Me for 3 on the SHT

[Glenn S]

While I'll never be in league with the experience found in these threads, I'm still no stranger to falling asleep to the sound of June bugs rustling through the leaves under my groundcloth. A couple years ago when I began switching from bike camping to hiking, I didn't own a scale (gasp!), and now it's a brave new world for me. I think I'm still in the new-toy phase and over using it, but hey, we all gotta learn somehow right?

So this year, instead of traipsing around endless loops, or boring in/out trips, I'm going to start whittling away at the Superior Hiking Trail. I'm gearing up for late spring through early fall 3 day/2 night trips. 10-17 mile days, with 30 mile total averages, plus 20 miles of bicycle shuttling back to the car. I have it mapped out to complete it in 8 trips, but it will need a little different setup than last years ULA Circuit/Duomid/Mummy bag outfit. I don't get much time away, so this will have to do for me.

Throughout the season this coming summer, I'm expecting chilly nights (~30f), sweltering days (~90f), biblical bug swarms, minimal critter invasions and ample water supplies. My goal is a casual pace of crossover backpacking, with some relaxing camp time and scenic hike time.

Since I bought a membership here a month or so ago, I've been posting a bit around the forums, so thought I should post a list. It seems like something I should do as a course of disclosure, maybe a show of faith/trust in the community here by exposing myself to the scrutiny of the group. Not to mention a little advice is never something to turn away, especially since this will be the first time out for a lot of this gear. It's a little heavy in the hardware dept., (cooking, tools), but I accept that as the camping comfort side of me.

On top of the following gear, I'll be caching a bit at the bike TH too, for the ride back. Helmet, SPD shoes, full water bottles, gloves, bike shorts, etc.

(Weighed in grams, converted and posted as oz's. Any misc storage ziplocs are included in weights.)

PACKED: 7.56 lbs.

Pack:
Gossamer Gear Murmur w/All the acc's – 12.5
MYOG polycryo liner – .5

Shelter:
SMD Gatewood Cape – 12.4
Serenity Net w/Stuffsack (debris protection) – 8.5
8 Lawson Ti Stakes – 1.8

Sleep:
EE Enigma 30 degree – 15.8
NeoAir Small w/Stuffsack (fragility protection) – 7.5

Clothing:
Disposable poly poncho w/3 clips – 2.1
MB Tachyon wind hoody (large) – 2.6
WM Flash puffer hoody (med) – 10.2
Polypro top, REI mid bot thermals, spare socks – 15.5

Cooking: (1-pot meals)
Imusa 12cm and bandana wrap – 4.4
Long Spoon, Coleman Cup, GSI coffee filter – 2.2
BB (Trekker) .004 (on order, Solostove now) w/windscreen – 5.9
Backup MYOG Alc stove w/40ml fuel bottle (2 boils) – 1.6
Fire stuff (PJCB, matches, Minibic) – 1.5
2 medium OpSacks – 1.6

Water:
Sawyer mini, 3 15ml bottles w/AM (mostly for taste) – 2.2
2 1L SmartWater bottles – 2.8

Misc:
BD Gizmo headlight (AAA flood) – 1.6
ITP A3 (AAA 96 lumen spot) – 1.0
Leatherman Squirt – 2.0
Hygiene, Medical, Repair – 3.3
TP – 2.0
Headnet, .5 oz DEET – 1.7

WORN: 4.38 lbs.

Shoes (need new ones, estimated weight) – 21.2
Socks (PhD) – 1.9
Pants (Columbia Silver Ridge Converts) – 11.5
Briefs (Generic synthetic) – 1.4
Shirt (Generic wicking) – 3.4
Hat (Tilley TWC4 – too hot for strong summer) – 5.0
Prescription Glasses – 1.0
Galaxy Player (GPS, Camera, Kindle, etc), Battery, Headphones – 5.3
Butterfly wallet, Keys – 1.4
Map, Compass, Mini-Bic – 1.6
1.25mm Z-Line (var lengths) – 1.2
Bandana – 1.1
Lanyard (Photon, LMF mini, Gerber LST, Acme Tornado) – 1.6
BD Z-poles (aluminum) – 12.8

CONSUMABLES: 6.83

3 days food (700g/day) – 4.63
1 liter water – 2.2

TOTALS

BPW – 7.56 lbs
Max PW – 14.39 lbs

Min FSO – 11.94 lbs
Max FSO – 18.78 lbs

I'll be editing this a little as time goes on I'm sure, so like most I'd imagine, it's a work in progress :)

[Brian Johns]

I would only drop the AM drops/bottles. You really don't even need the filter in the sierras. One or the other will be ample. Also, why two stoves? I'd pick the best one, maybe find a little zip lock container to protect it.

[Glenn S]

I'm so used to the Superior Hiking Trail being called the SHT, I didn't even think that it could be interpretted as the Sierras. My mistake. Anyway, there's a large beaver population that make up lots of ponds for water sources, so filtration at the minimum is a must.

As far as the Alcohol backup, you're right, it could probably be dropped. Just a "morning coffee under the tarp in the pouring rain" kind of scenario I guess. Thanks for the input.

[Link .]

I bet he was thinking SHR Sierra High Route

[Jim Colten]

Glenn,

I've bike shuttled on the SHT some.

I've used a poncho successfully hiking (but a largish one, 5'x8') … but not for cycling. You could easily have a 2 hr bike shuttle for the distances you mentioned and Lake Superior spring/fall rains are usually dang cold. I've witnessed hypothermia from cold rain poncho cycling.

DriDucks hooded rain jacket is approx 6 oz for the larger sizes, less for other sizes. You could cache it with the cycling accessories if you did not want to pack it (in which case I'd also cache rain pants but not driducks … very easily torn with any sort of activity.

edit: also, if the weather is dry at the start of the hike I'd get the shuttle done then.

[Glenn S]

Jim,

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. Weather would certainly play into what I would cache at my bike for the shuttle back to my car. I wore the FroggToggs top a couple times while commuting the 11 miles to work last year, and it worked well. A little flappy, but I won't be riding fast anyway. I guess my post looks a little slim in regards to the shuttling, but I was trying to keep the focus on the hiking part.

I guess I could ride the bike up and hike back to the car, but then I'd be cycling with all my food weight. But truth be told, I hadn't even thought about doing it backwards like that, I'll have give it some thought. Thanks for the idea.

[Hammock guy]

No extra clothes? Even for sleeping?

[Glenn S]

I sleep in the thermal top and bottom listed, also spare socks are listed. Last year wearing those thermals with a 20 degree bag used as a quilt, on top of a 3/4" old Therma self-inflator that doesn't, on a tyvek ground sheet, I'd wake up hot down to the low 30's in a Duomid without a bivy.

And of course the clothing I wear is subject to the weather forecast.

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