TRT thru hike gear list for first half of Oct '19

[Scott S]

Hey all, would love some input on my (rough/somewhat in flux) gear list for a planned TRT thru hike this early October.

https://lighterpack.com/r/jl8nr1

It’s a bit heavy partially due to some clothing layer choices – specifically the fleece and shell. I got them on sale. I’ve hiked with the pack loaded to almost 30lb with no issue, so I’m not too concerned with weight, at least with regards to comfort.

My main questions/concerns are centered around sleeping pad warmth (I haven an inflatable but it’s heavier and I’m not yet sure I like it) and general clothing choices to ensure I don’t freeze my ass off.

FWIW, I do plan to get some sort of gloves and pack some hand warmers. Still undecided on pants vs shorts. I don’t run cold.

Thanks!

[David Thomas]

Your “big 3″ look good, weight wise.

An October TRT can turn into snow camping, so I wouldn’t scrimp on the sleeping pad.  More of your warmth at night comes from your pad than people realize.

Little things (that add up):
That Benchmade Mini Griptiliana is 5 times the weight of Victorinox Classic.  You’re opening packaging and trimming your toenails, not killing bears.  Using scissors (which the Classic has) WHENEVER you can instead of a blade is probably the single greatest reduction of ER visits on my job sites.

Medkit at 3.5 oz seems a bit heavy – blister care and OTC meds for a day can be 1.5 ounces.

Cordage is a good, multi-purpose thing (lash things back together, emergency shoelace, clothes lines, going out your shelter in high winds, etc) but paracord is, IMNSHO, not weight-effective.  I can send you some 130-pount test braided Dacron halibut fishing line that weighs 6 grams for 25 feet / 0.4 ounces for 50 feet versus 2.86 ounces for the paracord.  Better for many things* (emergency shoe laces, gear repair).  Put another way, I guarantee I can do a lot more with 332 feet of that Dacron line than anyone can with the same weight (50 feet) of paracord.

*except for bear bag hanging – use a 2mm or 3mm cord for that.  But you only have black bears there, so yelling at them weighs nothing.

That’s a big charger at 20.5 ounces  Could you put your phone in airplane mode or turn it off most of the time?

While I have old-school map&compass skills, the only thing I’ve ever used a compass for in the last few decades is +/- 20 degrees stuff.  e.g which side of the cloudy mountain to walk down, maintaining a straight-ish path at night or in fog.  I’d take the mini compass but not the Suunto.  A great compass once you’re turned around isn’t as helpful as a minimal compass you looked at on the way out.  So a mini compass on a watch wrist band or on top of your trekking pole  can be superior to a baseplate compass if you look at it more often.

Are you drying out the hand wipes before you go?  That saves most of their weight.

There’s a stove that weighs 1/3 as much.

A huge rigid plastic cup/bowl can be 1 ounce instead of 2.3 ounces for the X-mug, holds much more, spills less.  And I use mine to protect delicate gear in my pack.

As you say, decide between the fleece hoodie and the down hoodie.

Rain jacket is heavier by twice than other options.

I’ve done lots of trips in Patagonia Baggie shorts over the last 35 years.  Still do.  But running shorts are half the weight.

Possibly missing:
Dirty-girl gaiters for gravel bits and if you get snowed on?
Repair kit in 1/2 ounce: (in addition to the fishing line mentioned above): Glover’s needle, safety pin, bit of Gorilla or Tenacious Tape, one square inch of emery cloth).
Tiny bit of emergency fire starter, like 6″ x 6” of waxed paper.  Maybe your hand sanitizer works, if it’s 70% or more.  But waxed paper works better.  Or remember that sticks start burning pretty quickly when put over your stove burner.
I’d bring a back-up lighter.  A week of cold food would suck on a Fall trip like that.
Wall charger for (a smaller?) battery pack and phone at resupply points.
Probably don’t need mosquito repellent if there have been some freezing nights, but consider recent temps before you go.  And maybe recent trips reports on the bugs.
Sunscreen.  Not much – you’ll usually be in long sleeves and pants, but a 1/2-ounce mini-tube for your face and back of hands.  The elevation varies between 6 and 10 thousand feet so there’s lots of UV.

[Scott S]

Thanks, David! I do have gaiters on the list to buy. Will consider the other additional items.

That Benchmade Mini Griptiliana is 5 times the weight of Victorinox Classic.  You’re opening packaging and trimming your toenails, not killing bears.  Using scissors (which the Classic has) WHENEVER you can instead of a blade is probably the single greatest reduction of ER visits on my job sites.

You mean I shouldn’t use a folding knife to trim my nails? LOL. That’s a good idea.

That’s a big charger at 20.5 ounces  Could you put your phone in airplane mode or turn it off most of the time?

I do, but I like to watch or listen to something as I go to sleep. It also supports PD which is pretty important to me.

A huge rigid plastic cup/bowl can be 1 ounce instead of 2.3 ounces for the X-mug, holds much more, spills less.  And I use mine to protect delicate gear in my pack.

Yea, just concerned with volume of it. The fact that it collapses is pretty huge. I stow it on top of my pot, secured with a rubber band. I’d have gotten an X-cup which is 1.6oz but wasn’t available locally. Maybe I’ll just order it.

As you say, decide between the fleece hoodie and the down hoodie.

Waiting to see what weather is like. Wasn’t bad last year. We’ll see.

Rain jacket is heavier by twice than other options.

Aye. I tried on a Helium 2 and it doesn’t fit me well at all, unfortunately, and I got this for pretty much the same price, so…

Thanks again for your input. It’s been really helpful.

[David Thomas]

“I do, but I like to watch or listen to something as I go to sleep.”

Video sucks battery more than audio does.  And while a smart phone is the most multipurpose item (phone, navigation, flashlight, star guide, tunes, compass, guidebook, etc), how about a tiny $7 MP3 player?

I suspect they use a lot fewer mAh’s than keeping your phone on and playing music.

[Scott S]

Video sucks battery more than audio does.

Yeah, that’s exactly why I went with a bigger, but heavier charging battery.

I actually have considered finding an old iPod nano or something. But unfortunately all of my MP3s are in storage. The work to resurrect the beast of a machine on which they’re stored would be quite a bit (I should donate/recycle it, to be honest). I just use Spotify now.

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