Ct 2012 gear list-help

[q-tip]

Need Help

Trying to get my gear list together for the CT next year. Any comments very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Q-tip

Colorado Trail Gear List-2012




Big Three:
Weight Oz.
Weight Lbs.







· GG Crown 60 Pack w/ lid-
39.0



o Pack Cover-
1.2



· Tent-TT Contrail-
26.7



o Ground Cloth-
0.0



o Stakes (10)-
3.5



o Stuff Sack-
2.2



· WM 15 Degree Down Bag
45.0



o Stuff Sacks (2)
5.2



· Neo Air Mattress
16.0



o Suff Sack
0.5








Total:
139.3
8.71




Clothing (Carried)











· Mont Bell Dynamo Wind Pants-
7.0




· Marmot Mica Jacket-
7.0




· Marmot Dri-Climb Vest
6.0




· Mont Bell Down Camp Jacket-
6.6
26.60
1.66


· Capaline Mid-Weight Sleep Shirt-
6.4




· Capaline Mid-Weight Sleep Leggings-
6.4
39.40
2.46


· Sleep Socks (1)-
2.0




· Hiking Socks (X-tra-1)-
2.8




· Sock Liners (X-tra-2)-
1.8




· UA Hiking Leggings-
6.7




· Fleece Hat (1)-
1.7




· Fleece Gloves(1 pr.)-
2.1




· Garbage Bag Rain Shirt-
2.1




· Garbage Bag Rain Skirt-
1.8




· Plastic Hand covers (3)-
0.5




· Extra Plastic Bags-
2.0




· Bandana (2)
1.2




· Running Hat-
2.0




· Stuff Sack-
1.5




· Balaclava-
2.0
















Total:
69.6
4.35















Hygiene/Medical/Emergency/Stuff











· Tooth Brush-Toothpaste
2.0




· Ultraight Mirror-
0.0




· First Aid Kit-
1.3




o Medical Tape-
-




o Gauze-1 Roll-
-




o 3 Band Aids-
-




o 3 Alcohol Wipes-
-




o Tweezer-





· Toilet Paper-
1.0




· Hand Sanitizer-
1.0




· Vitamin I-
2.0




· Medications-
3.0




· Sun Screen-
0.0




· Lip Balm-
0.0




· Sun Glasses-
0.0




· Duct Tape-
1.0




· Emergency Kit-
1.3




o Needle-Thread-
-




o Safety Pins (4)-
-




o Tent-Pad Repair Kit-
-




· Bic Lighter (1)-
0.4




· Waterproof Matches (1 Box)-
0.3




· Spare Batteries-
0.0




· Pen-Paper-
0.5




· Head Lamp-
3.0




· Trail Maps-
5.0




· Deet-
1.0




· Pillow Cover
1.7




· Stuff Sack-
0.8










Total:
25.3
1.58









Cook System:











· Soto Stove-
3.3




· Fuel (8 oz)-
8.0




· Cook Pot-
4.8




· Spoon-
0.6




· Stuff Sack (Stove)-
0.8




· Stuff Sack (Food)-
1.6




· Bear Rope-
1.5




· Towel-
0.5




· Pot Stabilizer
1.0




· Bic Lighter-
0.4










Total:
22.5
1.41









Water Treatment:











· Steri Pen w/ Batteries-Case-
4.6




· Chemical Tabs (2 Bottles)-
1.1




· Nalgene UL Water Bottle (1)-
3.0




· Camelback Bladder (100 oz)-
9.4










Total:
18.1
1.13









Wearing:











· Ex Officio Long Sleeve Shirt-
7.1




· Running Shorts-
3.2




· Hiking Socks-
2.8




· Sock Liners-
0.9




· Hiking Poles-Leki-
19.4




· Salomon GTX Train Runers
34.0




· Camera-Olympus 3000+ Batteries
6.0




· Camera/Map Case-
3.5




· Reading Glasses (1)-
1.3




· Knife/Whistle/Compass-
1.4




· Watch/Chest Strap (Ht Rate Monitor)-
3.2




· Knee Braces-
0.0










Total:
82.8
5.18









Electronics:











· MP3/Headphones/Charger-
1.0




· Cell Phone/Charger-
2.0




· Camera Charger-
2.0










Total:
5.0
0.31















Other:











· Ditty Bag-
1.2




o Credit Cards (2)-
-




o Cash-
-




o Drivers License-
-




o Insurance Card-
-




o Phone Card-
-




o Extra Reading Glasses (1)-
1.3




o Emergency Numbers-
-










Total:
2.5
0.16















Food-Water











Water Carried-
21.0




Food-5 Days-1.5 Lbs/Day
120.0










Totals:
141.0
8.81















Grand Totals:











Base Weight In Pack
282.3
17.64









Weight Worn
82.8
5.18









Skin-Out Base Weight
365.1
22.82









Total Base Weight Pack + Food + Water
423.3
26.46









Weight Worn
82.8
5.18









Skin-Out Weight Total
506.1
31.63























































































Total
130.5

[Cookerhiker]

I'm not a gearhead or a gram weenie but I thruhiked the CT this year so I have some perspective. It would help to know when you're starting your hike. June 1? July 20? August 15? I say that because from my experience - starting July 24, ending August 30 - I think you're over-preparing for cold weather.

If you peruse my journal (link below), you'll note that we had many warm days; I was swatting mosquitos in 70 degree morning temps at 12K' at Georgia Pass. Even some of the nights were warm.

Example: I brought my winter 15 degree synthetic sleeping bag and regretted it. I wish instead I had my 45 degree down bag along with my Sea-to-Summit liner which wicks moisture and adds 15 degrees to a sleeping bag's tolerance. I would have saved both bulk and weight. There were maybe 3 nights that would have been uncomfortable in which case, I'd have worn my fleece or some other layer in the bag.

It also seems like you have more top layers than necessary. I never wore more than 3 and even then, it was usually only in the early morning in camp. I hiked in a short-sleeved polypro shirt, changed into a long-sleeved shirt in camp, and layered up with a fleece sweater when necessary and a Marmot precip rain jacket. Also not sure why you need both a fleece hat and balaclava. I don't know what a "running hat" is. I had a baseball cap for sunny days and a fleece hat for nights and sometimes at the start of each day's hike. My rain jacket had a hood. Incidentally we were early birds, rising at 5 and on the Trail by 6. If you're a late sleeper, you have even less of a need for warm clothes.

Re your 5 days of food, keep in mind the stretch from Salida to Creede is 90 miles and furthermore, the access to Creede is via a one-mile side trail followed by a 4WD road upon which you may get a ride, not guaranteed. I'd bring at least 6 days of food when leaving Salida.

Finally, I note you're bringing both a Steripen and chemical tablets. Is the latter a backup in case the former fails? I brought Aqua Mira and it worked out fine plus you avoid the weight of a Steripen.

The CT is magnificent! You'll get some other good advice from WB's CT forum including a link to Mags' excellent on-line guide of the CT which he keeps very up-to-date. I also recommend the thread on resupply options. (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?67659-Colorado-Trail-Trail-resupply-points) Happy trails! Hope you get to enjoy that brew at Carvers in Durango.

www.trailjournals.com/CookerhikerCT11
(http://www.trailjournals.com/CookerhikerCT11)

[q-tip]

Thanks Cooker;

My plan is to leave July 1, and I thought I might be bringing too much cold weather gear. I have a 19 oz WM 32 d WMbag. and a silk insert. Will that work???? Could I use silk instead of wool sleepwear?? I also am up at 5:00 and out by 6:00. Steripen is a need for me-dehydrate quick...

Thanks Much

[Cookerhiker]

Thanks Cooker;

My plan is to leave July 1, and I thought I might be bringing too much cold weather gear. I have a 19 oz WM 32 d WMbag. and a silk insert. Will that work???? Could I use silk instead of wool sleepwear?? I also am up at 5:00 and out by 6:00. Steripen is a need for me-dehydrate quick...

Thanks Much

Don't know much about silk liners in particular but I'd think any liner would be OK if your bag is 32 degrees (is that an honest rating?).

The other consideration for a July 1 start is I was told that the first 3 weeks of July is the "monsoon season" and from what I saw on trailjournals and heard from other hikers, those who started then experienced more rain than I did with my July 24 start. I had rain of varying degrees about 3/4 of my days but it was more frequent and heavier in early July. You may want to consult Mags about this. Personally, I'd want to know if it rains in the morning; when I hiked, the one thing I could count on was a dry morning no matter what occurred the previous afternoon or evening. And packing up in morning rain is the worst thing backpacking.

[StubbleJumper]

I started mid-July, so I experienced all types of weather ranging from 100 degrees down to low-60s and very windy at 12,000' altitude. You definitely need to have one set of warm clothing for camp, but you probably don't need it while you're hiking as you normally generate plenty of heat. I had frost on three nights, so you need some combination of warm clothes plus a sleeping bag that will take you down to the high-20s or low-30s (I had about a 40 degree bag, but I also wore a capilene underwear, a primaloft jacket and a hat while sleeping on the three cold nights).

The one thing that I'd take a careful look at is your rain gear. I was rained on several times while hiking, and was fortunate to have already set up my tent just before getting hammered by thunderstorms on at least a half-dozen other days. For a 30 day hike, you need to plan on a rain shower on AT LEAST 10 days. It's no biggie, as the rain normally lasts 10-30 minutes and then the sky clears up....and it's a dry enough climate that your stuff dries out quickly in the warm sun. However, you may have a number of occasions when you are cold and uncomfortable if you do not have adequate rain gear.

Sun will be a factor in Colorado. Most days you will get bright sunshine from first thing in the morning until the 4-5pm thunderstorms...and then probably more sunshine after the thunderstorms are finished. You have zero weight associated with sunscreen, sunglasses and lip balm. I needed all three of those, and would recommend that you also carry them.

As CookerHiker suggested, you should also consider the possibility of carrying more than 5 days of food on occasion. In particular, it's roughly 105 miles from Denver to Breck with not much in between. For me, that was a 7-day haul. I caught a ride into Gunnison with Apple to re-supply, so I did not stop in Creede, but rather did the Gunnison to Silverton stretch which was also around 105 miles or a 7-day haul. Given the limited number of full-service towns and the fact that the logistics of getting in and out of some of the small towns can be a challenge, I just found it easier to haul heavy for those two stretches instead of fooling around with mail-drops and hitching into smaller towns. YMMV.

Finally, you are showing a few ounces for maps, but nothing for the guidebook or databook. The databook probably only weighs 2 or 3 oz, but that dang guidebook weighs a ton. If you can bring yourself to do it, one strategy is to cut out all the useless crap out of your guidebook to save weight, and discard the obsolete sections as you progress through your hike. I didn't carry the guidebook, but in retrospect, I probably would have benefited from it and should have just hacked it into pieces....

[Cookerhiker]

I started mid-July, so I experienced all types of weather ranging from 100 degrees down to low-60s and very windy at 12,000' altitude. .....The one thing that I'd take a careful look at is your rain gear. I was rained on several times while hiking, and was fortunate to have already set up my tent just before getting hammered by thunderstorms on at least a half-dozen other days. For a 30 day hike, you need to plan on a rain shower on AT LEAST 10 days. It's no biggie, as the rain normally lasts 10-30 minutes and then the sky clears up....and it's a dry enough climate that your stuff dries out quickly in the warm sun. However, you may have a number of occasions when you are cold and uncomfortable if you do not have adequate rain gear.
....

I'd like to add my $.02 to Stubble Jumper's excellent points about rain. First of all ratio-wise, I hiked 36 days of which 21 had some degree of rain, ranging from short light drizzle to heavy downpours with strong winds. And some of the 15 non-rain days were short ones, i.e. days I ended in towns for resupply e.g. the days I arrived at Breck, Leadville, and Salida. So the message is: you will have rain, count on it.

Secondly, the stereotype of showers appearing mid-afternoon and blowing by fairly shortly sometimes occurs....but not always. Sometimes showers appear around 3, it's sunny by 4 or 4:30, then more showers come in by 6 with further waves of rain/sun/rain. And then there's days when the rain comes sooner. They say to camp below the passes, start early, and get over the passes before mid-afternoon. That worked for us most of the time but in the last leg (Silverton-to-Durango) the rain hit us atop the saddles before noon one day and at 1:00 the next. The noon rain was our heaviest; the Trail was saturated and so were we. And the sun never came out the rest of the day - so much for drying out stuff. Now of course it dried the next day eventually because the best thing about the CT is you can count on dry sunny mornings. That's why it's important to get those early starts as you said you would. So our experience ran from a few days without rain to rain occuring as early as noon and as late as 9-10 PM; on the latter, the longest sustained rain was a 3 hour steady soaker one night which my tent couldn't handle.

Thirdly, rain especially at the higher elevations can bring hail and a consequent plunge in temperatures.

The point is make sure your pack cover, rain gear, and tent/fly are sufficiently waterproof.

[q-tip]

Thanks all.

I just can't seem to get past a 17 lb pack after I have taken out all of the extras. I am not an ultralighter, is the 17 lbs seemingly ok for the CT???

Thanks again,

Q-tip