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AZJ_Jerky
11-16-2008, 19:56
Hello...
We are a couple planning a SOBO hike. We are looking for any comments or suggestions on our gear list, and thoughts about how we could reduce our weight - well not ours, but our packs.

We're splitting things up, so some things are on his list and some are on hers. All items have the weight in parentheses - all in ounces. We weighed everything on our digital scale.

Any help is greatly appreciated... THANK YOU!

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His Pack:
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Vapor Trail Pack (Large) (38)
Compactor bag pack liner, stuff sacks for clothes, food, sleeping bag (7)
Zrest Sleeping Pad (15)
Thermarest pad coupler (4)
Western Mountaineering Megalite 6'6" Sleeping Bag (25)
10x10 sill tarp, 2mil groundsheet, mosquito net, stuff sack (37)
tarp/foodbag lines, titanium stakes, stuff sack (10)
Stove (Snow Peak Giga) with windscreen (6)
2 - 100g fuel canisters (14)
Titanium pot (6)
Titanium spork (0.5)
Titanium cup (2)
Stuff sack for cooking supplies (1)
2 32oz Gatorade bottles (3)
2 Nalgene 48oz canteens (5)
Knife (2)
mosquito head net (2)
Lighter (1)
Marmot Precip rain pants (9)
Marmot Precip rain jacket (13)
2 pairs hiking socks (6)
2 pairs underwear (5)
1 syn tshirt (7)
Long underwear top & bottom - med weight (16)
Running shorts (6)
Med weight fleece pants (13)
Med weight fleece jacket (15)
Fleece hat (2.4)
Trail Running shoes NB 800 series (12.5)
headlamp with batteries (4)
Microfiber towel (1)
Sanitation - Containers of alcohol and soap (5)
Toothbrush/toothpaste (3)
DEET (2)
Toilet Paper (2)
Maps, ID, $$ (8)
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His Total: 308.4 oz (19.275 lbs)
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Her PACK:
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Vapor Trail Pack (Med) (37)
Compactor bag pack liner, stuff sacks for clothes, food, sleeping bag (7)
Zrest Sleeping Pad (15)
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bag Summerlite 6' (19)
Titanium spork (0.5)
Titanium cup (2)
First Need water purifier in stuff sack (22)
2 32oz Gatorade bottles (3)
mosquito head net (2)
Marmot Precip rain pants (7.5)
Marmot Precip rain jacket (12)
2 pairs hiking socks (6)
2 pairs underwear (3)
2 syn tshirts (7)
Long underwear top & bottom - med weight (15)
Running shorts (5)
Med weight fleece pants (12)
Med weight fleece jacket (13)
Fleece hat (2)
Trail Running shoes (11)
Microfiber towel (1)
Misc Toiletries (7)
First Aid Kit (11)
Toilet Paper (2)
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Her Total: 222 oz (13.875 lbs)

mountain squid
11-16-2008, 20:46
http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/signs087.gifto WB. Looks good. Some observations:

fleece pants might not be necessary
replace Nalgenes with 2 water bladders with hydration tubes for drinking on the go (one for each)
thermarest pad coupler?!?
camp footwear (also to use for stream crossings in ME)
bandana/buff
lightsource for her
Companion/guidebook with town info
pencil/journal
camera
needle for draining blisters
sun screen
ear plugs
duct tape
hiking poles
if no cell phone, phone card and important phone #'s

See you on the trail,
mt squid

rickb
11-16-2008, 21:07
I don't know from titanium, but I would try drinking your next few mornings' worth of hot coffee from your Ti cup to see if it is a civilized experience. I am thinking it could suck.

Rain Pants over long underwear can keep you legs warm in camp, I think.

Many hikers get by with just a couple pairs of socks, but extra can't hurt, IMHO. They will get wet, especially for a SOBO. Being good to your feet is more than a luxury. Dry socks in camp or in the AM can be a moral boost, too.

A watch can be a very good thing. YMMV on that. A very basic compass (zipper pull type) is worth considering, too.

Plenty of Water at the start of your trip. The 48 Oz canteens will be more useful well into you trip.

AZJ_Jerky
11-16-2008, 21:51
Thank you for the quick replies and welcoming us to the forum. :)

Great suggestions... We're thinking the camp shoes are a great idea, would be nice to change out of the trail runners at night. And very good point about the extra socks and the second light source... will pick up an LED light for her.

About the thermarest pad coupler... it's a system of straps that keeps our two sleeping pads together during the night. We found they tend to drift apart, but maybe there's another way we could accomplish this that doesn't weigh as much as a McDonald's Quarter Pounder.

We tried the titanium cups, which get cold quickly but work ok.

The journals & cameras would be great, we're just weighing the extra weight vs the luxury right now on that. But you gave us a lot to think about!

Thanks again for all of your suggestions!

jnetx
11-16-2008, 23:36
with a snowpeak gigs youl might need 3 snowpeak cannisters between two of you in the 100mile wilderness if you're doing anything more than one cup of coffee each and one 12oz cup water to reconstitute evening meal. We used 3 between two of us this past summer and also boiled some water over evening fires (when it wasn't raining). Can resupply in Monson at the Greenbriar Indian place that Shaws will shuttle you to.

I'd skip the rain pants for the start. You could probably get by without them until Gorham, but might want them in the higher elevations after that if it's wet. We had a historically wet summer and I never wore long pants until the whites. Never wore my rain pants at all - shipped them home from Monson or Stratton.

Ditto the duplication on long underwear and long fleece pants. Keep one pair for chilly nights in camp, but you likely won't need fleece during the day. Have the extra pair mailed to Gorham if you think you'll need them for the Whites.

get rid of the nalgenes. 2l carrying capacity per person is ample down to VT.

ADD BUG SPRAY! don't bother with deet, get Repel Lemon Eucalyptus. It worked better than 100% deet this past summer. The bugs love me, but the Lemon Eucalyptus sends them running (flying). we had competitions to see who could get it on first because it immediately made the other person the primary target.

might want to add a light pair of fingerless gloves. I prefer the warmers sunshield gloves sold by REI. There is lots of rock climbing and clinging onto tress in the first 300 miles or so. mine were shredded all to pieces by Gorham - glad it wasn't my hands

AZJ_Jerky
11-17-2008, 10:22
Thanks again for the assistance. Will definitely consider taking an extra fuel canister for the 100 mile, thanks for the tip. It seems that the consensus is definitely that we have too many pants, might be a good idea to leave the fleece pants in a bounce box and just roll with the long underwear pants and the rain pants for warmth and wind/rain protection. That would save each of us 3/4 pound each. Thanks for the tips on the water supply also. We'll definitely consider leaving the cantenes in the bounce box or just not using them until needed. We were thinking about using our extra pair of socks as gloves when needed but I'm no sure how well they would work for climbing over rocks so thanks for that tip!

bigcranky
11-17-2008, 12:59
The thermarest pad coupler is a PITA, and unless you are both very small, the resulting 40-inch wide pad is too narrow.

The larger fuel canisters are more weight-efficient. (12 ounces for 8 oz of fuel, instead of 16 ounces for 8 oz of fuel.) But they may not fit inside your pot. For cold weather, the MSR Isopro and the Jetboil canisters are better.

Make a pot cozy or two!!! Get some Reflectix and some aluminum tape from Home Depot, it's easy and fast. The cozy will keep your coffee warm for a long time. Depending on what else you are eating, it'll help with every meal. A cozy can also save fuel, b/c you can partially cook your dinner and stick it in the cozy to finish.

I didn't see any camp footwear on your list. Even with trail runners, a pair of Crocs or light sandals is a good thing to have. Every time I've left them home in the name of saving weight, I've been sorry. Same with rain pants -- if you are going to leave the fleece pants at home, bring the rain pants. They add a lot of warmth over long john bottoms.

I think if you go without a camera, you'll regret it. The journal is more personal -- I always bring journal pages, but have to push myself to write in them. Instead, I make notes in my Databook about where I camp, and things that I see along the way.

For water, I carry a single 1-liter Aqua Fina bottle and a single 1-liter Nalgene Cantene. That gives me just over 2 liters of carrying capacity for a long dry stretch. I also carry a 6-liter Platypus bag to collect and treat water. If you are going to bring soft-sided water bags, make sure you pick up some Platy Patches for the inevitable pinprick leaks. The patches work even when water is streaming out the hole, in my experience.

AZJ_Jerky
11-17-2008, 13:14
Yup - The pad coupler has proven to be a PITA in practice. I was thinking about trying a self-made velcro solution that I have in mind. Will probably weigh about the same though. We will definitely be using the big fuel canisters - The small ones just happened to be the ones I had around yesterday to weigh but thanks for confirming that they do indeed weigh less for the same amount of fuel. Camp shoes for sure sound great...Will think about a lightweight camera of some type and will check out the cozy - thanks for the tip. Sounds like losing the fleece pants and adding the camp shoes, small camera, and maybe a pencil or two will keep our pack weights at about what it is now +/- an oz or two.

Wags
11-17-2008, 13:55
-you list trail runners as part of the pack weight, but truthfully they shouldn't be figured into it b/c they'll be on your feet :D

bigcranky
11-17-2008, 14:48
You can buy the cozies at antigravitygear.com, but for the price of a couple of them you can buy a lifetime supply of Reflectix at home depot.

Blissful
11-17-2008, 14:51
I am a stickler for feet, so I believe, eps with the the muddy / wet conditions in Maine, that two pairs of socks are definitely not enough.

Convertible pants takes care of pants and shorts. I recommend them, esp with bug issues.

Camp shoes? Crocs are really good for the stream crossings in ME.

You're gonna likely need bug protection. Maybe a bug net for your head at least. I would also seriously consider a two wall free standing tent for the first part of the hike. You will really appreciate it, eps with the bugs and the tough, windy weather WHites. And coping with tent pads.

Blissful
11-17-2008, 14:52
You can buy the cozies at antigravitygear.com, but for the price of a couple of them you can buy a lifetime supply of Reflectix at home depot.


I have a ton of that here, makes great cozies, but it would cost some to mail it.

TJ aka Teej
11-17-2008, 16:06
:welcome to WB!
DEET and more socks for Baxter and the 100 Mile.
Be sure to check out the MEGA forum here on WB!
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=422

AZJ_Jerky
11-17-2008, 16:17
Thanks! Yep....Been lurking the MEGA forum already.

As far as bug protection we already have one headnet each and DEET in the gearlist, but perhaps we should bring more than 2oz of DEET. In addition the tarp weight includes a full mosquito net for sleeping...

I'm liking the convertable pants idea....And ditching the running shorts as a result I'm thinking, thanks.

Also looks like we'll be adding camping shoes and definitely another pair of socks, thanks!

Idealist
11-18-2008, 15:20
Dear AZJ_Jerky,

We are a couple just back from our SOBO. You are going to have such a blast!

Pants: In the beginning, we packed four pairs of pants, and we used them all. We each packed a pair of rain pants. She packed a pair of long johns. He packed his fleece pants. The fleece pants were especially nice for laundry on town days. [We are the same size and so shared clothing].

Camp shoes: Following the advice from a WBer, we used mesh nylon pool shoes (http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901 (http://www.sprintaquatics.com/prodinfo.asp?number=901)) They cost very little ($5) and weigh only a couple ounces. They were awesome for river crossings (very tight fitting) and nice to have around camp. They may look wimpy, but they lasted about 500 miles, enough time to do the crossings. Afterward. we picked up one pair of Holey’s for the two of us to share (mostly to have something quick to slip on for midnight potty breaks).

Also, unless you hike close together (we did), since “his” has the map, “her” might should tote a guide book. Several sets of friends ran into problems when only one member knew details of where they where/where they were going.

Good luck!