My thread I posted a few days ago turned into a firstaid forum so I wanted to post it again and ask for improvement suggestions


Tis is what I take on a three season backpacking for up to 4 days on the trail reasonably good conditions

Extra clothing packed:
Under Aurmor cold gear,7.9oz
Golite wisp wind shirt,2.5oz
Bozeman Mountain Works cocoon pullover,8.5oz
fleece hat,1.5oz
wright sock double layer,1.2oz

Shelter and sllep system:
Bozeman mountain works spinn poncho,6.2oz
Gossamer gearEZC line,.9oz
Nunatak Arc Ghost,16oz
target blue foam mat cut to torso, 2.6oz

Packing:
Gossamer Gear G6 pack,3.7oz

cooking and water:
Red bull side burner,.3oz
plastic feul containerand measuring cup,.6oz
Homemade energy can pot,.6oz
KFC plactic spork,.1oz
2.4liter platypus bottle, 2oz
aqua mira in small drop bottles, 1.1oz

other essentials:
Tooth brush, dr. bronners,towel,tp,2.1oz
leatherman micra,1.7oz
target 3-led headlamp,1.5oz
homemade first aid kit,.6oz
small roll of duct tape,1.2oz
sunto a-10 compass,.8oz

TOTAL: 3.9 - 4.00

this is without food and feul and water
and dosent include clothing I wear

If you have anny improvement suggestions please feel free to reply

What I see missing:

gloves
tent stakes
ground sheet
wind shield for cook kit
hand cleaner
pot lid
map
eyewear
firestarter
whistle
sunscreen
spellcheck software

all the things you mentioned were things I now remember I forgot to write, I use a cheap pair of fleece glove liners from old navy(.9oz)Bozeman mountain works hi-vis tent stakes(1.5oz) I dont need a ground sheet because I bring an equinox ultralight bivi (6.5oz) Windscreen made from large pie tin(included in stove weight)I use dr. bronners to clean my hands. aluminum foil lid included in pot weight. I have map software I print onto waterproof paper I am an experienced boy scout so I can start fires using My mini bic lighter, I carry a whistle on a lanyard so I consider it being worn on body and wear long clothing and a hat to protect me from the sun

looks good to me. sounds like your have it down!

Nice gear list! I read throught your list & adjusted my gear list a little because some of the items I had I didn't even need. I decided to post my gear list too so that we may give eachother advice on how to lower our weights.

Here is my new Fall XUL Gear List for a Weekend Outing:
(temps ranging from 50 to 32 with no bugs & no rain)
Items Carried-
1) Gossamer Gear G6 (3.7 oz)
2) Nunatak Arc Ghost (14 oz)
3) Silnylon Stuff Sack for Bag (.4 oz)
4) Gossamer Gear Thinlight Pad- trimmed to 36" long (1.2 oz)
5) Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Cloth (1.3 oz)
6) Bozeman Mountain Works Stealth 0 Nano Tarp (4.2 oz)
7) Gossamer Gear EZC Line- 50' (.9 oz)
8) Gossamer Gear Tite-Lite Stakes- 8 (1.7 oz)
9) Zip-Lock Bag for Shelter (.1 oz)
10) Platypus 3L Bottle (1.5 oz)
11) Platypus 1L Bottle (.9 oz)
12) Aqua Mira in Small Bottles (1 oz)
13) TP (.2 oz)
14) Zip-Lock for TP (.1 oz)
15) Small Swiss Army Knife (1 oz)
16) Duct Tape- 5' (.8 oz)
17) ACR Emergency Whistle (.2 oz)
18) Micro Photon LED Light (.2 oz)
19) Mini Homemade First Aid/Survival Kit (1 oz)
20) GoLite C-Thru Midweight L/S Shirt (8 oz)
21) GoLite Wisp Windshirt (2.5 oz)
22) Possum Down Socks (1.8 oz)
23) Possum Down Gloves (1.2 oz)
24) Possum Down Beanie (1.8 oz)

Total Weight of Gear Carried:
49.7 oz = 3.1 lbs (minus food & water)

** on weekend outings, I don't cook meals- I just bring dried fruits, granola bars, etc.

If you want, you can switch out your Target 3-LED Headlamp (1.5 oz) for a Micro Photon 1-LED Light (.2 oz). This would save you 1.3 oz.

the Target 3-LED (made by Eveready) I tried weighed 2.6 with batteries. This light swivels, has 2 white and 1 red LED, unregulated, and the LEDs are focused for a bright, tight beam. At $15, it is the most versatile headlamp I've tried. Too heavy for SUL though.

THe LED I have is no longer sold at target but I got it down to 1.5oz by cuting the buckle off the elasic headband and resewing it to fit my head.

Jordan,
you have a great gearlist. It is lighter than mine for a couple of reasons. one is that I cant sleep on a thin pad and I feel insecure with a down bag without a bivy. I like eating hot meals, like to have a hands free light and I dont see any rain gear on your list unless you count your wisp windshirt. Mabey in the future I will be willing to give up thease things but for right now they will stay in my pack. to lower your weight I think you could put your Knife, whistle, and Led light on a neck lanyard to be counted as worn or carried weight. and if you cut your guylines to the lengths you need you probably wont need all 50`

Just to note, on most trips I leave my under aurmor and jacket at home and only bring them on colder weather trips in the fall so I can save a pound
so most of the time I am carrying less than 3.5 lbs of gear :)

Edited by ryanf on 10/22/2005 19:49:51 MDT.

I am looking forward to the NANO gear to shave a few ounces off this list

Putting my knife, whistle & light on a lanyard is a very good idea! That would lower my pack weight even more & I would have these items at my fingertips. Also, it would be smart if I measured how much guyline I needed cause bringing 50' is a little ridiculous when I only need about half that much. Before I go on an outing, I check what the weather is going to be & if there is even a slight chance of rain, then I bring either a very light rain jacket (rain shield, for example) or a Montbell ultralight umbrella. Thanks for the comments!

since my first aid kit is so small I often keep it, my duct tape, and compass in my cargo pockets so they are accessible so I guess I could count this as carried weight as well

I keep my first aid kit in one of theese
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/microzip_2x3_bags.html

Edited by ryanf on 10/22/2005 21:08:30 MDT.

I dont know if you already do this but you can use your hat, gloves, and socks as shoulder strap padding

I like aqua mira alot because it purifys fast. but it looks like you dont need the water for cooking dinner so I recomend You use the katadyn micropur tablets instead of aqua mira.
one tablet purifys one liter and for a two night trek purifying three liters a night = 6 tablets. my scale at home is not very accurate but 6 of these is definetly under .1 oz saving you at least .9oz over aqua mira.
the reason I use aqua mira is that I need it to cook dinner and the tablets take three hours to work but you dont cook so you can purify overnight while you sleep

you can get theese at REI for less than $15 for a pack of 30

P.S. theese are chlorine dioxide, the same a aqua mira, so they are basicaly aqua mira in tablet form

Edited by ryanf on 10/22/2005 21:42:11 MDT.

KarstSports-EnergizerHeadlamp

sells an Everready headlamp for $15.95 (2white+1red with focusing optics). i've purchased from Karst several times. very trustworthy; ship very quickly.

is this the one you're speaking of?

Edited by pj on 10/22/2005 22:03:26 MDT.

See here for a discussion of wait times of Aqua Mira vs. Katadyn tablets. Supposedly the wait times are identical and the 4 hrs. is only for when you are treating the EPA worst case test water which is very dirty and cold.

Edited by archeopteryx on 10/22/2005 22:10:36 MDT.

No I have this lamp as well but it is a little heavier. mine is called the 3 led superbright headlamp. I got it at either walmart or target a long time ago but if you want to see it I found a site that sells it
http://www.electronicsoutfitter.com/store/K007GST04L.html
like I said to cut weight you can cut off the buckle on the headband and sew it to size your head

Thanks for the helpful info! I will adjust my gear list according to your comments. By using MP 1 Tablets, I can save almost an ounce, but that is one less ounce I have to carry! Once again, thanks!

Oh, can you tell me what your first-aid kit consists of? I'm trying to make mine lighter & I'am very interested in yours because it fits in a mico zip-lock bag & weighs practically nothing.

Edited by ShortmanCal on 10/23/2005 09:17:40 MDT.

my first aid kit is very minimal
it includes

6 Wound clousure strips
one adhesive knee bandage
3 smaller bandages
2 2x2 gauze sponges
a few saftey pins
tweezers
tylenol
diphen
and 2 small packets of antibiotic cream
tweezers ar on pocket knife
( it weighs .5oz now because I just removed tweezers because I have some on my Knife)

but keep in mind that you can use disinfected water to clean wounds and can cut duct tape into wound clousure strips. also you can use a bandana or clothing to stop bleeding in an emergency (just make sure it is clean)
some people also put in a small tube of krazy glue to use as a wound clousure.
I have never actually had a injury in the backcountry except for blisters. and for those I apply duct tape to stop the friction

Edited by ryanf on 10/23/2005 09:55:21 MDT.

Another suggestion is if you are not dry camping (then you wouldnt need aquamira) you probably dont need 4L of water storage,try two 1L platypus

Just in case you're thinking about the Energizer headlamp, they've come out with a newer model -- 6 LED's (4 whites and 2 red's) -- with various on and off combinations. Essentially the same light weight as the older 3 LED's, but better switching mechanism.

http://www.botac.com/en6ledhe.html

Cheaper at Wal Mart ($15)