 lbs. I cooked on an alcohol stove (1-2 oz. of alcohol per day with a Supercat stove and 1.3 liter Evernew cookpot with the handles removed). I had a windbreaker, poncho, light fleece jacket, watch cap, baseball type cap with neck flap, light gloves, trail runners, river sandals, 3 pr. socks, a Gatorade Quart bottle, MSR water bladder, convertible pants, 1 long sleeve polyester shirt, one short sleeve, one pair of long polyester underwear, a 3 oz. Swiss Army knife, a few band-aids and ibuprofin pills, a ti cup, some "bear bagging line", plastic bag pack liner, and not much more.

[Wags]

for bugs at night i tend to find a long sleeve shirt a nice feature. when they're biting bad i don't seem to mind the heat... kind of like comfort vs cold. when i'm freezing cold i care much less about being comfortable than being warm. basically that same principle but in reverse.

site selection can be tough, b/c you want to really stay away from water which makes the bugs worse, but don't want to walk far to get water for camp.

i saw a 1st aid list (or 2) up above w/o anything for blisters in it. i wouldn't recommend that

your pack list looks fine to me. the way people go 'ultralight' is 1 of 2 ways. #1 they drop a buttload of money on expensive gear that is really light. #2 they take a minimal amount of things on their trip (i just met a thru, in PA, who didn't have a shelter - either stayed in a shelter every night or cowboy camped).

other options, such as no cook (all cold food = no stove/fuel). carrying a minimal amount of water at all times and camel'ing up at water sources, etc...

[volks-man]

i have a question i would like to present to the forum that i hope other people have thought about as well.

how do people pack lightly for a week long backpacking trip?
i try and cut back but there are always staples that keep my pack at the same weight.
i would love to hear what people stuff their packs with for a long backpacking trip.

also,

does anyone else have problems with bugs?
how do you keep the bugs from eating you alive?

a simple and very cheap trick with flies is to put your hat on top of your walking stick and hold it a few feet over your head.
seems the flies have some crazy instinct that makes them buzz the highest part of the body (i theorize that they go there to bite the tender spots on animals).
you'd be amazed how many stupid flies will buzz a hat or old shirt at the top of your walking stick instead of you.