Interesting 75/25 Dualist Scenario

[_Stoffle_]

Hey BPL,
My wife and I are outfitting ourselves for the upcoming season. We've worked really hard at weight loss/fitness and are excited to get some miles under our feet. Here's the deal though, my wife's back is a mess. She can walk/hike pretty good but she can't cope with any pack over ten lbs total. I plan on carrying most of her gear for her. She'll carry her food/water and probably her clothes. With that fact and the fact we're both vegans, I would love some feedback on my intended gear list. Only a few items have been purchased so far.

Mine: Granite Gear Crown VC 60 or Klymit Motion 60 (feedback appreciated)
Hers: Osprey Daylite Backpack or Aqua-Quest `The Himal' 20L (feedback appreciated)

Sleep system:
– SOL Heavy Duty Emergency Blanket
– Zpacks 8.5' x 10' CF Tarp
– 2x Ptarmigan Bivy
– 2x UL Sleep bags (still researching)
– 2x Torso pad (backpack integration?)
– Trekking poles

Cooking system:
– Go Bag Stove & Windscreen Combo (indestructible and 1.8oz)
– Vargo fuel bottle
– TOAKS Titanium 900ml Pot (130mm)
– 2x Light My Fire Titanium Spork

Another option is to scrap the cooking system in leu of using a high-calorie Soylent powered/liquid diet (very promising research)

Water system:
– Aquamina drops
– 3x Reused 1L bottles
– Sawyer in-line filter on platypus 1L bag (optional)

Clothing: (we're vegan so no wool/down/silk)
– Mountain Hardwear Duration T-Shirt
– Rab Women's Aeon Tee
– MEC T3 Hoodie (men's and women's)
– Marmot Super Mica Jacket (men's)
– Outdoor Research Helium II (women's)
– Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket (men's and women's)
– ExOfficio Give-n-go Boxer Briefs
– Patagonia Active Hipster panty
– MEC T3 long johns (men's and women's)
– Montbell Trail Ridge Convertible pants (men's)
– Marmot Lobo's Convertible pants (women's)
– Thorlos Hiker Socks (men's and women's)(sleeping)
– OR Sombriolet Sun Hat

Footware:
– NB Quarter Socks with Coolmax
– Montrail Mountain Masochist II (men's and women's)

Misc:
– 2x Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack 2L
– 2x Dermasafe razor
– Tiny 96 Lumen Flashlight
– 2x AAA battery
– 2x FireFly Ultralight Headlamp
– Mini playing cards (Euchre-ed)
– 6x Micro Dice
– Travel-size Dr. Bronner's (dishes, laundry, body)
– Storm-proof lighter
– 2x toothbrushes
– Tooth powder
– Micro first-aid kit
– 2x Micro-fiber towels

[Katherine .]

"Sleep system:
– SOL Heavy Duty Emergency Blanket"

Sounds heavy. Is this intended as a ground cloth? You could probably loose some oz there.

TOAKS Titanium 900ml Pot (130mm)

900ml doesn't seem like enough for 2 people. I need 850 ml just for me.

2x Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sack 2L

What are these for?

[Ralph Burgess]

The regular weight SOL heatsheet works well as a robust groundsheet. I just tried using it in the Grand Canyon, on surfaces about as rough as you'd encounter anywhere, and it came through 10 days or so hole-free. It's not going to last for months, but it's only a few bucks, so I'd just treat it as a disposable item. It's no better than many other solutions as a groundsheet, but of course it means you can take an emergency blanket with no weight penalty – and it's miles better than the the paper-thin Mylar things as an actual emergency blanket.

3.2oz for 8' x 5'.
Not sure if that's big enough for a groundsheet for two.
I cut mine down to a weight of about 2oz for one person.

[jimmer ultralight]

What area of the country and temperature ranges are you going to be hiking in?

Also, you say your wifes back is a mess..can she carry weight on her hips better than on her shoulders? Makes a big difference as to the weight of just her empty pack alone and her comfort level at the end of the day.

Likewise with the sleeping pad system . You will likely you will need more than torso pads. Clothes ,sleeping Pads and Sleeping bags work together to make up your total nightime insulation system. Consider all of them carefully and dont scrimp too much here..

If you are looking at any scenarios with colder or wet weather, keep the cook kit of some kind. At least one hot meal a day is a big morale booster,especially in cooler temps right before bed.

Also, WTH is a "Go Bag" stove?

[George F]

While the burner looks well made, I would be leery of a system where the pot sits right on the stove. I am sure you will get responses saying that it works fine but you sacrifice efficiency and stability with that design. With the pot you have in mind over 1/3 of your surface area does not get any direct heat from the stove, because it is blocked by the stove itself. On the Go Bag site they have pictures of pretty blue flames curling up the sides of a cook pot. Those flames represent fuel you are carrying that is not heating your dinner. And if you go with a bigger pot, as Katherine suggested you may need, your efficiency gets better but your stability gets worse.

I am a huge fan of the Trail Designs Caldera systems; very light and reliable burner, windscreen/pot support that is hard to beat for blocking the wind, stability and trapping the maximum heat from your fuel. And many different sizes available, worth taking a look at.

[jimmer ultralight]

It looks to be a 1 st generation bottle stove made out of a 2.75" water bottle instead of a beer bottle.

That stove is not very efficient, mostly because it burns presurized alcohol -hot and fast.The gobble fuel in exchange for speed.

Ive experimentent a lot with side burners like yours,Batchstovez,BIOS ,Supercats,etc and find that a snug fitting wind screen deperives them of enough oxygen to tame the jets down a bit and keep the flame under the pot base. As to flame pattern you should be fine with that 5" pot.

IMHO,George is right about the stability factor, though, but then again Andrew Skurka has used a 2.25" Diameter cat food can stove under a 900ml Evernew for about 15,000 total hiking miles over tbe last 7 years and still uses it.

Make sure you use a 8"x8" square of Aluminum foil ad a "floor" under your stove and windscreen. It will only weigh a few grams and protects the ground from scrorthing and catches any spilled alcohol.It also reflects heat back to your pot and makes ANY alcohol stove setup more safe and efficient.

[Anonymous]

.

[_Stoffle_]

The SOL Heavy Duty Emergency Blanket is 5' x 8' and weighs 7.9 oz. If Heatsheets ever sells product by the yard straight to consumers, I'll look at making my own. That would be an option item as the bivys would make them redundant in most cases.

Good point on the pot. Would the TOAKS Titanium 1350ml would be a better size or ever larger?

The 2L dry sacks would be for clothing containment and compression.

Thanks for the help Katherine

[_Stoffle_]

Awesome. I'll pick up a couple of those. I am interested in finding a source for Heatsheet by the yard. If anyone know of one please let me know. I want to build a prototype of a reversible supers shelter using Heatsheet and CF.

5' x 8' will be ok for two, we cuddle.

[Katherine .]

"The 2L dry sacks would be for clothing containment and compression."

You can probably skip this too. Get trash compactor bags to line your packs. Keep the clothing loose so it fills in the space around other less malleable gear items. Though I do keep my dedicated sleep clothes in a 1 gallon ziploc.

An idea on your sleep system. Open to quilts? Interested in something shared? If so, see if Enlightened Equipment can make one of these in Climashield Apex instead of down:

http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/accomplice/

[and I haven't cooked for two yet, so not sure on how low you can go on the pot]

[_Stoffle_]

Jimmer,
She did a couple hikes at the end of last season with about 10lb total using a framed pack with a substantial waist belt and was OK. She's been distributing the weight as equally as possible between her shoulders and hips. We might have to take some day hikes to dial it in.

She's been using a ALPS Mountaineering Lightweight Series Self-Inflating Air Pad (regular size) but at 2+ lbs we have to find a much lighter solution. I'll check the forum for other threads on sleeping pads.

Go Bag stove is a brand name: http://www.amazon.com/Go-Bag-Stove-Windscreen-Combo/dp/B00H6GORFK/

Thanks for the help!

[_Stoffle_]

We'll be covering some of the PCT and Sierras. Central California mainly.

[Author]

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