Gear List

In my never-ending struggle to drop my pack weight, I am at pretty much at an impass. I would love for some of you UltraLight, or close to UltraLight folks to check this out and tell me what you think. I will never be UltraLight, but I would love to shave some weight off of this. The items without weight are things I have not had a chance to weigh, but they are all tiny.

Clothing (Pack) Jacket, Rain (Marmot) 13.90
Clothing (Pack) Balaclava 1.20
Clothing (Pack) Long Underwear, Bottom (REI) 6.60
Clothing (Pack) Long Underwear, Top (REI) 8.40
Clothing (Pack) Gloves, Waterproof (Black Diamond) 1.60
Clothing (Pack) Boxer Briefs (UnderArmor 6") 3.80
Clothing (Pack) Socks (Smartwool Medium) 2.60
Clothing (Pack) Socks (Smartwool Heavy) 3.20
Pack Pack (ULA Conduit) 20.00
Pack Pack Cover (ULA) 2.00
Hydration Water Filter (AntiGravityGear) 2.80
Hydration Tube, Bite Valve, Filler Cap (AntiGravityGear) 1.40
Hydration Water Carrier (Evernew 2 Liter) 1.50
Hydration Water Bottle, Empty (Soda 1 Liter)
Hydration Water Purification Tabs / Chlorine
Kitchen Stove (MSR Pocket Rocket with Case) 3.80
Kitchen Fuel (MSR 8 oz) 10.00
Kitchen Fuel (MSR 4 oz) 8.00
Kitchen Pot (MSR Titan) 4.60
Kitchen Fire Kit (tender, lighter, waterproof matches)
Kitchen Spork (Light My Fire) 0.24
Kitchen Eat Set (Light My Fire) 11.00
Kitchen Bags (Trash Bag, freezer bags)
Personal Headlamp (Energizer) 2.80
Personal AAA Batteries x 3 (Extra for Headlamp) 1.20
Personal Multitool (Leatherman Wave) 10.00
Personal First Aid Kit (Homemade)
Personal Cell Phone (iPhone) 4.70
Personal Cigarettes (Marlboro)
Personal Pencil, Paper, Bread Tie 0.20
Personal GPS (Garmin Vista Cx) 5.50
Personal Maps / Guidebook
Personal Camera 12.90
Personal Money / ID
Toiletries Toothbrush 0.80
Toiletries Toothpaste 1.00
Toiletries Towel (MSR Pack) 0.80
Toiletries Lip Balm
Toiletries Toilet Paper 0.20
Toiletries Contact Solution
Toiletries Contacts Case
Toiletries Glasses
Toiletries Eye Drops 0.80
Toiletries Wet Wipes x 4 1.00
Shelter Tent (Contrail Tarptent) 24.50
Shelter Tent Stakes x 8 6.50
Shelter Urine Bottle (Soda Bottle)
Sleep System Sleeping Bag (Big Agnes Fish Hawk 30 Degree Down 43.00
Sleep System Sleeping Pad (Big Ages Dual Core Rectangle) 33.20
Food 4 Days 50.00
Water 2 Liters 67.60
Total Pack (Ounces) 373.34
Total Pack (Pounds) 23.33

Go to Freezer Bag Cooking and only one pot to boil water in. use a cozy and ... well freezer bags. The dried food also tends to be lighter than most pre packed food pouches. Next I would say a stove. I like the alc. vargo triad. and 8oz of fuel is good for about 2 good boils. Also with freezer bag cooking I have noticed that bringing your water to a hard rolling boil is not necassary. Only get the lare bubbles, thats usually enough for most of the rice and pasta dishes that I have done so far. Also some of the little things... one that comes to mind is the pack towel. Unless your going to be on the trail a LONG time and need to bathe in a body of water, opt for a simple hankie that can be carried in your back pocket and also used for cooking and any number of other things as well. 23lbs is not bad but when you add food and water into the mix its going to go up and fast. Just my opinon and we all know what opions are . Good so far though Colt. Keep it up.

Thanks for the input.

The pack towel I have is less than an ouce... it is one of the MSR pack towels so it is no biggie.

That 23 pounds includes my 2 liters of water and my 4 days of food.

I do like the concept of freezer bag cooking and will be buying the book this week. I am not much of a cook so I hope it is not too difficult.

I would love to try an alcohol stove, but to me it seems inefficient. 8 ounces of fuel for 2 boils, where with my Pocket Rocket I can get 4 boils for 8 ounces of fuel at least, usually more. Am I missing something? I would love to be more educated in this.

My bad.. the 8oz fuel is 4 boils with the alc. but the titanum stove is 1.5 for the triad xe like mine or 1oz for the basic triad. Also it takes up almost 0 room... For me its not so much the weight as the size. I can place the stove fuel and a few dinners inside my cozy and still have some room. lol. While it may not be the fastest at 2 cups in 6 min its not a race for me lol.

First off, for someone who doesn't claim to be a lightweigh packer, this is looking pretty good. But since you want suggestions, here are a few.

I'll echo the freezer bag cooking method for the same reason that TM suggested it. It's light, relativly fast, and if done right, really good! Second, I'd look at subing out the Wave Multitool. The reason I know is because I always carry one and it is a stinking brick (so I know your pain there). Maybe a good knife would be enough. On the issue of an alky stove, I think they're a great idea. I make them (because they're super easy to make) and carry one almost always. Here is a link to a conversation on another forum that might help you get better use out of less fuel (there are tons of articles like this on here, so just look around). On a lighter note, hiking with cigs is really funny (I've got some buddies that do it and I don't know how it doesn't effect them) and make sure you mark your pee bottle .

Wilky,

Yeah, the Wave is indeed a brick, but I love it! That is almost a luxury item for me.

I have never marked my urine bottles, but the smell is always a dead give-away if I ever open it. Actually, my soda bottle for water is a 1 L and my bottle for urine is 20 oz so I will never get them mixed up. Thank god I have never had to pee more than 20 oz at night.

Showing my ignorance of alcohol stoves, I had no idea that you could use isopropyl for them. I assume this is the cheapo rubbing alcohol that you can get at any store?

Also, what has everyone found works as a good alcohol stove? I will not be able to make my own, because I have no time or desire to DIY. I have heard Mini Mull Designs has a great kit in his GramWeenies kit (http://minibulldesign.com/mbdstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=50). Anyone have an opinion on this?

I have an alchy stove and have never used it on the trail just because I like my pocket rocket. I do not usually carry a big knife, just a small pen knife just in case. You could probably get away with not having the extra AAA batteries if you switch to Lithium, they last longer and are way lighter. I have a Petzl E-lite, and it takes 2 watch batteries, and it weighs nothing. I think 23 pounds with 2 liters of water (4 pounds) and then 4 days of food is great. If you got a lighter bag and sleep pad that would save you the most as far as I could see. You are doing a good job.

Lithium is a great idea. I should do the same for my GPS as well.

My problem with sleeping bag and pad is that I cannot find one that would give me significant savings in weight without breaking the bank.

Yeah, using Iso is possible, but it doesn't burn very clean. Iso is also inefficent (sp?). What you want is that constant blue flame. Then you know the fuel is burning clean and hot. The best I found when that little experiment was going on was a 50/50 blend of Methenol and Iso alcohols. For the Meth all you need is a bottle of HEET fuel line cleaner (in the yellow bottle at Wally World). This gave the best burn time for the cost.

And yes, Tinny at Mini Bull Designs does great work. He is the one who got me interested in alky stoves. If you want to see more of his stuff he has a ton of videos here on YouTube. Some are better than others, but they'll give you a pretty good idea of what he makes. At zen stoves they also have some pretty awesome stuff if you ever get the itch to make your own (some are super simple).

Colt:
If you are going to be out for only a couple of days and decide to switch to freezerbag cooking, then I think that the 4 oz. MSR canister would be more than adequate. The pocket rocket can usually boil a liter of water in about 3-4 minutes and use less than an ounce to do the job. The 4 oz. canister should be able to boil 6-8 liters of water in total. If someone who has one knows any different, please correct me. That would save you 10 oz.
If the glasses are a backup to the contacts, then I suggest putting a spare pair of contacts in your first aid kit. That will save you some ounces and space.
What is the LMF eat set and why does it weigh so much? If you do the freezer bag cooking, you can eat right out of the bag. No cleanup, no fuss, no problem.
Either leave the guide book at home or just copy the pages you need. Much less weight that way. Same thing with the maps - copy the portion you'll need, unless you need the whole thing.
Keep your eyes open for deals on down sleeping bags. The online stores are going to be dumping the '08 stuff, especially if a new design is coming out, and it would be a good time to snag a deal on a lighter bag. You can also check out eBay. I got a brand new marmot atom 40 deg. down bag on ebay for $100.00 off MSRP. It weighs 21 oz.
Also, in April, '09, Thermarest is going to be selling their new NeoAir sleeping pad. The 48" torso length pad weighs only 9 oz. and is 2 1/2 inches thick. It will run you about $100.00, but well worth the money if you are truly wanting to drop some serious weight.
Alcohol stoves work great and the other guys have given you some great ideas. One is the cat stove. Very cheap and easy to make, works great and will boil water fairly quickly. If you buy Heet, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT"S THE YELLOW BOTTLE!!! The red bottle will blow up in your face.
Overall, your list looks good. Just a little tweeking here and there and you'll be ultralight before you know it.
UL

I always carry the 4oz MSR canister, and I get a lot of boils out of it. I do not know how many exactly, but I have used the same one on about 4 different trips. I always feel it before I go out, and if it is getting low, I just go buy a new one. I carried a new one for this last weekend, and never even fired it up, so it will be ready to go for New Years. Quilts could also save you some weight

http://www.traildesigns.com/

I use this stove (above link). I have the one that goes with the MSR Kettle style pot. I like it. This stove boils 12 oz of water with less than an 1 oz of fuel. I used it for a whole week in CO. Your list looks good just needs some fine tuning. UL covered everything that I would've. I am still learning from that guy... I really do like the Alky stoves though..

Lew

UL,

Great suggestion on the fuel. I think 4oz should be enough as well, but I always like to be prepared. I may just drop the 4oz and only go with the 8oz just in case, but that will save me 8oz in pack weight.

My glasses are a backup to the set of contacts I already have in my first aid kit. Now that I think about it, that is a bit of overkill, so I will drop the glasses from my list.

The LMF kit is a luxury item that I really could do without. Thanks for pointing that out. That is almost 3/4 of a pound right there... Wow!

I love the idea of copying the pages from my guidebooks! Why didn't I think of that. On the map, the trail pretty much covers the entire National Geographic Trail Illustrated Topo 232, so I will carry it.

I have not even heard of the Thermarest NeoAir, but with a quick Google search, I found information on them. Looks very promising! Even with the medium and regular sizes, you are still talking less than a pound each. Impressive. For those of you that are ignorant of this like I was, here are some links.

http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2008/08/09/therm-a-rest-neoair.html

http://thegearjunkie.com/the-gear-junkie-scoop-therm-a-rest-neoair

Thanks for the input, UL.

Lew,

I like the looks of that stove, and I love the fact that I would not have to replace my MSR kettle. What fuel do you use for it? If I am reading this correct, it is 1.2 ounces for the stove that fits for the MSR Kettle? That is certainly impressive. Does that weight include the stove and the cone?

Kitchen/Food Caldera Cone Stove/ Windscreen/ pot stand 1.70
Kitchen/Food Stove Caddy 2.30 bowl, measuring cup, lighter and Bandana
Kitchen/Food TI MSR Kettle 4.60
Kitchen/Food Enertia Wrap 0.90
Kitchen/Food Spork 0.30


Total dry weight 9.8 oz

Not the lightest cook system but very efficient. I like it alot. I use heet as fuel or denatured alcohol from a hardware store. The weights above are from my scale. Hope this helps.

Lew

Just make sure you don't have the old version of the MSR Titan Kettle. The old one won't fit. Trail Designs has a warning about the size difference on the page with this cone. And they're telling the truth. One of my buddies made this mistake.