Hello everyone,
I'm new to these forums, and I'm backpacking for some 5-day summer trips. I've got an intial gear list but the weight is low enough (24 lbs) that I don't really care. However I'll probably go for a longer hike next year with 10-day pack so I want to buy the right gear, instead of having to sell and buy new next year. Basically I'm going for ~34 lbs load. Base pack is now 7,1 kg = 16 lbs. Add 10 days of food and we're at 34 lbs. My goal here is 1) light 2) great gear. I don't care about the price as long as its durable and worth the money on long term. I'm transitioning to lightweight gear.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AjvbVPeRAFHrcDRaNWhrWFZiQWJFTzdrY0RMelFTQ3c&output=html
On my spreadsheet, you can see all the stuff I carry. Efficiency there means the older gear weight divided by the price, which translates into a number that tells how much I get net decrease in weight for a euro. This is a good number to keep in my when you go shopping. All the prices are in euros, weights are in kilograms but I added pounds for convenience. You can see the gear types on WCT-Stats page. Most of the volumes are a guess or some raw calculation. My objective is May-Aug trail hiking. Sometimes sleeping in huts so tent is not always needed.
1) Backpack. I have unused Exos 58 but I might want something more durable and I don't know how I'll like the air-padding, especially when its more cold. Also Granite Gear Crown V.C. 60 seems to weight less. I considered the Gossamer Gear Gorilla Backpack, and it seems very attractive by its weight but I might carry around 33-35 lbs at maximum and I'm not sure if its up to the job comfortably. I want my backpack to be as light as possible, have an internal frame, be rather waterproof, have good padding and possibly some handy pockets for camera etc. I don't think my stuff is more than 45L so volume is not a problem. I wonder if there is any difference between aluminium and HDPE frame? The dilemma is that I could return this Exos 58 to the shop and get the Crown, but I'm not sure which one is better. Is there anyone who has tested both?
3) Sleeping bag. I think I'm going for PHD Minim 400 which has 400 grams of down and weights only 720, rated at23F. Low weight, high temperature efficiency. I don't know if I'd describe myself as cold sleeper but I really want a good night sleep. I'm also considering PHD's bigger version with 450 g down. My plan here is to use PHD Minim 400 + Down vest + Down Pants and see if that is enough. JMT is the maximum I'd do so I wouldn't want to buy another sleeping bag for it.
3) Tent. I'm going for Big Agnes UL2, for two persons. It'll be used only on May-Sept hiking, maybe on some mountains. Durability, water-resistance and weight are my priorities. I'm open to suggestions but I'm not going for shelter + bivy (yet).
4) Stove. I'm going for Jetboil Sol. I considered Snow Peak Litemax + Titanium Mug + Hotlips but it would be less fuel-efficient and we might have to carry an extra bottle. It really depends how much fuel I need for 10 days. If 230g canister can run for 10 days for about 2 litres a day, then I'm willing to reconsider. I also considered Esbits but I'm not sure if I like them. They seem relatively cheap and efficient but take some time get food done. I plan on eating about 4 warm foods +
5) Sleeping pad. I'm going for Exped Synmat UL 7. I only have experience with foam pads but I do feel I need more isolation, so maybe R-value above 3 would be nice. Synmat seems to be a good bet on that. I was also considering Prolite Plus Regular.
6) Food Canister. I'll only need this when I go for trails that demand this. BV450 seems an affordable option. I hope there was something a bit more roomy yet not as big as BV500. I'll have to measure how much my food will take volume. Right now I only have estimates. It seems that it could fit in but I'm not sure, you can count if you want. Basically the BV450 would have to take in 10 days of 1p food + toothbrush + sunscreen + lip balm + cold gel. Also, how does the Bearikade cost so much?
7) Shell. I want waterproof shell with some wind protection. I might keep my current, rather 450g jacket + pants. It can take rain, wind, anything decently enough. I'm not sure what to buy but the BPL article had some interesting gear picks.
8) Insulation. I'd like down vest and pants. Montbell looks nice but ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk sells WM stuff which is also light and affordable.
9) Base layer. I have skiing suit that is rather great on winter (I use it for skate-skiing, its great fun if you have a track nearby). Its made of some kind of synthetic fabric, probably Polypropylene. Weights about 350g as full suit. I dont see much reason to upgrade. I've considered silk and merino wool base layers but I'm not sure if they're worth the money. I never get cold in my current base layer, although I never stay still longer than 5mins for that matter.
10) T-Shirt. I already have 300g or so synthetic highly breathable T-Shirt, a bit heavy though. I heard Smartwoold Microweight is great but I don't have much alternatives either.
11) Socks. I'm buying Smartwool socks as long as they are available. I wonder if Hiking Medium is too warm for summer?
12) Footwear. I've not used trail-runners on a trail path so I'll probably go with my GoreTex trekking boots. I could switch to trail runners, but my only worry is if they're adequete on mountains with some form of ice cleats and if they can get too wet if its raining.
13) Beanie, boxers and balaclava. I'll use what I have and get something cheap, I don't see much reason to waste money here.
14) Camera. I'm not sure if I bother upgrading but Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS seems reasonable. Great quality, great battery, great size, great weight, great price. Its not durable if you dip it in water I guess but I'll try to avoid that. I have Powershot something previously.
15) Headlamp. I have a 100g powerful bicycle lamp, but If I can get 30g lamp with lithium batters I'll get one. Headlamp would be nice.
16) Water purification. I heard Aquamira is good. There was another german producer but I can't remember if it was worth the money. My drops should last ~100 litres.
17) Trekking poles. I have never used. I don't know if they're worth the money. I've carried a lot more than this in army but if they make hiking a lot more easier I'm ready to consider. I'm young enough to carry the load but my objective with lightweight hiking is to make it more fun.
18) Also I'm curious if I could drop some of this stuff.
I'm from Finland so all orders above 42 euros cost 23% VAT plus usually around 22 euros of shipping (and like 2% toll over 150 euro). Finding some great gear cheaply isn't always so easy so I'll try to pick something that I can get from UK that is comparable (clothes).
The spreadsheet is highly useful and readable, and I can send the proper view access to an email if someone needs it.
Thanks for all the answers & suggestions in advance!
