My gear list

[Justin Chaussee]

Just got around to actually weighing my gear and this is what I came up with for my summer gear list. It changes slightly depending on circumstance; for instance, when traveling in the desert I bring a small snake bite kit I otherwise wouldn't bother with. Sometimes I may add a few things to my first aid kit such as quick clot or something depending on what I'm doing. The rain fly for my tent is also optional for me depending on the weather; so I factored in some extra poundage to make up for those variables…

– Kelty redwing 3100cc pack (3lb6oz)
– Sleep System:
– Coleman 32* bag (3lb1oz)
– Thermalite ¾ pad (17oz)
– Cook System:
– Snowpeak ti900 system (6oz)
– 8oz fuel canister (8oz)
– lighter (<1oz)
– folding titanium spork (<1oz)
– MSR pocket rocket stove (3.3oz)
– (optional) extra fuel canister
– Eureka spitfire solo tent (2lb12oz) w/ fly (3lb4oz)
– first aid kit (5oz)
– (optional) snake bite kit (1oz)
– UK headlamp (3oz)
– GPS system (7.5oz)
– map/compass (1oz)
– spare batteries (5oz)
– Hygene kit (8oz)
– toilet paper
– toothbrush/toothpaste
– body wipes
– deodorant
– goldbond powder
– tums
– camp soap
– chapstick
– extra pair socks (5oz)
– Extra pair underwear (4oz)
– thermal pants/top (11.5oz)
– water purifier (katadyn hiker) (11oz)
– bandana (.5oz)
– lightweight jacket (1lb5oz)
– (optional) rain poncho (9oz)
– Sunglasses (.5oz)
– Leatherman (8.5oz)
– Camera (9oz)
TOTAL: about 17.6lbs (+/- 2-3lbs) without food.

I also substitute a big agnes lost ranger 15* down bag with matching air pad when it's going to be a little colder. I havn't factored that in to this list though.

I've come a loooooong way. 17.6lbs is GREAT for me considering I used to rock a 7000 cubic inch expedition pack loaded with all kinds of junk. My base weight was probably around 45-50 lbs… No joke! I'm pretty happy with this base weight. I'm sure there are a few things I could do to make it even lighter, but considering I'm VERY comfortable with this weight, I'm not really all that worried about making the effort to do so… ;-)

[Jeremy Walton]

Justin,

The biggest thing that I wold do is take a look into your pack. At 3lbs 6oz this is a monster. If you are looking for something commercial in the 3000ci range you could look at the GoLite Jam2 at 1lb 10oz or the Granite Gear Virga at 1lb 3oz. Also, I would ditch the Leatherman and get a little Swiss Army knife that has one blade and scissors, mine weighs .7oz and is great for whatever I need to use it for. That would save you another half pound just on that one item. Just these two changes could save you between 2lbs 10.8oz and 2lbs 6.5oz. Great job so far.

[Unknown abc]

Kelty redwing 3100cc pack (3lb6oz) this is kinda heavy, but if you’re on a budget don’t worry about it.

– Sleep System:
– Coleman 32* bag (1lb3oz) really?! tell me which Coleman bag claims to have 32F rating and only weighs 1lbs.!
– Thermalite ¾ pad (17oz) good-if you want to be tough switch to CCF

– Cook System: (could be a little lighter
– Snowpeak ti900 system (6oz) for solo cooking? Maybe a Snowpeak 600 might be in order
– 8oz fuel canister (8oz)
– lighter (<1oz)
– folding titanium spork (<1oz)
– MSR pocket rocket stove (3.3oz) Esbit tabs are a lot lighter
– (optional) extra fuel canister (only for longer trips)

Eureka spitfire solo tent (2lb12oz) w/ fly (3lb4oz) a tarp/bivy combo is a lot lighter

– – first aid kit (5oz) reduce the size of this and you can include blister care
– (optional) snake bite kit (1oz) ??? nix this
– UK headlamp (3oz) you could find a lighter one
– GPS system (7.5oz) nah, go with map and compass
– map/compass (1oz) good
– spare batteries (5oz) you shouldn’t need this much

– – Hygene kit (8oz) this is a little bit big
– toilet paper (nah)
– toothbrush/toothpaste (only for trips longer than 4-5 nights)
– body wipes (nah)
– deodorant
– goldbond powder (nah)
– tums
– camp soap (.25 fl. Oz. In BPL minidropper)
– chapstick
– extra pair socks (5oz) (that heavy? Even a combo of medium weight poly socks and liners only weigh 3oz.)
– Extra pair underwear (4oz) what kind of undies?
– thermal pants/top (11.5oz) nix this in summer
– water purifier (katadyn hiker) (11oz) go with Aquamiria
– bandana (.5oz) good
– lightweight jacket (1lb5oz) Way too heavy. Go with some BPL Cocoon clothes
– (optional) rain poncho (9oz) a Integral Designs Silcoat Cape is only 4oz.
–
– Sunglasses (.5oz)
– Leatherman (8.5oz) get a lighter knife
– Camera (9oz)

[te – wa]

Justin my brother.. Just be aware that a Coleman bag claiming 32° at just 1lb 3oz is either a)a 50° bag, b)manufacturers lie. Get a scale and weigh it. or c)its rated in celcius (that would make it an 89° bag.. haha!)
I dont want to see you freeze your booty off at 45 degrees and make an otherwise great trip turn sour.

[Nick Gatel]

Justin,

You are pretty happy with the weight, that is good. Since you posted the list, then I guess you are looking for feedback. Nice list overall.

Obviously your biggest gain would be with the three more expensive items… back, bag and shelter.

I know you have been looking at packs so that has been discussed previously. Also you have been looking at tarps/bivys. I never sleep in a shelter unless it is going to rain or snow. Your bag is already light, but there is a question as too how warm it really is.

So lets look at some of the other stuff.

Stove/cookware – okay. You could save a little here, but nothing wrong with what you have.

First aid could be pared down. Mine is pretty minimal now, since I have never needed most of what I have packed in the past.

Headlamp, unless you hike in the dark, a Photon is great at .3 oz. These little things are awesome. I give them away at Christmas as gifts to non-BPers.

GPS – I think they are pretty useless for what we do if you are good with a map & compass, which you are already carrying. My wife got me one as a gift a couple years ago. She "complained" when I didn't take it on our day hikes. Then I started using it on our hikes as a curiosity. We have fun with it on these hikes now, but I leave at home for my BP trips.

Body wipes/deoderant – nix.

Water purifier – nix. I have used iodine tablets for 40 years. I just "discovered" aqua mira.

Snake bite kit – nix. If it is a 'cut and suck' kit, double nix. I live in the desert and don't take one. If you did everything right with one after a bite, you probably won't get much venom out anyway.

Leatherman – nix. Get a Swiss arm classic at .8 oz for long trips. I wear mine on a lanyard. It is great to use the scissors for triming and filing finger and toe nails (won't do the big toes though). A folding razor blade for short trips.

You could get a much lighter camera, but if you like the one you have… keep it.

Clothes, from you avatar, you look like a big guy so your clothes are going to weight a lot more than mine. :)

Nice list overall.

[Justin Chaussee]

Thanks for all the feedback! I guess the only things I would really like to change would be my pack, my sleeping bag (by the way, I made a typo and transposed the numbers. My sleeping back is a 32* bag but it weighs 3lb1oz. not 1lb3oz.) I looked at the box it came in and I don't know what model it is. The box just says coleman 32* mummy bag. I've had it for a few years now. I'd like to trade it for a lighter down bag. I also have a Big Agnes Lost Ranger that I use in colder weather along with the matching air pad, but that's more for winter since I get a little too toasty in it. My biggest thing is just money. It costs a lot of money to trade your gear in for lighter stuff. (Especially when I'm expecting to be a father here in about 4 months!)

I'm getting my dividend to REI hopefully in a few weeks and I'm calculating I'll have enough to get either 1) A new backpack or 2) an REI minimalist Bivy or Outdoor Research Bivy.

I'm leaning more towards the Bivy right now because I'm finding it very hard to part with my Kelty Redwing. I have been wanting to ditch my tent for a bivy for a long time though.

Anyone have any good suggestions for bivy's around 100-150 bucks at REI? Has to be REI because I'm going to use my dividend to buy it. Thanks again for the comments. Keep em comming.

PS: I'd me interested to see what other people pack in their ultralight first aid kits. I thought I did pretty well with mine (it's about double the size of a deck of cards) but it sounds like others have an even smaller first aid kit. Mine consists of bandaids, pain relievers, antibiotics, and antihistamines.

[Kenneth zebley]

im relativly new to going lightwgt myself and have been slowly transforming my pack/gear/wgt in that direction for the last yr or so. keep in mind its a process that you never actually stop. youve got a good list going and all the input seems right on. since your happy overall with your gear wgt. (such an improvment) pick an item or area that you can improve as well as afford and go for it.

myself, ive just recently improved my pack (jam2) and some smaller items. there is a good chance ill upgrade(lighten) the tent in the next yr but the rest is going to wait. one i cant afford it and two the older stuff has life left in it. granted you cant claim to be going lightwgt and still lug aroung a 7lb expo pack and a 6lb tent etc. etc. but i for one have enjoyed dropping lbs here and there as i go without feeling like ive got to be ultra light right now. im packing around 20 lbs w/food and water currently yet still carrying an older bag, pad and other gear. im certainly looking forward to dropping some wgt. (and adding space) as time goes on but for me thats a large part of the fun.

btw. congrats and good luck with the family

[Nick Gatel]

Justin,

You probably don't want the REI bivy, as it is waterproof/breathable… which means it is waterproof and does not breath. With high dew points or sub freezing weather, it will get your bag wet from condensation. I use this bivy in sub freezing snow weather with my WM Ultralight and a Vapor Barrier Lining. I sleep very cold, and it is a good system for me. I need the vapor barrier to stop the condensation and most people cannot sleep in a VBL. I have used this bivy in snow without a VBL and by bag does get a lot of condensation on it. It weighs 16.4 oz. I don't do a lot of this kind of hiking, maybe one or two trips a year, so I am not going to buy a $200+ bivy.

The OR MicroNight bivy at REI for $129 is made from Pertex Endurance. I am not a fabric expert, but I think this is a breathable water-resistant fabric. If so, it would probably a good bivy when used with a tarp. You really need a tarp with these kinds of breathable bivys… plus living only in a bivy in bad weather, is not fun (wonder how I know). A little heavy at 1 lb 3oz. My MLD bivy weighs less than 1/2 @ 7.9 oz. But you need to buy yours at REI, so I would do some research on Pertex Endurance. This is probably your best choice. IMO and poncho/tarp with a bivy is the best shelter+ rain gear option.

Regarding first aid kits. This is really a subjective topic. I have been packbacking since the '60s and other than small cuts, scratches and minor stove burns I have not really needed any "real" first aid items. Get a tick every two or three years, and tweezers do the trick on the little buggers. The only other injuries are the occassional sprained knee or ankle, and I can usually shake it off and keep moving. Over the years, I just keep removing stuff from the kit. So a lot of people will tell you my kit is too small and I am inviting death or some other serious malady. Guys like Ryan Jordan or Alan Dixon, would probably say it is overload. So you just keep adjusting your kit and bring what makes you comfortable. But here is the list:

small roll of 1 1/2" gauze (1)
antiseptic towelettes (2)
small butterfly bandages (2)
2" X 2" gauze sqaures (2)
3" X 3" gauze squares (2)
3" X 4" gauze pad (1)
3" X 4" moleskin (1)
small roll of 1/2" adhesive tape (1)
first aid ointment-one use (2)
After Bite Towelette (2)
small bandaids (2)
regular bandaids (4)
small tube super glue
Advill tablets (6)
safety pins (2) – sterilize with match for blisters
6 3/4" X 6" Aloksak (1)
Tweezers (0) – in knife (Swiss Army Classic)

Total weight 3.0 oz

[Jim W.]

Justin,

REI's dividend is available online now, but they haven't given out the coupon code that gets you 20% off one regular price item.

The first thing I replaced was my pack- but I was going from a 7 pound Lowe Expedition. If I were you I would look at the sleeping bag first. Personally I doubt the 32 degree Coleman is really good to freezing. Just make sure whatever you get is sized appropriately- shoulder girth measurements go from about 56" up to 66" or more.

I spent two weeks last summer with a bivy. Luckily it didn't rain at night. I hope to upgrade to a poncho plus bug bivy such as the Six Moon Designs Meteor (soon to be in production) before my solo trip this summer. I think this will be a good combo for hiking in areas that overnight rain isn't frequent, but annoying bugs are.

[Justin Chaussee]

I made my decision today. I decided to buy the Golite Jam2 pack. Went to REI and tried it on and I gotta say, it's suprisingly comfortable. I think the next thing I will buy is a good water resistant bivy and a tarp. Thanks for all the input on my gear list. Hopefully I'll have a better and lighter one at some point. :-)

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