Backpacking Checklist (Gear List): 3-Season, 3-Day

Companion forum thread to:

Backpacking Checklist (Gear List): 3-Season, 3-Day

Revised and updated for 2011.

Edited by ryan on 10/11/2011 09:48:29 MDT.

It looks good.

Edited by paintballr4life on 10/11/2011 10:13:01 MDT.

never mind

Edited by mariposa on 10/12/2011 15:17:54 MDT.

I appreciate the updated suggestions, Ryan. I searched for items in your book and previous articles in BPL, but they are difficult if not impossible to find. Your easy to find examples are a great help. Thanks.

No bug protections? Or did I miss it?

Ryan - a canister stove! you're getting soft in your old age. No seriously, I carry one too. they are really convenient on shorter trips.

A canister stove generally wins out in weight versus an alcohol stove on trips longer than 2-3 days when cooking for two, and 5ish days when cooking solo.

@Ryan: Thanks for the updated list.

@David: There's DEET on the list, but no bugproof shelter. That bugs me too. ;)

Great list thanks. Do you think the Gossamer Gear LT4 poles are robust enough for winter camping and backcountry skiing? I have a set of black diamond alpine carbon cork which are robust enough for winter activities but are 16 oz.

Mike B

Edited by mikerbyrne on 10/12/2011 12:18:02 MDT.

Looks like an all around solid list to me. Good article.

> A canister stove generally wins out in weight versus an alcohol stove on trips longer than 2-3 days when cooking for two, and 5ish days when cooking solo.

But this was a 2-night, 3-day list. I'll take a canister with Scouts or in winter.

Yeah, it is. It really comes down to number of boils, but Ryan REALLY likes the new Sol Ti.

I used one on a recent test. We had two folks that were showing early signs of hypothermia. The easy set up, quick to ignite, and rocket fast boiling was a godsend - instant hot food, instant hot drinks.

(don't let Eric see this note, but I like mine)

Wonderful list and well thought out presentation. Thank you

How about a knife. I never leave home without one no less head out onto the trail without one.

Nice work lads! That's a solid, easily accessible list that I'd be perfectly happy to use without any substitutions.

(but I'd swap out one stuff sack for a head-net...)

For bug protection, just replace or supplement the ground cloth with a net-tent and you're all set; depending on the destination the 5-7oz hit is completely worth it for the comfort provided (no one wants to wake up covered in mosquito bites). Or do what I do and try a bivy - I've been using a full net hood Ti Goat Ptarmigan bivy plus Golite poncho tarp for most of this past season and the combination has been great.

Benefits of the bivy are many:
- you can avoid setting up your tarp/shelter altogether when the weather is cooperative. Cowboy camping is something everyone should experience at least once.
- bivy adds warmth/wind resistance
- bug protection works
- additional spray protection in inclement weather (this becomes more important when using a small tarp)

Cons:
- ingress/egress can be difficult when vertical space is limited (ie., under a low-pitched tarp)
- not necessarily the best solution for those who have trouble with the concept of sleeping in a relatively enclosed space.

Thanks for the update. I have referenced these lists many times.

Right now my only hiking partner is my 11 yr old son, so there are things we carry that make life easier for him and I (any two of the three: deck of plastic cards, a tiny word search book and pencil, yatzee), as well as things 'he can do as we setup camp' The platypus gravity is one of those things he can easily do. We leave the clean bag at home, filtering into the his platy 1 liter and my 1/2 liter bags.

I love my Ti Alc stove, but I find I go through a lot of fuel to heat enough water for my son and I. So I pack a pocket rocket and GSR 2 person for him and I. One thing we have done to make life easier is elminating the bowls, cups, and sporks that came with the GSR, and carry Ti cups, and Ti sporks so we eat out of the bags.

I know I'll get hissed at, but I love my Tarptent (Henry Shires).

I NEVER thought I would say this, but the TP can be left behind. I forced myself on the AT to leave it behind and to be honest, I'm still alive. My son still carries his TP though... The only thing was trying to find something in Yellowstone, other than the shrub brush that was all around us, when the urge hit. I tried to use a whistle pig, but couldn't catch one. (obv. joking).

I know someone will say use a stick, but I carry a metal trowl (homemade) to dig the hole, not all soil is easily dug in with a stick! Our food tends to be heavier... I guess we just like to eat.

Great list! But LMF Ti Spork?!? You could save whopping 8 g by switching to Spork Original! ;) Or even 10 g with Spork Little :D

Edited by vvsrj on 10/12/2011 13:53:25 MDT.

Re: Merino wool shirts. I usually carry a short-sleeved light or mid-weight merino t-shirt, and then merino armwarmers (Smartwool) which are lighter than carrying a separate long-sleeved top. Works great.

Missing a few things that most people carry: Extra pair of socks in "Other Clothing." Bug protection while sleeping. In "Other," no bandanna or piece of pack towel. And I never understood why nearly all gear lists omit a camera yet show photos of the trip!

Interesting to see the differences between this list and the one in "Lightweight Backpacking and Camping" (2006). "Mid" and ground sheet instead of tarp and bivy, framed pack instead of frameless, ball cap instead of wide-brim sun hat, much heavier stove and cook pot combo.

It did give me a few ideas to pare half a pound off my base weight, though!

I think I would change out the slim-fitting support briefs. Is that the same as tighty-whiteys? : )

This is obviously a male gear list. We females need to substitute our own undies!

Thanks Ryan - the list strikes a nice balance of function, versatility, comfort and weight.

Where is Mike Clelland?

Ah, the ole "camera is journaling gear" or "camera is always being carried" routine where that weight has been transferred either off a gearlist (have seen on even some SUL lists) or transferred to carried weight.

If it's good enough for Ryan does this mean everyone can not count camera gear? SUL here I come!

"Where is Mike Clelland?"

Out buying a Jetboil.

I've seen a recent gear list of RJ's where the camera section said "Don't ask". :-)

If my camera collection included an M9 and Zeiss Biogon 35mm 2.8C I'd happily forget about SUL every time I went into the bush :-)

Great list, close to my set up, although for three days, I'd leave the stove at home and save the weight and hassle of cooking and enjoy the lighter load. YMMV.

" LMF Ti Spork?!? You could save whopping 8 g by switching to Spork Original!"

The original LMF spork is no good. Too easy to snap and it melts if you try to fry anything. The ti version is well worth it, although you'll probably use the fork end of it so rarely that just a ti spoon would be best.

"Do you think the Gossamer Gear LT4 poles are robust enough for winter camping and backcountry skiing?"

No, you'll snap an LT4 backcountry skiing. My wife has broken 2 LT4's while hiking and I've broken one. All breaks occurred while falling on / sorta on the poles while hiking. They're fine for use while normal hiking, but you could break one easily if you crashed while skiing or if you just relied on one too hard. They're great poles, they just don't take much abuse and generally in the winter in the backcountry you don't want key pieces of gear like poles to be too fragile.

I'd add two pairs of nylon liner socks if you want to avoid blisters, though, and Thorlow hiking socks with good padding.
A plastic spoon from McDonalds works fine, too.
Cell phone is a must now days, too, preferably one with a radio for weather reports.
For older hikers:
The pad sleeps much better if it is a neo-air or a D.A.M air mattress from Warmlite.com, I'd wager. And nothing beats a nice roomy Tarptent.com to stay completely dry and comfortable on the trail in a sudden rain storm. That takes the weight up a couple of pounds, three actually, but the safety is sweet joy after a good night's sleep.

I've used the Gossamer gear trekking poles for 1000 miles of the AT, and no problems. They're great and they've saved me from many a fall. Tie them together and the bus and air lines will let you take them on board for free.

And there's nothing like Mountain House dried meals, too.

on first inspection, I miss a base-plate, magnetic compass to be able to work with the map. Also because I wouldn't like to rely exclusively on electronics for something so sensible, not even for a short trip.

I'd also miss clean sleeping clothes; at a minimum, socks and pants. I wouldn't want to expose the bag's shell to skin, not even clean skin, and the hiking socks and pants are bound to be too dirty for the task.

Someone else already mentioned but I stress: some kind of towel is very important. I use a kitchen wipe at less than an ounce. It's much more than a convenience item, with the particularly important mission of wiping shelter inner walls when condensation happens. In general, to wipe any excess wetness to speed up the drying for things you want to keep as dry as possible.

Finally, I'd miss some packing stuff: little packing for little items like sunglasses, tarp, stakes, small essentials, maps or food items. Some of these may be not carried at all, some might be not counted because their weight is small... if the list is focused on functionality, that's fine but if precise weight measures are the goal, they do add up enough to make the list.

Edited by inaki on 10/13/2011 08:06:10 MDT.

The Rock sack from the bear bag system can double as a stake sack.
The bearbag system had storage for food. I stick the map and sunglasses in my pants pocket or backpack pocket

Edited by Tjaard on 10/13/2011 10:23:54 MDT.

I never thought of using my stake sac as a rock sac...DUH... I still have to loose a few oz to make up for my Exped Synmat. Since I hike in the southeast my 3 season shelter includes bug mesh- I have a Zpacks Heximid Solo on order now for my next trip. It should weigh around 9oz with the bug mesh and the extended beak. I use the Esbitt Wing stove with the firelite 550 on weekend trips. On longer trips I too have gone to the dark side and take my Jetboil Ti.. I really like this list.

The little bag for my stakes weighs less than 0.1 ounce so doesn't even register on my scale. Anyway, I weighed the stakes in the bag! The same is true for small items in tiny plastic bags such as pills--they get weighed with the bag. Note that Ryan's list lumps all his first aid items together, although I'm sure he analyzes them separately.

Ryan's waterproof maps don't need a plastic bag. However, I've found that waterproof paper maps are heavier than putting normal paper maps inside a gallon ziplock bag. The paper maps plus plastic bag fold a lot smaller, too. In that case, lower tech is lighter! I just make sure (before leaving my shelter in the mornings) that the map portion I need for the day can be read through the plastic bag.

After a detailed comparison with my own list, I was pleased to note that if I subtract from my base weight my camera and the additional weight (over what's on Ryan's list for the same items) of sleeping bag, clothing, pad and Ursack that I need because I'm an old lady with arthritic joints who gets COLD easily, I end up with a base weight very close to Ryan's. That makes me feel better!

You really don't need a stuff sack for your sleeping bag, just put it in the bottom of your pack, then the other stuff on top. It'll also take up the slack if you don't have allot of other bulky stuff going in.

Sleep socks. Something warmer than a half sock. If your feet get cold, your just gonna get cold all over.

Some kind of very minimal light. Who needs a headlamp anyway? Most are too heavy.

I like the Rail Riders Ultralight Boxer Briefs. Never used them, but they look good. I get Everlast compressions shorts from Big5. They look pretty similar and can be had for $9.99 on sale. Way better than the REI stuff I've tried in the past.

Spork? Really? They are a genuine pain in the arsky to eat with. And for me, FBC is all I need for hot food and a long-handled Ti spoon works to get all the bits out of the bag and keep my hand fairly clean as well.

Though the new Jetboil is lighter, it's still too heavy. I can carry a cone with Esbit stove and enough fuel for five days and my setup is under seven ounces all out. That's lighter than the Jetboil alone, nevermind the heavy canister.

thank you!

Weekend lists...

/facepalm

Those are heavy pants, and not particularly warm. Are they for bushwhacking? My combo of Marmot PowerDry leggings (150 g) and sturdy windpants (90 g) is more versatile, warmer, and weighs less (240 g). Also, merino wool is a matter of personal choice, but it is not as warm as synthetics of similar weight. I have a full-zip hoody made of a PowerDry-like fabric that weighs the same as a merino long-sleeve top but is warmer and more versatile. With that, the full-size down jacket now becomes overkill, and a down vest (170 g) can replace the down jacket on this list. I've just cut 200 g off the list shown while achieving the same effect.

Raingear in this list is quite heavy (~400 g). I have a Roger Caffin-style mountain poncho that comes almost to the knee at 200 g. Chaps weigh another 60-70 g.

Where I'd personally add weight is in the sleeping pad department. Take chaps instead of rain pants and "spend" the extra 100 g or more on a second pad... it's well worth it!:) Invest 100 g shaved off the down jacket in 100 g more down to get the next bag up in the Katabatic product line.

Bravo for leaving the cell phone, mp3 player, and camera home :)) If not, there are now options to combine all of those in a 400 g package: iPhone + Solio charger. With this set you can drop the paper maps and use maps on the iPhone.

Just some ideas on how I would tweak this list to fit my individual preferences and style.

Curious, but why a wind shirt/hoody AND a light-weight rain jacket? Better breathability? If hiking and know I'll be in a deluge, I may go with a heavier rain shell and thus carry a wind shirt too, but usually my rain jacket doubles as my wind protection.

I don't use a stuff sack for my sleeping bag, either, but I use a dry bag. The alternative is a waterproof pack liner. The two (pack liner vs. lightweight dry bags for sleeping bag and another for insulating clothing) weigh about the same. I believe that Ryan's pack (HMG Windrider) is waterproof? If so, he shouldn't need anything.

I agree about the sleep socks. I get cold easily, so I use Goose Feet. Ryan evidently doesn't even take a second pair of hiking socks! Either he wears wet socks in his sleeping bag (hard on the loft) or he has awfully warm feet!

My cook kit (Primus Micron Ti stove, 550 ml Ti pot, Ti foil windscreen) weighs half as much as Ryan's Jetboil. With the windscreen (used with great caution, of course), I'm sure mine is just as fuel-efficient, maybe more so in cold weather because with the full length windscreen the canister doesn't get cold when in use.

Sporks tend to put holes in plastic bags when stirring; I use a long-handled Lexan spoon.

These are all individual preferences, though--YMMV, HYOH and all that. Some folks want a pack so light that they can't even feel it on their backs (they're over in the SUL forum). Others (like me) want everything else really light so we can take a few luxury (or, in my case, essential) items (thicker sleeping pad, warmer sleeping bag, etc.), or heavy photographic equipment, or fishing gear, or a six-pack of beer, or be able to go out for 10 days without resupply, while still having a lightweight pack that is easy to carry. (That's why I pay attention to what's in the SUL forum.)

Edited by hikinggranny on 10/14/2011 14:12:30 MDT.

Thank you for sharing YOUR list.

I agree that many of us would add something or change something. But I like seeing what others carry. Always refreshing and I learn or reinforce why I do what I do.

Todd

It's interesting to see how the gear has evolved over the years! My original list included a 4 oz. Gossamer Gear Whisper pack, Montbell Thermal sheet sleeping bag, GG Nightlight, and an alcohol or esbit stove...a perfect SUL kit. Now I have expanded my repetoire to include a Goloite Peak pack (~20 oz.), Montbell Super Stretch bag, Neo matress, and Jetboil Ti Sol. This gives me the latitude to head out SUL or light and comfortable. During winter I move up the weight scale some and pack it all in an Osprey Exos 58 to handle the extra bulk and weight.

i would replace the hat with a buff. more versatile and lighter weight.

Somebody skipped the "skin cancer" thread...or are you talking about replacing the balaclava?

Edited by dkramalc on 03/29/2013 00:24:45 MDT.

A hat shields your eyes and face from the sun. A buff doesn't really do anything to protect you from the sun.

If you are talking about replacing a warm hat with a buff, sure it's going to be lighter but it won't be very warm at all. A warm hat is worth the weight.