gear list...4 days to go!

[mac attack]

hey y'all, I'm headed up to maine this weekend and would love another pair of eyes to check over my gear and give me a good smack in case I'm forgetting anything critical.

EMS Women's Isolation pack 4500cc
Kelty Teton 2 tent (really heavy I know, Maybe later I will do something about it, but for now, its staying with me as a comfort)
Thermarest pro Lite shorty

Sleeping bag - either
lafuma 45* and a NF nupste down coat
or
kelty lightyear 20*
*****i tend to sleep cold and the 20* is tempting me, but I love the 45 and have used it below freezing as long as I wear thermals and my down coat. Since I will be taking the thermals anyways, I almost want to risk the 45* bag, but then again I don't want to be a popsicle. Plus I live in CT and will be able to swap things easy once I get down to this area. If anyone can help me make up my mind - much appreciated!*****

homemade alcohol stove + fuel + heatshield
spork
2 lighters (one stashed in waterproof medkit)
1.5 litre blacklite pot and lid

Marmot precip rainpants and raincoat
(((maybe))) north face Nuptse down coat
EMS heavyweight techwick quarter zip longsleeve shirt
medium weight thermals (top and bottom)
2 lightweight hiking short-sleeve shirts
2 lightweight running shorts
underoos (you don't need these details!)
3pr wool socks
2pr liner socks
1 blaze orange woolish hat

short gaiters
crocs
salomon XCR gortex trail runners
1 walking stick (i like a free hand for when i fall, not if, but when)

extras -
two bandanas
bug spray 100% deet
little swiss army knife
medkit with bandaids, meds, superglue, moleskin, spare contacts
toothbrush and toothpaste
aquamira
cell phone and charger
mp3 player
headlamp and a few spare batteries
1 nalgene w/ duct tape
3L camelbak
guide book

so far with my gear, food until monson, and water, I am hovering around 40 lbs. As I mentioned in another post, I have a fair amount of food, but as for the rest of the gear how does it look?

cheers

[jwalden]

Sleeping bag - either
lafuma 45* and a NF nupste down coat
or
kelty lightyear 20*

I'd start with the 45 and switch to 20 later. I sweltered in a 30 until about mid-August when I switched my tent for a bivy and slept inside that with nothing but lightweight hiking clothes, and I only really started using the 30 again around the last week of September. 20 is going to be a mess in warmer summer temps.

Have you considered a silk liner? Little weight, some insulation, keeps the sleeping bag cleaner.


2 lighters (one stashed in waterproof medkit)
Drop one of these. If something happened you could make the effort to not camp alone at night (assuming you stay at shelter sites this requires almost no effort for the first month or two) or to eat the food uncooked in an absolute emergency.


Marmot precip rainpants and raincoat
(((maybe))) north face Nuptse down coat
EMS heavyweight techwick quarter zip longsleeve shirt
medium weight thermals (top and bottom)
2 lightweight hiking short-sleeve shirts
2 lightweight running shorts
underoos (you don't need these details!)
3pr wool socks
2pr liner socks
1 blaze orange woolish hat

This seems like a lot to me. Thermals are unnecessary until fall, although I suppose if you hit the White Mountains at a bad time they might be appreciated. Down coat plus rain coat is more than you'll need, suggest just rain coat (and ditch pants, I never touched mine when I had them). Long-sleeve hiking shirt doesn't provide you much more than the short-sleeves do. The third pair of wool socks isn't necessary.

The breakdown at the individual-item level is a bit hard to do clearly, so this is overall what I'd suggest: two full sets of hiking clothes (shirt, shorts or ideally lightweight convertible pants with built-in liners to avoid needing underwear, liner and outer socks), rain coat (no pants), warm sweater (fleece or similar), and (initially optional) warm hat. Err on the side of less cold-weather clothes because when hiking you won't need them and when sleeping you have the bag (plus rain coat and sweater if it's that cold). I quickly settled into keeping one set of clothes in a ziploc to wear when I hit a town and while washing the set worn while hiking to cycle them, although my two pairs were dissimilar enough that I found the ziplocked set became only-town wear. I would make sure the two sets were identical to avoid this issue if I were to do it again.

FYI, my additions when cold hit (would have been useful from October 1 onward) were long underwear top/bottom, a set of liner gloves, a hat (wasn't carrying one earlier), and fleece pants (which I probably didn't need).


short gaiters
crocs
salomon XCR gortex trail runners
1 walking stick (i like a free hand for when i fall, not if, but when)
If you still need to drop weight I'd ditch the gaiters, but you may have a personal preference for them; I've never seen a compelling use for them and don't clearly recall any time when I would have wanted some. By the time I switched to trail runners I found they were enough like normal shoes that I didn't need any backup when in camp, you may feel differently. Two poles are better than one for stability, and you can get an extra push out of two that you can't out of one -- but I've never only used one, so I can't really say for certain.


bug spray 100% deet
little swiss army knife
I carried a knife for a bit and never used it, then I shipped it home at some point and never missed it -- suggest not bringing it. I didn't touch my deet after Maine (I think) and left the last of it in Delaware Water Gap, never really missed it. This late in the season it's plausible that bugs in Maine are reduced enough to forego it entirely, but I wasn't in Maine in mid-July in my hike so I don't actually know. A head net for Maine would have been far better than the deet I carried, which wore off quickly and seemed mostly ineffective at keeping clouds from forming near (did prevent on, but only for 15mins or so) me and most particularly my head.


headlamp and a few spare batteries
Ditch the spare batteries and just don't night-hike if the one pair of batteries decay too far too quickly.


guide book
I wouldn't have used one if I'd carried it. I suspect this would be like map and compass for most people -- something you'd use if you carried it almost primarily *because* you carried it, so not really worth carrying.

I suggest a 2oz bottle of hand sanitizer, and if you hadn't done so with the Nalgene I'd wrap several feet of duct tape around it. Also, I carried half a dozen gallon-size freezer Ziploc-brand bags pretty much all the time -- good for trash, always useful somehow, would just get a box of them when I started running low and hit a store. Get the brand-name stuff, you'll notice the skimping if you get the store brand, and over the entire hike it's not worth the $10 you might save. You could do that well by getting water with meals in towns a few times, at less inconvenience (or just skip a town meal entirely).

[Snowleopard]

You don't say how large you are. 40 lb is kind of heavy unless you're large and strong. Since you're using a shorty mattress and a woman's pack I'd guess you're not large. A tarp and mosquito net as a backup to shelters would save 2+ lb. Your pack is also kind of heavy. Have you done any hiking have you done with this weight?

My main difference with jwalden's recommendations is I'd say carry warm clothes going through the White mountains (after the Whites or after VT you won't need as much).

"NF nupste down coat" This is too warm if it's dry and useless if it gets wet. Maybe replace it with a fleece jacket until you're through the Whites (is your EMS Techwick long sleeve as warm as fleece jacket?)

Carry rain pants and thermals in the White Mountains. In the Whites be prepared for heavy rain, temps below 40, wind above 60mph. You probably won't hit conditions that bad, but you might (it might also be ideal weather).

Take 2 pairs of socks.

Take backup for lighting your stove, 2 lighters or lighter plus waterproof matches.

Spare batteries, I'd take them, or take a squeeze LED light as a backup (like Photon light, but there are cheap versions.)

"3L camelbak" How heavy is this? Drop this and the Nalgene and carry a couple of 1 L coke bottles/bottled water/Gatorade bottles, instead. Too little water won't be a problem this year in New England. Don't carry too much water (heavy).

Sleeping bag: 45 with longjohns, fleece and hat will probably be OK. If you bring the Kelty 20 (down) be sure to keep it dry.

Mosquitos may be extreme in New England soon (it's been very wet as you know since you're in CT). Try ultrathon (time release version of DEET), AND bring headnet as jwalden says.

"Ditch the gaitors." Yes.

Cooking: Have you practiced with your alcohol stove? If you haven't, get out into your back yard and cook something.
Food: Have you tried everything you're taking? Depending on your size, appetite and type of food 1 to 2 lbs of food/day.

"toothbrush and toothpaste" Try using a little baking soda in place of toothpast (or if you can find it use toothpowder).

[Snowleopard]

P.S. I forgot to add, you're going to have a great time. Have fun!