Perfect gear for summer camping

You didn't post any where or when on your list, making it pretty hard to offer any insights. Is this the Yukon or the Mojave?

I started a thread titled:
Suggested GEAR LIST ETIQUETTE

– LINK –

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=31018&skip_to_post=262364#262364

I started this thread because there are some key points that really help when you post a gear list.

Golite pinnacle pack (2lb) —- Yes, I know you like this, but there are lighter options, easily saving a WHOLE POUND!

Nalgene collapsable canteen (2oz)

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NIX, no need for redundant water bottles.

Funnel (0.5oz)

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NIX.

Steripen (4oz)

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REPLACE with a lighter item. AquaMira drops repackaged at about 1 oz.

Tp (0.5oz) – NIX, no need.

Cotten for fires (0.5oz)

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No need if you have alcohol fuel.

Trash bag (1.5oz)

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Is this for waterproofing the interior of the pack?

Various waterproof bags (3oz)

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That is a lot, no need for so much. Easily under 1 oz. is plenty. Only two bags needed, one for food and one for the stove.

Small Knife (1.3oz)

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REPLACE with a lighter item.

Zippo (2oz) — Uhhg?!?! – Is this a joke? Use a mini-bic at only 0.4 oz

Nano striker (0.5oz)

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REPLACE with a lighter item. This is a back up to the lighter, right? A book of paper matches is 0.1 oz.

Petzl tikka xp2 modified band (2.5oz)

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REPLACE with a lighter item. Petzl e+lite is under 1 0z.

Tooth paste (1.4oz)

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Repackage in a smaller vessel.

Tooth brush (0.1oz)

Germx (1.2oz)

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Repackage in a smaller vessel.

etowa 8×10 tarp (14oz)

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REPLACE with a lighter item. Lighter 2 person tarp options, the GG Spin Twin is under 10 oz.

sealskin socks (4.5oz)

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these are a specialized item when traveling in cold or wet (or both) terrain. No need in most situations.

Underwear (3oz) – Is this carried? NIX, no need, one pair (worn) is the right number.

_____________________BELOW___________________
Is this carried gear? Or worn gear? No insulating gear noted.
Pants (8oz)
T shirt (6.5oz)
Thin base layer (3oz)

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No soap?

Thanks for all the advice Mike! There is definately some things to consider and some things I should have added. Most camping will be done in Augest and July so temps will not be that low. Because I use a stteripen I needed a wide mouth bottle to purify and a funnel to por it into platy bottle. I would just use nalgene canteens but i heard they break down over time. Do u know of any other ways to fix this problem without using iodine because i CANNOT stand the taste of iodine (does aquimera leave a taste). Yes the trash bag was for waterproofing. I will definately drop some of the small bags I have too. I have seriously considered using a bic but previous experiance has led me away from them. Many times it is impossible to keep a flame going with wind over 15mph and it is very hard not to get burned. It is the same case with matches too. The headlamp is definately something to look into also. I do need the sealskin socks because I use shoes (most people do) and they are not water proof so its the best way to stay dry and warm for me. You are definantly right that I should package toiletries smaller which will save me weight. Those clothes are the change of clothes i bring again in summer not a whole lot of insulation is needed. Not sure where to find the tarp you were talking about. I only boil water in my pot so no soap is needed.

1) Aqua Mira leaves zero taste. Especially if you use a little less than recommended. A good product with a recommended track record. The steri-pen is a unit that people like, but the aqua-mira is lighter, and that's the focus of these recommendations.

2) I have used a platypus as my sole water vessel for 30-days at a time. Be carful and you'll be fine.

3) I have used the mini-bic as my only fire source for over a decade, I seek out a wind block before cooking, and I've lit 'em in huge winds.

4) What? You brig a change of clothes? These are definitely NOT needed, but merely "wanted" – these can easily be nixed and you can simply wear the hiking clothes to bed. Easy, more ounces saved!

5) The soap is NOT for washing dishes, it's for washing your hands. Germx sanitizer is NOT recommended as a replacement to using soap. Lots of people get sick while camping because of poor hand washing (or none at all) and it can be the source of nausea vomiting and diarrhea. I usually do NOT take hand sanitizer, and I ONLY take soap. Un-scented Dr. Bronners repackaged at less than one oz.

6) Describe how you use the seal-skin socks. I use them in Alaska where I spend days at a time wallowing in boggy landscape in the rain. THey keep my feet warm, but I'm often hiking in water over my knees, so they fill up with water. But, my feet stay warm. If you are only concerned about warm feet in camp after hiking in wet shoes, plastic bags (over your feet) work great and are MUCH lighter.

7) recommended tarp

LINK
>>>
Gossamer Gear SilTwinn Tarp
10.5 oz

After looking around I see that aquimera takes some time to kill things, For simplicity and time to ounces the steripen wins for me, a personal luxery item i soppose. I guess you are right as ling as im careful a mini bic is the way to go. Also I will definatly not bring a spare set of clothes saving me over a pound. Great call on the soap i didnt realise that, will switch out germx for soap! Thanks again!

"1) Aqua Mira leaves zero taste." — Actually that's completely subjective. Some people can't taste the chemicals. Others (like me) can't stand that strong swimming pool taste. And still others have actually written that they like the taste! A.M. itself claims the taste improves regular water taste. YMMV. As to using less chemicals than directed, that one is a tough call. For me, I wouldn't want to deal with diarrhea (or worse) in the middle of nowhere — just to save an iddy biddy ounce of weight. That makes no sense to me.

I too use Platypus bladders — have been for years — with no mishap. But, of course, nothing is 100%. Narrow mouth platys and Steripen are a bad mix though.

BIC lighters — Agree again with above. I carry two with me — one as a spare. Never had to use the spare — but again, just a bit of safety.

I do bring a change of clothes — but they sit in the trunk of my car, parked at trail head — as a favor to those around me after the hike. :)

I NEVER bring soap. I do use antibacterial wet wipes for a nightly wiping down. Really helps to keep the stink off both body and clothing. I use hand sanitizer. They kill 99.99% of the germs (or so they say). It's just so much lighter to carry and easier to use than soap. As well, how confident are you about the local water source? And then, there's the need to haul "bathing and washing" water at least 100 yards away — which to be is a chore. YMMV.

As you can see, there is really no singular best way. Mike made a lot of good suggestions, but at the end, I disagree with him that the sole objective is cutting weight. I myself am very interesting in cutting weight — but only to the point where I can hike comfortably. Cutting weight to me is simply not the end all. However, agreeing or not agreeing are both beside the point. What matters is that each of us pick and choose what works for us.

As I said I really like the quick no effort steripen. I figured the platy bolltles were too small thats why I got the nalgene. Not sure what to do about soap and stuff but i do like the idea of cleaning off with whipes when a lake or stream is not nearby.

Logan,

You're welcome. Nothing wrong at all with using a wide mouth Nalgene. To me, when my pack is "light enough" — then I am happy enough. Super duper ultra light is not the reason I go on hikes — nor is it the only viable way to hiking. I suspect you feel the same.

Finally, the stuff about hand sanitizer being unsuitable for a few days' use out on the trail? I haven't found any support for that. Maybe Mike can provide a link or two.

Spinn tarp seems to bee a bit out of my pricerange.

Edit: Nevermind… see you already mentioned the collapsable Canteen… I guess I need some more coffee…

Gatorade bottles work decent also and are lighter than a standard Nalgene.

Thats the exact kind of nalgene I have.

regarding the steripen and platy bottles, the way around carrying a separate wide-mouth (read: heavy) bottle for treating is to use your cooking pot to treat the water, then transfer that water to your platy. No added weight for a treatment vessel, no need for a funnel either. If you spill a little while pouring, no big deal. If you spill a lot, just treat some more.

Calling Aquamira lighter seems misleading to me, because of the time it takes to take full effect, you'll be carrying a lot more water weight than the weight of the steripen and the small amount of water required to go source to source.

My thoughts exactly on the steripen, great idea on the pot I will definatly do that

My 0.9 liter Ti pot isn't deep enough to use steripen

I took a 1 liter soda bottle, put a line at the 0.5 liter point, cut the top off, 0.67 ounces

Or you could mark 1 liter mark on a 2 liter soda bottle, 1 ounce

Just another option — take a look at my water scooper with pre-filter. Easy to roll up into almost nothing and inserted into your pack’s side pocket when not in use.

Completely subjective here, but for me, I prefer the above scoop over an existing pot that I’m already carrying — because of the “hassle” of digging the pot out of my pack, emptying out all contents — scoop — then drying and putting everything back in again. Show stopper? Of course not. But an annoyance. As always, YMMV.

Yes – yes – I am am opinionated stuffed shirt about a lot of stuff.

1) About the use of aqua-mira. First, I try to ONLY drink untreated water from springs, and I can usually do multi-day trips and get away without ever needing to dip into the aqua-mira. I dearly love this process. I live near the tetons, and I have gotten good at seeking out the water that I consider fine to drink un-treated. And – I hike a lot in Alaska, where there is no reason to treat most of the water.

I under-treat when I use aqua-mira, and I carry the bottle as I hike and wait for the stuff to do it's job. I usually never have a watch, so I just guess at when about 15 minutes is up. (that is under waiting too).

But, the water I use is considered (by me) quite clean and trustworthy.

2) I teach at NOLS, and the school advocates carrying BOTH alcohol based hand sanitizer and soap. But the research shows that of the two, soap is more effective. So, I usually take just soap. The research also states that to be effective, you need to use a pretty good sized squirt of hand sany for complete effectiveness. And that means you need to take a big (or big-ish) bottle for it to be effective.

I can dig up the research somewhere.

3) I pretty much NEVER wash anything but my hands on a long trip. Or a short trip either, and by long I mean 30-days. I'll wash my face with water or snow. I'll wash my butt with snow when it feels like that's a good idea. And I wash my hands with soap. By the end of 30-days, I stink bad – but so do all my teammates.

4) I leave a clean shirt in the car.

5) Also – I live in a place where I can leave the keys in the car at the trail head. And when I say IN THE CAR, I mean in the ignition. With my iPod on the passenger seat. I am very fortunate, I realize that.