New here... ... review my gear?

[mcskinney]

Hello all! I've been lurking for a week or so and thought I'd register and say hey. I found this site while I was doing a bit of Colorado Trail research and am now mulling over the idea of attempting an AT through hike instead.

Anyhoo, I was hoping to get a critique from some of the members here in regards to my gear, this is the setup I use here in the Colorado back country and want to know how well it translates. Any suggestions on what to add/leave/replace are greatly appreciated.

The weights are manufactures weights and/or best guesses.


BIG 4
sleeping bag- REI Halo 25* +
Granite Gear Air Compressor sac 36oz
pack- Granite Gear Virga + Granite Gear Lid 22oz
pad- Thermarest Neo-air 14oz
tent- Golite shangra-la 1 19oz
-+Golite Nest 15oz

Sub total: 106oz (6.62 lbs)

CLOTHING
Sierra Designs Hurricane Jacket 7oz
REI polartec fleece 16oz
patagonia capilene tops n bottoms 14oz
1 pair wool sox 4oz
1 pair liner sox (spare) 2oz
Mountain Hardware Dome Perignon Hat 2oz
The North Face windstopper gloves 2oz
Sub total: 47oz (2.94lbs)

EVERYTHING ELSE
stove- Snow Peak Gigalite 1.9
pot Snow Peak 700 mug 4.25oz
water- Sterapen LCD and 3 1 liter Platypus bags 6.4oz
Litemyfire spork .5oz
MSR small packtowel 2oz
homemade 1st aid 2oz
Hygiene Kit 3oz
Repair kit + spare batteries 2.5oz
Petzl e-lite headlamp 1oz
Whistle and backup light/clock 1oz
2 small stuff sacks (REI) 1oz
Sea to Summit pack cover x-small 3oz
Sea to Summit -summit pack 2.4oz

Sub total: 30.75oz (1.92lbs)



That's 11.48 lbs total (183.75oz) + food/water/fuel

LUXURY ITEMS
REI Lite-Core sit pad 4.4oz
Walmart Sandals 4oz
iPhone 4 + Bumper + cord 5.5oz
Brunton Restore solar charger 8.6oz
16oz Nalgene bottle 4oz
Sub total: 26.5oz (1.65lbs)



Total w/ luxery items: 13.14 lbs (210.25oz)



After just glancing @ my list I can already see a few things I know I can do without. I also have a Caldera cone and SP700 if you think thats better then the gigalite.

Best,

-Mcskinney

[Helios]

The solar charger will be virtually worthless. The Nalgene bottle seems a bit overboard as you are already carrying 3 X 1 liter platypus bags, where as most folks only carry 2 liters.

The sit pad is a definite luxury item I would leave home, but that's up to you and your comfort level. Leaves and dirt, or a good ol' log work for me!

Looks like you are ready to go! Load up and head out for a few days, or atleast an over nighter if possible, with this gear. Posting on here is one things, getting out there with the gear is the only true way to know what you need and will use.

Happy Hiking!

[mcskinney]

Thanks Joe!

I was thinking of using the Brunton just to recharge the phone with its battery, but I guess there are lighter batteries out there for that.

As far as using the gear, its ALL well tested, I hike several hundred miles a year in CO... no thru hikes as of yet though.

I agree the Nalgene is not worth it, i'll use a gatorade, sit pad can go without an arguement.

No thoughts on my water purification or stove? anything like that?

thanks again!

Oh also wanted to give a shout out to Pmags! your site led me to this site. Your end to end guide is the best out there Ive found.

[Rocket Jones]

Personally, I'd take at least more socks. Two pair to swap out daily, and another for sleeping in.

I use AquaMira for water purification. If the Steripen works for you, go for it.

I'd keep the Nalgene too. It's great for filling with hot water and slipping into the foot of your sleeping bag for extra warmth.

4 liters total water capacity isn't too much for overnight (I carry two gatorade and a 2-liter platypus). Having it handy doesn't mean you have to have it full all the time.

[garlic08]

Nice light load. It's good to see the Nalgene as a luxury item on your list.

One question is the sleeping bag compression sack. You probably have enough experience with your pack to know that you need it, but I'd really try to go without it. You should be able to stuff the bag into a trash compactor bag well enough, along with your other insulation, and then omit the pack cover, too. Considering your light load, every ounce really starts to count.

The bag itself may not be warm enough for a start earlier than mid-April. When I started in early April of '08, I had several nights of winter storm weather in the mid-teens and my Marmot Helium 15 kept me on the trail. With that light a load and some experience, though, you might do well with a late April start and keep a better-than-average pace. Then the 25 bag would probably be OK.

If you've never considered stoveless hiking, the AT is a good place to try it. Lots of restaurants and convenience stores along the way if you crave cooked food. I went stoveless on the AT, and met quite a few others doing it. The best part about it is no fuel resupply.

Aquamira is a good way to treat water. There is so much excellent spring water, I used less than one set of bottles (15 gallons worth) on the whole trail, though I did hike early in a wet year.

You're OK with one spare pair of socks. I did it, but I'll admit there were a few times an extra clean pair would have been luxurious. Put it on the luxury list. Same with rain pants, which I don't see on your list. I carried them in the South in April and glad I did.

FWIW, my total base weight on the AT was 10 pounds at the start, 8.5 pounds in the summer. I got my start in CO, too, with the CT as my first long trail back in 1991 when it was new. Welcome to WB and good luck.

[Blissful]

One pair of socks? No way Jose. :) Three pair are my choice.
I used a Granite gear compression sack for my bag (new for me this year) and it was great. Loved it and glad for more room in my pack
I use Aqua Mira for water and a MSR pocket rocket for a stove. I'd never go stoveless myself unless it was summer-only hiking in hot weather. A nice hot meal in the evening before going to bed is great. Stoves can save you if you get hypothermic conditions if its cold windy damp which happens.

[Spokes]

Compare your list with this one (http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4) courtesy Mountain Crossings.

I'd ditch the Steripen and use AquaMira, then ditch the Nalgene and use a Gatorade bottle. Gotta camera? Rope for bear bagging and/or clothesline?

Agree with others- the solar charger is worthless. You don't need compression sacks- they make bricks. You'll get more usable pack space by just stuffing your sleeping bag into your pack so it fills every spare void.


Cheers!

[Luddite]

Stuff I would leave at home:

REI Lite-Core sit pad 4.4oz
Walmart Sandals 4oz
iPhone 4 + Bumper + cord 5.5oz
Brunton Restore solar charger 8.6oz
16oz Nalgene bottle 4oz
Whistle and backup light/clock 1oz
MSR small packtowel 2oz

"I also have a Caldera cone and SP700 if you think thats better then the gigalite."
Yes

Instead of the 3 1 liter Platypus bags, I would use Gatorade bottles.

[mcskinney]

Thanks all! I really appreciate it.

There is about 2 lbs of weight savings being recommended which is awesome!
I think I'd bring the Caldera cone instead of the snow peak, and deffinetly ditch the steripen and spare batteries, ditch the solar charger and replace it with a brunton battery pack (about half the size and weight) to keep my phone topped off.

I'd like to keep the phone for personal reasons, Camera, video, communication, email, weather, internet, a trail journal ect. and the battery pack will allow me to recharge my phone in the field if needs be.

ditch all of my water stuff basically and bring 2 gatorade 1liters, maybe carry an empty 2L platty for dry hauls?

Ive never used aqua mira, is it effective against ALL the nasties?

you guys are very helpful, id imagine i could be sub 10 lbs without too much effort.

I'd also add some toe nail clippers and ear plugs to my list and I already carry a bear line ( 45ft trip tease w/ mini biner) but i forgot to list it above.

I have a STS reactor liner, should I bring that if making an early start? It's 7oz i think.

[Spokes]

Big debate over the AquaMira. You'll see most AT thru's carry it. Double the dose if the water is suspect.

Probably the biggest threat to health on the trail isn't the water but personal hygiene. Don't reach into some else's GORP bag, don't offer yours, and wash your hands often. You should be fine.

[Tinker]

Welcome mcskinney. You travel lighter than I do already. I just do sections so I'm not a good source of info on thruhike gear. I agree, however, that three pair of socks are a good idea. I usually carry three on a week long hike, keeping one pair dry and relatively clean to use inside my sleeping bag, then into town. I do the same with my clothing. My hiking clothes get pretty rank after a few days so I try to change into my (again relatively) clean "camp clothes" after washing up a bit before I hike into town.

[leaftye]

I'll pretty much concur with the others. Ditch the solar charger. You'll need to charge that in town anyway. Don't even bring a spare battery pack. I think it's much better to carry around a small notepad to conserve phone battery power. This allows you to carry one charger instead of two and reduces charging hassle in town. Or swap your iphone for a phone with replaceable batteries...relatively, those batteries weigh very little. Swap the nalgene for a gatorade or disposable water bottle. Use a bandana instead of the packtowel. A sit pad is very nice when temperatures are near or below freezing, but when it's warmer a sheet of tyvek works nicely. You can also save a lot of weight by getting a Gossamer Gear sitpad (1.4 ounces). I'll be carrying a sit pad for the next few months.

I'm not a fan of thermal underwear, but if you're going to carry a big heavy fleece I think you can do without the capilene top.

You have a bunch of little sacks and packs. You should try to get rid of some of that. I can't recommend which to lose because I feel that takes your personal experience to know what to leave at home. I used to use a few sacks too, but now I carry one big stuff sack for my clothing. Almost everything else goes in there too. I carry a couple oven bags or big trash bag for rain protection. Pack covers are a hassle.

In addition to what Spokes said, I wouldn't even reach into your own gorp bag. Either pour it into your mouth or use a disposable spoon. People are scared of disposable spoons, but I have yet to break one on the trail.

[tuswm]

what ever you take, you'll live. I have had several light my fire spork things break so now I use Ti. But if mice carry them off you will never find the Ti color in the dirt. its like camo.

[Montana AT05]

Lots of good advice here, mine will be repetitive.

Advise removing (This assumes an AT thru hike):

1. Solar Charger
2. Pack Towel
3. Whistle/backup light
4. Nalgene

Consider going stoveless (but you will get tired of bars, etc). But stoveless means fast food prep, no clean up, no fuel finding in towns, less weight and volume in your pack. If you do the AT you'll have chances to get a hot meal in towns and for me, the towns and surrounding country side of the AT is what makes the trail special.

Also, stoveless trips tend to encourage me to eat less but more often--every few hours a bar or two. That keeps me energized throughout the day vs waiting for a big meal at night.

I go heavy on socks. I like to have clean and dry socks.

Concerning trail of choice--the Colorado has magnificent views, but if you want a thru-hike experience (which is much MUCH more than views, I advise the AT). To me, the AT is an experience, whereas something like the CO trail is more like a vacation.

Welcome to Whiteblaze.

[jhensley]

You're already extremely light, I'd take the sit pad just to have somewhere nice to sit after long days of hiking. It's not like it's made out of lead.