Gear List — Grand Canyon May 2015

OK, based on the discussion in this thread, the Miscellaneous category alone has a weight reduction as shown in the table below. Again, you’ll have to scroll waaaaay down because that’s how BPL’s software works, for reasons completely unknown.

Note the total weight reduction: 29.7 ounces (nearly two pounds). Freaking amazing. I would never have thought I could get that kind of weight reduction from the Miscellaneous category alone. Now, some of the savings apply only to trips similar to my last trip. For example, on a longer trip, I might actually really need the external battery. And in the Sierra in spring, the DEET is going in the pack as is a headnet. But even if I bring the external battery, DEET, and headnet, I’m still reducing my base weight by over 20 ounces. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I realized that I was carrying that much extra CRAP (Camping Related Accessories and Peripherals).

I may be able to reduce this weight even further with some of the tidbits that David and Ken have promised me. Heck yeah!!

Still to do:
-Consolidate & evaluate all patch & repair kits
-Replace 550 lbs line with 100 lbs
-Replace sunscreen with smaller version
-Replace soap with smaller version
-Replace toothpase with smaller version

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

A PLB-shaped piece of styrofoam, carefully painted, would weigh less than an ounce. Or maybe an empty “display model”?

The wife has peace of mind, it’s low cost, very low weight, and has no batteries hence no expiration date.

Oh, yes, AND I’ll have ever so much more time to focus on backpacking after the divorce…

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Congrats Jim! That's a massive weight reduction with no effect on your safety or comfort. Nice job!

Now that's inspiration for ME to dump out my ditty bag – which seems to grow every trip for no apparent reason……

Congrats, that's a sizeable weight savings without having to spend any money.

I do have a variation on my gear list for the Canyon. Actually, it's a "no bugs, minimal rain" list. Total pack weight doesn't really change when the bug/rain items get added back in because I'm usually carrying a lot less water.

>> 2.8 oz! That's really exceptional. What type do you have? I sweat like crazy. Does your day pack have a back pad of any sort or is it just plain, unadorned cloth?

I made it from 1.9oz silnylon, patterned after the REI Flash18. No back pad.

Jennifer,

Yeah, my ditty bag seems to have “ounce creep” over time. Nice to have a periodic “cleanse” like this.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

> Congrats, that’s a sizeable weight savings without having to spend any money.

Yeah. The only new purchase I’m making in the whole scheme of things (miscellaneous as previously discussed + all other categories) is a set of silk base layers — half the weight of my Cap 2’s. Should be under $40 if I shop well.

Speaking of miscellaneous + all other categories, my savings are as follows:
Miscellaneous         1.9 lbs
All other categories 3.4 lbs (See list waaaaay down below my “signature”)
Total                       5.3 lbs.

Sweet. That’s going from 19.0 lbs base weight to 13.7. I’m pretty sure I can knock another 0.7 lbs. I’m going on a week long JMT/PCT section hike this summer. I’ll be carrying about 10 lbs of food + bear canister 2 lbs + base weight of 13 lbs = 25 lbs base weight + food. Water needs will vary, but I won’t need to carry more than a liter or two at a time. I’ll have to have some alcohol fuel, but that’s less than a pound. I should be about 27 lbs for a week, which, while not great, isn’t bad considering my track record.

> I made it from 1.9oz silnylon, patterned after the REI Flash18. No back pad.

Wow. You do nice work. Mine would look like Edward Scissorhands made it. Re the lack of back pad vs. sweat, I guess I could just line the inside with a plastic bag just like I do with my main pack. Hmm.

Thanks for all the ideas!!

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

>> Re the lack of back pad vs. sweat, I guess I could just line the inside with a plastic bag just like I do with my main pack.

Silnylon = waterproof.

>> Down vest 6.1 oz, Hoodie stuff sack 0.4 oz

If you're carrying a separate pillow, a down vest stuffed inside a pillow-case-stuff-sack can double as a nice pillow.

Have you tried editing your post to reduce the gap between text and your list? Just curious.

Super glue. There are tiny single use tubes available. Walgreens. 1.7 grams

>> Re the lack of back pad vs. sweat, I guess I could just line the inside with a plastic bag just like I do with my main pack.

Silnylon = waterproof.

Ah. Good point. Hmm. Well, still, considering that I’m all thumbs, I may just stick with carrying my full overnight backpack on side trips. Gotta say, nice looking pack you’ve put together.

If you’re carrying a separate pillow, a down vest stuffed inside a pillow-case-stuff-sack can double as a nice pillow.

Aye, although I sometimes wear the vest inside my sleeping bag on colder nights (no need in the Grand Canyon in May, though). That little 1.9 oz Neoair pillow is darned comfortable. But it is 1.9 oz. Something for me to think about.

My ideal would be to get my base weight down to about 10 lbs for a summer Sierra Nevada trip. Alas, a 10 lbs base weight may not include such luxuries as a separate pillow.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Have you tried editing your post to reduce the gap between text and your list? Just curious.

I’ve tried everything. When I type it in, there is one (1) blank line. When it displays on BPL, it gets something like 30 blank lines. It’s a quirk of BPL’s (in my opinion) primitive software.

In my opinion, BPL is shooting itself in the foot with it’s current forum implementation. I’ve posted on a lot of different forums over the last 10 years, and BPL’s is the least functional that I’ve seen. Migration of existing content is out of the question (unless you’ve got the budget of a Fortune 500 company). But there is something I’ve seen repeatedly on other forums: Archive and start fresh. You place the existing forum into archive status and mark it as such on the top of every page with a re-direct link to a new forum. At the same time, you set up a new forum (with software not from the Dark Ages) with links labeled “for older posts, click here” or words to that effect. The new forum could have stronger safeguards against Spam and could be free again. The requirement that one purchase a forum membership has (again, my opinion) greatly reduced the traffic on BPL. Newcomers to UL in particular seldom post anymore on BPL. It is the questions of newcomers that I think cause us to stretch a bit and articulate our rationale (and methods) for what we do. Sometimes it’s the basics that keep us fresh. At least that’s my experience in trying to help newcomers with stoves, something which seldom happens anymore under the current schema.

Now, getting new software, setting up a new URL and potentially a new server (or at least arranging for new server services), migrating over ID’s, etc. is a lot of work. Maybe the powers that be at BPL have determined that it’s just not worth it and are willing to limp along as is. However, I think that is a poor choice and that simple entropy will take place over time diminishing a once bright star. BPL, were they smart about it, should bite the proverbial bullet and transition to more modern forum software such as php (see Mt. San Jacinto Forum for an example implementation). But I digress. Not that I have an opinion. Of course.

Super glue. There are tiny single use tubes available. Walgreens. 1.7 grams

Now you’re talking!

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Argh. The link to the San Jacinto Mountains forum didn’t work. It shouldn’t be this difficult to post a simple link.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

New site is in the works. Will be interesting to see what changes that will bring.

> New site is in the works.

Really? Now that would be very cool. Might bring in some fresh blood, and, not to be crass, it might also bring in more business to BPL’s other activities (i.e. their classes) which presumably generate sufficient revenue to keep those instructors affiliated with BPL gainfully employed. BPL, like every other business entity out there, has to keep enough traffic coming in the door to keep the lights on. To a degree, what’s good for BPL as a business is good for the forum. Such are the practicalities of life.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

>A PLB-shaped piece of styrofoam, carefully painted, would weigh less than an ounce. Or maybe an empty "display model"?

>The wife has peace of mind, it's low cost, very low weight, and has no batteries hence no expiration date.

>>Oh, yes, AND I'll have ever so much more time to focus on backpacking after the divorce…

This has always confused me. My wife doesn't know what a PLB is, has never heard of a PLB, and only knows that there is no cell phone coverage where I like to hike.

So who is telling the wives and/or significant others about PLBs?

Also… my first wife was okay with me hiking alone too, of course back then there wasn't such a thing as a cell phone.

Anyway, enquiring minds want to know ;-)

> This has always confused me. My wife doesn’t know what a PLB is, has never heard of a PLB, and only knows that there is no cell phone coverage where I like to hike. So who is telling the wives and/or significant others about PLBs?

Back when we first got married, my wife was a nervous Nellie about my going out alone as I sometimes do. I showed her my PLB, explained to her what it did, and she calmed down. Now, we have a little agreement. I carry the PLB; she doesn’t hassle me about going into the backcountry. Works for me.

I promise I won’t let her talk to your wife, Nick. :)

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

PM a snail-mail address, and I’ll send you some 100-pound test, 5 gram toothpaste tube, mini-sunscreen tube, and a mini-hand-lotion tube (to repackage DEET?). Also mention any medical goo you travel with. My MD wife scores little sample-sized containers of those sometimes.

It came in the mail today. Thank you to David for sending it; this looks like really good stuff.

Cordage
My 550 lbs test line weighed 1.4 oz
The red cordage in the package weighs 0.8 oz, about half the weight. David, it’s 100 lbs test? It’s thick enough for friction knots. I tried a Prusic, and it worked fine. Perfect for guy lines.

There are also two smaller bundles of cordage of unknown tensile strength, possibly 50 lbs? These weigh 0.2 oz each and look really useful for gear failure type repairs. They might be strong enough for guy lines; I’m not sure.

Sunscreen
My sunscreen bottle: 1.9 oz
Sunscreen tube from David: 0.4 oz

I don’t think one tube is big enough for a week trip. Certainly it’s big enough for a weekend trip. It’s really nice stuff: SPF 60 with Titanium dioxide. A lot of sunscreens have little or no protection against UV-B rays (SPF is a rating for UV-A rays only), but sunscreens with Titanium dioxide (or zinc oxide) protect against both UV-A and UV-B. UV-B is the deeper penetrating of the two, and there is considerable concern that UV-B may be the greater long term cancer risk. UV-A causes painful sunburns.

Also included are two small tubes of plain hand lotion which can be re-packed with sunscreen. These tubes are the same size as the sunscreen tube. Nice thing about this is that I can take from one to three tubes depending on the length of the trip. Perfect. Even if I take all three tubes, I’d be at about 1.2 oz, over half an ounce lighter than what I had.

Toothpaste
My toothpaste 0.8 oz — and that’s after several trips.
New toothpaste 0.2 oz.

Looks like I could get about four days out of this size. Maybe five.

All in all, really good stuff. Could I be approaching the “Holy Grail?” (10 lbs base weight in my book). I’ve probably got two or so pounds to go, but I’d be in hog heaven if I could get it down that far.

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

+1 w/Jim except I explained them to her after we had been together a while. 5 minutes out of town here there is no cell service.

>"My 550 lbs test line weighed 1.4 oz. The red cordage in the package weighs 0.8 oz, about half the weight"

I just went into the garage and couldn't break the red nylon stuff (2 mm = 1/12 inch diameter) at 200 pounds, although it stretched a fair bit at that load.

> There are also two smaller bundles of cordage of unknown tensile strength, possibly 50 lbs? These weigh 0.2 oz each and look really useful for gear failure type repairs. They might be strong enough for guy lines; I'm not sure."

That white with green came off a big spool of "80-pound test" (dacron I think) fishing line. What we use on a halibut fishing pole reels. So the knots get weirder – look up any fishing knot reference. I'm pretty sure those are 25-foot bundles. I just now wrapped some around 1-inch dowels and stood on a bathroom scale as I did a chin up. It broke at 105 pounds but it broke at a square knot, so the line is better than that. It was noticeable lower stretch, even when closer to its break strength. I think it would be fine for guy lines, clothes lines, emergency shoe laces, etc. Not for bear-bagging – strong enough, perhaps, but it would cut into branches and your hands as you worked it back and forth.

The word “awesome” springs to mind. I guess I could think of them as 200 lbs and 100 lbs just to put some round numbers on it. The red nylon line seems particularly nice to me because it’s fairly easy to work with and tie conventional knots with. I’ll have to experiment with the Dacron line. Liking them both.

I’m supposed to go on another overnight this weekend. My wife and daughter have been out of town for 6 weeks, so I’m considering staying home just to spend time with them (although if my daughter wanted to get out, I’d be all over that). I’ll have to “weigh in” when the pack is loaded. Spreadsheets are all well and fine, but the bottom line is one’s loaded pack. Sometimes one forgets to weigh the Ziploc all the miscellaneous items were in or some such and the actual weight comes out higher than what the spreadsheet indicates.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

“A” is for awesome, which is what the people on BPL are. I got the Nylofume bag from Ken (thank you!). And it is light. 1 oz exactly on my scale. I’ll be interested to see how it holds up compared to a trash compactor bag.

Ken, if you’re still following this thread, do you know what size this bag is? I see Nylofume bags on the web coming in different sizes. And I guess they come in lots of 100?

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim’s Blog

Glad you got it Jim. I got a few of them from another BPL member Marc Eldridge. You'll have to measure it yourself. It's a rectangle so I would guess 20×36. Plenty of termite tenting companies down in the OC. Check with one to see if you can get a few.

Here they are in a smaller quantity:

http://quantumtermite.com/nylofume-bags-20

OK, great. Lots of options. And, yes, no shortage of termites in the OC.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog