Need help with gear list

[D G]

It’s been over 2 years since my last backpacking trip and I’m trying to refine my gear list for an upcoming trip this May. Temps will probably be above freezing. 3 days/2 nights.
I have to confess my gearlist has suffered from item creep over the last 2 years with the weight slowly climbing upwards and I want to get back on the wagon with reducing the weight of my items.
Would appreciate any advice for reducing my weight. I’m a little bit embarassed that I don’t actually have weights for all these items but the pack on my back does feel a bit heavy.

Thanks!

Backpack Osprey Aether 70
Boots Asolo Fugitive
Head lamp Princeton Tec Fuel
Knife/multi-tool Gerber Clutch multi-tool
Pack rain cover REI Duck’s Back rain cover
Sleeping bag REI Zen 25+ degree
Sleeping pad Therm-a-rest ProLite
Stove and fuel Snow Peak Giga Power and MSR IsoPro 400g canister
Cooking pot 2 L Aluminum pot
Eating gear Spoon (or spork), bowl, and cup
Tent REI Quarter Dome T2 (two person)
Water bottle/bladder 2 Nalgene bottles or 2-3 L Camel-bak hydration bladder
Water treatment Portable Aqua Iodine, Portable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide tablets, or Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter
Whistle Fox40
Toilet paper (lots) Plain, white, unscented in a plastic bag to protect it from rain
wet ones wipes
Hand sanitizer
Cat-hole trowel Orange plastic kind
Small First-aid kit prescription medications : zolpidem, zoloft, ambien (for sleep)
few small gauze pads, moleskin, blister bandages, hydrocortisone cream, benadryl Bandana 1-2
Fleece or wool sweater 1
Hiking (wool) socks 3
Liner socks (polypropylene, coolmax, or silk) 2
Hiking shirt (short sleeved wicking t-shirt or
long sleeved wicking shirt) 1
Hiking shorts/pants (hiking convertible pants)
! 1
Lightweight long underwear (tops and
bottoms) 1
Lightweight stocking cap 1
Lightweight gloves (or liner gloves) 1
Breathable rain coat and rain pants 1
Sun hat 1
Wicking underwear 1-2OvCamp shoes or sandals 1
Down booties 1
Heavy gloves and/or mittens 1
Heavy long underwear (top and bottom) 1
Insulated vest or fleece vest 1
Insulated jacket
fleece jacket 1
Insulated pants or fleece pants 1
Button down shirt with convertible sleeves
(e.g. ExOfficio Air Strip) Headnet

Camp towel (small sized)
55 gallon trash bags (3)
Camp hatchet
Camp knife
Lighter
Fire starter balls
Colt 1911 revolver
100 rounds 45 Long Colt bullets
2 extra bullet clips
quik clot emergency trauma pak
•
Compact binoculars
bird watching scope
BPL Skurka bobble head talisman (for luck)
•
Small digital camera with extra lenses
•
Lightweight camp chair or sitting pad (i.e. Crazy Creek,
•
Therm-a-rest chair kit)
Buff
•
Sleeping bag liner
•
Individually wrapped personal wash wipes (used ones must
•
be packed out)
Dedicated sleep clothing (e.g. silk camisole, underwear,
•
t-shirt, long underwear, etc.)

[Ken Thompson]

No navigation or calendar. Otherwise looks fine for this time of year.

[Justin Baker]

So you have a camp hatchet and camp knife, where is the camp machete? I think you need something bigger than .45 for the sasquatches. See if Chase will let you borrow his titanium .44 magnum chest holster rig.

[Nick Gatel]

Ken figured it out with the calendar comment. BTW, isn’t this the guy with the pogo stick? I like it, but the list is missing a Blackwing 602.

 

[Lester Moore]

D G – At first glance it looks like you have lots of traditional backpacking gear, which is fine if weight is not a priority for the type of trip you’re doing, such as hiking in a few miles and setting up a base camp for day hiking or fishing, etc. But you mentioned wanting to reduce your weight, so here are a few suggestions:

• If you have not backpacked for a while and have not used this forum for a while, start with the basics: weigh all your gear and make a gear list based on realistic comfort and safety needs and based on the weather and terrain conditions reasonably likely to be encountered. Most important step IMHO. Lighterpack.com is a great gear list tool that makes your list easy to make and update and share with others for advice.
• Get Mike Clelland’s book Ultralight Backpacking Tips to help you figure out target weights for your gear and make a plan to reduce weight that fits your personal needs. Some of the tips in this book may not suit you, but 90% of it seems to be spot-on for most people’s UL needs.
• Cut out stuff you don’t need. This is easy, costs nothing and saves lots of weight. Read recent forum posts about particular topics you have questions on, such as shelter, clothing, backpack, etc. Lots of things on your draft gear list are redundant and probably not necessary.
• Consider replacing your “big three”: pack, shelter system, and sleep system – usually this gives you the biggest weight reduction bang for your buck. You can do this on a small budget with a little research. Search this forum for “budget ultralight”, etc. and you’re find several posts on the subject.

These things will get you well on the way to reducing your weight.

[David Thomas]

I’m glad you’re not one of those who cuts it really close on your fuel.  400 grams for a weekend trip should allow a hot shower each morning and a long soak in a hot bath on Saturday night.  I see you’ve got the 55-gallon trash bags as a bath-tub liner for a hole in the ground.

“100 rounds 45 Long Colt bullets” seems about right – it’s that delicate balance between the occasional trip when nothing/no one needs to be be shot versus a full-blown Zombie apocalypse in which 100 rounds is marginal for getting back to your bunker for more ammo.  But I’d replace 5-10 of the rounds with some .45 “shotgun” shells with the mini pellets in them.  Far better on snakes at 10 feet or an annoying bat around camp.  But this is BPL so let me point out an alternative: the Taurus “Judge” Revolver in .410 ga. / .45 Long Colt.  Then you’ve got a slightly more serious shotgun option and at 29 ounces, versus 39 ounces on the 1911 auto.  Of course, you lose the semi-auto capacity, but you gain revolver reliability.  And the saved 10 ounces could be used for another 13 rounds of .45 ACP.  Or a modest-sized Rambo knife WHICH YOU SEEM TO HAVE OMITTED.  You can fillet a rockfish with a hatchet (how do I know that?) but it’s really hard to skin out a moose without a knife.

I’m also concerned about the “compact binoculars” because when you need binocs, you really need them.  It’s getting dark, the game wardens have gone home, and that elk is 350 yards away in heavy cover.  You want to glass with real 10x50s, not some wimpy 7x25s.  Is it going to be elk backstrap that night or more Top Ramen?!?

[Skibbs]

My first backpacking trip was with a base weight of 26lbs only a few years ago… Down to 15 now and wish I knew then what I know now… stuff adds up lol!  The best investment I made was in a scale and taking the time to weigh everything, categorize it, and just sit back in awe and realize how fast it adds up.  Start with removing all the stuff you don’t really need then do some research on items that fit your budget and environment and decide on cost vs weight savings vs functionality to make an informed decision.

[Ken Thompson]

Lester, Skibbs, you know what day it is?

[Lester Moore]

Wow – a pretty detailed gear list for being a joke. My gear list used to look similar until not too long ago – minus the 45 of course – a .22 short is much lighter :-)

[Bob Moulder]

You want to glass with real 10x50s, not some wimpy 7x25s.  Is it going to be elk backstrap that night or more Top Ramen?!?

If he takes an elk with that Colt, all else is forgiven. :^)

 

[Author]

Posts