Sub-4 lb. Backpacking List

Since some of us are starting to think about the upcoming backpacking season, I thought I'd share a list that I've been working on. This kit would serve me fine in temps down to the upper-40s at night, with low chances of rain. The list does not include fuel, water, or food.

Sub-4 lb Kit List

Category Item Weight (oz)
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Backpacks ULA Amp 13.00
Jim's Clothing Injinji Mid-Wt. Socks 4.25 (2 pair)
Kitchen Items Caldera Keg 7.25
Kitchen Items Gatorade Water Bottle 1.25
Shelters .7 mil Ground Sheet 1.50
Shelters eVent Bivy 8.75
Shelters XL SilNylon Poncho 6.50
Sleeping Systems AMK Thermolite Bivy 6.88 (Rated to around 50 degrees)
Sleeping Systems NeoAir Pad 13.75

Total Weight of Selected Items 63.13 oz/3.95 lbs

I welcome your input,
UL

Sounds good to me, excpet where is the hammock . Just kidding, everything looks good except there is no first aid on your list.

PM:
I tend to carry only a small foot care kit in my pocket and always have duct tape on my trekking poles and a bandana around my neck, so I don't carry much else. I will sometimes put some Aleve in a small ziplock bag inside my foot care kit, just in case. Not much else for a 2-3 day trip.
UL

I carry only a limited amount as well. Instead of duct tape on my poles, I use cloth athletic tape, and I always carry 2-3 alcohol swaps and some ibueprofin.

It is a great list though, especially on the bivy to 50*. How are you treating your water? Bleach drops?

I boiled my decision down to this. Is carrying a few more ounces in a beefed up first aid kit more painful than being in the field without proper supplies if something goes wrong?

10 miles from no where isn't where I want to be without some means of taking care of myself or my hiking partner if the need arises. Having suffered a broken ankle while on a hike reminded me that, no matter how careful you are, things happen. Unfortunately, this isn't a "risk free" sport.

Chili.. nothing personal but what would you carry in your pack for a broken ankle? Other than the duct tape or cloth tape to attach some splints to your leg and some ibuprofen? Just wondering if I am missing something? I don't carry much more than what the others offer except for some 2nd Skin patches, and maybe some roll aids and something for a upset tummy. All my med. will easily fit inside a quart freezer bag. I know we had a thread here for what we all carry for first aid. Maybe we should give it a boot up here.. lol

I'd be a little hesitant about the AMK Bivy Sack. Isn't it more of an emergency item? Does it breathe?

Are you sure you have everything you need?

Coldsprings:
You can listen to Chris Gubera, President of Adventure Medical Kits, talk about the emergency bivy and blankets at this link.
http://www.practicalbackpacking.com/blog/archives/000043_pbp_episode_39_amk_emergency_blankets_and_bivvies.php
I've actually used the bivy and it is much stronger than what you might think. It's not a mylar sheet. This thing actually has some substance to it and it is quite warm.
It might not be my first choice for sub-40 degree nights, but it would definitely work in warmer nights that we experience early in the hiking season.
And remember, this is going inside my regular bivy, which adds additional warmth.
I'm curious as to what you would add to this list.
Thanks,
UL

I guess the bivy would work.

Do you not take a light, knife, water treatment, and how big is your water bottle? A 32 oz Gatorade bottle is more like 2 oz, and I know I can drink one in a few seconds.

I take a pocket knife that I carry in my pocket, along with a Petzel eLite. Water treatment is a 1-oz bottle of bleach that I also carry in my pocket.
The Gatorade bottle is a 24-oz bottle and usually does me fine between water holes. I usually drink one or two bottles of water at planned water source before continuing on. If I'm worried about distance between water sources, then I would throw in a 2-Liter Platypus at 1.3 oz.

Trail Monkey, I had four ibuprofen. I was out there two days before I hiked out and could have used a bottle of Aleve.

Not much in the kit was or would be useful in that scenario. However, I could have just as easily suffered a cut or some other injury that may have required treatment.

My point was the experience really woke me up to how fast it can happen.

Okay, got you. What's your skin-out weight?

OK, didn't know we were playing "gotcha", but here's what I typically wear and carry in my pockets:

Shoes - Merrill Moab Ventillators - Low Cut - 34.25 oz.
Socks - Injinji Mid-Wt. Socks - 2.125 oz.
Underwear - Icebreaker boxer briefs - 3.0 oz.
Shorts - Columbia PFG Nylon Hiking Shorts - 7.25 oz.
Shirt - Nylon Short-Sleeve Tee (Wal-Mart) - 4.75 oz.
Wind Shirt - Marmot Ion - 3.75 oz.
Wide-Brim Hat - 5.75 oz.

Total - 60.875 oz./3.805 lbs.

In Pockets:

Buck pocket knife - 1.50 oz.
Petzel eLite - 1.62 oz.
Mini-Bottle - Bleach - 1.0 oz.

Total - 4.12 oz.

OOPS, Forgot - Trekking poles - 7.5 oz.

Total Base Pack Weight - 63.13 oz./3.95 lbs.

Total Skin-Out Weight - 128.125 oz./8.48 lbs.

Chili.. well that's kind of what I had thought as well. But then the same said tape would work for most cuts, unless you cut something off I guess. Even most scrapes could be covered with the tape and some moleskin or just second skin that I carry. Sometimes I will have a small tube of super glue because that stuff is double duty as gear repair as well. But really an truly what else is really needed in the kit. Pain relief and tummy relief, with something for the cuts and scraps. Oh an the blisters. Short of a defibrillator I don't know much of anything else... unless you pack UL... hes a Chiropractor.. lol.

Pain reliever, blister gear (tape, moleskin), I usually carry a small blister pack of antibiotic (sure helps on the small cuts scrapes) a couple band aids, a blister pack of immodium, and the smallest bottle of eye saline I can find (about a half ounce).

All in all, I would say the first aid kit comes in 4 or 5 ounces max, probably not that.

I am all for the UL guys (I don't put myself in this category), but I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I have been asked for something along the AT by someone who was a minimalist. I always coughed it up freely, but I know people who dont' carry things on the theory that they can always find someone with it on the trail.

I guess I prefer to carry my own gear.

Yeah I hate asking for things that I should have brought. But then I get kind of stingy with TP as well lol. You need it.. bring more than your allotted 2 sheets a day.. lol

LOL. I made a 7 day desert hike about 8 years ago. On the first night I discovered I didn't pack any TP. I was ready to about the hike when I managed to trade for a supply.

I try to be free with anything I have to those who simply forgot. I tend to get a bit aggravated with freeloaders.

Chili.. well that's kind of what I had thought as well. But then the same said tape would work for most cuts, unless you cut something off I guess. Even most scrapes could be covered with the tape and some moleskin or just second skin that I carry. Sometimes I will have a small tube of super glue because that stuff is double duty as gear repair as well. But really an truly what else is really needed in the kit. Pain relief and tummy relief, with something for the cuts and scraps. Oh an the blisters. Short of a defibrillator I don't know much of anything else... unless you pack UL... hes a Chiropractor.. lol.
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