3-season gear for northeast USA

[Steve K]

My gear list essentially doesn't change once the snow melts until it starts snowing again. I'm thinking about swapping out the pack and tent for ones by Zpacks for a 4lb savings, but besides that I'm not sure how to cut weight without a disproportionate weight/dollar ratio. I do expect some level of durability from my gear, so Driducks are right out.

view gear list here

[Jake D]

Definitely improve on the pack. Many packs in that size that will be much lighter.. Osprey Exos, Zpacks, Gossomer gear.

swap the compression sack out for a trash compactor bag.

would the steripen still work with Powerade or Gatorade bottles? 2 of those weigh less than 1 nalgene. Camelpacks weigh a lot and are inconvenient to refill inside your pack. Depending on where you hike, carrying 1 liter is usually good. having 2 liters should be plenty.

i don't think you need a windshirt and rain jacket. i'd pick one or the other depending on what the forecast is like.

then limit the incidental stuff you don't have listed. small first aid kit, toiletries, spare socks, camera/phone, etc

shoulder season white mtns list
http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=9476

[James Marco]

Stephen,
Yeah, a few places you can save.
Pack: I like a Gossamer Gear Murmur for shorter 1 week trips. Weight is about 10oz.
Pad: About the same, I use a NeoAir medium, old style at 13oz.
Bag: I use a 227oz, 32F bag. In summer, I open this like a quilt.
Rain Gear: I have a 6oz rain jacket, Eddie Bauer jacket. My legs get wet. My feet get wet. My shoes will generally dry out over night, same for my pants. My sleep wear, is long johns. These, sleeping socks go in a compression bag with my sleeping bag. ~8-16oz for all, depending on temps…two weights: UL and regular weight.
Down Jacket: 10 oz or so, good to about 32F.
Steripen Opti, batteries are about the same.
e+Light, and Impulse. About 3oz.
Cooking: Caffin Stove, 8oz canister, windscreen, grease pot, cup, spoon, about 18-19oz
Tarp: 14oz (includes stakes/guylines)
Staff: 4.5oz
2-500ml GatorAid bottles: Old ones with the wide mouths.
Misc gear: first aid, repair, fire starter, bear line, etc: 5oz in throw bag.
1 spare set of socks for the anticipated water: 3-4oz
Light Weight Fleece sweater for general warmth (quick dry)

Total is around 7-9 pounds, I will also bring a saw, ~14oz if I plan on clearing trail. Two trash bags for junk I find in the woods.

[rick .]

I 2nd the point Jake makes about the incidental stuff not shown: spoon, bear bag, etc. (unless you just don't bring any). That stuff adds up! My old first aid bag alone, the empty bag, weighed 4oz! A ziploc works better: it's waterproof. Besides the next paragraph, this is where you can shave the most.

Your pack and tent are 50% of the weight listed, and there is easily 50-60oz savings here. The tent is fine if two of you share, otherwise its double a 1-person tarptent or similar style shelters. For an example I use an SMD Swift pack+belt ~19oz and Tarptent Contrail ~30oz = 50oz/3lb savings.

You could save ~9oz if you swap your water system with the following (maintaining your 4L capacity, which is what I carry):
Sawyer mini 1.9oz
1L smartwater 1.4oz (dirty)
1L smartwater 1.4oz
3L nalgene canteen 2.9oz
=7.6oz about $40, but the filter can last a lifetime without batteries, and the canteen is durable and cheap.

You're at the point where replacing gear can cost $100 per lb saved, my 3.5lb examples above would cost ~$350. The free option is to leave stuff behind.

Your insulation seems excessive for peak summer months. You also list 4 tops and no bottoms.

I hike the NE. In the hottest 3 months I typically carry in addition to tee/shorts:
-Light insulation (I use an 8oz/$4 goodwill wool sweater, which is often overkill. Either your fleece or puffy would fit this line).
-rain jacket of some kind, depending on rain forecast: hardshell, softshell, windshirt
-long underwear
-light wind pants (I typically consider the likelihood of needing these at the trailhead)

Look at it this way: wearing everything you list would be ok to 30f, that's not going to happen in June. I also don't think the houdini is worth 1/4lb in addition to the rain jacket.

The hiking poles wouldn't count towards a base weight if you want to get technical, but it hardly matters since you're carrying them one way or another.

[Jake D]

Rick, you carry 4L of water? do you guys not have streams in NY? haha

if you swapped your 3L nalgene for a 1.5-2L Evernew bottle you could have 3.5-4L capacity and be able to fill up more 'dirty' water without having to filter it right away. Which i find really nice when the bugs are biting near water, scoop and go.

water is about the heaviest thing you carry so i really try to limit the amount i carry.

i agree, i don't count my poles towards base since i use them 95% of the time.

[rick .]

The 3L nalgene canteen is less than 1oz per Liter capacity, it is 2.89oz. Not something I'm running right out to replace.

I carry capacity for 4L clean, I don't often start brimmed to the top. The following is common enough to warrant 4L: I fill water along the way in the afternoon. Checking possible sources ahead, I decide that has to last afternoon/evening hiking, dinner/breakfast (1L each for food and water) and some to get me to the next water source. Trust me, I only carry to the mL what I need at each fill, water is heavy!

You have three choices: Have the capacity for the longest stretch, make a special trip/backtrack for water or plan campsites solely on proximity to water.

I don't think tons of dirty water capacity is that beneficial, your buggy stream scenario aside, I can't think of another time where it's preferred over clean water capacity.

[Jake D]

on the AT and Long trail the water sources at campsite/ shelters can be a bit more than you want to walk after you're done walking. so i like to fill up my 1.5L bag and filter it back at the shelter, or filter 1L in a bottle and have 1.5L for cooking and to fill up the next days water.

with the Sawyer squeeze it doesn't matter if your water is clean or dirty.. you can filter it any time. so water is water.

[rick .]

right, I guess it doesn't really matter, but I lean towards having filtered water on tap

[Steve K]

Rick, I appreciate your well-reasoned analysis of my gear list.

In the dead of summer I usually drop the Cap4. I could probably drop the Cap4 altogether but it is nice with a hard shell when it is cold and rainy. Nothing else is quite like fleece when everything is damp. I guess I think about insulation a lot because I do more shoulder/winter stuff than summer.

The Houdini is probably my most worn pack-carried item. That said, in the warmest months I could probably leave it out too.

I have been experimenting with the Houdini pants but thus far I've been leaving them behind more often than taking them. I don't like wearing pants unless I have to and even then only when the bugs are really bitey or there's snow on the ground. They feel too fragile to wear in brush, but are nice otherwise. Mosquito-proof!

I end up carrying hiking poles more than I use them, but I like them when the terrain is tough or when I am tired, so I count them as pack weight.

Jake D. In our group we've broken several Platypus and Nalgene soft-sided containers. Camelbak has remained the most durable/convenient way thus far. I will give Gatorade a shot, but might be slightly too narrow for the Steripen. I've had a lot of long dry stretches of trail before, so I always start out with 4L and maybe don't refill as much later.

Thanks for reminding about incidentals. I have to pore over them and weed out the unnecessary.

Franco, This year I'll be giving the Caffin stove plus my MSR TItan kettle a shot instead. I'm a big fan of the Jetboil but the Caffin should save a few ounces.

[dirtbag]

I hike in the NE also. I would lose the camelback, the nalogene and the stuff sack for starters. There is plenty of water here in the NE mountains, no need to carry it all in your pack on your back. Also, the darn tube freezes in winter when its well below freezing. The nalogen is heavy and bulky. Try using soft platy bags..or since you use a steripen and need a wide mouth try the wide mouth nalogen soft canteen. Ditch that stuff sack and try useing a plastic liner for your bag to keep things dry. I would also switch out that cookset..you can go mutch lighter and smaller then that, I'm sure.

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