Wilderness Trekking School GEAR LIST on-line

Thank you for an outstanding summary of what an experienced backpacker should bring and why.

I encourage you to print up the CHECK-LIST

LINK:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/backpackinglight/images/wts_gearlist.pdf

– and –

Download the excell sheet too.

LINK:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/wilderness_trekking_school_gear_list.html

Thanks for a great list. Obviously a lot of work went into this. Well beyond just a list items. I like the options with max weights. I'm glad you guys delivered it as an article.

I particularly liked the first aid kit example with picture. …Mike if that is you doing the pictures (like your essentials pic and thread) please keep it up. I would only add a few gauze pads at a weight is .1 oz and an antibiotic ointment pack (might be in group kit). This gives some nice options of making band aids or covering larger scrapes with the use of duct tape.

I did notice that the current version of the Jam2 is 26 oz not the listed 22 oz (per golite website). And yeah its now slightly over your recommended max, but think that if you are giving it as en example it should be based on the current version. I point this out as I have a list of recommended commercial gear for new light weighters and have replaced the Jam2 with Granite Gears Virga after Golite increased the weight over 24oz (that was my max too).

The shoe max gets a bit tougher for large feet… 28 oz max shoe is pretty fair for size 9's but size 12 is a different matter. I'd suggest a bit more slack (32 oz?) for large feet especially as shoes are a bit specific to someone's feet. Not everyone will be able to use Inov-8's.

All together this is a great tool.

Thanks, Jamie

Yes, the list is unending. It feels like we could tweek it endlessly. But at present it's pretty good.

Yes, the JAM 2 fell thru the cracks, the MAX weight should reflect that good pack. Or, just take a scissors and do 4 ounces of subtraction.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a flaw in the PRINTABLE gear check-list.

THe RAIN JACKET (item 9) is listed as 5 ounces, it read 14 ounces.

Our technicians are working tirelessly to solve this problem.

Mike Clelland!

The shoe max gets a bit tougher for large feet… 28 oz max shoe is pretty fair for size 9’s but size 12 is a different matter. I’d suggest a bit more slack (32 oz?) for large feet especially as shoes are a bit specific to someone’s feet. Not everyone will be able to use Inov-8’s.

Jamie, I was thinking the same thing. as I wear a 12.5.

The gear list with explanations . . .I would be hundreds of dollars less poor if I had only had that to work with a year ago. The suggested weights + explanations are incredibly helpful. Even just the checklist, with no explanations, would’ve been great because it could’ve helped me to organize my thinking and plan more cost/weight effective gear buys.

One thing I would add, though, at the beginning, before everything else, in big blinking letters, is “Buy your pack last.” That’s one thing
BPL has taught me. I love my GG Gorilla, but I bought it in about the middle of my purchases, and now it turns out I could’ve gone with a Miniposa, of MLD Revolution, or ZPack Blast, and been a pound lighter and had plenty of space for my gear. That’s okay, the Gorilla will be my winter pack.

Also, are watches just banned from the school, or are they considered something never to be brought? I haven’t learned to tell time by the position of the sun yet, and I’m a terrible judge of distance travelled, so I consider my watch a safety/navigation device. I keep track of how long I’ve been hiking, so I now how long it’ll take me to get back, and I have a pretty good idea of how long it takes me to hike a mile based on the terrain, so I can figure out where I’m at on the map.

For fun, I downloaded the XLS checklist, pasted it into google docs, and filled it out as if I was going on the trip. Turns out despite the haphazard nature of my UL education, I’m not in bad shape for a L-1 Trekker.

The things that are overweight are holdovers, and were things that in my gear makeover I decided were low on the dollar to weight loss/comfort improvement vs other things. New trekking poles are next on the list though as I have found that at 8.5oz/pole those things start getting heaving around 10-11 miles.

It’s funny, because I thought I was buying UL to start with, but it turns out I was buying the REI/Backpacker magazine version of UL.

Hi, Mike!

I enjoyed the entire gear list, but especially the first aid kit. This is one of the few places I've seen a succinct, easy-to-understand list of personal first aid gear for a short trip.

For group trips, can you please elaborate on what BPL staff members bring in terms of (1) a group first aid kit and (2) a gear repair kit? Seeing those lists may be helpful in making some informed decisions about what first aid and repair gear to bring on solo or very small group trips.

Thanks for your help!