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  1. #41

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    There is something of a trade off between how much water to carry and how often to stop to get water. I rarely treat or filter water so unless the water is a long way off and down a steep hill, I'll stop for a drink along the way.

    I've given up on the so called "camp towels". "Absorbs 10X it's weight in water". Which isn't much water. I just use my bandana of which I carry at least 2 of anyway.

    Shaking your tent will remove as much or more water as wiping it down with a towel will. And then you got a wet towel to carry.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  2. #42
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    I agree. My big four are pretty darn heavy. You have provided a lot of good suggestions. But at this point, for much of the bigger items, returning them is not an option. I would have to shell out more money to have another tent or quilt. I have to work with what I have. Ultimately, as you said though, I do want to make the hike a lot less burdensome and may see about trying to change out the backpack for another one that REI offers that is equally as comfortable.

  3. #43
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    TrafficJam, that was the goal. But "training" has not been going so well. User error I guess. But will try again!

  4. #44
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    That was my initial goal! How ever did I end up so far away? I will blame it on what if and just in case. LOL. Still, I will get this pack weight down to something more comfortable. Point taken about items I might need when it is not as cold and leaving them until later. In regards to the sun block, I don't wear it at all. I have an allergic reaction to it. Any suggestions to what I might use in place of the standard zinc oxide type sun screens? And I will examine the Rubbermaid container option as well. Thanks!

  5. #45
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    Just noticed that you can't see what posts I was responding to unless I included the quote. Sorry!

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkeeterPee View Post
    Good Luck Tinybee. I'm leaving 2/10 and started with a 42 lb pack. I have been able to take out 6 lbs so far and plan to do one more pass at trying to reduce items. When it finally warms up I should be able to reduce about 5 lbs in extra sleeping pad, extra quilt to supplement a 20F bag, microspikes and other things. I am looking forward to sending those home!


    Some things I eliminated.

    eliminated 1 full set of clothes, but kept the socks so I have 3 pair total. I figure I could add a few more clothing items in late spring, but for now I wear the same thing every day. to hike I have one base layer, a short sleeve shirt to add some body warmth, a fleece, and my rain coat. At camp I have a puffy to wear.

    I decided to eliminate the wet wipes, unless I find I do not like this. I plan to just wet tp so that can go right in the privy, no reason to carryout. I will take a few dry wysi wipes at 2gm each just in case. those have to be packed, so I will have few small ziplocks to take them out with the trash. overall less wipes and baggies.

    I am leaving the picaridin at home until probably April. I don't think we ill see any in February/March and you can always find some in town when they appear.

    Do you need Clorox wipes or would just one type of wipe work.

    Do you need to bring some items like PI wipes. I've not gotten PI from hiking, just working in my wooded back yard. You have several items which people don't need in most cases, but you have to decide what to need from the start vs what you could pick up at the next resupply.

    Do you need a paper guide? I will carry pdfs of both guides on my phone at zero extra weight. I also downloaded various atc pages and took pictures of National park info.

    Good luck, i'm sure you will find things you don't need. I've been training with 38 - 40 lbs in my pack. Currently about 36 with 5 days food and 1ltr water. (at winter temps I can walk 8 miles with 1 liter so I am sure I will find water.)

    Can someone send you a box in case you eliminate things you want? I'm planning to send myself a box with some of the eliminated items to Fontana dam as I leave. then I can bounce them forward or home if I do not need them at all.
    Thanks for the well wishes! And good luck to you as well SKeeterPee. I will leave the bottle of Picardin and maybe just take on packet. The clorox wipes are for hostels and as needed and not for my skin. I will definitely enlist help from home to send things to me on the trail.

  7. #47
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    Thanks Siestita. I have cut the ShamWow pieces down. Personal preference to use two separate towels. I may try to look for a lighter option for one or the other though.

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by tinybee View Post
    Hi Two Tents. My thoughts with the foam sleep mattress and the blow up is that if the blow up goes out in the middle of the night (as I have often heard people speak of), at least I would have something to carry me over. In addition to the added barrier to the coldness of the ground when there is snow or it is really cold outside. I agree that it is a lot of additional weight. Is there some lighter weight option to the foam mattress that you could suggest? And still trying to pare down load quickly so that I can get out with it asap.
    I had he same debate and posted a thread about the pad question. https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sho...t=#post2260720

    Here is a link on R-values https://sectionhiker.com/sleeping-pad-r-values/

    your pad and mine are both about the same. yours is rated at 30F by manufacture, mine at 32F. So neither are warm enough for winter camping. you could get a warmer pad, but then you have nothing to fall back on if it leaks. So I am taking zlite and an inflatable. when it warms up I will swap the zlite with a thin 1/8 inch gossamer gear pad for the zlite.

  9. #49
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    Hi kestral! I know exactly the towel you are speaking of. I hated it and switched over to the ShamWow. BTW, the nighttime hot cocoa and the evening cat bath sound wonderful! I do have a Black Diamond headlamp that is listed. I am looking at options for making that lighter with a different band but starting to wonder of those point x ounces are worth the time. You have a cool sense of humor

  10. #50

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    a single 13.5 in x 20 in "Shammy" is a buck at Dollar Tree.
    I think this is actually where I got mine, not Harbor Freight or Amazon

    Put the chlorox wipes in a bounce box if you are only using at a hostel.

  11. #51
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    Does anyone have any suggestions on reducing the weight of my med kit? Also, I have heard of people taking Doxycycline with them on their hike. Is this typical? I can't seem to get a prescription from my doctor. I am aware that treatment can require different doses. My concern is that if I do need to take the medication that I might be too far out from a pharmacy/2-3 days from a town.

  12. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by tinybee View Post
    Does anyone have any suggestions on reducing the weight of my med kit? Also, I have heard of people taking Doxycycline with them on their hike. Is this typical? I can't seem to get a prescription from my doctor. I am aware that treatment can require different doses. My concern is that if I do need to take the medication that I might be too far out from a pharmacy/2-3 days from a town.
    Find a new doctor, Some provider in your area should be able to prescribe you the Doxy and devise a plan on exactly when you would use it.

  13. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by tinybee View Post
    Does anyone have any suggestions on reducing the weight of my med kit? Also, I have heard of people taking Doxycycline with them on their hike. Is this typical? I can't seem to get a prescription from my doctor. I am aware that treatment can require different doses. My concern is that if I do need to take the medication that I might be too far out from a pharmacy/2-3 days from a town.
    My doctor would not give me antibiotics either. You have time to get to town and see a doctor if you are sick.

    You have to decide what you need. I am taking my prescription meds and a few over the counter. I saw an EpiPen on your list, is that for you or someone else. You probably want to teach someone in your tramily how to use it in case you can't.

    think how often you would use these items. There are very few places you could not get to town the same day or next. It seems like you cross a couple roads most days.

    your list
    Anbesol
    Imodium AD
    Benadryl
    Iron Tablets
    Aleve
    Vitamin D
    AZO Urinary Pain Relief
    Burts Bees Lip Balm
    Aquaphor Lip Repair
    Twinject Epi/Auvi-Q
    Neosporin
    Cortizone
    IvyX Towelettes
    ids, Gauze Pad, Cleansing Wipes, Alcohol Prep
    Leukotape
    Duct Tape
    Needles, Safety Pins, Floss Thread
    Tear Aid Patch and Nemo Pad Patch Tent/Mattress Repair Kit
    SOL Bivvy
    Medical Gloves

    my list
    Imodium AD a few
    Benadryl a few
    Ibuprophen can replenish as needed
    Tylenol can replenish as needed
    Burts Bees Lip Balm
    Neosporin - just removed from kit. have not used in hundreds of miles of hiking. will have soap/water, and sanitizer
    Band Aids, Gauze Pad just a few
    Tenacious Tape
    Needles, Safety Pins, Floss Thread

  14. #54

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    Allergic to sun block? Then cover up. Get a wide brim hat or use the umbrella. Work on your tan now.

    My odds and ends list is similar to SkeeterPee's.


    Mostly what you need to treat are blisters and pain.

    For blisters I use New Skin. Much more effective then any type of pad. It seals the wound, disinfects and stays put.

    Generic aspirin is my pain killer of choice, but I usually have some Ibuprofen mixed in. I try to use them sparingly.

    Benadryl is new to my med kit, but am finding it good to have.

    You'll be in a winter dead zone for several months, so it's unlikely you'll need Aleve or the epi pen. It's unlikely you'll encounter any bees for quite some time.

    I have a small pair of scissors in my sew kit, which can come in handy. Be sure to keep a thimble in the sew kit too, so you can patch heavy material. I also have a needle threader thingie, which is indispensable.

    Always have a spare lighter. I learned the hard way why that's important.

    Finally, the patch kit for the air pad (10 years of heavy use and haven't needed it yet) and some tenacious tape.

    I'm not a heavy phone user so a 5500 ma/hr battery pack is enough for me. 2A wall charger and cord. Spare set of earbuds.

    All this goes into the Rubbermaid container.

    Hand wipes are more effective then hand sanitizer, which actually does more harm then good.

    I carry a small bar of Ivory soap and a little shampoo. Nothing is worse then getting to a hostel and finding out all the soap is used up. If there is soap, it's usually some cheap body wash and I much prefer bar soap. Once out of the frequent hostel areas down south, you can occasionally score a shower at a campground, but have to supply soap. So, good idea to have some on hand.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  15. #55
    Registered User greentick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Hillwalker View Post
    Shades of Minnesota Smith.
    Whoa! haven't heard that in a while... canned octopus?
    nous défions

    It's gonna be ok.

    Ditch Medicine: wash your hands and keep your booger-pickers off your face!

  16. #56
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    I use my z-rest as a sit pad. I keep it strapped to the top of my pack so I can pull it off easy if I want to sit on it. Unfortunately I have had 3 separate inflatables fail me and I do not trust them anymore (I'm reasonably sized: 6-3, 215).

    When I started hiking my previous "backpacking" was with Uncle Sam, weights up to 126lbs was the most I carried (not counting boomstick and LBE). You learn to live sparsely because your personal comfort items are the only thing you can cut.

    My first 3 day hike (after doing a lot of reading (in this very forum most of the time) I was culled down to about 35lbs. I'm not going to go into specifics but there was a lot of redundancies. On the AT there is very little that so critical that you need double. Anyhow, I learned 90-95% of what I needed to learn on that single 3-day hike. Gradual application of cash and knowledge has me down to less than 25lbs with 3 days of food, 2.5L of water, and will take me to 0*. That includes a few "luxury" items like insulated coffee mug, coffee, an 8oz FAK/survival items, and bourbon.

    Pack all your stuff up and do a 3 day hike. As previously mentioned, you may find you can ditch some of your "walking" clothes. You will also ID a lot of things you can drop.

    Read up as much as you can, knowledge weighs nothing.
    nous défions

    It's gonna be ok.

    Ditch Medicine: wash your hands and keep your booger-pickers off your face!

  17. #57

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    I agree. I think that if you get out and hike your kit will sort itself out.

    When you return home, mark on the list what was used or not; you'll find much is not used and can go, unless it is first aid or emergency gear.

  18. #58
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    Don't leave your microspikes behind. When you reach that one gnarly and icy spot even if it gets you across a 20' patch safely, they will have been worth the weight.

  19. #59
    Registered User Siestita's Avatar
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    These items are listed within your "Medical/Edmergency" category:

    SOL Bivvy
    Medical Gloves


    I understand why professional first responders carry medical gloves with them and it may be appropriate to include them in first aid kits that are carried by group leaders. But, as an ordinary long distance hiker, how likely are you to actually use those medical gloves? And, since you'll be taking a tent, why additionally carry the SOL bivvy?

  20. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    I agree. I think that if you get out and hike your kit will sort itself out.

    When you return home, mark on the list what was used or not; you'll find much is not used and can go, unless it is first aid or emergency gear.
    This!

    Take your spreadsheet, jam all that stuff into a pack and go out for three days of a moving backpacking trip that requires at least 2 (3 or more would be better) camp set up/break downs and at least 7 miles between them that will include climbs and descents that are fairly robust. Use the spreadsheet to keep track of equipment, clothing, and other items you use during the shakedown hike. If something is not used, or only used once, it's probably not going to make it too far past the 3rd night hiker box or 5th day to a town to ship gear home on a thru hike.

    The value of an extended shakedown hike is to help determine your current level of physical capability as it relates to hiking with weight over long distances. It can be difficult to assess what level of pack weight would be tolerable in the static environment of home or short day hikes. Carrying weight beyond one's capability typically takes a few days to demonstrate itself over an extended period of hiking that includes climbing/descending significant slopes, scrambling over difficult terrain, dealing with bad weather, and setting up/breaking down camp. This will be the hard nosed judge of what you will likely be able to successfully carry in a through hike. My guess is your experience will be like mine, somewhere around hour 5 on day one you will start daydreaming about removing some clothing from the pack, on day two you will probably start reducing carried water load, and looking forward to evening mealtime to reduce weight by a little bit in food consumption, by the end of day three you will have a very good idea of what you cannot live without (needs) and what you would like to carry (wants).

    In a thru hike, your physical condition will greatly improve as it applies to long distance hiking. However getting your pack and contents dialed into a sustainable weight for your current condition will be a tremendous value in that conditioning, developing your "trail legs" and improve your physical conditioning without strains, sprains, or joint impact heavy loads create over long periods of time.

    Good luck!

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