View Full Version : Newbie in light hiking
Marketman
10-04-2004, 15:20
Looking at chopping a few pounds on my next section hike in Va. I don't want to go out and spend too much cash but I'm considering a few purchases... Go from leather boots to trail runners, lighter food(any ideas?), Frogg toggs instead of gortex jacket and pants. I want to keep my 6 lb pack, whisper light stove with smallest fuel bottle, 2 lb down filled bag with gorlex covering, Pur water filter, 4 lb tent...
How does this look for my first attempt to cut lbs.. Can you give me details on the little toys and supplies we don't need to carry? One can always carry too much food...
Oh! Since I started hiking 15 years ago I've cut off 30 lbs of gut weight. Considing I was 180 and now 150....Perfect cruising weight...
fullofadventure
10-04-2004, 15:30
I am not sure it would be a good idea to go with light footwear until you lighten up some of your other gear. A 1-3lb pack, a shelter under 3lbs, a sub 3oz stove and a 1-2lb bag. Good move on the Frogg Toggs and your bag is not that bad although I do not like GTX shell bags. What do you wear for insulation on the trail if it gets cold? For food take mostly dehydrated or freeze dried food.
SalParadise
10-04-2004, 15:41
What's your pack weigh now? What sort of other gear do you have?
Switching to an alcohol stove would save you maybe a pound and you could easily learn to make it for free. Ramen with dehydrated vegetables is light and cheap food. The water filter you could lose and just get iodine pills to save a pound. If your pack has a top flap to it, you could remove that. If you can stand a hard bed, use a RidgeRest or Z-Rest instead of an inflatable pad, or at the least use a 1/2 size one.
A lot depends on when and where in Virginia you're planning on doing your section hike. Starting next month if you're out for longer than a week you can anticipate temperatures down in the teens (deg F) at least one night, averages are low 30's (F). Watch out for the temperature rating of that 2 pound sleeping bag.
If you're planning on hiking through Shenandoah National Park you may well be able to get by with trail runners, even with a heavier pack than would normally be a good idea. The terrain's not too tough through there.
As far as food goes, for shorter hikes my wife and I like the Enertia Trail Foods. They are fairly small volume if you need to carry more days worth of food, are light weight, not terribly expensive and beat our 100cal/ounce rule of thumb. They're not very highly seasoned though, kind of bland actually. We usually take extra spices with us. Most of their meals are of the bean/rice/pasta variety. we weren't too keen on the breakfast cereal type choices though.
The Frogg Toggs are a great choice as far as I am concerned. I've carried/used mine for several hundred miles now with no problems. They keep the rain out, breath reasonably well and so far haven't torn or ripped.
Personally, I think it is best to make small changes at first, and probably the best place to start is with your stove. I know you want to keep using it, but think of it this way: You can experiment with an alcohol stove and it won't cost you anything. Well, you'll have to spring for a bottle of HEET (methyl alcohol). Cut the bottom 2 inches off of a can. That is your stove. Take a coffee can and cut it up so that it looks like a pot stand. You are now done. If you don't have a coffee can, take a metal wire clothes hanger and bend it into something that looks like it can support a pot. You really haven't spent any money, but the weight savings of the alcohol stove over a Whisperlite may approach a pound, depending on your fuel bottle. To hold your alcohol, use a soda bottle.
After the stove, you might try switching out normal stuff sacks for silnylon ones (about $7-15 depending on size and where you buy them. I like DancingLight, and you can find them at www.trailquest.net). Or, rather than take a large flashlight or headlamp, try a Photon Microlight (about $25). You can night hike with these. The Frogg Toggs are a good place to start also.
I would keep your pack until you get the rest of your gear switched out. Keep your tent almost as long until you are comfortable with the rest of your stuff. Rethink the clothing that you bring along. For a weekend trip, do you really need more than one pair of socks (what you are wearing)? Do you need more than 1 shirt? In general, not bringing gear saves weight fast. Just make sure you don't leave behind something you really need. Here is my clothing list for a standard weekend, non-winter trip into the Smokys (or Cascades or Olympics):
MEC Simplex Pants (15 oz, soft shell, wearing)
MEC Rapidi-T (5 oz T-shirt, wearing)
Andiamo Skinz (underwear, wearing)
Fox River running socks (2 oz, wearing)
Asics Eagle Trail runners
bandanna (wearing)
Wigwam warm hat (2 oz)
Fox River liner gloves (2 oz)
MEC Warmwear shirt (9.8 oz, like a thermal top, but better)
MEC Midweight thermal tights (6.2 oz)
MEC Northern Light II pullover (insulated, 13.3 oz)
MEC Genie Windshirt (5 oz)
MEC Aquanator 3 jacket (fully waterproof, sort of breathable, 12.7 oz)
How would my clothing list change for a thruhike? I'd add another pair of socks. If I was going out in the winter time, I'd put in my down jacket instead of the Northern Light II pullover. By the way, this list is not as light or as minimal as it could be. But, it works for me and is good enough.
Tha Wookie
10-04-2004, 18:51
6 lb. pack? 4 lb tent? Sounds like you need to rethink your attachments to old gear. Let it go!
SalParadise
10-04-2004, 21:21
The Wookie's right. Your extra weight is really in your tent and pack. The remainder of your things are probably irreplaceable or would cost a lot just to save a half pound. Rathar than spend a ton of money replacing your stuff sacks for syl-nylon ones, start saving up for a new tent and pack. Do some research then check out Ebay; you can get a new pack for about $70 and a tarp for roughly the same. That would be minus 7 pounds right there.
SGT Rock
10-05-2004, 04:36
My entire base pack weight is now about 10.5 pounds, you are hitting that with just your tent and pack, add that to your attachment to your stove, you will probably always have a base pack weight of about 20 pounds unless you lighten these three items. I have too many ideas on how to cut here, go to my site and do some reading...
Marketman
10-05-2004, 06:04
Lots of super ideas. I know I have to dump the pack and tent but it's too close to my departure date to buy new stuff.
I like the idea of the alcohol stove. Where can I find the fuel? Clothes will be to a minimum. Frogg Toggs, fleece, 2 pair of sox, hiking shorts, 2 polypro shirts, poly hat, mits, neck warmer.
Food? Ramin and veggies sound good. What about instant potatoes to add needed carbs and they're super light weight? Pour them into anything and soak up the water.
I'm still going to go trail shoes because I hear the trail south of Rockfish 200 miles is ok.
Is their something essential that one might be tempted to leave out?
Thanks for all the tips.
SGT Rock
10-05-2004, 06:55
Why not post your current packing list and then we can make suggestions. nclude weights.
Despite the postings to the contrary, I would not get rid of your pack or tent until it really is time. If the pack works, use it. If the tent works, use it. The point is to hike, not to have a nice light pack that sits in the closet because you don't like carrying it or are not comfortable using the gear in inclement weather. When the rest of your gear is light, you'll find the transition to a ultralight pack (1 lb) to be easy. When you are comfortable with spending many nights outdoors, you'll find that the tent will go away by itself. I can't tell you how many people I ran into on the AT that were carrying tarps that they never used. They always stayed in shelters because they didn't know how to put up the tarp and rig it for bad weather. If they carried a tent, they might have had a better hike even if it was more weight. Again, the point is to hike. There are gear makers who make transition gear. For example, you could drop part of a paycheck on a ULA P-2 pack (3 lbs, big capacity, www.ula-equipment.com) and a Henry ****es Cloudburst (www.tarptent.com). These approximate ulralight tools but with some heavyweight conveniences. Make little changes and look for their effect. If you are out on a trail for any length of time, you'll start to find good, pressing reasons for making a change. Or, you might be perfectly happy with what you have. Wait and let experience show you the way.
You can buy denatured alcohol at a hardware store, or HEET in most gas stations or grocery stores. It is gas line antifreeze. You do not want IsoHEET or rubbing alcohol.
Tha Wookie
10-05-2004, 14:54
responding to Chris' statements....
The best way to learn how to use the tarp is to get one and do it. Read the instructions, learn a couple knots, and start advancing your skills. Just because some people didn't learn how to use theirs, doesn't mean you're better off with a 4 lb tent. Considering we all here can operate computers you'd think we could also learn an outdoor skill as minimally challenging as tieing off a piece of nylon between some trees.
Use the trip as a learning time, but also practice a bit at home. Or shoot, maybe get just a lighter TENT! 4 lbs is not hard to beat. Shoot for 2 pounds, and the same for the pack. You can get or rent packs for cheap. Look up local rental places to try out something lighter. In the long run your trips will become more and more fulfilling as you lose your dependence on "dummy-gear" and start building INdependence through every facet of the experience.
It really makes the biggest difference in backpacking. But for lightwieght to work, it's up to you to increase that difference.
I would argue that having a 4 lb tent and knowing how to use it is better than having a 12 oz. tarp and not knowing how to use it. Now, I would rather have the 12 oz tarp, but I have some idea of how to rig it and stay dry in bad weather. However, some people really like their tents. So, keep the tent, slash weight elsewhere and get down to a 14 lb. base load (everything but food, water, and fuel). Depending on your food choices and how frequently you resupply and how much water you tend to carry, this would translate into a, roughly, 20-28 lb. total load.
Marketman
10-06-2004, 05:48
Don't have time today to get the weights of my gear but I'll fire them out in the next few. Really appreciate the tips. Thanks.