Hyper-Light Gear List, The Final Frontier

[Bill Fornshell]

Up-dates will be posted here:

-Heavy
then
-Light
then
-Lighter
then
-Ultra-Light
then
-Super Ultra Light
now
-Hyper-Light, The Final Frontier
Beam me up Scotty

I started using the term Hyper-Light back in 2004 to refer to my Poly-Tube DAM. It was so much lighter than anything you could buy. My Warmlite DAM weighed about 23oz and the Poly Tube DAM made with the same amount of Down (7oz) and using the lightested materials I could get would weigh about weighed about 12oz.

Today with Cuben material being used for so much gear I think the SUL concept of under 5 pounds can easily move to the One or Two Pound range. This list is for hiking on trails and not bushwacking. The gear needs to hold up at least as well as most of the current gear used for AT Thru-Hikes. For me that really is a lot of 3 to 5 day hikes, resupply and then another 3 to 5 days of hiking. Can this list work during the colder months? If not how much extra is necessary to make it work in the cold? Testing will be necessary to decide this question. Ryan’s Winter Challenge hike may answer some of those questions.

This gear list will push the window to the limit for the material available today. New material is being developed all the time. I know of some that is being made as I type this. Some will be lighter and some will be so good that even if it isn’t the lightest it will be better overal. For now I expect much of this gear to be “one of” custom made equipment.

An example will be my Pack. It will be similar to the G6 in size but maybe smaller. It will be made to accommodate many more possible features and the Pack Bag should start out at about 1oz.

The Pack will be made for a max load of 15 pounds and a resupply schedule of 3 or so days.

This after all is Hyper-Light Backpacking. I am not a trail runner or a speed hiker, I do however, expect to put in a good day on the trail and move along at a good pace. An AT Thru-Hike of 100 to 120 trail days should be a conservative estimate for me and my Hyper-light gear load.

This list will reflect the latest item being considered in each group and will be the only list I make on this thread.

(WORKING DRAFT)
===============================
1 – PACK – SHELTER – SLEEPING

===============================

2 – CLOTHING WORN and ITEMS CARRIED

===============================

3 – EXTRA CLOTHING PACKED
??? Patagonia Dragon Fly – (???? oz)
===============================

4 – COOKING AND HYDRATION SYSTEMS
Rocks used for pot stand 0.00 oz
Ebsits to cook 3 meals using rocks for a pot stand (3 Esbits) 0.00oz
Waterproof matches w/ trick relighting birthday candle 0.30oz
Option For Wood Stove: “Working”
===============================

5 – MISCELLANY
Sunglasses (0.5 oz)
Compass – (???? oz)
PDA/ Cell Phone – (???? oz)
Journal Kit – (??? oz)
Light Weight Digital Camera (new)
???? Watch – (??? oz)
Emergency Whistle – (???? oz)*
LED micro light – (???? oz)*
Small pocket knife – (???? oz)*
???? Repair Items / Duct Tape – ???? oz

===============================
TOTAL WEIGHT in PACK: – 55 pounds
TOTAL WEIGHT WORN or CARRIED: – 20 pounds
TOTAL SKIN-OUT WEIGHT – Less Consumables (Food, Fuel, and Water, etc) – 75 pounds

===============================
WORKING ON:
6 – CONSUMABLES (Food, Fuel, Water, etc) (Variable)
FOOD – For Planning 2 pounds Per Day
FUEL – ???
WATER- For Planning (normal) 2 liters at any one time.
TP: 4″ x 4″ blue shop towel squares – 1 / day (0.5 oz)
Blister & minor wound care supplies (1.0 oz)
Dr. Bronner’s in dropper bottle (0.25 oz)
Noseeum mesh headnet (0.7 oz)
Deet in BMW small dropper bottle (.15 oz) 0.15oz
Alcohol hand gel in small bottle (0.5 oz)
Small Pack Towel. Toothbrush, TP – (??? oz)
Sun Screen SPF 30 – (??? oz)
Katadyn Hiker Pro – Modified Filter
Katadyn M1 tablets- 6 (.18 oz) ??

[Ryan Faulkner]

Not adding an ounce I see, even for a thru hike.

I feel like a bad superultralighter, I just posted an 8.5lb thru hike list, shame on me. :-)

my feeling is that for a long distance hike, I can give up a little weight for function, durability, and comfort.

but if this all comes in a two pound package, I would be happy, but to get that light, you have to give some things up, and for me, on a thru hike, I dont think it wise. extreme ultralighting has its place with me. and that is on a trip less than a week long.

But of course Bill, you are the master, if anyone could make a one pound load work for a thru hike, it would be you. :-)

[kevin davidson]

To be introduced this Summer— sub-nano hyperlight backpacking — aka beating Bill at his own game–hee, hee. ;-)>
Don’t feel bad RF –you have a 5 year window ahead of you to plan for your thru-hike . If you are not resupplying every 3 days like Bill, of course you will have a heavier pack weight. You have lots of time to take advantage of new products and technologies and will no doubt be making some real cool and light equipment of your own design.

How’s this for a goal–1st self- contained fast pack of the AT. Anyone game?

[Bill Fornshell]

To Ryan:
I am sure you know the Gear List Outline will be filled-in as I get to that item.

What I refer to as being under 1 or 2 pounds are Ryan J’s items for the Sub-5 pound quest. I do expect my over all pack weight with food to weigh about 2 pounds per day for my food. This might make it more than your 8.5 pounds. I will be using all my Home-Made Cuben and Silk gear. If you could figure the square inches of all you Fabric related gear and then come up with the square inches. Multiply that by 0.44 or 0.66 and you will see how light it all would be made out of Cuben and Silk.

The trick will be to see how much I don’t have to give up to get as light as I want. I hope to carry a PDA/Cell Phone ( Samsung i730 if they turn out to be as good as I hope), Digital Camera that will use SD memory things same as the PDA. These are state of the art and very light. The Samsung i730 can do a lot, it has a GPS, voice recording to email, built in cell phone and enough other stuff to help me pass the time in the evenings. I can update my Journal and send it when ever I have time and can get a signal.

Ryan, I expect you to surpass me when it is your time to do a Thru-Hike. That is unless I am doing another one.

For Kevin,
I think somewhere in my brain is the thought that you posted someplace that you wanted to do a 100 Thru-hike this summer and were starting in May. I can’t find the reference to that. Is that correct? 100 hiking days at about 22miles a day during the long days of summer should be doable. Super light pack and go for it.

Kevin said “To be introduced this Summer— sub-nano hyperlight backpacking — aka beating Bill at his own game–hee, hee.” (Maybe yes, maybe NO.)

I am still in the “recovery” phase from my cancer treatment but hope to be finished with the last couple of issues by summer. I am back to a light workout everyday but still on a liquid diet. I can’t really do a long hike till I can eat more or less normal again. I have gained 20 pounds on the liquid stuff and it isn’t half bad. It is just to heavy to carry in liquid form.

When are you starting? If I can maybe I can start and hike with you for a couple of weeks. I am sure it would be fun. I have been on all of the AT in Georgia, some of NC, the GSMNP, and then NH, and Maine. I lived in Dahlonega, GA for 11 years and just left there in the Summer of 2000. I was a Benton MacKaye Trail Maintainer for several years. I had the first section going North from Springer Mt.
I saw a lot of AT Thru-Hiker’s start every year and a few even made it to Neels Gap. Only saw a few SOBO’ers finish. Three one Dec. day. Mother, Father and Son about 20 something. They were about as happy as anyone I have ever seen. I think finishing on Mt Katahdin would more impressive.

As for your AT Thru-Hike as a self-contained hike. There is a rumor about a guy that was doing that kind of hike. Seems a lot of dogs turned up missing along the trail about the same time he passed the area. The word went out to get him and he seems to have disappeared.

[Mark]

Small world, Bill. I was born and grew up in Dahlonega, left there in fall ’97.

It will be interesting to see how little you have to give up–that’s a great way to think through the challenge. I’m most anxious to see how Cuben fabrics hold up over the long term with good care and conscientious hiking. We shall see.
-Mark

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Mark, I liked Dahlonega but it sure grew a lot in the 11 years I lived there. My last Army assignment was to the Military Dept at the College. I retired in 1993 and stayed in Dahlonega for another 7 years. I lived on the road that went down behind the Old High School. It was really nice just like living way out in the woods.

[kevin davidson]

Nah, Bill, that wasn’t me. Sounds lovely though. I simply can’t take that amount of time off this year.
Maybe 10 days at 20+ mi. per. — I do have plans for doing the Sierra high route (a largely off trail route parallel to the JMT) in whole or part this Sept. Haven’t decided whether I will be self contained or have a couple of drops if I do it all.

I do wish you the best on your AT adventure and look forward to your final gearlist.

[Author]

Posts