Colorado hiking in October – Gear list

[Moze C]

Hello, second post here, just posted HERE as a brief intro.

Me and a buddy are flying into Denver mid-October to get some hiking in. We land pretty early on a Thursday and leave Sunday, late afternoon. Not my prime pick of times to go, but it’s the only time we could both make work. Hoping weather will cooperate. I’m going to create a post to discuss trail options, but wanted to get my gear out there and hopefully get some input.

The following is a pretty complete list of what I have, much of which is shown in the pictures. Everything fits comfortably in the backpack. I’m open to any advice or critique from those that have it to offer. These items were put together for a hike up Mount Thielsen earlier this year, thus the snow gear. I’ve already been told on another forum that I have too many cutting instruments and the snow pants should go. I’m not necessarily going for ‘ultralight’ but I don’t want to go with a bunch of needless or redundant items either…

Anyway, here’s what I have – I’m wide open to critique and suggestions:

Teton Talus 2700 backpack (w/poncho/backpack cover)

ALPS Lynx 1-man tent

Klymit KSB20 sleeping bag

Klymit Ozone Recon sleeping pad (need to get a patch kit)

Etekcity mini camping stove (would like to replace with a Minimo)

Platypus Big Zip 3l hydration bladder

Petzl Aktic headlamp & lantern case

SOGfari kukri

Morakniv Kansbol (will prob keep this, ditch the other cutting instruments)

Boker Kalashnikov

Fiskars X11 hatchet

Gerber Dime

Luminox Recon Point Man watch

Sawyer mini filter

La Sportiva Eco 2.0 shoes

Spare cell phone battery (prob need to get a solar charger)

Spare headlight batteries

Paracord

Kevlar string

Gorilla tape

Emergency blankets

Waterproof matches

Cotton balls rubbed w/petroleum jelly

Aquatabs water purification tablets

REI first aid kit

Snow bibs

Wool knit hat

Microfleece balaclava

Darn Tough wool socks

Marmot Precip jacket

Marmot Precip pants

Neoprene gloves

[Ken Thompson]

That’s a lot of cutting tools

[Ken Thompson]

Teton Talus 2700 backpack (w/poncho/backpack cover)

ALPS Lynx 1-man tent

Klymit KSB20 sleeping bag

Klymit Ozone Recon sleeping pad (need to get a patch kit)

Etekcity mini camping stove (would like to replace with a Minimo)

Platypus Big Zip 3l hydration bladder

Petzl Aktic headlamp & lantern case nix the case

SOGfari kukri nix

Morakniv Kansbol (will prob keep this, ditch the other cutting instruments)nix

Boker Kalashnikov nix

Fiskars X11 hatchet nix

Gerber Dime

Luminox Recon Point Man watch

Sawyer mini filter

La Sportiva Eco 2.0 shoes

Spare cell phone battery (prob need to get a solar charger) Not needed for such a short trip

Spare headlight batteries

Paracord for? nix

Kevlar string see above

Gorilla tape

Emergency blankets for?

Waterproof matches

Cotton balls rubbed w/petroleum jelly

Aquatabs water purification tablets

REI first aid kit More than 2oz? Too heavy 

Snow bibs and rain pants?

Wool knit hat

Microfleece balaclava

Darn Tough wool socks

Marmot Precip jacket

Marmot Precip pants

Neoprene gloves

[Moze C]

@here agreed…I mentioned in the list that I’d likely keep the Morakniv and ditch the rest. Guess I got a little blade happy on my last excursion.

[Matthew / BPL]

Wool hat and balaclava?

Did I miss insulation for around camp? (Fleece or puffy)

This might be premature in your journey towards carrying less weight but cotton balls and waterproof matches can end up weighing a lot if you bring a ton of them and depending on how you carry them. I like to bring a mini-bic and a single book of plain matches and one or two Tinder Quicks in a tiny pill baggie as a backup. I never use the tinder or the matches…

[Matthew / BPL]

Two more thoughts:

1) after each trip as you unpack throw all of the unused stuff in a pile. You probably don’t need any of that stuff.

2) Have you watched Mike Clelland’s UL backpacking videos on YouTube? They are a great place to start. His UL Backpacking book is great too.

[Bob Moulder]

A lot depends on where exactly you plan to hike.

The Rockies might already be receiving significant snowfall by mid-October.

Sometime in the late ’90s a friend and I did a trip to Kings Peak in UT. We learned after we hiked out that there had been a big snowstorm over CO/WY (not that far from where we were!) and that there had been some fatalities. That was around Sept 9.

Great advice to check out Mike Clelland’s videos. A superb intro to UL concepts and philosophy.

[Link .]

Reading this post will help us help you SUGGESTED GEAR LIST ETIQUETTE, and HERE is a link with lots of newbie info including articles and videos to help you.

[Eric Lundquist]

Where do you intend to go camping in October?  It could significantly influence your packing choices.

[Moze C]

@here:

Petzl Aktic headlamp & lantern case nix the case

Going to bring the case. Will make a great lantern and protect the headlamp.

SOGfari kukri nix – copy

Morakniv Kansbol (will prob keep this, ditch the other cutting instruments)nix – so no knife?

Boker Kalashnikov nix – copy

Fiskars X11 hatchet nix – copy

Spare cell phone battery (prob need to get a solar charger) Not needed for such a short trip – I’d like to use the phone and the AllTrails app to follow trails and record hikes.

Paracord for? nix – emergencies? buddy falls in a ravine? Broken shoelace? For it’s weight and many uses, seems like a good thing to have along.

Kevlar string see above – copy

Emergency blankets for? – Emergencies? lol…Guess I’m going by the two is one, one is none philosophy and they barely weigh anything or take up any room

 

REI first aid kit More than 2oz? Too heavy – Copy

Snow bibs and rain pants? – Mentioned above, Marmot Precip pants

[Link .]

Here is an article that gives links to more articles on winter backpacking including gear lists LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACKING IN THE WINTER: GEAR AND TECHNIQUES FROM THE ARCTIC  .

and this is an example of how a lot of people post their list in GEARGRAMS .

[Moze C]

Dang, I didn’t even post my gear list correctly lol…

I sincerely appreciate all of the comments and will catch up on everything posted and repost my gear in a way that more closely adheres to the etiquette mentioned.

Is there a way to quote comments?

[Link .]

.For some reason in my newbie help link the Oregon Field Guide Ultralight Hiking video link is down so if you want to watch it(it is worth watching)HERE  is another link for you so you can( it starts 8 min 30 sec. into the episode)

[Moze C]

@matthewkphx

Wool hat and balaclava? As in don’t bring them?

Did I miss insulation for around camp? (Fleece or puffy) I’m in dire need of clothing advice. 

This might be premature in your journey towards carrying less weight (I’m all for reducing weight, but also not overly concerned with it at the moment) but cotton balls and waterproof matches can end up weighing a lot if you bring a ton of them and depending on how you carry them. I like to bring a mini-bic and a single book of plain matches and one or two Tinder Quicks in a tiny pill baggie as a backup. I never use the tinder or the matches…Copy

Two more thoughts:

1) after each trip as you unpack throw all of the unused stuff in a pile. You probably don’t need any of that stuff.

2) Have you watched Mike Clelland’s UL backpacking videos on YouTube? They are a great place to start. His UL Backpacking book is great too. I’ll definitely check them out, thank you!

[Moze C]

@bobmny10562

A lot depends on where exactly you plan to hike.

The Rockies might already be receiving significant snowfall by mid-October.

Sometime in the late ’90s a friend and I did a trip to Kings Peak in UT. We learned after we hiked out that there had been a big snowstorm over CO/WY (not that far from where we were!) and that there had been some fatalities. That was around Sept 9.

Great advice to check out Mike Clelland’s videos. A superb intro to UL concepts and philosophy.

Where we’re going……great question. I’m not overly happy about the time frame we’re going, but it’s set. Since you never know with higher elevations, my plan is to basically have a number of trails picked out and as we get closer to our hike dates, check the weather and pick our trails accordingly. I’d like to hike within an hour and a half’s drive from Denver.

[Moze C]

@annapurna thank you very much for the links!

[Link .]

Mike Clelland’s videos are linked in my newbie post that I linked above.

[Ken Thompson]

I left the little Gerber. Even though it is probably too much. Bust a shoe lace, use some guy line. Paracord is heavy, absorbs water and stretches. Popular because it is cheap and found everywhere.

[Moze C]

@annapurna Just watched the Oregon Field Guide video – great info, thank you!

@here Gotchya – missed that you left the Gerber. And thanks for the additional info.

[Bob Moulder]

lol, seems to be a common theme with the cutlery.

I carry the 21-gram SAK Classic most of the time, although I honestly can’t even remember the last time I used it… probably the toothpick.  

 

[Ken Thompson]

Weigh some things. You may be appalled.

[Matthew / BPL]

Moze,

re: Wool hat and balaclava… bring one or the other not both. That sounds like a duplicated item and perhaps unnescesary. Sorry I wasn’t clear.

re: Insulation around camp… something warm would be nice. You might want to break that out into it’s own thread. There are many approaches and it depends what your budget is like and what temperature range you are trying to deal with.

re: Cutlery… After years of not using a knife I decided to only carry my tiny Swiss Army Knife and I usually only use the scissors to cut some tape. I can’t remember the last time I used a knife. It’s probably sacrilege to some here but I do carry a razor in my FAK as a backup just in case.

re: Paracord… It isn’t very good cord and I’m positive it wouldn’t fit into the eyelets on my shoes however some guyline from my tarp or bear line sure would. I definitely wouldn’t want to try to extract my buddy from a ravine using it as most knots decrease the breaking strength of cord by about 50% irrc which wouldn’t leave much safety margin.

re: Emergency blanket. I carry one in my daypack when dayhiking as an emergency shelter but I already have a tarp which is a way better shelter. If my tarp ripped or something I’d still probably rather improvise with it rather than spending the night in an emergency blanket.

[Moze C]

@matthewkphx very good info, thank you! Makes perfect sense…

[Bob Moulder]

Where we’re going……great question. I’m not overly happy about the time frame we’re going, but it’s set. Since you never know with higher elevations, my plan is to basically have a number of trails picked out and as we get closer to our hike dates, check the weather and pick our trails accordingly. I’d like to hike within an hour and a half’s drive from Denver.

Moze, you brought up another obvious point, which is elevation.

No matter how fit one might be there is no way that someone going from 430ft (Dallas) to +10,000ft is not going to feel the effects.

When you combine this with the desired drive time from Denver you are looking at venues on the Front Range. There are plenty of options there, and with the new and improved BPL search and by googling there is a wealth of information to help you decide where to go.

[Bob Moulder]

Weigh some things. You may be appalled.

Ditto!

I looked up some of the published weights for the pack, shelter and sleep system (bag+air mat) and came up with a total of about 12 lbs (with guyline/stakes for the tent), which is pretty heavy by UL standards.

It might be helpful to look at some UL gear lists in order develop a feel for the kind of gear that will bring you closer to a UL base weight (<10lb with everything but consumables… food, fuel, water… and worn clothing).

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