JMT Gear List

[Michael S]

My friend and I are planning a July thru hike of the JMT (North to South). We have 2 weeks to complete the hike due to work obligations.

Here is my gear list based on the objective of going fast and light and being safe and comfortable for that time of year. I appreciate any feedback on something I may be overlooking. I have hiked half the trail so I have a pretty good understanding of the terrain and altitude.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AouLfjEq9FHwdFdZaDlBVXgybmtuOGgzTk1aeV9uMGc&output=html

[Andrew F]

Clothing:
Nix 1/2 zip fleece, use the Capilene 2 L/S as a midlayer instead
Nix Shirt 3
Nix the spare underwear
Nix the sandals, Roclite 295's are just as comfy and dry fast
Add in a rain jacket

Saved: 22oz, take away 6-7oz for a light rain shell

Packing:
Nix the drybag for clothing, trash compactor bag is fine (saves 1.1 oz)

Sleeping:
Nix the drybag for sleeping gear, trash compactor bag is fine (saves 1.1 oz)
Nix the goosefeat pillow stuff sack and just use the Exped. You don't need a pillow cover when you are wearing a hat and a hood (saves 1.9 oz)

That's 20 oz or so total saved once you add back in a rain jacket. There easily can be several consecutive days of thunderstorms in July, and with a 2 week trip you can't plan around the forecast. If you do go without a raincoat, be prepared to hunker down under your tarp for an extended period of time which might put you behind schedule.

You have a lot of extra clothing in there. Keep in mind it's really easy to wash clothing on the trail. Every 1-2 days I go swimming in a lake which washes out the underwear, and you can easily rinse out a shirt and have it be dry in 20-30 minutes if the weather is good. If you use your Capilene 2 L/S as a midlayer then you don't even have to wait for the first shirt to dry.

[Allen Butts]

Here are some ideas that may help you save just a little bit of weight. Do your running shorts have built in liners? I started hiking in shorts with liners about 10 years ago and haven't brought underwear on a single trip since. (Plus its a nice airy feeling ya know?)

Also if I were taking a 2 week fast & light trip I'd only take 1 shirt, 1 L/S baselayer, and 1 puffy for warmth. I would nix the houdini but bring a rain jacket just for comfort's/safety's sake, or bring an umbrella. Personally in the summers I hike with just a wind jacket and an umbrella, that combo works great for me. Its nice when there is heavy rain, (not windy) and you stay completely dry.

Also this is little but do you really need your katabatic hood? I have slept in my Sawatch down to about 25 degrees without a hood and I just wore a beanie. Just a thought.

Overall great list, make sure you get in shape before your trip!! Have a great trip man!

[Michael S]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I made some changes after reading your comments.

-Got rid of Houdini Wind Jacket, Added Rain Jacket
-Changed to Shorts with integrated underwear, got rid of 2 pairs of underwear
-Got rid of down hood
-Got rid of fleece half-zip

Now I'm down under a 10 lb baseweight!

-Keeping my Luna for after hike each day. I know I can nix these but I really like letting my feet breathe out of shoes as much as possible.
-I know I could get rid of the 2 drybags, but they help with organization and they are also 2.2 oz together
-Goosefeet pillow is just so comfortable (of course I got rid of the Goosedown hood now)

Let me know if you see any other things, thanks

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AouLfjEq9FHwdFdZaDlBVXgybmtuOGgzTk1aeV9uMGc&output=html

[Aaron D]

Go Lite Yunnan Pant — can you just wear these instead of carrying them? They are very light/stretchy, when I had them I rolled them up into "shorts" several times. That would save you 10oz+

I'd still rethink bringing the sandals. I often go barefoot for a while, soak feet in cold water, usually just a short time gets them refreshed, then put socks/shoes back on.

I tried aquamira last summer–hated it. Switched back to Sawyer (mini). Anyway, I don't think it weighed 1oz even when I repackaged it into smaller bottles for a 4 day trip. I think it was a little bit more.

[Author]

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