Newbie Gear List

[Frank H.]

1) I will be going solo.
2) I will be going to the sierras (emigrant Wilderness)
3) The weather will be 41-65 degrees
4) I will be leaving Thursday and coming back Saturday.

Here is my gear list.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ApBdlJJH6jRTdFBWMmxpVFZ5eUU2WUNYLTJCLWt2QXc&hl=en#gid=0

I know I'm missing a few things, ie: pants worn, sunglasses, wallet, and phone. hope you guys can give me some constructive criticism.

[Joe Cangelosi]

You have to set permissions to allow us to view the page.

Or you can post a PDF version at "View my profile."

[Frank H.]

sorry about that this link should work now

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ApBdlJJH6jRTdFBWMmxpVFZ5eUU2WUNYLTJCLWt2QXc&hl=en

[David W.]

Frank,

Out of curiosity, what is your destination? My suggestion was to have the ability to carry at least 2 liters of water because many of the creeks and streams are seasonal and may not be running at this time. I have experienced some dry stretches out of the Crabtree Trailhead this time of year and had to travel a few miles without water till I reached a lake. It looks like you already have it covered for water.

David

[Frank H.]

I'm going out of the crabtree trailhead. towards deer lake and then back through bell meadow

[Rick Dreher]

Agreed that you'll want to carry water, things will be quite dry. Expect plenty of horses, with scattered mules ;-)

I've hiked Emigrant out of the Pinecrest area for a long time, and always enjoy it. It's a nice area and the traveling is easy. Enjoy!

Rick

[Joe Cangelosi]

Hi, Frank,

A few thoughts:

Gaiters should really be listed as worn weight, otherwise, why bring them? Are you planning on being off trail that much?

If you're going to be mostly on the trail, you might want to skip the gaiters, and maybe think about (very inexpensive) DriDucks Ultralight raingear – half the weight of your current raingear.

Your food sack weighs 3 oz? That's a lotta sack…
Do you really need a dry sack for your clothes? I usually just stuff them all up inside themselves and put them at the center of my gear (inside the trashbag pack liner).

Trowel? Use a tent peg and a rock (just have the tent peg handy, not rolled up in your tent :-) )

You have 2 knives listed – one is enough.

What's the rope for? Bear hanging? I hang my food with a 3 oz kit made from stuff lying around the house.

And of course it's highly personal, but that's a lot of water pump. I go for a week with an ounce of Cl02 tabs.

Are you in the market for a new pack by any chance?

[Joe Cangelosi]

Sounds like a great trip btw!

[Frank H.]

i guess i can get rid of the gaitors, i don't think will be wearing them all the time.

yeah i'm going to be mostly on the trail. where would i pick up driducks rain gear??

Yes, the rope is for bear bagging.

The food bag is a alosok inside another bag

i guess i can get rid of the clothes bag and the extra knife and trowel

i would like a new pack, but i think i'm going to wait until next year. any suggestions.

[Joe Cangelosi]

You can pick up driducks from the froggtoggs site

http://www.froggtoggs.com/#outerwear/driducks/DS1204/

but you can often find them cheaper if you look around (not that $20 is outrageous). People say they run big up to 2 sizes big on you, fyi.

+1 on the odor-proof bags. I usually count the opsak's weight with my food, which I guess is cheating :-)

You won't miss the trowel, I promise.

For a pack, I have the Jam2 (26 ounces out of the box) which I like a lot, but there are a bunch out there. I generally don't carry a tent, so my needs are a little different (though I have never filled the Jam, even with a bear canister). I haven't had many other "L" or "UL" packs, but there are a ton of threads discussing their every nuance. Gossamer Gear and GoLite are the brand that generally turn me on, though.

What about the pump? The tabs are easy, and the aquamira drops are virtually tasteless.

Also, I just noticed you don't have any soap on your list. Hand sanitizer is NOT an adequate substitute for good old fashioned handwashing. A mini bottle of Dr B's or Wonder was weighs a very important ounce.

[Frank H.]

now if i got the tablets or aquamira, how would i filter out dirt and what not. Also is there any easy way to fill up my platypus bottles. by the way i do have Dr. B's soap in a little dropper

[Joe Cangelosi]

If you think you're going to have to be getting water out of very shallow sources, a scoop- like your mug- is nice to heft the water out, then you can filter it through the corner of a bandanna or pack towel or shirt (letting the debris settle is good, too). Stick the fabric down the mouth of the bottle a bit (like a fabric funnel).

If I have deep but cloudy water, I'll rubberband a scrap of bandanna over the mouth of the water bottle and submerge it. Not sure how this would work with a platypus, but it works great with a 1L smartwater bottle.

[Mike Clelland]

A short trip like this is a great way to challenge yourself to go lighter! Over 13 pounds of base weight is a lot. You could easily trim it down to something a lot lower.

=====

3 pairs of socks for two nights? Okay, fair enough.

NIX the sleeping bag stuff sack and the clothing dry bag. Trust your one COMPACTOR bag!

NIX the tent and just take a tarp. This will save a LOT of weight.

NIX the 12 oz filter (uuugh!) and just take aqua-mira drops. (avoid the tabs, they take too long to work, the drops are quicker and you can monitor how much you use depending on the perceived quality of the source – and they make the water taste like chlorine)

WHy 3 liters water capacity on mountain route? This seems overkill unless you were in the Mojave with ZERO water sources.

NIX the TP and Trowel.

NIX both knives and take a 0.01 oz single edge razor blade (the lightest!)

NIX the extra camera batteries and just start with a fresh set.

I can't imagine it's buggy in the Sierras in september. NIX the bug stuff.

Eat out of your pot, and NIX the mug with lid & cozy (but make a cozy for your pot)

I like the AGG 3 cup pot, it is a nice size and as light as titanium!

You say you are still going to add WALLET and PHONE. You'll be fine without these! Leave 'em behind.

A 32 ounce pack? Uuugh! There are plenty of lighter options.

You are taking 10.7 ounce pants AND hiking pants? Just take the hiking pants (which I assume are quick dry nylon) and NOT the rain pants you've listed. If you do add RAIN pants (like the Dri-Ducks) then NIX the long undies. For two nights, you'll be totally fine.

The Dri Ducks pants are easily torn, but they are ridiculously light if you were to use 'em as an extra layer over everything as a way to stay warm in early mornings.They are VERY breathable too. But, treat them carefully, they rip easy. They mend great with simple masking tape! And – If you get Dri-Duck pants, use the excellent parka and nix your 10.4 oz rain coat.

===

Use your 3 cup pot to dip for water (because you are leaving your mug behind, right?) and this will make filling a platypus easy.

If you are worried about floaties (and is that *really* a problem in the mountains? I've NEVER had any issues with water in an alpine environment – only in muddy desert pools) take a 1/2 oz plastic kitchen funnel, and set a piece of fabric in the cone when pouring the water thru.

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