Summer Backpacking Weight Experiment

I forgot my precious, precious spork.

+0.6oz

Max, I've got a 'job' that gives me of a lot of free time as well, which has lead to some pretty obsessive trip planning & gear-headery. Last summer I did a thorough study of the lightest foods for backpacking (cals,prot,fat,carbs & $ per oz). Yeah, it got pretty ridiculous.

But what your doing is not that ridiculous at all. Actually people do it all the time over in the gearlists forum. Check it out. Folks will give you feedback & suggestions on your list if you want. Or you can find out just how light some people's packs are on this forum & get seduced into spending a small fortune on lighter gear.

Careful…

I don't use gloves in nicer weather. Your raincoat is pretty heavy. Going for durability? I have a 4 oz. silnylon, Gram Wienie anorak, no longer made. Don't they make lighter hammocks? Or is that with all the hammocks parts?
Duane

You don't need fleece – heavy for the small amount of warmth

The only time it's useful is when hiking in cold temps, like 20 F, when just base layer and jacket aren't warm enough

Ok, useful info. This is my list for backpacking around the northeast from April to September, assuming the occasional night on a summit, with a crosswind, and rain, yadda yadda. I know I had a fleece when I toured the northeast last summer and only used it 3 nights in 30. So I can probably ditch that.

I fear the "nightmare scenario" and am wondering if I should bring a down vest or a fleece vest or something, anything, to complement my 45º bag for a serious adventure. Thoughts?

As for the hammock, Hennessy has a slightly lighter one but it comes at the cost of durability.

As for the raincoat, I had one Marmot Super Mica fail on me during a trip so I bought a slightly thicker Paclite one for durability. You can say it's durability, the better answer is I use it for going to class, going backpacking, snowshoeing, biking, etc. so it goes through the wringer. I could cut 5oz there but it's a nice coat.

As for the gearlist forum, I've posted there before but I thought I'd open it up here because it's A) nonspecific to a trip, B) slightly thought-experimental, and C) more about the idea of a base weight / skin out than the actual items. Though item conversation is inevitable so maybe I should have moved it….

Have you seen the Darien UL Hammock? Comes with straps, suspension, bug net, at 14.5 oz. and ready to hang.

My hammock probably weighs about that if I leave the rainfly at home, but I need the rainfly. The Darien UL Hammock might even weigh more than my hennessy, since it has big zippers instead of a small velcro slit. Regardless, I expect my hennessy to last me another decade so I'm not buying another hammock soon.

Maybe a tent. Can't always hang!

"I fear the "nightmare scenario" and am wondering if I should bring a down vest or a fleece vest or something, anything, to complement my 45º bag for a serious adventure. Thoughts?"

For the same weight as fleece, get a synthetic or down vest or jacket. That will provide much more warmth. Down more warmth for the weight, but more vulnerable to wet.

Probably will. Thanks Jerry!

>> You don't need fleece – heavy for the small amount of warmth <<

Just to provide a different perspective… I totally disagree with Jerry. Over the years I have tried all the the alternate options to try to cut the weight of carrying a fleece and my 100 wt fleece (9 oz) is one of my most used clothing items.

It's more than just about weight, the fleece handles moisture well (can wear it in light rain), breathes well, is durable (good bushwhacking garment), and doesn't make me cry when sparks from a fire burn holes in it (it's cheap compared to my down/wind top alternatives).

I sleep in mine all the time and can hike in it in cool weather without turning into a sweat ball.

Don't lose the fleece if it works for you.

I wish I had some comparable warmth/weight ratio for fleece VS down. I love fleece, but I also feel warm in down. Problem is, I treat my down jacket like a human infant; it's very fragile, it occasionally loses feathers (annoying) and it's useless while wet.

So, all the reasons I love fleece seem to be either A) not enough to justify the weight and bulk or B) fulfilled by down.

I think… I think I will still use a fleece vest, if I can find a good one under 10 ounces. Any suggestions?

Max, what pieces do you have that occasionally looses feathers? And what is "occasionally"?

I've got an EE quilt, Marmot puffy, down mitts and hood, down booties, and an EB down vest.

In all that stuff, I might notice 2-3 feathers pop out in a season.

I can't recall the name of the Mont Bell down shirt I got, it isn't called a shirt, but is about as thin and light. Coming in at 7oz, that was all I needed last August on my yearly Sierra vacation for my outer wear. I had my WM down vest but did not need it. The MB shirt looks pretty thin, so I was pretty skeptical, but I gave it a shot. At least one morning according to my Zip-o-gauge was 29F-30F and I was warm, so I have lightened my bp weight a little more.
Duane

C.A.M.P. Men's ED Slim down sweater. Loses about 2-4 feathers per 6 hours spent in it. Tried rolling it around in the dryer with some tennis balls to break the feathers, as well as just wearing it a lot, but they're still poking through. Waste of money. I would reccomend people avoid it, if you could even still find any. Not even that light- 9oz.

If I replace it, I'm probably going to go with something like a MH Ghost Whisperer, I like that company and have had good luck with their stuff.

But, I wouldn't bring a Ghost Whisperer on a summer trip. Early spring to late fall, sure.

I am looking at the Patagonia R1 Vest, 9oz for some decent fleece and no extras. 50 bucks on sale. However, I might cave and just get the full R1 Hoodie and leave my gloves and hat at home.

Part of me is reminding myself that the likely scenario is that I just use my Arcteryx fleece, eat the 2 oz, and call it a day…

Huh. Bummer about your coat!

For every piece of gear I don't like, there's three or four that I love. Gotta play to win!

My Sh!t List:

Columbia Omnidry Fleece
Marmot Super Mica Raincoat
C.A.M.P. Men's ED Slim
Injinji Coolmax Toe Socks
Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp

:)

What's your plan for camping on summits in NE. I'm thinking many with the wind conditions you describe are going to be treeless, so can you rig the hammock to rocks?

Also I would add some insulation or carry a heavier sleeping bag. Dunno if a 45 degree bag would cut it for those conditions.

Of course most of the mountains I'm thinking of in the Whites are off limits for camping above treeline anyway.

Last year I did a little LNT "stealth" camping without cooking on a couple of summits in NH, VT, and my own backyard, Mt. Greylock. Some mountains are pretty low, like Glastenbury, and there's plenty of strong non-alpine trees to hang from.

The one summit I was on that was bare rock was whatever mountain "Hurricane Mountain Road" is on in NH. Never could find the name, but I didn't look that hard. We slept on bare rock out in the open, since it was late august there were no bugs. It was beautiful, life-changing, euphoric, and a lot of other strong adjectives. It was also 42º.

There is the distinct possibility that I'll spend a lot of time near the shore, like on World's End in Hingham, MA and other east coast dwellings. In those areas, the ocean means it can hit 40 or 50 without a stretch, so I need to be prepared.

Final thought: my 45º bag will be fine with an insulating piece for my core. If you've seen any of my winter posts, I guess I'm a bit of a masochist and have no problem roughin' it. Type II fun!

on the LT i went with a smartwool sweater(8.6oz) instead of down to avoid the wetness issue. I wore it to bed over my Icebreaker 200 long sleeve many times with my 45-50* syth. quilt. Wool is also naturally fire resistant ;)

I suggest putting all your gear into GearGrams and be able to mix and match. There is stuff on your list missing… water bottles.. dirty water bags for Sawyer, phone, etc. To get a realistic view of what you have you need to count it all. I think baseweight is the easiest way to deal with that. No reason to count the weight of your shoes on your feet and clothes you will wear 90% of the time.

i hear you on the cabin fever.. do you have snowshoes? i might be doing Carrigain as a day hike one of these days.

I put in 5 extra "Miscellaneous" ounces for platypus bottles, matches, sunglasses, etc. I mean, just experimenting for now.

I do have snowshoes! A fantastic pair of Katoolah's, where the mount detaches into crampons. They've seen three trips so far, and they've been perfect.

Skin-out weight lets you consider everything you're bringing, so you can decide to, say, rethink your socks on the same spreadsheet. I agree with you, somewhat, but a lightweight pair of shoes can make a huge difference in weight carried vs. big boots.

I am bringing two pairs of shoes because I am a firm believer in the Vibram FF. In like, 5 weeks? They've really improved my quality of life. I have a vein problem in one foot and the constant flexing and strengthening is doing wonders. I can't walk much farther than 5 miles in them, though, before I start feeling it. So, I'll switch shoes as needed while hiking for a very small weight penalty. The EL-X vibrams are positively minimalist.

I guess i only have one pair of hiking shoes and generally wear the same "base" clothing so "worn" is a constant. Hell after last year's many miles most of my gear is a constant and only rain gear, insulation and food changes as current weather conditions and trip length change. I count my fake Crocs in my BW but don't worry about my Solomon shoes.