Partial Gear List

[Prettywoman0172]

Shelter/Sleep

Osprey Aura 50 3lbs 6oz
The North Face Cat’s Meow Sleeping Bag in compression sack 3lbs 3.7 oz
LL Bean MicroLite 2 w/ footprint (in dry bag) 5lbs 3oz
ThermaRest Ridge Rest Sleeping Pad 13.2 oz

Cooking
GSI MicroDualist (with one set bowl, cup, spork, and stuff bag) 13.4oz
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove 3.4oz
MSR Fuel 7.0 oz
Dry bag Stuff Sack 18liters for food bag 2.5 oz

Water
CamelBak 3.0liter 7oz
Playpus 1.0 liter .9oz
Aquamira Tablets .5oz

Fire
Bic Lighter .7oz
Matches .1oz
Dryer Lint .1oz

Misc
Leatherman Squirt Multi-Tool 2.3oz
50ft Cord 3.5oz
First Aid Kit 2.3oz
Hand warmers (I get really cold easily) 2.1 oz
Toe warmers ( “ “ ) 2.3oz
Whistle .4oz
Gerber Firecracker Flashlight 2.6oz
Petzl Headlamp 2.8oz

Personal
Toothbrush and Paste 1.1oz
Floss .4oz
Dr. Bronners Soap 2.5oz
Small tube sunscreen 1.1oz
Small bottle insect reppellant 1.9oz
Hair ties (3) .1oz
Comb .9oz
Toilet paper in ziploc .7oz
Lip balm/Chapstick .2oz
Hand sanitizer 1.4 oz
1 disposable razor .1oz
XXS Codura Stuff sack .4oz
L Codura Stuff Sack (for clothes) .9oz

I will be adding a few more things...maybe a water filter, and switching the Ridge Rest for a self inflating.

The new pack feels a lot lighter on.

Ann

[aaronthebugbuffet]

What clothes/raingear are you carrying?

[Prettywoman0172]

I have an LLBean rain jacket that is super light - but I havent weighed it yet. I dont know about clothes yet.

[flemdawg1]

I dont know about clothes yet.

Don't need clothes, humans hiked thousands of years without them. I should join you for your next hike. ;)

[leaftye]

This site doesn't allow you to update posts unless you're a certain kind of donating member, so posting lists here may get a little confusing. If you have a Google account, you might be better off creating your list in Google Docs. This way you can keep your list current and keep track of your totals.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

So would you just like opinions on cutting superfluous items or are you willing to make some more price intensive changes with your core gear?

[Prettywoman0172]

The pack, sleeping bag and tent are all brand new. I just exchanged the pack. You can make suggestions, but I am not willing to replace those items again just yet. Maybe if I decide to attempt a thru-hike I would be willing to do so before. :)

[4eyedbuzzard]

The pack, sleeping bag and tent are all brand new. I just exchanged the pack. You can make suggestions, but I am not willing to replace those items again just yet. Maybe if I decide to attempt a thru-hike I would be willing to do so before. :)
Those are of course the three items where the biggest reductions in weight can be had. You could likely cut 4 to 5 lbs on sleeping bag and tent alone without a sacrifice in warmth or protection from the elements. But, as you likely know, it wouldn't be cheap. Your cooking gear at 13.4 oz is a bit heavy for a solo hiker - you could likely trim some weight there, as much as 1/2 a pound by going to a single lightweight pot (K-mart grease pot is really light, maybe 5 oz, and cheap at $7 or so).

[leaftye]

Good job on putting together your list. Here goes...

Dump the cookset. It's way too heavy. You need only one pot that will double as your bowl. You can get a nice aluminum grease pot from Kmart for $8. I'm not sure why you need a cup at all. Get a lexan eating utensil.

Dump the Camelback. It's going to get nasty during the walk anyway. Aquafina bottles are lighter. Replace them when they get dirty. They come with a free refreshing drink. :)

Prepare to dump the hand/toe warmers. This will become a burden if you use them regularly. GooseFeet brand booties and convertible mittens are a better investment if you really need extra warmth for your extremeties.

I personally don't see the point in two light sources unless you're hiking in the winter when daylight hours are short. On a thru hike you should be sleeping when the sun is down. It saves you batteries and gives your body time to heal. I would keep the headlamp and dump the flashlight. If you want both, get yourself a Zebra H51 headlamp.

Get micro dropper bottles like they have at Gossamer Gear or Backpackinglight. Put DEET in it. That's all you need for insecticide. Backpackinglight also has a 0.33 ounce mosquito net... That razor is pretty light, but you might want to consider picking up a new razor whenever you hit town to buy groceries and other consumables. No reason to carry it on the trail unless you'll be shaving every day. Hand sanitizer and soap? Drop one. Offset with weightless improved sanitary practices. Leukotape rocks for blister prevention. It's worth adding to your first aid kit if you're willing to learn how to use it. I don't use sunscreen. I try to get progressively darker without getting burned. I wear long sleeves, long pants and a hat with a cape to cover my eyes and neck. I switch between using and not using my trekking poles to give my hands a break from the sun. In two months I never got my hands sunburned. I guess my plan worked because I backtracked and bumped into hikers that had nasty sun blisters after only a week on the trail. My opposition to sunscreen may not be the wisest thing as far as cancer goes, but I really really hate the greasiness of it. Oh yeah, check out this site if you're going to use sunscreen.
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/

Self inflating pads can get pretty heavy, especially if you go with a full length pad.

The 2.5 oz food bag and 3.5 oz cord could be replaced with a 3 oz Backpackinglight bear bag kit that includes the food bag, 40 feet of cord, an odor proof bag plus the other stuff you actually need to hang a bear bag...except the rock.

Don't forget to weigh your cell phone, batteries and the charger if you'll be carrying it.

Camera? Trekking poles?

Whoa, how'd I miss your shelter/sleep gear?!?
-- The Campmor brand down sleeping bags are a great value and reviews say they perform well for their weight.
-- That tent has to go unless you find someone to split the weight with. Look at TarpTent or Big Agnus. You can even go more minimal with fully enclosed (netted) tarp tents from Mountain Laural Designs, LightHeart Gear, Six Moon Designs or Zpacks at the far end of the spectrum for light tarp tents. I like the Hexamid because it offers full weather protection for about 15 ounces including ground cloth, more stakes than I need, guy lines, stuff sack and an optional door. Even that's a bit heavy since the AT has shelters.
-- The pack is good enough for now.
-- If you go heavier on the pad, you start getting into the weight territory of 4-season down air mattresses by Kookabay or a hybrid pad by Pacific Outdoor Equipment. Either one would be at least twice as warm as the Thermarest.

[leaftye]

Those are of course the three items where the biggest reductions in weight can be had. You could likely cut 4 to 5 lbs on sleeping bag and tent alone without a sacrifice in warmth or protection from the elements. But, as you likely know, it wouldn't be cheap. Your cooking gear at 13.4 oz is a bit heavy for a solo hiker - you could likely trim some weight there, as much as 1/2 a pound by going to a single lightweight pot (K-mart grease pot is really light, maybe 5 oz, and cheap at $7 or so).

I'll back you up a bit.

The Campmor bag I suggested has the same warmth rating, costs $40 less, weighs 6 ounces less and packs away smaller. It's a win in every way.

The Tarptent Contrail appears similar, but unfortunately costs about $80 more. It requires trekking poles, but I could have sworn your wrote elsewhere that you were buying some. The Contrail gets you a tent that's about 1/3rd the weight of that LL Bean tent. It's a very popular tent on the PCT, and for good reason.

I thought the greasepot was actually closer to 3 ounces. If you can't find it at Kmart, George at End2EndTrailSupply usually carries them.

[leaftye]

The pack, sleeping bag and tent are all brand new. I just exchanged the pack. You can make suggestions, but I am not willing to replace those items again just yet. Maybe if I decide to attempt a thru-hike I would be willing to do so before. :)


Please please return the sleeping bag. You save $40 and win in every way by getting the Campmor.

I'd love to see you use the $40 towards a Contrail or something like that. You'd only need another $40 to reach the full purchase price of the Contrail. This assumes you paid the $120 online sale price for the LL Bean tent, otherwise you just need another $10.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Shelter/Sleep

Osprey Aura 50 3lbs 6oz
The North Face Cat’s Meow Sleeping Bag in compression sack 3lbs 3.7 oz There are lighter options that would cut that in half and probably be warmer.
LL Bean MicroLite 2 w/ footprint (in dry bag) 5lbs 3oz There are solo shelters that weigh less than 2lbs.
ThermaRest Ridge Rest Sleeping Pad 13.2 oz

Cooking
GSI MicroDualist (with one set bowl, cup, spork, and stuff bag) 13.4oz
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove 3.4oz
MSR Fuel 7.0 oz
Dry bag Stuff Sack 18liters for food bag 2.5 oz I don't often cook but I would simplify. One titanium pot, fast food spoon and a Pepsi can alcohol stove. Lightweight sil- nylon or cuben stuff sack. Cut that total set up by more than half.

Water
CamelBak 3.0liter 7oz
A platypus hydration system is much lighter. I personally only use bladders for camp or in dry times. Usually a couple 1 liter Deer park bottles are what I use.
Playpus 1.0 liter .9oz
Aquamira Tablets .5oz

Fire
Bic Lighter .7oz
Matches .1oz
Dryer Lint .1oz
Small lighter is all you need if you take a stove. There's no need for fires on the overused AT.

Misc
Leatherman Squirt Multi-Tool 2.3oz
Victorinox Classic is 0.7 oz
50ft Cord 3.5oz
50 ft of spectra cord weighs less than ounce.
First Aid Kit 2.3oz
What's in there?
Hand warmers (I get really cold easily) 2.1 oz

Toe warmers ( “ “ ) 2.3oz
I would skip these. There are gloves that weigh less than 2oz.
Whistle .4oz
Gerber Firecracker Flashlight 2.6oz
Too heavy for a back-up light. I wouldn't even bother with one but I would look for something lighter if I felt I really needed an emergency light.
Petzl Headlamp 2.8oz

Personal
Toothbrush and Paste 1.1oz
Floss .4oz
Dr. Bronners Soap 2.5oz
Small tube sunscreen 1.1oz
Small bottle insect reppellant 1.9oz
Hair ties (3) .1oz
Comb .9oz
Toilet paper in ziploc .7oz
Lip balm/Chapstick .2oz
Hand sanitizer 1.4 oz
1 disposable razor .1oz
XXS Codura Stuff sack .4oz
L Codura Stuff Sack (for clothes) .9oz
Only thing I would take from the personal list is toilet paper. I only take toothbrush on trips lasting more than 2 nights.

I will be adding a few more things...maybe a water filter, and switching the Ridge Rest for a self inflating. I would keep the chem treatment its much lighter, but I usually don't treat at all.
I don't find the self inflaters any more comfortable than the foam and you have to worry about leaks and more weight.

The new pack feels a lot lighter on.

Ann
I'm sure you got other stuff that you're not listing and most newbies pack too many clothes and food. Food is probably the hardest thing to get dialed in.

Remember it may only be ounces but that stuff adds up quick. I would go crazy trying to keep up with all that stuff you're carrying.

I think LL bean would be the last place I would shop for backpacking.

[halftime]

How much does dry bag and footprint add to tent weight? Also is compression sack something different than came with sleeping bag? Seems like these items together are excessive. Suggest at least consider dropping tent footprint and going with lightweight stuff sacks to lower weight of big four.

[leaftye]

Aaron, you're so right about overpacking on clothing. I still do it. The only thing that's helping me is time and experience on the trail.

For warmth, I personally go against the tradition of layering. I choose not to use it because the inner layers are way too heavy. Usually there's something like midweight fleece or long sleeve underwear. It offers almost no warmth in my experience, yet weighs almost as much as a down jacket that's many many times warmer. Either way I'd have a down jacket, so I just get a slightly warmer down jacket and get rid of the middle layer. I save weight and bulk. I find that I don't ever need to keep my legs warm unless I'm lounging outside in camp at night for at least an hour. A lightweight set of wind/rain pants adds a lot of warmth. Tyvek lab pants do well enough for the rain and only cost a few dollars, weigh something like 3 ounces and are many times stronger than almost anything in the same weight class, except cuben fiber pants that'd cost about 10x more if they even existed.

I used to carry extra clothes to have something clean to wear in town. I've started mailing extra clean clothes ahead on the trail. I wear the same pants and shirt to hike and sleep in. I do carry multiple sets of underwear and socks. Although I have a cuben fiber quilt that doesn't get smelly or dirty. A spare set of clothes or bathing and sleeping nude to delay the time it takes for your sleeping bag to stink.

[hontassquirt]

i read your other post about carrying 5 liters of water. 1 liter of water equals a little more than 2 pounds. 5 liters (plus the metal containers some of them were in)...you're looking at around 13 pounds. water sources are mapped out in AT guide books. if you're in sections you have water sources, you may want to consider the katadyn mybottle. you just dip it in moving water and drink. it weighs 9.7oz because of the filter in it, but it works for us because then i don't have to carry several liters. i always have my handy platypus 3L Hoser as my backup if we're in a stretch with no water. so, i went from way too much water weight down to about 7 (2 liters in the platypus, the mybottle, and then the weight of the containers). i had the same water issue you have.

with the tent change, water change (definitely), and little things....like possibly the stove, you'll get your weight down. no worries :-)

an alcohol stove would be a good changeover. the "regular" stoves are nice-to-haves, but the fuel canisters aren't at all your in-town stops. so, will you mail drop them to you? you can only mail the smaller one's. i believe the larger one's are hazmat.

also, if you're sleeping alone, a new tent is definitely needed. you can get a 2.5-3lb tent (plus footprint) and drop 2+ pounds right there. big agnes is awesome. their fly creek UL1, seedhouse UL1, and copper spur UL1 are awesome.

[Nazarene]

[QUOTE=leaftye;1048493]
Dump the cookset. It's way too heavy. You need only one pot that will double as your bowl. You can get a nice aluminum grease pot from Kmart for $8. I'm not sure why you need a cup at all. Get a lexan eating utensil.
QUOTE]

This sounds like a good idea. For eating utensils, I just grab 2 sporks from either Taco Bell of KFC. One to eat with, and one incase the other breaks. They weigh almost nothing and their FREEEEEEEEE.

[Rocket Jones]

Since I do mostly freezer bag cooking, I bought a Sea to Summit long handled aluminum spoon. No worries about breaking, and I can reach the food in the pot or bag without sticking my whole hand in there.

[sbhikes]

Wow that is a heavy tent! And not much room for the size. Leave the footprint home and carry a piece of polycro from Gossamer Gear instead. During times of no mosquitoes, don't take the inner tent. Put it in your bounce box. Use just the rainfly. If that is possible

The sleeping bag is way too heavy, too. But there's nothing you can do to reduce its weight. If you aren't willing to exchange it, you're stuck with it and will have to reduce weight severely elsewhere.

Make an alcohol stove. It doesn't have to be as fancy as the ones on zenstoves.net. You can just use a small empty can like from tuna, deviled ham, catfood or whatever. Then make a pot stand of some sort and a windscreen or make something that does both things at once. Get rid of the lid on your pot and make one out of an aluminum cookie sheet from the grocery store. Get rid of the bowl and cup. Use the pot for all meals and hot drinks. That should save you some weight.

You probably don't need a filter and the foam pad will work out fine once you get used to it. You will get used to it. I wouldn't add any more weight with an inflatable.

[Stir Fry]

This sounds like a good idea. For eating utensils, I just grab 2 sporks from either Taco Bell of KFC. One to eat with, and one incase the other breaks. They weigh almost nothing and their FREEEEEEEEE.[/QUOTE]
Ran in to a young man last summer, Bam Bam, he was eating with a home made fork from a tin can becouse the cheep ones all broke. Bring one that will last there are only grams differance in weight. The good one are almst unbreakable.

[JAK]

Don't worry too much about having the wrong stuff. Tents are still great for car camping and even for short trips. In winter tents can be a nice way to stay warm and organized when its snowy and blowy out and you don't have to go as far in winter to have fun anyway, and tobogans can be fun too. That sleeping bag will be great for fall, winter, and spring. Summer is a fun time to experiment with DIY stuff which adds to the fun. That pack might be heavy, but only by a pound. My first pack was 5 pounds heavier than it needed to be. I would be very happy with what you have. Enjoy using it as much as you can. It's not to have everything perfect because it inspires you to try DIY stuff.

Keep experimenting with dayhikes and weekend hikes. The trail is the best tutor. Have fun. Best regards.

[JAK]

Its good to have stuff that isn't perfect because it inspires you to try DIY and thrift stuff, which is lots of fun in itself and you learn alot. Part of being out in the natural world is developing and utilizing your natural creativity and intuition to adapt and innovate.

When you do innovate and test DIY or thrift ideas on weekend hikes, you should use most all of the stuff you have now, and just try out one or two ideas at a time. Sometimes you might still bring what it is replacing, sometimes not, depending on how sketchy your new idea is, and how risky it might be if it doesn't work. If its just a spork or something no biggy, but if something like a wool blanket or tyvek bivy you might still want to bring your sleeping bag and tent. A thermometer is a good idea so that you know exactly what the temperature was that something worked or didn't. Women are particularly good at this when they put their minds to it. I think they most likely pioneered ceramics, and later metallurgy, while most of the men were off hunting or fighting or chasing women. ;)

[JAK]

Oh yeah. That's what I was going to say. The best place to work on some projects is actually out in the field. Take what you need with you and then build and experiment with it out there. You will be way more focused and creative, and might make use of some natural materials also if you've forgotten something. Also, of you can make it in the field, you can repair it in the field. Also can be made lighter because it will be field repairable or replaceable. Don't waste too much time on these ideas at home. In other words do as I say not what I do. lol. ;)

[4eyedbuzzard]

. . . Women are particularly good at this when they put their minds to it. I think they most likely pioneered ceramics, and later metallurgy, while most of the men were off hunting or fighting or chasing women. ;)
Nope. We were at the tar pits drinking a rotting fermenting grain and water mixture betting on which mammoth was going to be chased in the tar pit first by the saber-tooth tiger. But, yeah, come to think of it, there were some cheerleaders as well . . .

[leaftye]

Here's a Contrail for $150.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=37110&skip_to_post=314609#314609

[Dkeener]

Looks good to me. Remember you are never through with this process. There is always better, lighter, more attractive gear coming available. Some of your choices may work out fine. Others will aggravate you to no end. I've been at this for forty years and I'm still not finished.

Dennis

[Marta]

It's pretty easy to put together a fairly lightweight kit at this point. Last night I was a last-minute stand-in at an REI clinic about thru-hiking the AT. I showed up about half an hour before the event to get my resource list photocopied (yes, Whiteblaze is on the list!), get the DVD of AT photos queued up, and pull together some demo gear. In about 20 minutes of running through the store, I had enough stuff that they could have swiped my cc, cut off the tags, and I could have set off on a long hike. Things like the REI Flash 65 pack and almost any trail runner or light hikers they had on display are amazingly light.

That might make a good TV show--send people out into a store and have the clock countdown while they pull together the gear for a trip. The reward/punishment is having to spend a week out there using only the stuff they've pulled together. Don't forget a headlamp!

[aaronthebugbuffet]

That might make a good TV show--send people out into a store and have the clock countdown while they pull together the gear for a trip. The reward/punishment is having to spend a week out there using only the stuff they've pulled together. Don't forget a headlamp!

I always thought it would be interesting to go into a store like Walgreens , TSC or any non traditional outfitter and try to put a kit together from scratch to take on an overnight hike.

[Marta]

I always thought it would be interesting to go into a store like Walgreens , TSC or any non traditional outfitter and try to put a kit together from scratch to take on an overnight hike.

That would be fun! I'd make sure to bring matching table cloth and party napkins.:D