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Happy
05-09-2003, 15:58
I have worked hard for several years to reduce my pack weight from my original weight of 57 pounds, and have been planning toward a reasonable/functional weight for a thru-hike. All of the assumtions would be leaving on March 15th.

Would appreciate any and all suggestions, etc. for what I may be forgetting, or could improve on!

Clothes:
Balaclava 1.6 oz
Bandana .8 oz
OR rain mitts 1.1 oz
Glove liners 1.3 oz
Hat 1.9oz
Marmot Precip Jacket 13.0 oz
Marmot Precip Pants 7.9 oz (laundry & extra protection)
Patagonia mid-weight underware pants 7.8 oz (sleep in)
Sock liners .9 oz
Smart wool running socks 2.0 oz (doubles as gloves)
Sealskinz Socks 3.8 oz (cold weather and sleep in)
WM Down Jacket 11.0 oz (Breaks & Around camp)
Total: 3lbs 5.1 oz

Cooking:
Trangia 28 stove & cook kit 13.0 oz
Bear rope (50 feet) & mesh throw sack 3oz
SGT Rock Lemonade Mug/rehydrator 3.1 oz
Lexan spoon .3 oz
Bic lighter, matches & (2 esbit tabs) 1.8 oz
Total: 1lb 5.2 oz

Hydration system:
Platypus hoser (2 liter) 3.5 oz
Platypus carrier (2 liter) 2.0 oz
Aqua Mira treatment 3.0 oz
Aqua Mira filter bottle 5.5 oz
REI velco strap holster for filter bottle 1.3 oz
Bottle of bleach for backup 1.0 oz
Total 1lb .03 oz

Essentials:
Emergency kit 6.8 oz
First aid kit 6.4 oz
Headnet 1.0 oz
Hygene kit 3.5 oz
Light kit 4.7 oz
Pack towel 1.4 oz
Repair kit 1.5 oz
Soap .7 oz
Toliet kit 2.3 oz
Total: 1lb 12.3 oz

Miscellaneous:
AM/FM/Weather radio & extra batteries 6.1 oz
Pee Bottle 2.5 oz

Packing:
G-4 Pack with foam inserted 15.7 oz
Pack cover 3.6 oz
Sil-nylon stuff sacks (7) 3.8 oz
Vapor barrier liner/Pack liner (sil-nylon) 4.8 oz
Total: 1lb 11.9 oz

Shelter:
Nomad lite tent 25.3 oz
Groundcloth 3.1 oz
Stakes (6) 3.6 oz
Total: 2lbs 0 oz

Sleeping:
WM Versalite (15) degree full zip bag 32.0 oz
Z-rest 3/4 length 10.9 oz
Airline inflatable pillow 2.0 oz
Total: 2lbs 12.9 oz

TOTAL BASE WEIGHT: 14 lbs 8 oz

Clothes worn and items carried:
REI Sahara convertable pants/shorts 13.8 oz
Patagonia silkweight short sleeve T-shirt 4.8 oz
Patagonia mid-weight long sleeve zip-T shirt 8.6 oz
Marmot Dryclime jacket 11.1 oz
REI underware 2.4 oz
New Balance 805's 29.5 oz
Gaiters 1.0 oz
Smartwool socks 3.2 oz
Sockliners .09 oz
Baseball cap 1.9 oz
Bandana 1.0 oz
Hiking poles 24.1 oz
Total: 6 lbs 5 oz

Fanny Pack 3.1 oz (quick access to camera & stacks)
Olympus Stylus camera 6.5 oz
2 rolls film 1.6 oz
Map, etc 3.0 oz
Lanyard with knife, compass, light & whistle 2.1 oz
Total: 1lb 3 oz

SKIN OUT WEIGHT: 22lbs 0 oz.

Plus: 2lb food per day + 1 lb denatured alcohol + water

Jumpstart
05-09-2003, 17:57
Looks pretty good. You obviously spent a lot of time evaluating your gear. I'm not a die-hard ultra-lighter, my skin-out weight was was 28 pounds with 5 days of food and water, but here are the suggestions I would make: I would say you probably don't need the Sealskin socks, but I would carry an extra pair of smartwools if you had only planned to carry one. You seem to have a lot of water filtration: you pass through towns often enough that you really don't need Aqua Mira, an Aqua Mira bottle, AND bleach..I would just take the Aqua Mira if that's the way you're choosing to go. You can always boil your water if it was an emergency. What's in your emergency kit? It sounds heavy... once again, you're fairly accessible to towns most of the time, I carried a 4 ounce first aid kit that I look at now as overkill...emergency and first aid might be overkill as well :) I started with a pack towel, too. You'll end up shipping it home pretty fast...just use your bandana... You don't need a compass, but if it makes you feel better to have one, I guess you can carry that. The Marmot jacket AND the Down jacket may be one too many jackets. Also, have you "broken in" the Z-Rest? Lots of folk we thru-hiked with in 2002 HATED the Z-rest and ended up buying the 3/4 Ridge rest instead. I have no experience with it other than what I hear, but I remember seeing several in hiker boxes along the way.

Good luck to you!

RagingHampster
05-10-2003, 14:25
Heres what I'd do...

OMIT LIST
OR rain mitts 1.1 oz
Sock liners .9 oz
Sealskinz Socks 3.8 oz (cold weather and sleep in)
Trangia 28
Lexan spoon .3 oz
2 esbit tabs
Platypus carrier (2 liter) 2.0 oz
Aqua Mira filter bottle 5.5 oz
REI velco strap holster for filter bottle 1.3 oz
Bottle of bleach for backup 1.0 oz
Light kit 4.7 oz
Pack towel 1.4 oz
Airline inflatable pillow 2.0 oz
Fanny Pack 3.1 oz (quick access to camera & stacks)

ADD LIST
Soda-Can Stove w/Simmer Cap 0.5oz
Petzl Tikka Headlamp 2.5oz
1L Widemouth Pepsi Bottle 1.75oz
Funnel & Coffee Filters 1.5oz
MSR Titanium Spoon 0.5oz (Doesn't get greasy/Doesn't Melt)

CONSOLIDATE THE FOLLOWING DOWN TO 5oz
Emergency kit 6.8 oz
First aid kit 6.4 oz
Repair kit 1.5 oz

Get up to pee, and use clothing as a pillow.

NET SAVINGS
2lb 3.3oz for about $45!

Then again, HYOH

JackW
05-15-2003, 16:39
Do people actually deprive themselves of all comfort on the AT?

Happy
06-10-2003, 10:10
Thanks for the suggestions....I have eliminated the pack towel and the velco strap for my water filter bottle and consolidated my repair kit, first aid kit and emergency kit to just a few ounces....great suggestions!!

I hiked with the thru hikers starting on March 1st, March 15th and
March 29th for the weekends to meet them and experiment with my gear and found that the sealskin socks are invaluable during the cold and wet weather and to sleep in that time of the year in Georgia...would go in bounce box as weather warms. I do carry an extra pair of smart wool socks that doubles as gloves. I find the OR rain mitts are necessary in cold and wet weather...may eliminate the glove liners instead.

As far as water purfication is concerned the Aqua Mira filter bottle is great to use to dip and drink as I hike and allows me to carry less water as I hike. It also doubles as my drinking bottle for crystal lite at lunch and dinner. The bleach is backup (you are right overkill) but is really used to clean my hydration blatter and tube.

The sock liners are only used and are necessary with the sealskin socks and could also go to the bounce box in warm weather. On March 15th, in my haste to hike I forgot to pack my alcohol bottle and the esbit tabs provided me with two hot meals when very badly needed due to the weather and also provided me double use as a great fire starter.

As far as the light kit I do have a petzl tikki and a small one-battery maglight for checking noises at night and doing night hiking. I did eliminate the extra batteries as I was carrying extra batteries for everything which was STUPID...now I just carry 3 total.

I admit I could save weight and have in the past by using a soda stove and greasepot combo (4.6 oz less). I went back to the Trangia 28 (combo stove,stand, non stick fry pan/lid and .8 liter pot. It is heavy duty, snaps together for easy packing and allows me to cook fresh vegetables(1st day out of town), garlic and olive oil with bread, etc. I can also save alcohol by storing it in the stove itself with the cap. Just have to cut ounces other places.

I have an ultralite 3/4 thermerest which is great...but the z-rest is the support along with my Nomad lite (tent) poles for my G-4 pack...I found that I sleep just fine on it, with the pack under my legs and it doubles as my sit/nap pad and fire fan.

As far as the pee bottle, pillow and fanny pack....I have learned if you use something ALL the time it is worth the weight...leaving that warm bag in the night ist't worth the weight savings...I have used my clothes bag as a pillow sucessfully but this inflatable pillow slips over your neck and if you are a side sleeper as I am, it stays with you as you toss and turn...the fanny pack makes quick pictures easy and snacks available as you start up those long inclines. The compass doubles as a thermometer and only has .04 ounces of weight, so is really no big concern.

As far as jackets the Marmot dryclime windshirt is one of my most valuable pieces of gear....I use a silkweight panagonia, topped with a midweight-zip tee and topped with the Marmot windshirt. As I hike, I regulate the temps by zipping/unzipping the windshirt and the mid-weight shirt. The windshirt handles light rain and I have been comfortable around camp but have had to add Marmot Precip during heavy rain and around camp on March 1st and 2nd due to temperatures.

My question to myself, is do I keep the WM down jacket for cold day breaks and around camp, or just use my Marmot Precip or get in the bag? At 11 ounces it may be worth the insurance and use to supplement my sleeping bag in an emergency...then to the boucebox in warmer weather.

JackW in all honesty, I am MORE COMFORTABLE ALL DAY and ALMOST as comfortable at night as I was with my 57 pound pack...but do miss my fishing rod from time to time!! HA HA-TRUE!

Another question for you thruhikers...should I add a pair of Nike running shorts (4 ounces) and an extra silkweight Patgonia shortsleeve shirt (4.8 ounces) for town,etc with the weight that Jumpstart and RH saved me.....WHATS YOUR OPINION???

Grimace
06-11-2003, 08:45
I don't think you'll need the extra clothes for town. You have your rain pants and jacket for laundry which you'll probably do as one of your first stops. Once cleanish, just go back to your hiking clothes. You may want to throw an extra set of clothes in your bounce box since you are using one. On the towns we sent the box to, we did change into those town clothes.

Did you end up using both 2 liter platypi? I got by carrying 2 liters of water except for a few stretches in PA where water is not abundant.

You mentioned you carried a mag lite. Aren't those metal? If you want an extra light other than your head lamp, try using one ofthose key chain LED thingies. Pretty strong beam.

Only other suggestion would be to consider sewing a pocket onto your G4 on the wasit belt. Their are several packs which incorporate them and would make the Fanny Pack unecessary.

Happy
06-11-2003, 09:12
You are right..I will just include the clothes in the bounce box and send priority and have them down the line for a switch later on.
I did use the extra platty carrier for cooking at camp but in retrospec I could just refill the one in the morning before I leave hiking...just carry a regular cap to make double use of the one bag.

I do have a red LED light that should suffice. Great idea on the pocket for the G4...really hate the double belt system. I saw the same on the ULA P2 and really liked it.

JackW
06-11-2003, 18:16
A good aspect of a "belt pack" or "revese fanny pack" is that quick need items are available as you walk. A camera, snack, small light, binocular/monocular, cell phone, pen, paper, map, guide book, juice, pictures of family/lover/home/parents/etc., and any other little thing you don't want to stop and look in your Backpack for as you are trying to make time.