Here's my gear list (Summer 2013 thru-hike)-- ideas?

[RodentWhisperer]

I'm in the process of planning for a summer 2013 thru-hike (starting from Waterton Canyon the first week of July). This will be my first "thru-hike", unless one counts 120+ miles on the North Country Trail. :) Since that's true, I want to make sure everything is planned to the Nth degree.

I've grouped the gear into a few different areas (packing, shelter/sleep, clothes packed, cooking/hydration, survival, hygiene, gadgets, and stuff worn/carried). I've not included anything that could be defined as "consumable" (food/water, sunscreen, bug repellant, toothpaste, soap) except for cooking fuel, hand sanitizer, and water treatment. According to my own scale, it comes out to 232.5 oz (14 lb 8.5 oz).

Now, for some apologies:
1) "my own scale" is an old, analogue kitchen scale, so my weights aren't as accurate as they could be with a digital scale. If you know of some gross errors, let me know.
2) I've yet to trim the hip belt, shoulder straps, etc. from the pack, so I suspect it will be 1-3 ounces lighter.
3) I've tried very hard to find some common ground between wants/needs, weight savings/cost savings. Sometimes I just can't find any justification for spending mucho $$$$ in order to cut an ounce. I know that will penalize me, but I'm prepared to deal with the consequences. ;)



Backpack
Go Lite Pinnacle size L
32.0


Pack Cover/Liner
Z-Packs cuben fiber pack cover size L
1.1


Stuff Sack (Clothing)
3B Bag, 3L
0.1


Stuff Sack (Sleeping Bag)
3B Bag, 3L
0.1


Stuff Sack (Food+Cooking Gear)
old Kelty, modified, 14.5L
0.6







Shelter
Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 (guy lines trimmed)
27.7


Stakes
5 Ti shepherd hook + 1 DAC V-stake
1.5


Sleeping Bag
Vaude IcePeak 150, 45°
22.5


Sleeping Pad
Thermarest NeoAir size S
8.9


Sleeping Bag Liner
Cocoon Silk Mummy Liner
4.7


Pillow
Cocoon UL Air Core
3.6







Thermal Top
Terramar Thermasilk EC2, size M
3.4


Thermal Bottoms
Terramar Thermasilk EC2, size M
3.4


Jacket/Vest
Sierra Designs down vest, size MT
7.3


Rain Jacket
OR Helium, size L
6.8


Shell Pants
Montbell Dynamo, size M
2.4


Hiking Socks
Merino wool 1/4 crew + liners
2.1


Warm Hat
old black fleece
0.6







Cooking Stove
SnowPeak Giga Power, manual
2.8


Fuel Bottle/Canister
SnowPeak Giga Power 110
6.4


Cook Pot
SnowPeak 600 (w/Hot Lips and a silicon lid)
3.2


FBC Cozy
MYOG
1.0


Spoon
Light My Fire spork
0.2


Ignition
Mini Bic
0.2


Water Bottles
Eldorado Water bottles, 2, 1L
1.8


Water Bladder
70 oz Platypus Hoser (replaced drink tube with a screw cap)
1.1


Water Treatment
AquaMira
3.0


Pre-filter
Steripen FitsAll
1.2







Compass
Suunto M3-D (lanyard removed)
1.2


Trail Maps/Guidebook
Colorado Trail Data Book & Maps
3.5


Light
Princeton Tech Microlight
0.3


First Aid Kit
MYOG (all the usuals in a Ziploc bag)
2.9


Knife
Schrade UL Mini-Knife
2.1


Rope/Cord
40' Z-Packs 1.5mm Z-line, yellow
0.6


Repair kit
MYOG: matches, tape, glue, wire, needle, thread, patches
1.0







Toilet Paper
TP (off the roll, in a Ziploc bag)
0.8


Hand Sanitizer
Store brand, 2 oz
1.8


Toothbrush
Travel toothbrush
0.2


Camp Towel
old bandannas (2)
1.4


Clippers
old school nail clippers
0.5







Cell Phone
LG Remarq
2.7


Camera
old Kodak digital
5.4


Spare Batteries
for camera
1.0


Battery Charger
LG
1.6


Trail Journal
MYOG (5x8 in, 50 sheets, stapled into a cut down manila folder)
2.0


Pen/Pencil
El Cheapo (found plenty of them on the sidewalks)
0.1







Worn shirt
old Zoic long sleeve
4.0


Worn shorts
Sugoi Trail Runners, size M
6.0


Worn socks
Merino wool 1/4 crew + liners
2.1


Worn shoes
New Balance MT573 trail runners
22.8


Worn sunglasses
Rudi Project (w/prescription lenses)
1.0


Sun Hat
white baseball hat (w/bandanna for a neck shade)
1.8


Trekking Poles
Komperdell Trekker (baskets removed)
16.0

[TOMP]

Very good list, some of your weighs may actually be heavier than reality as well (Atleast thats my experience with non-digital scales). I think the hardest part from now on is waiting the year and a half before you get to go (will be torture).

Also since your using trail runners I would have 2-4 pairs bought and broken in ready to be shipped as they wear out. If you havent bought them check out Inov-8 they make some pretty sweet shoes.

[Tyler]

Nice complete list!

I would possibly consider a different sleeping bag. Even with the liner you're looking at 35...not sure what July temps will bring, but in mid to late August at higher altitudes I was chilly a few nights in a 20 bag. Your down vest will certainly help with that if you decide on bringing that.

Definitely bring a rain jacket...I was very happy that I had one. You're going to get wet, no question about that.

I wore Montrail "AT Plus" trail runners. One pair lasted me just fine. I've still wearing them almost daily. Not much left of them now.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

Looks good! - you've obviously done a lot of thinking and planning...

I'd second Tyler's concern on the sleeping bag. Unless you sleep really warm, 45° even with a liner may not be sufficient. It's not uncommon to have a few nights with frost.

One pair of shoes was sufficient for me as well...

[Mags]

Dittto on the 45F bag. I see you live in Colorado, you may have that dialed-in..but generally a 45F bag is too cold for CO in all but perhaps the High Plains in summer.

Otherwise, think you are GTG! :)

[RodentWhisperer]

Thanks, everyone! I knew there would be some concerns about my choice of bags. Mags, I especially trust your judgment. And TOMP, you're making me even more wanting a digital scale (despite the fact my wife already calls me a 'geeky nerd' or a 'nerdy geek' when it comes to my gear)!

I was going back/forth about it, myself. I'm a reasonably warm sleeper. The Vaude-- without the liner, but with mid-weight thermal clothing-- has served me well on August weekends in Rocky Mountain NP and Indian Peaks (at elevations of ~10K - 11K). I've a Kelty Cosmic Down 20, though; it's performed well in early spring/late fall weekends. I've used the liner in the Kelty on a winter weekend, with lows in the teens-- no serious chills (although some noticeable cold spots).

My indecision led me to make something of a coin-flip decision, based largely upon weight (the Vaude + liner = 27.2 oz; the Kelty alone = 40 oz.), and the (delusional?) idea that "if I'm cold, I can put on the down vest"-- despite the fact the Kelty would be the more practical, and reliable, choice.

I don't have the $$$ to purchase another bag, so it's either the Kelty or the Vaude + liner. The general consensus looks to be that the additional weight (12.8 oz!) is worth it.

What say you? Do you think the Kelty is "worth its weight"? Or, put another way, is the reward of lighter pack weight worth the risk?

[Mags]

I'd go with the 20F bag. As you probably know, a cold snap can happen anytime in the CO high country.

FWIW, I use a 20F for all my three season backpacking.

Shaving 12 oz off a pack is not worth it for such a drastic reduction in warmth (esp. with the CO conditions) in my opinion.

Good luck!

[RodentWhisperer]

One more thing. I just got through looking at Kelty's website, and they list the Cosmic's EN comfort limit as 32 degrees; that figure of 45 degrees for the Vaude is its EN comfort limit (modified from the metric figure, of course; technically, it's 44-point-something degrees Fahrenheit).

[RodentWhisperer]

I trust you on this one, Mags. Any ideas for reducing total pack weight, in order to compensate for the additional 12 oz?

[Cookerhiker]

Also agree with a warmer bag. On our hike (July 24-Aug 30), maybe a 45 degree bag would suffice half the nights but you'll still have nights in the 30s and possibly 20s. We had frost in the Lost Creek Meadow on only our 4th night. Later on from Eddiesville Trailhead all the way to Silverton, you're at high elevation and will experience many cold nights.

Since your vest is down, make sure your rain jacket really is waterproof.

[Hole-In-The-Hat]

You could save some ounces on your pack, though it would cost $. I've been using a 7.1 ounce silnylon pack from ZPacks that is working well for me...

[StubbleJumper]

A single new-ish pair of trail runners will be fine for the entire trail, but they'll be in pretty rough shape after nearly 500 miles. I actually threw mine in the garbage when I got to Durango. But, I have to say, they are perfect for the CT as the trail is rarely very rugged, and they dry out very quickly in the dry climate.

I would also suggest that a 45 degree bag will be chilly. I had frost on three nights during my end-to-end hike last summer and there were numerous other nights that would have been in the high-30s.

It's not clear to me why you would need both the Steripen and Aquamira. Most of the water along the trail is excellent quality and Aquamira alone is probably sufficient. There were a number of places where I opted to not even treat the water, but you need to be a little careful about that as sheep and cattle are grazed in the most surprising places (like really, should you expect to find sheep and cattle at 11,000 feet!!??).

Also, if you are hiking in shorts, you may need to wear sunscreen as you will be bombarded by UV every day (sometimes it sucks to be a white guy). I actually preferred to hike in long pants and long sleeves to avoid sunburns and the hassle of always re-applying sunscreen.

[RodentWhisperer]

@StubbleJumper, the Steripen option is a Prefilter, not the UV treatment device. I've a Steripen Adventurer Opti, which I only use for weekend treks with my wife (because her sensitive palate can detect the taste of any chemical treatment). And I plant to take sunscreen; it's not here because I consider it a "consumable."

@Hole-in-the-Hat, I'm not sure I could justify the cost of yet another new pack... although Z-pack's Blast and SixMoon's Starlite are attractively cheap... maybe I need to look into my savings account some more. :)

[echoes]

Your list looks good. I agree with everyone else about bringing a warmer sleeping bag. I had a couple nights below freezing a couple years ago near Breck/Copper in July. It also can get pretty cold in the San Juans since you'll probably be camping above 12k. I'd also recommend some gloves.

You can definitely ditch the pre-filter. If necessary, use a bandanna instead. Get rid of the pillow too if you want to trim a few more ounces. Otherwise I think you're ready!

[RodentWhisperer]

@echoes, thanks for the support! The Vaude bag is no longer under consideration-- it literally was something of a coin toss, anyway.

As for the pre-filter and the pillow... the pillow is absolutely irreplaceable-- I've never slept so soundly on the trail as I have since I started using it. Sometimes, as my dad said, ya gotta take what ya got comin' to ya, and for me, that's the burden of an extra 3.6 oz.

Now the pre-filter is something I thought I'd get some comments on. Although I know using a bandanna is traditional, for some reason, that idea makes me quiver. Maybe it's because I haven't seen any technical specs on the bandanna cloth's porosity, or maybe it's because I've read too much about mountain stream ecology. Or I could just be a wimp. Maybe I need to test it myself this summer...?

[Cookerhiker]

2 points on the subject of water:

1. I affirm your decision to carry both 2 1-liter bottles plus a bladder. There are some stretches where you need not have them all full while hiking but they will give you options for dry camping especially in the nearly 60 miles between Marshall Pass and the first approach to Cochetopa Creek. In that stretch, only one reliable water source appears trailside - Tank Seven Creek. Other sources are either off-trail (Baldy Lake 1/2 mile downhill) or iffy as to their availability. Another long dry stretch comes in Segment 26 after crossing Straight Creek where incidentally, the terrain prevents you from camping in a tent unless you like rocky bottoms and/or 45 degree inclines.


...There were a number of places where I opted to not even treat the water, but you need to be a little careful about that as sheep and cattle are grazed in the most surprising places (like really, should you expect to find sheep and cattle at 11,000 feet!!??).
...

2. The worst such place - at 10K' - is Lost Creek Meadow which we hit on Day 4.

[q-tip]

I just finished my gear for the CT this summer. Based on everything I know and my experience on the AT in March, I am bringing a WM Alpinlite. Great List!!!

[wandering_bob]

Definitely a warmer bag! I've done two short shots on the CT covering segments 1 thru 7 during July and August. I saw 20° mornings every morning in segment 7 in early August. I carried my 25° WM bag and was quite comfortable with only that and a 150 weight Icebreaker base layer top and bottom plus wool socks.

[LIVEtough]

HYOH and start walking ...gear is dialed. now start walking and let the trail teach you. You will thank yourself later for doing this. great job. ps if you dont think you need it by Nels gap leave it there in the hiker box and start doing thritys..learn to say Its ok when it gets crazy and trust God ...

[Mags]

HYOH and start walking ...gear is dialed. now start walking and let the trail teach you. You will thank yourself later for doing this. great job. ps if you dont think you need it by Nels gap leave it there in the hiker box and start doing thritys..learn to say Its ok when it gets crazy and trust God ...

If the Colorado Trail hiker above went to Neels Gap, he'd be in trouble. ;)

[GlobeTrotter]

@echoes, thanks for the support! The Vaude bag is no longer under consideration-- it literally was something of a coin toss, anyway.

As for the pre-filter and the pillow... the pillow is absolutely irreplaceable-- I've never slept so soundly on the trail as I have since I started using it. Sometimes, as my dad said, ya gotta take what ya got comin' to ya, and for me, that's the burden of an extra 3.6 oz.


Have you ever tried just using your hiking fleece sweater for a pillow? That is my system and i sleep great.

[RodentWhisperer]

Have you ever tried just using your hiking fleece sweater for a pillow?

Yes, I have (admittedly, it was a fleece jacket and not a sweater). Still, I had to bunch it up so much in order to maintain the positions of my head and neck, that it was uncomfortable.

[Maddog]

Very good list, some of your weighs may actually be heavier than reality as well (Atleast thats my experience with non-digital scales). I think the hardest part from now on is waiting the year and a half before you get to go (will be torture).

Also since your using trail runners I would have 2-4 pairs bought and broken in ready to be shipped as they wear out. If you havent bought them check out Inov-8 they make some pretty sweet shoes.

+1 on a well thought out list and +1 on Inov-8! Maddog:D

[juma]

I found a small tarp to set up as a front porch to be just extremely useful. Mine was a 6oz cuben that allowed me to sit outside in the late afternoon while a thunderstorm rolled by.