CT Section Hike Summer 2019

[James Montavon]

Hey y’all,

I have done plenty of little backpacking trips, and have lots of experience with big, giant, dumb heavy packs (thanks, Marine Corps infantry!) I would love a critique of my gear list and/or any suggestions to help fill in the remaining question marks. I plan on doing combinations of 2-3 day trips and a few 5 or even 10 day trips near the end.

https://lighterpack.com/r/61f9k4

[bjc]

You might want to take a look at Andrew Skurka’s core 13 clothing list on his website. As part of the overall list and suggestions is a specific set of lists for the CT.

[James Montavon]

Thanks! Lots of well thought out info there, much appreciated

[David Thomas]

Lots of smart choices there.  The Big 3 look good, except maybe that 16 ounce sleeping pad.  It appears to be OV’s  22″-17″x72″ tapered mummy pad at 16 ounces.  If you can accept a 48″ length (and put your pack under your feet), there are 8 to 10 ounce options.  I’d be torn, myself.  I’ll often do that on a weekend summer trip, but for a 10-day trip, you want to sleep well every night.

Super low-hanging fruit: leave the 4.4 ounce stove for car camping and get a $15, 0.9-ounce BRS-3000T.  Only $4 per ounce saved!

Consider a bamboo spoon.  For $1.  Sometimes can be found at Safeway.   It will only save a gram or two, but they’re stronger and some people prefer the feel in their mouth.

Instead of the 1.9 ounce headlamp, I’ve been liking the 10-gram = .35 ounces,  $10 NiteCore Tube.  1 lumen (for over 60 hours) which is what I hike with or 55 lumens for occasional route-finding.  Rechargeable so you always start a trip with it fully charged.  Lights for hiking belong in your hand, not on your head, so you can see bumps and dips in the trail, IMNSHO.  I’d want a lot more (lumens and spot function) for off trail, but for improved trails, it’s enough for me.  I assume you mean Summer *2020* which means long days, lots of light and not a lot of night hiking.

Having skinned and butchered a bear with a 1-inch blade, I argue you don’t need anything more knife than a 0.74-ounce Victorinox Classic.  And it has scissors which can trim bandages, tape and open packages with FAR less risk of injury.  2.9 ounces less 0.74 ounce is over 2 ounces saved for $5 (for a TSA seized one) or $16 new.

FAK at 5 ounces seems heavy to me.  Especially for week-long trips on an established trail.  A few bandaids, a little foot care stuff and some pills in a pint Zip-lock = 2-3 ounces.  Skills > gear when first aid is needed.

Mini Bic lighter to light the stove?  That’s about the only thing I’ll take an extra of because it’s 1) far better than rubbing two Boy Scouts together, 2) a light source, 3) can help repair gear, and 4) emergency gear if you need a warming fire.

Tiny fire starter?  Like 6″ x 6″ of wax paper.

Lip balm?

Sun screen?

Sun hat / Sunbrella?  Lots of UV up there.  I’m going in Tuesday for a little “weight-loss surgery” as I like to call having another basal-cell skin cancer (#8) carved off.  I feel 10-15F cooler under a Chrome Dome at 9,000 feet in the Sierra.

Repair kit? (an ounce total of heavy sewing needle and heavy thread, Tenacious Tape, 2 safety pins, 20 feet of 100-pound-test Dacron line).  The tape can be stored on your water bottle or trekking poles (replace it each year!).

[David Thomas]

Check on GutHooks or wherever regarding each section, but is 1 liter water-carrying capacity enough?  I “camel up”, a lot, but my wife is a sipper and therefore needs another liter along.

Cotton bandana?  Snot rag, sun protection, arm sling, pee rag, face mask, ankle splint, etc.  $1 at Walmart.

6 ounces for a Toaks Ti cup/pot seems like a lot.  I’m seeing 3.6 ounces for a 750-ml pot and lid and that’s plenty for one person.  There’s a 1.9-ounce, 550-ml one that still fits a 100-gram canister inside.

Fuel weight?  It will vary by trip length, but you ought to account for it (and not leave it at home).  Some of us refill 100-gram canisters partway for each trip based on how many people-nights are needed.  The $17 refilling valve pays for itself over time by buying 16-ounce / 450-gram canisters and refilling the 100-gram canisters at home and also because you can scavenge the last fuel from mostly used canisters (by cooling the receiving canister and heating the donor canister).

For a longer thru hikes, especially on the AT, I’ve debated if bringing a transfer valve would ultimately save pound-miles by being able to scavenge fuel from partially used canisters left in hiker boxes.  It certainly would save money and perhaps give one the luxury of a hot shower that night.

[James Montavon]

Thanks so much for your help…yes, I mean 2020, the time machine is too heavy for this trip.

• I put the shipping weight for my pot, which after fishing it out is actually a snow peaks anyways. You’re right, it’s 2.8 oz
• I have forgotten lip balm before in the mojave and paid the price, definitely will pack a small stick
• FAK is a rough estimate, I wanted to overestimate first. I will assemble it and weigh it. Hopefully you’re right, I don’t plan on bringing anything crazy
• Good point about summer hiking not needing lots of light, I’ll check out that nitecore
• My hip always seems to dig into the ground…when car camping I use a closed cell foam underneath my inflatable pad. I think I am ok with a couple extra ounces here as a conscious choice
• Did you really skin a bear with a one inch blade?

[David Thomas]

Yeah, it’s hanging in Manfred’s house now in California where other BPLer’s have seen it. I brought black bear pastrami to GGG-8. Versus the caribou pastrami and breakfast sausage at GGG-X.

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