On a similar topic... lightweight gear choices?

[Aimless]

I'd be curious to see some abbreviated versions of gear lists that you all take on backpacking trips.

Main items (8 lb. 6 oz.):

- backpack & waterproof pack liner (3 lb., 2 oz.)
- down sleeping bag in stuff sack (1 lb. 14 oz.)
- sleeping pad, 48" x 3/4" inflatable (14 oz.)
- solo tent, fly, pole, stakes, stuff sack (2 lb. 8 oz.)

Cooking, Eating, Water Purification & Water Storage (1 lb. 8 oz. w/o fuel):

- 2 qt. aluminum pot & lid, spoon, bowl
- Pocket Rocket stove, homemade windscreen
- Sawyer Mini water filter, Platypus water bottles, drinking tube & bite valve

Clothes -- Not Usually Worn on Trail (2 lb. 6 oz.):

- rain jacket, rain pants, nylon windshirt w/ hood
- down sweater, gloves, stocking cap, baseball cap
- silk long underwear, top and bottom (mostly for use in sleeping bag)
- one extra pair each: outer socks and liner socks

Entertainment (1 lb.):

- camera, case, extra battery, miniature tripod
- paperback book

Other Stuff (~2-1/2 lb.):

- topo map, LED headlamp, PLB, small pocket knife, matches, two bandanas (one used as a snot rag, the other multi-purpose)
- sunglasses, 12"x12" closed cell foam sit pad (augments sleeping pad, too)
- toothbrush, toilet paper, aluminum snow stake (digs cat holes), washcloth
- insect repellent, sunblock lotion, ibuprofen, misc. OTC meds
- first aid kit: band-aids, gauze, adhesive tape, nail scissors, antibacterial ointment, etc.
- misc emergency stuff: stormproof matches, button compass, pinchlight, sewing kit, chlorine dioxide tablets, string, safety pins, duct tape wrapped on a pencil stub

I usually toss in a few oddments more than this list, possibly another pound's worth, but this covers everything I consider basic for a standard summer season backpack, except food, fuel and water. I average about 1-3/4 lb. of food/fuel per day. My clothes are pretty lightweight (and relatively expensive) because I've spent about six years accumulating them at the rate of one or two items per year.

[Pnw.hiker]

...I've got a bigger problem: the 45 pound pack has got to get smaller. Cooking or not cooking won't reduce my pack weight enough. Unfortunately when discussing lightweight backpacking I always feel like it's all about sacrifice. Either you're sacrificing gear to save weight, or sacrificing $$$$ to buy super light gear...

Make a spreadsheet of your gear and weights. Start with the big four (Pack,
Tent, Sleeping Bag, Pad, (optional) cookset). That accounts for most of the weight of your essentials. Hopefully less than ten pounds. The rest of your essentials are only a few more pounds (map, compass, water bottles, first aid, utility kit, thermals/hat/gloves in a ziplock, cookset or fire starter)

You have a light tent and sleeping bag, so your baseweight should easily be less than 20 pounds, even with light rain gear and spare socks. If not, take a closer look and get rid of crap that's not essential. Next, replace gear that's too heavy with something lighter. My baseweight is between 12 and 16 pounds, depending on the length of the trip, and none of my gear is exotic.

Get cold in your light sleeping bag? use your thermals, hat and gloves when you sleep.

You mention that reducing gear to get lighter is a 'sacrifice'. The real sacrifice is hauling an extra 25 pounds that you don't need.

[CampinCarl]

Make a spreadsheet of your gear and weights.

This. The interwebs have plenty to use, here is one example:

Download: Backpacking Gear Planner 2.0

This is just the first result I pulled up, I don't have any affiliation with that site in particular. I have a simpler version, just in excel as well, but it does help with identifying the weightier items that may be optional or could use an upgrade to something lighter.

[Pnw.hiker]

Here's an old thread with some gear lists and weights;

http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... =15&t=8597

[raven]

Just in case someone might accept his statement as accurate, Joesef's summary is simplistic, overgeneralized, mentions the wrong decade, ignores the role of technological change and the influence of backpacking on climbing.

[turtle]

Crusak,
Maybe you could post a gear list of what you carry?

The big items I carry on a regular basis are: Osprey Atmos 65 pack weighs 3.5 lbs. It has the Air Speed frame which keeps my back mostly dry. 65 liters will cover any trip I take from overnight to 7 days. Very comfy up to 40 lbs. Most packs are a good carry for overnight. If the pack is still comfortable 5-6 days into a trip, then it is a comfy pack.

Western Mountaineering Ultra-lite 20 degree down bag weighs 26 ounces. This is one area I just sucked it up and spent the money. I've carried this bag for over 10 years and it still keeps me toasty on all my trips including snow camping.

Neo-Air regular size pad barely fits my 5' 7" frame. 12 ozs. and really comfortable. Warm enough for 3 season use. I use the Therm-X version for snow camping. A little heavier and 5.7 R value.

Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker Tent. With stakes and polycryo groundsheet it weighs 1 lb. 12 ozs. The Skyscape Scout is a heavier material, 10 ozs. heavier and $100 cheaper. Sometimes I carry the SMD Gatewood Cape at 11 ozs. Add stakes and groundsheet for 3-4 more ozs. No bug net.

A Nalgene 1 liter bottle weighs about 6 ozs. A 1 liter empty water bottle weighs 2 ozs. My MSR 3 liter water bladder with hose weighs about 9 ozs.

When it comes to clothes I like to carry one more layer than I think I will need for safety sake. Each layer has a function. I always carry fleece hat and gloves. Those two items provide a lot of warm for a little weight/expense. I don't sleep in most of my clothes because I use my clothes bag for a pillow.

These are lightweight choices not ultralight. My base weight is 15 lbs. I figure 1.5 to 2 lbs of food weight per day. I carry a Snow Peak canister stove for convenience. I like to carry 1-2 liters of water at all times.

Hopefully this will help.

[JBC]

Here is my gear list from a 3 day Bull of the Woods solo hike last fall (Item weights in grams) Total base weight was just under 15 pounds including the camera:

Camera DSLR W/lens E-5 W/12~60 1388
Camping Emergency McMurdo FastFind W/bag 173
Camping First Aid Personal UL 69
Clothing Gloves Ibex liner gloves 45
Clothing Insulation Smartwool medium base layer top 265
Clothing Jacket RAB Xenon hoody 317
Clothing Rain Jacket Mountain Hardwear 333
Clothing Socks Smartwool liner socks 45
Hydration Bottle Platypus Hoser 2L w/hose 97
Hydration Filter Platypus filter w/2L dirty water bag 235
Kitchen Cookware Ti-ware .9L w/lid 136
Kitchen Stove Soto OD-1R with Soto windscreen 90
Kitchen Towel Nano Packtowel small 17
Kitchen Utensil Lexan teaspoon 7
Kitchen Utensil White measuring cup 18
Miscl ID&Keys ID, CC, Car & House key 40
Pack Pack 26L Wild Things Guide Pack 795
Shelter Tent Complete Snow Peak Lago 2 complete W/6 stakes no bags 1528
Sleep Sleeping Bag MH Mountain speed 32deg 446
Sleep Sleeping Pad Therm-a-rest Neo Air Trekker 545
Tool Tools (knife/flashlight/pen/matches/ect) in Mini Stuff Sack 95
Tool Navigation Printed Map 25
Tool Navigation Brunton Compass 37
Tool Vision Glasses Bifocal Sunglasses 20

[JBC]

What I haven’t seen is any kind of industry baseweight standard. My guess is…
10lbs or less is UL
10 to ~15lbs is L (just “lightweight”)
15lbs or more is heavy

Close, the defined standards are typically:

SUL (Sub Ultra Light) 5lbs or less
UL 10lbs or below
LW 20bs or below
Traditional 35lbs or above
Expedition 65lbs or above

This is for base weight ad does not include consumables (food, fuel, water, sunscreen, ect) or clothing/footwear worn on your body while hiking.

[Koda]

What I haven’t seen is any kind of industry baseweight standard. My guess is…
10lbs or less is UL
10 to ~15lbs is L (just “lightweight”)
15lbs or more is heavy

Close, the defined standards are typically:

SUL (Sub Ultra Light) 5lbs or less
UL 10lbs or below
LW 20bs or below
Traditional 35lbs or above
Expedition 65lbs or above

This is for base weight ad does not include consumables (food, fuel, water, sunscreen, ect) or clothing/footwear worn on your body while hiking.

Good to know, and on that note I just cant imagine hauling a "traditional" baseweight... I feel like a wimp now we've come a long ways in backpacking technology.

[texasbb]

Close, the defined standards are typically:

SUL (Sub Ultra Light) 5lbs or less
UL 10lbs or below
LW 20bs or below
Traditional 35lbs or above
Expedition 65lbs or above

This is for base weight ad does not include consumables (food, fuel, water, sunscreen, ect) or clothing/footwear worn on your body while hiking.

Defined by whom? And what's between 20 and 35?

(BTW, I've always heard 5, 10, and 15 for SUL, UL, and LW, respectively.)