High Sierra TRail Gear List

[Adam Cassis]

Feel free to critique.  Last hike on JMT I carried sleep socks, but they were heavy (3.1oz), will plan on wearing next day’s socks around camp and to sleep.  I have also considered leaving matches and Dr Bronners at home, and possibly DEET.  As I age, I become more concerned with chemicals touching my skin.

any room to improve?

https://lighterpack.com/r/149yap

AC

[Adam Cassis]

Also, I might cut some food weight as Whitney portal will be supplying my final meal of day 5

:)

[Adam White]

Not much low-hanging fruit!

A few questions/comments:

1. Time of year? You’re bringing lots of insulation (polypro top and bottom and puffy) and also DEET and a head net. In my experience, in a low snow year like this, mosquito season doesn’t really intersect insulation season. If you’re worried about dry sleep clothes, consider a thermasilk top and bottom (and only if the forecast is pretty nasty).
2. Weight for polypro top?
3. Frogtogs are pretty heavy–A Montane Minimus 777 (top only) would save you ~6 oz.
4. Your pack (70L) seems big given your gear list… Could certainly size down there and save significant weight
5. I used to use moleskin–switched to leukotape. They’re not exactly interchangeable, but leukotape is pretty awesome. Pretape any areas you’re worried about, and it will stick for the entire trip. I haven’t touched moleskin in years.
6. I’d probably keep the matches and ditch one of the minibics. No real good reason, but if you do end up needing to start a fire with cold hands, waterproof matches may be far easier than a minibic.
7. An MLD poly pack liner can probably save you a tiny amount. Mine weighs 0.9 oz (I trimmed it from the original size).
8. Spare boxers? Pfffft. You’re only going to be out for five days, you’ll be fine =D

 

[Steve Collins]

Overall looks good.  Nothing to really do but nit pick but I don;t think t would save you much more than half a pound and you would have to get a new pack or bag.

What I would love to hear more about is your food plan.  Selfishly curious as I am Keto and leaving in a couple weeks for 10 days.

Steve

[R]

The FrogTog top-only would save close to 6 ounces :)

I did this trail maybe 2 years ago in July.  Your list looks good to me.  Only stand out, as previously noted, is the 2lb pack.  I’d skip the soap – especially since you’ve got sanitizer.  Even if you only use the DEET once, you’ll be happy for the half ounce you carried.  You probably don’t need 2 pairs of socks in your pack – use the lighter pair in camp while your trail socks are drying – I managed to wash in a stream just about every night.  Since you’ve got polypro bottoms, you could wear those in the evening while your trail undies are drying and skip the spare pair, or just go w/o at night.  Your insulation seems fine to me.  Temps dipped below freezing one night on my trip.  I typically pack down pants (7oz) along w/ my Ghost Whisper puffy – I get chilly in the evenings.  Since you’re hiking in shorts, you could potentially ditch the Toggs pants if you’re ok w/ your legs getting wet in a rain, but the Toggs pants also come in handy on a chilly evening and for bugs.

I’m also curious to hear your 1.25lb/day food plan.

Also – these are great.  Toothpaste tablets. 1g each.  https://camperchris.com/toothpaste-tablet-mint-60/?gclid=CjwKCAjwqarbBRBtEiwArlfEIOoNIln1qegNvXbsqV8dXuGWJf9TDFMPNWrIHv4xoTDY-RLYTXunrBoCeq4QAvD_BwE

[Adam Cassis]

HST Trip Report:

Smoke cleared just in time for an 8/13 start, late PM.  finished trail before noon thanks to an early AM hike to see Sunrise from Whitney, well worth the sleep loss.

The Keto diet experiment worked great.  never bonked once.  had consistent energy all day.  hunger always goes down when I hike, but I had to really force myself to take in all the calories I packed (moreso to lighten pack than out of hunger).

I attached my Keto meal plan.  only carbs I packed were stinger waffles as an emergency carb backup, which I ate but definitely didn’t need.

on the excel sheet I calculated the cals/oz for each food.  the keto trail mix did great but I always lose my appetite for trail mix on the trail.  EPIC bison bar was the favorite snack food.  scrambled eggs (Ova Easy eggs) and bacon tasted great, but cooking scrambled eggs on a supercat alky stove SUCKED.  if I use this meal again, it will either be dehydrated eggs or I will get a canister stove.  dinner was just rehydrated food.  I used a tiny amount of alky to make it warm but that’s it.  all fit into by BV450 but was tight.  probably came out to 1.3 lbs food a day with packaging.  the red numbers are the  ounces or pounds of food a day, with about 2900 total calories for each day. I had to struggle to get those calories down. the only FAIL was my fatcoffee.  I thought this included the coffee, but did not.  will just do starbucks VIA next time.

in the end I will definitely do keto backpacking food again for taste and weight savings.  I had some carb envy on the trail, but not enough to go to a carb heavy diet while hiking.  I could get away with 1lb of food a day for a short trip (< 1 week).

gear wise, I used everything.  frog tog pants came in handy for the early AM hike up to whitney for sunrise, great wind breaker.  also extra insulation for the nights.

my major issue was sleep.  I have a GoLite 30deg quilt and a ridgerest pad.  I got bleacher butt within 30 minutes (back sleeping) which would wake me up and have to roll onto side…..then got a numb arm.  misery.  I think I need to supplement an air pad, but feel like I have to keep by ridgerest since my Golite Jam needs the structure since it is frameless.  otherwise I need to get a new pack?? not sure where I go with the sleep system.

overall great trail if you have a week or less for vacation.  precipice lake was the best camping spot I have been to in the Sierras.

AC

 

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