Looking to go lighter still

Understood. I kinda have a preference to them just to keep the stuff in my stretch pockets dry, keep the pack from getting heavier, keep everything from getting muddy (and in turn my rear) if I set the pack down. I keep my cover in a stretch pocket right next to my rain jacket…so if I'm getting my rain jacket out anyway…

Additionally, most often than not if it's raining, then I'm using my GoLite umbrella and have it stuck into my pack strap. This then covers not only my head but the entire top of my pack. I just started using an umbrella this year and cannot even begin to tell you all the perks and uses for it…and envy from others on the trail. I can't explain how nice it is to hike in the rain for 3.5 hours with your hood off of your head, still be able to take pictures, not constantly be subjected to Chinese water torture, do your business while staying dry and even just being able to sit under it's cover while eating or making a meal.

…even makes a great awning on my BA Fly Creek UL 2, allowing me to keep my vestibule open in the rain and remedying BA's design flaw.

Re: FAK etc.. do you know how to suture? Do you think you could do it on yourself? i can't and probably couldn't i'd leave it. steri strips are lighter, easier to use, painless.

skip the soap and skip the DEET unless you expect major bugs… seems like you will wear a long sleeve most of the time anyway either for sun or for cold.

if you have a tick lifter what do you need tweezers for? if you have knife what do you need scissors for?

so you have a rain jacket, umbrella and pack cover… why? having a pack cover because you want to put your pack down in the mud is silly.. just… don't do that?

if you are psyched on Esbit why not just do 100% esbit and skip the canister.

little crap adds up.

Ahh yes, Steri strips and a small tube of super glue are in there too. Forgot about those. Yes, I have stitched my finger and my forearm back up. My mother taught me how to do this. I guess it all depends on ones tolerance for pain. In my mind, pain is only as bad as you make it, and it's not like it lasts more than a few seconds. Every piercing I have, I've also done myself. :O)

All the liquids (sunscreen, DEET, soap, and hand sanitiser) total only 1.8 oz. in their respective bottles. I don't even think the soap in it's dropper is 0.3oz. The tiny bottles of sunblock and hand sanitizer are probably the bulk of this weight.

Scissors are a whopping 0.2 oz and will be used to cut mole skin, finger or toe nails, and for medical needs (trim loose flap of skin, suturing, etc.). I'm actually very impressed with the SAK Swisscard scissors. They're TINY, but are no joke.

Tweezers are for suturing and removing and debris from wounds (or even slivers). You don't want to be fingering something you're repeatedly sticking though a cut. Great way to get an infection right off the bat.

I don't believe having a pack cover as ground protection was my only reason…

That is the plan for the ESBIT. The stove setup needs to be built before I can swap it out. ;O) Gotta wait for some titanium sheet to come in.

Hi Ken,

It looks like you're getting a lot of great ideas here. I would advise you to take it slow…buy a new piece of gear, play with it at home, take it on a trip (or two or three) see if you like it. Take notes about what you like and what you don't like. Make adjustments when you get home. Then repeat until you're happy with all your gear.

Mary made a great suggestion when she said to mark all your unused gear with tape and then catalog it when you get home. You might be surprised at what you bring and don't actually need or use.

I found that while I started out with a goal of getting lighter and lighter, what I was really seeking was simplicity. Less gear usually weighs less but for me it's more about not hauling around a bunch of crap. If I can get my whole cook set (pot, windscreen, esbit holder, spoon, cozy) down by one or two less pieces and it makes the set up and break down a little easier…that's much more of a success to me then shaving off an extra ounce. And I'm not necessarily talking about only bringing the bare necessities because I bring a kindle and a full length, wide neoair xlite. I allow myself those things because I sleep considerably better on a wider pad and I love to read. When I sit down and start looking at gear, weight is one consideration but SIMPLICITY is the main thing.

Anyways, no concrete ideas…just my thoughts on the whole process.

"You have a lot of weight in stuff sacks; consider going the pack liner route and leaving the stuff sacks behind."

I agree with this. In fact, having a lot of stuff sacks kind of shows you may have too much "stuff" to put in those sacks. I have hiking partners that also like to take stuff sacks and I find them to be limiting. In the morning everything has to go in a stuff sack and it takes time. Typically, in the summer, I only have one stuff sack and it's for my clothes. My first aid and ditty bag just go in a few small Ziplocks which are then placed in one larger Ziploc which I place on the outside of my pack.

When I get up in the morning I loosely stuff my sleeping bag and clothes bag in the pack in a liner. I close the liner and then put my tarp set up and stove in next. Then the bear canister. That's it. No stuff sacks needed for anything else. Simplicity is what I have learned from experience and from many, many suggestions on this site. It's real easy to pack in the morning and get going.

As far as clothing, in the summer in the Sierra I just take one extra long shirt, Dri Ducks, one extra socks, and one extra underwear for my trips along with a lightweight down jacket/sweater.

You have received a lot of great suggestions. Go out and try it out. Go without some of the stuff you feel you have to have and see how you do. Simplify, simplify.

Lot of great suggestions. My baseweight 3-4 years ago was about 15-20 pounds depending on the trip, now it's 6-12 pounds, depending on the trip. I have no motivation whatsoever getting any lower, for me a frameless pack w/up to 15-18 pounds is fine, and reasonably comfortable; w/a frame good to 25, to even 30, though I prefer mid 20s. I was comfortable w/my Zpacks Zero w/out a waste belt carrying up to 18 pounds w/food n water and bearcan on recent 9 day Sierra trip.. It is more comfortable at 10-15 pounds!

I have read all the posts, including your responses. Experiment, get out there. You can easily drop a couple lbs. or more on many at least 3 season weekend trips. If your premium is on comfort, there are tradeoffs. I wouldnt overthink this, have fun..

Thanks to all for their input. Working on simplifying, but also now have a new puppy that's eating up a lot a time. Things have been simplified and lighten even further since last time. Will post some updates in the near future. Thanks again to all!

KJ

Hi Ken,
Regarding places to go backpacking near Chicago: yep, there basically aren't any, but I can offer one exception from experience – the South Kettle Moraine State Forest section of the Ice Age Trail in WI.

It'd probably be about a 2 hour drive from Des Plaines (it took me about hour and a half from Lake Zurich), and it makes for a fun weekend trip. Just a few complications – it's a linear trail, so ideally you'd have someone you could shuttle with, and advance reservations are required for the backcountry sites (which are shelters, so you don't really even need a tent). Also, you technically aren't allowed to backcountry camp anywhere else, so it's near the shelters or nothing – if I remember correctly, you are limited to the 1/4 mile area surrounding the shelters.

I was out there in mid-April. Car-camped Friday night, parked one car at Highway 12 Saturday morning, then drove to trailhead and hiked from near Shelter 1 to Shelter 3 (about 19 miles), stayed overnight (and experienced one hell of a storm) and then hiked out to our car at Highway 12 (less than 5 miles from Shelter 3). As for the scenery, my expectations were low, but it was actually pretty nice.

Good luck with the gear list, I'd try to help, but I think everyone else has said what can be said already.

Joe

Joe

Thanks for the tips on the Ice Age Trail. I’m headed down to Shawnee Nat. Forest the weekend of the 20th. Sounds like something you’d want to join in on? I plan on doing a lot more exploring this year, especially this area. You are allowed to primitive camp anywhere in Shawnee as long as you’re 150ft off a trail.

KJ

Recommendations from a quick glance at this thread:

Try geargrams.com…seems like a really neat format!

Start doing a bunch of shakedowns when conditions/weather is similar to your planned trip. Bring a small notebook or paper. Make notes of everything used, etc. Then make notes of what wasn't used. You can then start to factor what is and what isn't worth carrying.

Having my big three + ground pad at or under 5 lbs seems to work well for general 3 season bp'ing for myself. You can find a lot of things used if your patient in your search. Start putting a small amount of money away each paycheck for your gear or get a p/t job if you don't have one. The more I hike, the more I enjoy carrying less.

For my 3 season gear I have Mariposa plus, 30deg. quilt, ridgerest ground pad and Tarptent Squall. Although not SUL, this works well enough for me & includes shelter bug protection.

Crucial weight saving items: Tent, bag/quilt, backpack & ground pad. Gossamer Gears polycro liner is nice too. I've used it plent for cowboy camping as well.

Seems like you got some decent advice…

Enjoy your time outdoors amigo~

ps Funny story, had my pup in my tarptent b/c it twas a cool evening camping by Oh Be Joyful river in Crested Butte. Dawn approaches as well as a deer! My pup busted through my screen door in my squall to chase it down/away, whatever. :) So, what is my lesson learned? hah