Pack Weight?

[Tree Nerd]

So in prep for my Thru I have been fine tuning my gear. Yesterday I signed out an electric scale from one of my professors to start weighing out my gear. I compiled a pretty impresses excel spread sheet that includes EVERYTHING I plan to take with me. Anyway, after weighing everything out I came up with 33lbs, including stove fuel, but not including food or water. On a day over 50 with no rain or high winds my pack would weigh roughly 28lbs and on a day under 30 with no snow or high winds my pack would weigh 26lbs. These weights are the highest they will be throughout my Thru (excluding food or water), they will be lighter in the summer when I send some of my winter stuff home, say 4 or 5 lbs lighter.

I know there is room for improvement, but is that a fairly good weight to be at?

Here is the list if that helps:

19738

What do you guys think?

[CarlZ993]

I can't read the spreadsheet. Print is too small in the jpeg. You might try saving it as a google doc w/ a link (or use geargrams.com). Having a scale is your first step in lowering your pack weight.

The term I use is 'Base Pack Weight.' Some people have different definitions of what this means. To me, this includes everything but food, fuel, and water. These are consumables that will change while on the hike (more after a resupply, less just before getting a resupply). My plan is to be well under 20 lbs (shooting for around 12 - 15) with my base pack weight. With your pack weight being upper 20's before food, I'd serious look at ways to lighten your load further.

Fortunately, the beginning of the trail (assuming you're going NOBO) offers several opportunities to mail unneeded equipment home. See if you can save yourself some money by culling out the excessive stuff before you go. Your young joints might be able to handle it. I know my old bones can't. Regardless, have fun on your hike. I hope you're able to complete your thru.

[BirdBrain]

Print is not too small (on my screen anyways). Click on the picture. It gets much larger.

[BirdBrain]

Others will be more helpful, I am sure.
Rain gear could be lighter by skipping rain-pants and using packa as jacket and pack cover.
Sleeping setup (between bag, liner, and pad) seems a bit heavy.
Leave the cards home.
A lot of this is preference. Just my preferences speaking.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

Your base weight looks higher than it should as you have included items that most people don't count as pack weight eg. hiking poles, boots, clothes worn while actually hiking.... take those out for a better comparison.... But regardless, it is not a ridiculous weight to start with & you will figure out more reductions as you go !!!

Head out feeling confident & safe with what you are carrying & change it as you get experience on the trail.

[punkin pie]

My pack wieght befor food and water is 32 lbs. Don't obsess about wieght. take just what you think YOU need.

[garlic08]

I agree it's hard to judge someone else's pack. There's no way you'd ever want to hike with MY pack, and I wouldn't hike with anyone else's. But since you asked....It was hard to read your list on my small screen, but I noticed you have roughly 60 items in your list, which is pretty typical. My list, with similar detail (one lump sum "first aid kit", for instance), has about 25 items and totals up to under 10 pounds. The best way I've found to drop weight is to leave stuff behind. But that took many trips over many seasons, slowly gaining experience and confidence along the way. You'll figure it out, probably not all at once.

[Tree Nerd]

You can see the picture bigger.....click on it: a smll screen will pop up with it, click that and another window will pop up with it even larger. Click on it again and it will magnify the picture. Let me know if you all have any more problems viewing it and I can link a file.

[Malto]

Agree with Garlic on this one. Cut as much as you're comfortable with and then hike. You will have hours to think about what is next to drop. You often see a lot of "surplus" equipment on the approach trail up to Springer. While I'm a big believer in lightweight, an extra lb of gear won't kill you. Experience will be the best teacher in finding the right balance between weight, comfort, safety and luxury.

[swjohnsey]

Plenty of folks have hiked the trail with 45 + pound packs. It is easier with a lighter pack. You can do it with a 20 pound pack including food and water without doing without anything you need.

[Prime Time]

Very personal choices, to be sure. If it were me, I'd carry a smart phone which would act as my phone, camera, journal, library, music, internet connection.
2 pairs of socks is plenty.
My first aid kit weighs 5 ounces.
Why 2 stoves?
I'd ditch the Camelback and the Nalgene bottle. Use two empty 1 liter gatorade bottles. You will need a 4 or 6 liter camp water container which weighs about 4 ounces.
I purify water with a Steripen. Weighs 3.5 oz.
1 small Bic lighter is all you need for fire starting. Just change it out every 3 weeks or so BEFORE it runs out. No need to carry a spare.
Same goes for extra batteries. Just change them out before they run out. Experience is obviously helpful for this.
Do you really need the belt?
For your AT guide, just carry what you need for the upcoming section and pick up future sections in mail drops.
Lastly, that's a pretty heavy pack, especially if you can get another 3 or 4 pounds of gear out of it. Look at Granite Gear ultra light packs. About half the weight.

[swjohnsey]

Granite Gear made in China. ULA made in the USA. It is a good idea to have two ways of making fire.

[leaftye]

There's a lot of redundancy in there. Why is that?


Firestarters
You're on a social trail. If one fire starter doesn't work, camp with someone that has one that works until you get back into town in a couple days and can get a new fire starter.

First aid kit
Same as above.

Stoves
Pick one. Both are reliable. It won't kill you if your stove doesn't work.

Pack out or skin out weight
Your spreadsheet doesn't accurately represent what will be in your pack.




In any case, a good weight is the weight you're comfortable with. Some people are comfortable with a 30 pound base weight, but others can't stand having more than 12 pounds on their back with food and water.

Let's say you want to go lighter. Will you achieve that goal by changing your techniques or by spending money?

[4shot]

WB is a good resource and you are getting/will get great advice. With that being said, pack weight is probably the passionate and most-often discussed topic by those in the planning stage but is, in actuality, probably one of the least important items in finishing a thru hike. I knew plenty of hikers that got off along the way - I don't think if they had carried 2 less pounds that they would have stayed on. Just one opinion of course.I'm sure others will disagree with this.

as others have said, just start with what you think you need. You will adjust/adapt along the way. It's rare to see anyone who is serious about a thru and has done any sort of preparation show up at K or S with 50-60 lb. packs. Too much information is available these days.

[AllTheWayToMordor]

I hiked the Colorado trail with a similar weight (mine was heavier actually). I had the heaviest pack of the group I was with, and I was also the slowest hiker. But, I got through it. For my 2013 thru on the AT my goal was to substantially lighten my load. My pack is now less than 20# for cold weather, but it cost me some dolars.

You'll be fine with that to start, and I bet it will get lighter. Be careful starting out though. I sprained my ankle the first week of the ct and had to tape it for the rest of the month. Had it been a 6 month trip it would have been a problem.

The only specifics I have are to lighten your sleep system. The pad could be lighter, the bag liner cod be lighter. And its not clear, are you taking 2 stoves?

[AllTheWayToMordor]

Also, chacos are pretty heavy for camp shoes. Look on sale racks. I just found some Patagonia moccasin type shoes that weight less than 5 oz each for $30.

[Tree Nerd]

Thanks for all the info and opinions guys, I just want to clarify some stuff. So overall weight (everything I will take with me including the stuff that will be worn on my body) is 33lbs, as of right now my pack weight w/o food or water will vary between 28 and 25lbs.

So onto my redundancy and items in question:
-Stoves: This is one that probably most confusing to everyone. So the alcohol stove is my main stove and I will use it the most. The vargo is used as a wind screen and pot stand for my alcohol stove. The vargo also doubles as a wood burning stove encase anything happens to my alcohol stove (crushed, cracked, run out of fuel).
-Stove fuel: So the reason I have such a big fuel bottle is because I use grain alcohol. Almost an entire fifth of grain alcohol will fit in the bottle, this way, I can buy alcohol once and I am good for a couple weeks without having throw much out or carry the bottle with me. Also, if I am real desperate I can drink some alcohol (real desperate....grain alcohol is so nasty) and still have some to cook with.
-Fire Starter: I am a big fire fan. I can defiantly drop the candle and magnesium stick, but keep the lint and fire starters encase I want/need to start a fire easily, they also help with the wood burning stove.
-Extra Batteries: I am really bad about turning off my headlamp and sometime I can get it to die in one day if I am not careful. I bring extra batteries because I don't trust myself.
-AT guide: The wieght listed is the weight of the total loose leaf guide, I only plan to take half or quarter of it at a time. I just put total weight so I wasn't under estimating.
-Water Containers: I definitely need to do something about this, I just haven't found anything I like yet. I like having a camelbak but don't like it in my pack, in result I have to strap it to the outside and need the camelbak pack for that. The nalgene will be replaced with a Gatorade bottle for my thru, I just listed my nalgene because I didnt have a Gatorade bottle to use (again I would rather over estimate than under).
-First Aid Kit: This "first aid" is not only for me but all my gear, it includes tent and pad patches, thread and needle, nail clippers, super small scissors, tweezers as well as meds, bandaids, and some other stuff. It started as a 4 person kit because I like the size of the bag (i could put all my other "first aid" stuff in it) and I can definitely refine it and drop some stuff.
-Sleeping Pad: I can definitely get a lighter pad, but as of right now its what I have until I get more funds.
-Sleeping Pad Liner: I am not sure I will bring this yet. I just made it and haven't used it yet except for sleeping at friends houses. I still have to try it out with my bag to decide if I want to take it.
-Rain Gear: I can definitely go lighter, but as of right now its what I have until I get more funds.

Again, thanks everyone for reviewing my stuff and giving me some pointers. I am hiking about 70 miles of the Foothills Trail in less than a Month with everything Listed. That will be a good test run for my gear set-up.

Overall, I think I have a good pack weight. Before I weighed everything out I thought I was going to have around a 35lb. pack weight and I completely overestimated. Currently at roughly 28-25lbs there is some room for improvement, but only by a 2-5lbs. Also, I agree that pack weight isn't the most important part in completing a thru hike, but in preparation, I would like to get it as low as possible without sacrificing stuff I want or my wallet.

[yellowsirocco]

Your backup stove should be your ability to make a campfire and cook on it.

[Tree Nerd]

Also, chacos are pretty heavy for camp shoes. Look on sale racks. I just found some Patagonia moccasin type shoes that weight less than 5 oz each for $30.

The chacos have not been listed on there yet for weight because I have not yet received them. They are the newest model they have come out with (still on backorder), the chaco rex, and they are suppose to be 40% lighter than older chacos; a little over one pound for the pair. I am not sure if I will bring them yet, they are more of a luxury item and something I would like to have because they are comfortable to hike in if need be.

[Datto]

By the time you reach Fontana Dam (just before entering the Smoky Mountains) your pack weight is likely to be considerably lighter than what you show on your spreadsheet. After you get to the Trail it's unlikely you'll choose to carry so much -- particularly after you see those climbs in Georgia and North Carolina -- As I remember you can see Clingman's Dome up top from Fontana Dam down below. Once you see that climb up ahead you'll start dumping anything else that you haven't dumped already in order to save weight.

Don't worry though -- pretty much every AT thru-hiker, including me, dumped loads of stuff that seemed to be "necessary" while sitting at home and quickly became unnecessary after the climbs were started in Georgia.

Here are my comments:

* Camp Shoes/Sandles -- Dump all camp shoes -- total waste of backpack space and weight. Camp shoes are for day hikers, not AT thru-hikers. Just wear your regular hiking shoes.
* Water filter -- I, like many others, started with a Pur type filter and quickly realized it's too much trouble and the untreated water gets into everything anyhow. I switched to Potable Aqua tablets (I've hiked more than 7,000 trail miles with only Potable Aqua tables) and others switched to Polarpure or similar. Note that Potable Aqua tablets aren't for people with a thyroid problem.
* Nalgene Bottles -- most thru-hikers don't use those because they weigh too much -- A standard Gatorade bottle weighs much less and is very rugged.
* Water Carrier -- I do think it's worthwhile to carry a large capacity water carrier so you only have to get water down the cliff once per night rather than once at night and once in the morning. I used a 96oz Nalgene Canteen (pretty lightweight) and have used that ever since on all my other hikes. I did try a Platypus once in the desert but it soon fell apart (not a thing to have happen in the desert) and I've never carried a Platypus again.
* Stove Fuel -- You'll probably need to switch to Heet for fuel (don't use Isopropyl Alcohol -- only buy Heet brand) for alcohol fuel due to availability.
* Socks -- Two pair only -- both will get wet. You'll live with it when that happens. Actually, everything will get wet on an AT thru-hike and you, as an AT thru-hiker, learn to live with things being wet all the time
* Pants -- one pair of whatever you want -- don't take the others
* Shorts -- just take one pair -- the compression shorts or the other pair -- don't take both
* Rainpants -- leave home -- these are one of the first things to be sent home by AT thru-hikers in order to save weight
* T-shirts -- just take one -- leave the other at home -- extra shirts of any type are one of the first things sent home by AT thru-hikers -- it won't take long before your mind blocks out your smell and the other AT thru-hikers won't notice your smell either. The town folk and the hitchhike rides? Well, ha, yeah they'll notice right away. But that's not worth carrying any extra weight for shirts
* Warm Jacket -- I didn't see anything listed for a thermal insulating jacket -- that fleece won't likely be warm enough -- you'll freeze. When it gets cold you use your thermal insulating jacket under your raincoat (you'll be wet on your skin much of the time from sweating so the rain jacket doesn't actually keep you dry -- it keeps you warm and stops the wind). If you have a choice, buy an insulating jacket that is made of man made insulation -- Polarguard for instance -- since the insulation is going to be wet some of the time when you wear it under your rain jacket or when you wear it in light rain.
* Deck of Cards -- forget that, leave home. You won't have time if you're an AT thru-hiker trying to make your miles for the day.
* Sleeping Pad -- There's a good chance you'll choose to switch to a Ridgerest to save weight up the Trail. By that time you'll be able to fall asleep on pretty much any surface after cranking out miles during the day.


Datto

[Datto]

Also, carry three eyehooks -- you may have a storm come in frontwise into the shelter and will want to block the storm with your carry-on shelter. Use all that "rope" you've got listed in your backpack contents to string between the eyehooks to drape your shelter over.


Datto

[Datto]

By the way, my backpack weight at the very start of my AT thru-hike when I signed in at the Approach Trail Visitor's Center was 37.5 lbs including food to get to Neels Gap and 2 liters of water.

That was too much weight and I adjusted quickly to get to 30 lbs with same food and water and less pack contents. Even with that the climbs in Georgia and North Carolina were difficult -- I was 6'-1" and 205lbs when I started my AT thru-hike and I was in pretty good shape to start.

As you get further north, your appetite will start kicking in and you'll dump even more "stuff" out of your backpack in order to carry more/better food. I think the most my backpack ever weighed on my AT thru-hike was just over 40 lbs in the 100 mile wilderness of Maine. By that time, pack weight wasn't that big of a deal to me since I was in great trail shape. That extra food came in handy for what was in store for me in the 100 mile wilderness.


Datto

[Tree Nerd]

Datto, lots of great info and opinions. You made some good points and Ill definitely be making some changes.

[rocketsocks]

Someone posted once about bringing a garbage bag to pull over the legs while at breaks, if you decide to not bring the rain pants, maybe this would be a viable light weight option so you can at least get some relief while your legs/pants are soaking wet and cold with wind blowing.

[Datto]

* Nalgene Bottles -- most thru-hikers don't use those because they weigh too much -- A standard Gatorade bottle weighs much less and is very rugged.

Forgot to add -- when the Dark Green Slime (DGS<tm>) hits your bottles on your AT thru-hike (Nalgene or any other) you just throw the Gatorade bottles away and get some new ones. If you're using Nalgene bottles that weigh more, you have to clean them out.


Datto

[Prime Time]

Just so you know, when I started the process you are now doing, I was at 28 pounds and I felt for sure I'd never get it down to 25. When I got to 25 I figured 23 was my personal lowest possible weight. When I hit 20, I was ecstatic and claimed victory. I'm now at 18 and I'm looking for 2 more which I know is impossible:) Shakedown hikes and relentless research helps a lot, as does a willingness to return almost anything shamelessly. Keep all of your receipts, take good care of things and launder them thoroughly before returning them and you'd be surprised what retailers will accept.

[Datto]

Also, AT thru-hikers should all take earplugs. If you have ear canals that are sensitive buy the brown-colored Hearos brand earplugs to take with you.

If you use earplugs in the shelter you'll get much better sleep at night and the sound of things in the woods (ie, animals, tree branches falling, ice crashing into the ground) won't be heard in the beginning of your AT thru-hike so you'll get better rest.


Datto

[swjohnsey]

Better yet, don't sleep at shelters.

[MuddyWaters]

shelters suck for sleeping
but they are good for getting a quick easy start in the morning
especially if it rained overnight

[Coosa]

Suggest you view Lynne Whelden's Video "Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed" [No, we're not related in any way.]

Take 1 ounce off of each of your 60 items and you'll lighten your load by 3 3/4 pounds. Some items you can reduce by many more ounces than just one. You may have to spend some money though.

And from what I'm looking at, your list reflects your insecurities. Take it down a couple notches. You have a heavy pack but a light tent? You have a lot of redundant items. Nearly everything should do Double Duty.

A pound on the foot is five on the back. But with the weight of your empty backpack, you probably do need the heavy boots.

Don't use all those storage sacks. Use post office style Rubber Bands or put like items into ONE storage sack or just use a waterproof liner [trash bag or compactor bag].

You have a lot of clothes. One set to wear, one set to sleep in and walk into town in.

You could put some items in your bounce box.

Watch the video a couple times and then decide what to change.

Personally, I'd start with the pack and the clothes and limit the redundancies and the size of your first aid kit.

LOTS of great gear lists on line to look at.

Good luck, Coosa

[Tree Nerd]

I am hiking the foothills trail two weeks and my pack weight for that trip before food and water is right at 23lbs. This is the lightest my pack has ever been for a trip and I believe it is because I weighed each of my items individually. After my trip I am going to go through all my gear and eliminate unused items and see what my weight is at after that. I'll keep you all posted.

[Tinker]

Forgot to add -- when the Dark Green Slime (DGS<tm>) hits your bottles on your AT thru-hike (Nalgene or any other) you just throw the Gatorade bottles away and get some new ones. If you're using Nalgene bottles that weigh more, you have to clean them out.


Datto

If you want indestructable water bottles and weight is not too much of a concern, try Kleen Kanteen stainless bottles. They can be used to boil water (right in the bottle - leaving the top off) and hold up much better to boiling water than Nalgenes. I have dropped mine numerous times on rocks when it was nearly full and it has the dents to show for it, but it is still water tight (and I like the slightly smaller mouth for drinking out of - Nalgenes tend to spill water out the sides of your mouth, and it's nearly impossible to drink out of them while you are still walking). If for some reason I got separated from my pack and had some matches and my bottle, I could boil and purify water for drinking as well as being able to sleep with it as a hot water bottle. I use it regularly in my hammock.

Side note: I've noticed that slime does not build up on my stainless bottle even after several weeks of use without washing. It never gets the funky smell that plastic bottles do, either.

One more thing: In the summer, when I need to gather more water (on ridges where you have to travel a long way for water), I bring a water bladder (I like Platypus) because 40 oz. (the size of my Kleen Kanteen) isn't enough for dinner, breakfast, and the first part of the next day.

[treesloth]

One more thing: In the summer, when I need to gather more water (on ridges where you have to travel a long way for water), I bring a water bladder (I like Platypus) because 40 oz. (the size of my Kleen Kanteen) isn't enough for dinner, breakfast, and the first part of the next day.

This is such a great idea if you're going to be making camp soon (and/or don't want to walk back down and up that hill!). I did the same thing last year by filling up my gravity filter holding bag without the drain hose attached. Clipped it to my pack and made my way back up the looong hill to camp. Had plenty for the night all the way up to noon the next day. :)

[Trippinbilly33]

I will start this off with the hikers first commandment "Thou shalt hike thine own hike"!
Don't let fear make gear choices for you. We need much less than we think we do to get by. I myself am a reformed gear junkie. I have been shedding pack weight for the last couple of seasons. I am no gram counter. Nor do I claim to be an expert on ultralite backpacking. But as the saying goes ounces equal pounds. My big three pack, bag, and shelter are roughly 5.5-6 lbs Golite jam 50, Noah's 9 Tarp w/ground sheet I bought at REI garage sale and a homemade down quilt (Thru-hiker.com) which I beef up with a SOL escape emergency bivvy. I also carry a sawyer filter, homemade stove and 16 oz capacity anodized pot from Walmart, Z-Rest and not much else.
I drink as much water as possible a all sources I come to and unless I'm in a very dry area I carry only a litre of water.

I would say ditch the books and use the saved weight for food. The spice container could go also, try putting it in straws then heat a knife and melt the open ends closed. Try freezer bag cooking to eliminate the need for soap and scrubbing pads and extra water to clean. There are tons of ultra light blogs and videos. Most of which give sound and more importantly cheap or even free ideas to save weight.

Humans need food, sleep, shelter and water everything else falls into the want category. Be creative and have fun finding ways to re pack or live without to save weight.

[Kia Kaha]

A couple quick suggestions. Get out and use the gear even if only on some overnighters, take food for 5 days at simulate your thru hike. Keep a journal of what you used and how, scrutinize everything and take it from there. I have done this for years to get to a comfy 15# base weight for me. Do take the advice to hke your own hike, but the more weight the tougher the hike will be on your body. The two items that stick out most to me are the Pack and Bag, you could shed 3 pounds there pretty easily. Good luck.

[Tree Nerd]

Thanks for the input guys. HYOH is a good motto to live by and that's exactly what I am trying to do. I am no ultralight backpacker and I don't plan to be one. I take a grain of salt and little suggestions from everyone and it has helped a lot. Keep it coming.

[tds1195]

Great stuff here....I have nothing more to add but I would like to stay updated on your progress if you drop your weight anymore!

[Tree Nerd]

So I loaded up my pack for the first time since I updated alot of my gear. Amazing! I feel like I was missing some stuff because there was so much extra room in my pack. I leave for the foothills trail on Friday, March 8th and I am excited to see how I deal with the new pack weight!

[GonnaMakeIt]

I enjoyed reading this thread as I also am in the weight-shedding process. Over the past few months my pack weight has gone from 35lbs to 22lbs :). I know i am carrying a few luxury items still but hey, HYOH right? By the way I really liked Coosa's idea about taking only 1 ounce off of each piece of gear.. I'm going to give that a try and hopefully reach 20lbs base weight before I leave on March 17th for my thru.

[Mags]

But that took many trips over many seasons, slowly gaining experience and confidence along the way. You'll figure it out, probably not all at once.

Indeed. I like busting this list out to show my own evolution. Took a while! :)

http://www.pmags.com/the-evolving-gear-list-1997-%E2%80%93-2006

[Winds]

Indeed. I like busting this list out to show my own evolution. Took a while! :)

http://www.pmags.com/the-evolving-gear-list-1997-%E2%80%93-2006

Great list Mags.
I am then firmly positioned in 1994 then.
Whooosh!

[flemdawg1]

Ditch the plate, keep the cup only if you are making coffee everyday,
ditch 1 ss tshirt, look into a lighter weight charger (are both micro usb connectors? might get by with just 1),
don't need a tent/gear repair kit (that's what duct tape is for),
cut out most of your 1st aid kit (you only need something for blisters, somethig for cuts/scrapes, soemthing to diarrhea (Imodium), pain (ibu) and colds (cold tablets/sudafed),
do really, actually use all those spices now? (S&P,+ small tabasco & maybe some Evoo is all you need),
1/2 lb is alot for a windscreen, get a lighter one (Al foil or a $1 store roaster pan folded and cut down work well)
ditch either the extra batteries or the backup flashlight

[MuddyWaters]

You are on the right track.
You can carry 20 lbs with food and water, or you can carry 60 lbs with food and water.
Either will work
One will be easier
Lighter is easier, and lessens chance of injury
You hike easier, farther, faster
Less time between resupplies = less food carried, less water carried = less weight still

When you get back from your test trip empty your pack out.
Put gear into 3 piles

1 things you used, and your first aid kit, and rain gear
2 things you didnt use but want to keep
3 things you didnt use but are OK getting rid of

then get rid of piles 2 and 3

[Tree Nerd]

Alright, well I had to cut my hike short by 2 days due to a knee injury, but in the 50 hours i spent on the trail I found a lot out about my gear and what I need to change and/or get rid of. Overall, my weight wasnt bad, but carying some of my dogs stuff weighed me down some more, about 5 more pounds.

Change/get rid of:
-food bag/bear bag......so right now I am using a mesh food bag, I like it because its lite and see through, but its already falling apart and its too big.....any suggestions on a food bag?
-Sleeping bag.......my new marmot sawtooth is amazing, but its a little warm once it gets past the 30's at night.....any recomendations on summer sleeping bags? Also, i need to find a stuff bag or something that it water proof to put my sleeping bag in.
-First Aid Kit......too heavy, I can make this a lot lighter.
-Stove......my alcohol stove was burning through fuel like it was nobodies business....I feel like the flames are too big and there is a lot of waisted head escaping. Is there any way to conserve fuel and make the flames smaller on a alcohol stove? Smaller holes, more holes, different fuel?
-Cloths......my cloths were great but I need to figure out something to put them in. I was using two garbage bags, one for clean/sleeping cloths and one for dirty cloths. This worked fine but the bags are way bigger than they need to be. Maybe just use one gallon ziplock bags?
-Fire stuff.....def can bring down a notch


Besides that everything worked great:
-Sleeping setup: loved it! My 3/4 length self inflating was super comfortable. When combined with my ridgerest sitting pad as a soft/warmer spot for my feet it was great. The second night I used my pack to elevate my feet which worked even better.
-Sitting pad: This was recommended by a friend and I was qestioning the use and versitility of this, but this thing was amazing. It provided a place to sit while making food and sitting around a fire, a bed for my dog at night, a pad for my feet while sleeping, a dry/clean place to put my dogs food, a soft place to knee on.
-Tent: New tent, first time out with it. The first night I obviously didnt set it up right because the sides were coming in on me and I had a lot of condensation. I figured it out the second night. Need different tent stakes.
-Cloths slection: great! I was warm when I needed to be cool when I needed to be. I could regulate my body temp well. One thing I did pick up on was putting my morning cloths in my sleeping bag at night or under my head a pillow so they are warm when i wake up.
-Journal, head lamp, first aid kit, bathroom bag, fire bag: used all of them. but def going to make some changes to a few.
-Cooking stuff: worked okay, the only problem I had was my pan tipped off my vargo twice which resulted in some major cugar screams, but both times were my fault.
-camp shoes: Loved them, favorite part of the day was putting on my new chacos.

Stuff I didn't get to use:
-Rain gear: it never rained (while I was on the trail), but I assume I will leave my rain pants at home in the summer months because I can see how they would make my legs super hot.
-Deck of cards: I was by myself
-chargers/phone: My phone was off and I left the chargers in my car since I would only be gone a couple days.

[Tree Nerd]

Also,

I needed to pack more food per day, not much more, just a little something to add to dinner. I was fine while was out there, and quite full, but any longer than a week and I know I would be more hungry. Also, I need to do something different for breakfast besides oatmeal. I have to have my coffee; the coffee and oatmeal killed my fuel and I would get sick of oatmeal after awhile.

[swjohnsey]

"-Stove......my alcohol stove was burning through fuel like it was nobodies business....I feel like the flames are too big and there is a lot of waisted head escaping. Is there any way to conserve fuel and make the flames smaller on a alcohol stove? Smaller holes, more holes, different fuel?"

I used one of Zelph's Super Venom, very efficient as alcohol stoves go. Make a cozy for your pot. Bring the stuff up to boil and place in cozy to finish cooking.

[MuddyWaters]

Zpack Blast for foodbag. 0.85 oz.

A stuff sack for a sleeping bag just adds weight if you dont NEED it to fit gear in your pack.

You really shouldnt need more than 3 oz first aid.

You need a smaller stove or a wider pot with a tight fitting windscreen.

You shouldnt have extra dirty clothes. Clothing is a system of layers that work together for hiking, with possibly ONE set of sleeping/camp clothes maximum. All your clothes will be dirty, there is no need to segregate, unless somethings wet, then it goes outside the pack usually.


Cooking breakfast in morning really sucks when its cold. Its best just to pack up and start moving, and stop and eat later after you have warmed up. Most common breakfast item is pop-tarts. No, not delicious or nutritious, just dense calories. By the end of a thru, many hikers swear off poptarts for the rest of their life.

A good quick breakfast option is your favorite cereal. Put milk powder in a ziplock with the cereal. Just add water, eat.
Actually raisin bran is pretty good just dry to me too.

[2014hopeful]

Why are you taking a sleeping pad to sleep on and an extra one to sit on? One can do both.

[Tree Nerd]

Why are you taking a sleeping pad to sleep on and an extra one to sit on? One can do both.

The sleeping pad is a 3/4th length self inflating pad, just for sleeping. The sitting pad is a very small section cut from a ridgerest that I use for sitting in rain (nice dry spot), making food, a place to kneel when making a fire, a place for my dogs food and a place to sleep (if she comes along), and a place for my feet when i sleep (if my dog isnt there). This was a suggestion from a previous thru hiker and so far it has been one of my favorite things to have with me.

[RodentWhisperer]

The sitting pad is a very small section cut from a ridgerest....

I've not been part of this thread, so this might have already come up-- but you can also use such a pad as a decent frame for an ultralight pack.

[Tree Nerd]

I've not been part of this thread, so this might have already come up-- but you can also use such a pad as a decent frame for an ultralight pack.

^^^^interesting, never thought of that.....

[cave man]

Not sure who brought it up but the idea of the Needed vs the wanted items but it is essentially a hiker characteristic that grows as you spend more time on the trail.. You have already trimmed your weight after a few days, imagine how much will be gone after a month! You start to careless about certain things, as others mentioned clean/wet clothes. Camp shoes imo are also one of the best feelings at the end of a hard day. I think you will learn alot about alcohol stoves from other hikers and pick up a few pointers and ideas.

Im not sure about down south but up north water was pretty abundant in most places and i learned not to carry as much. Also I drink alot more water through my camelback than i do out of a water bottle. Usually its because i dont want to stop and take my pack off to get it. I only fill up a platypus for cooking and drink as much as possible while im at the water compared to planning to drink it within the next few hours of hiking.


No need for 1st aid or tent repairs. Ducttape it for a few days untill you get into town and get it fixed.

[Coosa]

Off the top of my head ... too many clothes, and no bug dope.

[richmondhokie]

Can you PM me a link to your file - I like your spreadsheet - or PM me your email address - I am a techno geek and I use a spreadsheet too and I like yours better than mine - it would be easier to put my data in a copy of yours than rebuild it from the image.

Thanks

[jdc5294]

I can't speak for everyone else but during my 2012 thru-hike without food and water my pack hovered around 12-14 pounds, with everything it never went above 28ish. I was a hungry boy.