Wyoming Summer List – 7-10 days. What can I do better?

I’m planning a trip to the Winds in August or first week of September. Can anyone take a look and share some ideas? I know I need some bear hanging kit, what else? :)

What am I missing? What can I do better/maybe shed a little weight on? I’m not opposed to buying new gear/spending money/etc.

Things to note: I like a wide pad hence the 25 inch wide ones. I like to cook food and am aware of the benefits of going cook-free. I prefer a tent / the ability to escape the bugs. That said, tell me what you all think!

I have a warm weather list here – https://lighterpack.com/r/9q9xp2 (this is primarily for weather around where I live / Smokies / Southeast USA May-Aug)

I have a cooler weather list here – https://lighterpack.com/r/262g79 (This is stuff I’ve used in some capacity in Banff in the summer, Yosemite in the fall and a few other cooler climate trips)

The Winds in early September can be really nice weather, but it can also snow that time of year with lows in the 20’s, so your cooler weather list looks pretty good for those conditions. Definitely get a bear hang kit (dry bag, slick chord, throw pouch for rock, and small biner). You’ll also want navigation gear (paper map, compass). You could save over half a pound by replacing the Vector sleeping pad with a 25 inch wide Xlight, which only weighs 16 ounces. You could also omit the second Patagonia shirt and the spare lamp to save several ounces.

The Xlight is 20in wide correct? My arms end up on the ground with the thinner width pads.

Reread that, going to look at the xlight

The shirt + lamp savings of 6.6 oz is a good idea. Appreciate it!

iPhone and extra battery are pure luxury weight and should be able to be cut out.

also 10oz toiletries plus a 4 oz first Aid kid likely has some room for trimming

also 10oz toiletries plus a 4 oz first Aid kid likely has some room for trimming

@gregf Do you have any examples of a good lightweight toiletries / first aid kit

. THE DINKY STUFF PART 1 .

. THE DINKY STUFF PART 2 .

Very good videos that go into detail on lightweight toiletries / first aid kit/ repair kit

For a week

1 oz each sunscreen, sanitizer, deet

.5oz tooth paste balls and tooth brush total

1 oz tape

assorted pills 1/2oz

sterile pads 1/2 oz

the whole thing weighs about 6 oz

@annapurna – great recommendation regarding those videos. I’ve watched them a few times over the years and not only are great tips shared, but also it gives you a great window into how a dedicated ultralighter approaches gear problems/situations.

@annapurna Couldn’t agree more. These are exactly the tips i needed for this piece of my kit. Huge thanks! I estimate that applying most of these changes is going to drop me 1.1lbs! Thanks everyone

Aubry,

I was there the first week of September last year for a week on the high route.  One day we had a real blizzard with high winds and snow.  We had a little snow a couple of other nights.  It was in the low 20s several nights.  There were no bugs at all.  There was often high wind.  We had some really nice weather too.

I’m not sure if you are going to be mostly on trail or off.  But the talus hopping in the snow and wind would be tough for me in a poncho.  Also make sure you bring real stakes for critical points.  Oftentimes we found ourselves needing to camp where there was little shelter from the wind.

Aubrey, I am glad you found the videos helpful. You can get little repackaging containers(like the ones you see in Mike Clelland uses in his videos) many places including your local stores and pharmacy but here are some examples

.US PLASTICS Cylinder & Boston Round Bottles with Dropper Caps .

. US PLASTICS Polypropylene Low Profile White Jars .

. MOUNTAIN LITE GEAR .

. GOSSAMER GEAR UL Mini Dropper Bottle Set .

. MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS Mini Dropper Bottles .

. LITESMITH .

. AMAZON .

You could make toothpaste dots like Mike C. shows or there are ARCHTEK Toothpaste Tablets ( LITESMITH sells these also)so only bring exactly what you need in a snack size bag for any given trip instead of a whole tube and THESE are good for little thing like pills, toothpaste tablets ect. so you are not packing a whole bottle(you can also get them very cheap at most pharmacies)

I was also there during the first week of September last year. Ideal time of year to visit an outstanding place. One note: If your trip includes Labor Day weekend, plan your route so that you will arrive at the more popular places (Island Lake, Titcomb, Cirque, etc.) after Labor Day weekend. You’ll encounter very few other hikers.

As Ben C suggested, we got snow last year during that time. Lows were around 24 degrees near Titcomb Basin.

Here are some resources I used in planning my trip last year. I was very pleased with my gear performance. I took an iPhone as my GPS and found it extremely helpful. Adventure Alan has a full writeup on this. Also, I’m a fan of the Katadyn Befree over the Sawyer Squeeze. I used the Befree in the Winds, and, given the high number of water sources, I liked being able to quickly drink a lot of water at the source without having to carry it.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/gear-list-for-wind-river-range-in-september/#post-3402135

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/wind-river-range-mid-august-2016/

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/wind-river-range-sept-2016/