24 Pounds! My First Gear List

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I thought I was doing so well, but my total is 23.5 pounds…The gear list is intended to be for Anywhere, USA for Spring, Summer, and Fall. It also includes most of the gear I own in black text, and what I'm considering purchasing in dark green. So, when a lighter option appears to be available, it is probably just in the list for consideration. Because this is most of my gear, pay close attention to the quantities-there are many zeros.

So, what can I modify without spending much money at all? I plan on getting the Sierra Designs Nitro 15 in a few minutes, so that will get rid of the M-1949 concrete-filled sleeping bag. I'm still stocking the first-aid/hygiene kit, so I don't have a weight on it yet.

Here is a PDF of my gear:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B-oLIvXKmIcNOTY4OGI1ODQtMTQ0ZS00NTc0LThlN2UtNGUzYjEyMjc2ODll&hl=en

[B. F.]

Lighter Backpack – save 1 kilo / ~2 pounds
Lighter Sleeping Bag – 2 kilo / ~4 pounds (no joke, military stuff sucks)
Aquamira Frontier Pro + Mircropur Tablets – save 350 grams / almost 1 pound

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"Lighter Sleeping Bag – 2 kilo / ~4 pounds (no joke, military stuff sucks)"

You're right. This M-1949 is fairly warm and was FREE, but weighs nearly 7 pounds! I'm buying a Sierra Designs Nitro 15 in a few minutes, so that will cut almost 5 pounds, but that still puts me around 20 pounds base weight without any money left.

[Ross Williams]

I see 9 pounds to cut off easy.

New Bag, the Nitro seems better suited for winter, save 5 oz. or so and go with a 20F bag instead
get the SteriPEN, or strain with bandanna and use AquaMira.
Get a Platypus water bag for $10 instead of Camelback.
You are taking the Snowpeak 700 with the Jetboil. Ditch jetboil, get a Caldera Cone for your Snowpeak for $30-$35 you saved from the 20F bag or AquaMira.
TNF Venture jacket is redundant if you have the poncho tarp, and is a bit heavy.
You seem to have three shirts listed.

14 pound full skin out isn't bad. But…

Now the harder part. To deal with all the climates in the lower 48 these seem to be issues with your setup
1. No groundsheet, bivy, etc.
2. No hat
3. No bugnet
4. No insulating top
5. Cotton underwear?
6. No poles to support poncho/ tarp
7. No Stuff sacks/ bag liner
8. flashlight is a bit weak
9. Consider a windshirt

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Ross,

Got the new bag on order. It is the Nitro, but since I like to be very warm when I sleep I'm being cautious. I also ordered a couple of 1L Platypus.

The SteriPEN is on the wishlist, but will have to wait until Spring. My wife is getting me a Snow Peak Litemax for Christmas, so the JetBoil will be retired to the car's trunk. Having the Trek 700 with the JetBoil was a typo.

I can see how the jacket and poncho are redundant. I use the poncho as a shelter, and I wasn't thinking. I also failed to mark the hammock, which is why I didn't include the groundsheet or bivy.

For shirts I should have the wool base and a fleece for the cooler weather and the short sleeved synthetic for the warmer-I like layers but I'm open to a windshirt. Cotton underwear is what I have and I haven't done any research yet.

So, I need to add a bugnet, hat, better flashlight, and a windshirt. I think I can do without pole for the tarp, but I forgot to add cordage to the list.

With your suggestions and what I've explained above, I'm down to 16.5!

[Ike Mouser]

If you dont want to buy a windshirt, you can buy driducks ultralight suit, its both windproof and water proof, my weight for top + bottom of the suit is 13oz.

[Frank Deland]

Windshirt is on my list of favorite gear. It is versatile and easy to pack. It can go over your sweater layer or just over a t-shirt. It can be worn to bed for added warmth.
If you do not sleep on the ground you can leave your pad at home. Pads do not work well in hammocks. You can, however hang your ground cover underneath your hammock to keep out cold drafts from underneath. Use small shock cord to hang it just blow the outside of your hammock, not directly under you body inside the hammock. This protection can be a narrow piece of non-breathable nylon just wide enough to conform to your prone suspended body.

Unless you really like or already have a poncho, I would go with raingear instead. Think of it as a warm layer also, not just for rain. An excellent poncho shelter is the Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape, or the similar Wild Oasis for a shelter with netting.

With rain jacket, fleece or wool sweater and a rain shirt you have a variety of layering choices, so that you can leave the heavier and bulky to pack fleece lined outer jacket at home.

After you save up some $$$, for cold temps consider the MontBelle U.L. down jacket reviewed here at BPL.

[Troy Ammons]

When I started trimming weight from my old setup, I found out it gets expensive PDQ.

After farting around forever with a spreadsheet, I finally just set my goals as such. You might want to consider the same and start making changes bit by bit.

3 season big four = 6#. This is where to start. Buy your pack last.
Everything else 6#.
12# total 3 season base weight goal.

Add 2# for winter for a 14# winter base weight

For 3 season your sleeping bag should weigh about 2# for a 20dF bag, pad 1# or preferably less, Pack 1.5# and tent 1.5# for a single person tent. Of course you can swing weights around, IE a golite ultra 20 at 20oz would leave more room for a heavier tent, bivy etc. or just a lighter setup. By sticking to that fairly closely you will keep from buying Eq that is too heavy to hit that desired base weight.

Options are Campmor 20dF down bag or a quilt, Neoair or other decent R Value pad under 1#. GG Mariposa or similar pack depeding. GG the one or a gatewood cape and bug tent or tarptent subsil, or tarptent moment are all decent.

If you are a hammock hanger your base weight might go up a bit, like a pound or two.

For the additional 6# of base equipment you really have to sort and weigh everything to the nth degree and get rid of the excess stuff. Bag cookset, alcohol or wood for 4-5oz, chemical water or super light gravity filter, doblue use as much as possible, and everything else light light light.

+- 2 oz med kit, 2-3 oz emer kit, everyday stuff, 9-10 oz for everything.

You can MYOG some of this stuff, but I would suggest spending decent $ on your big 4, base layer and insul layer. Driducks as mentioned above are cheap and dual purpose, as long as you dont do any heavy bush whacking.

I am after a montbell thermawrap parka right now.

[Troy Ammons]

Just read the without spending much $ part. Hmmm.

Blue pads to sleep on. Cheap and light.
Used or new $75 thermarest prolite 3 short (11oz) on a trimmed blue pad is comfy.

Looks like you have your bag sorted out.

Used subsil or sublight tent about $100 and weighs a tad over 1#.

1L pop bottles for h20, free and light and you can screw on an aquamire filter. you need to extend the hose.
Bulky when empty.

Aquamira gravity filter $20

I use MSR sweetwater drops – $10 but slightly heavier.

Bag cookset, alcohol, almost free. Made from beer cans and whatnot. I nest my fosters rig in a countrytime lemonade container that is basically crush proof and that makes a good measure and coffee cup.

If you want to go minimal dual purpose tarp/raingear, campmor extended poncho tarp – $45 – 9oz

Alum gutter nails for stakes. Paint the ends with dayglow orange.

MYOG tyvek bivy if you are going to use a tarp. 1.25 oz tyvek cost $5 a yard and you can glue it.

Hammock. $1.50 per yard Walmart 2nds nylon or polyester.
Easy. Seam the edges, whip the ends and tie on some harbor freight 12' straps. Sub $20.

Garlington taco type bottom insul. Use a driducks poncho for the bottom part, add in a blue pad or two and 2 garbage bags filled with crumpled space blankets or leaves.

Bug net for $50 from some company. Cant remember the name right now.

Campmor 8×10 sil tarp – $70

Used golite Jam II. A bit small but works for shorter trips. Usually goes for about $50 used.

[Nia Schmald]

So the others have given a good list of the low hanging fruit. Once that's done you can start looking at the smaller stuff. Here are a few other ideas:

1) Lighten up your insect repellent. A little jungle juice in an a BPL dropper bottle will be less than .5 oz. -2 oz
2) Replace your Trek 700 lid with one made from an aluminum oven liner. -1 oz
3) Carry your drivers license, ATM card, a little cash, and a calling card number in a zip lock bag. Leave the wallet and the rest in the car. -8 oz?
4) Firesteel mini instead of the scout. Drop the striker and use your knife. -0.7 oz

Take each piece of gear and try to substitute its function with something you already have. Look for multiuse items even if they're slightly heavier than a unitasker. Each change won't do much but together ounces add up to pounds. And that does matter.

Also for the sake of comparison most folks on this site talk about baseweight. Which is everything you carry in your pack except for food and water. This does not include anything you wear or carry while walking. So count the extra pair of socks, but not the shoes and socks on your feet. The watch doesn't usually count either. This stuff is included when we talk about full skin out weight. Looks like you've got a few pounds of gear that falls into that category in the list.

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"Also for the sake of comparison most folks on this site talk about baseweight. Which is everything you carry in your pack except for food and water. This does not include anything you wear or carry while walking. So count the extra pair of socks, but not the shoes and socks on your feet. The watch doesn't usually count either. This stuff is included when we talk about full skin out weight. Looks like you've got a few pounds of gear that falls into that category in the list."

Sweet! So if I use cargo pants and carry as much as I can there I'll reduce my base weight! Just kidding, but I didn't realize that was how things were calculated and that does save me a considerable amount of weight. Thanks for the suggestions and explaining base weight.

[Nia Schmald]

> Sweet! So if I use cargo pants and carry as much as I can there I'll reduce my base weight!

Better yet just hike naked. That's the real definition of full skin out weight. :)

[Author]

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