I thought I would post my summer gear list on here to see if anyone had any other suggestions on how to lower my pack weight. I am pretty happy with where I am, but it can never hurt to lower it some more so long as it doesn’t impose on comfort or functionality. I have a few changes already in mind that I will probably make by the end of the year so keep these in mind.

Replace my Mountainsmith Phantom with a ULA Circuit/GG Mariposa Plus/SMD Starlite or similar

Replace my Golite Phantom with a Marmot Essence or similar

Replace my Snow Peak Gigapower with a Caldera Cone (not sure how much weight this would really save)

Most of my hiking is in the Southeast, more specifically, East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, North Georgia and Southwest Virginia.

PACK - SHELTER - SLEEPING
backpack Mountainsmith Phantom 51.0
waterproof pack cover MLD Silnylon Pack Cover M/L 2.4
waterproof pack liner Sea to Summit UltraSil Pack Liner 4.4
sleeping pad Thermarest Prolite 3 3/4 13.0
shelter Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter 8.9
bivy Alpinelite Custom Bug Tent 11.0
shelter support (poles, etc.) Use trekking poles 0.0
shelter stow sack Spinnex 0.4
stakes 2 Easton anodized aluminum stakes 0.6
stakes 10 Gossamer Gear Tite-Lite Titanium Stakes 2.2
stake bag Old bag from another tent 0.6
guylines Included in shelter weight 0.0
sleeping bag Western Mountaineering Summerlite 19.0
waterproof sleeping bag stuff sack Golite Silnylon 8x16 Stuffsack 0.8
sit pad Blue Foam Sit Pad 1.6
CLOTHING
underwear - bottoms Patagonia Active Boxer Briefs 2.5
base / wicking layer top Mountain Hardwear Wicked T 4.4
base / wicking layer bottom REI Sahara Shorts 8.3
insulating top Montbell Thermawrap Jacket 8.2
sleeping clothes Patagonia Lightweight LS Crew 6.0
sleeping clothes Patagonia Microweight Capaline 5.5
raingear (hard shell) top Golite Phantom 11.8
raingear (hard shell) bottoms Marmot Precip 7.0
warm gloves Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch Glove 1.2
warm hat Mountain Hardwear Micro Dome 1.2
sun hat Tilly T3 4.5
neck protection Bandanna 0.8
socks Smartwool Adrenaline Quarter 1.8
spare socks Smartwool Adrenaline Quarter 1.8
shoes Salomon XA Pro 3D 27.5
COOKING - WATER
stove Snowpeak Auto Gigapower 3.8
windscreen Heavy duty foil 0.7
fuel bottle Snow Peak Giga Power 110g fuel canister (empty) 3.5
matches / lighter Mini Bic 0.4
cook pot Evernew .64 UL Cookpot 3.4
utensils Lexan spoon 0.3
food storage bag Outdoor Products 8 Liter Dry Bag 1.5
bear bag hang system 50' Paracord and Rock Sack 2.5
water storage 2 Gatorade 32oz Bottles 3.9
water treatment Aqua Mira in 0.35 oz. bottles 1.0
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
flashlight / headlamp Petzel Tikka XP 3.4
trekking poles Komperdell C3 Carbon Duolock Mens 12.4
watch Highgear Alterra 2.8
bug dope Small bottle 0.5
sun SPF 15 Lipbalm 1.0
toothbrush Childs Tooth Brush 0.5
toothpaste Travel Tube 1.5
alcohol hand gel Purel 1.0
toilet paper 8 squares per day in ziploc 0.4
camera Olympus Stylus 720SW 5.8
blister & minor wound care medications, moleskin, athletic tape 3.5
knife Spyderco Ladybug 0.6
CONSUMABLES
food 3 days 56.0
water 2 liters 64.0
fuel Snow Peak Giga Power 110g 3.8

Base Weight (lbs) 12.36
Consumables (lbs) 7.74
Total Pack Weight (lbs) 20.10

Wear/Carry (lbs) 4.06

Skin Out (lbs) 24.16

Yeah, definitely replace that pack. ULA Conduit or GG Mariposa will come in around 21 ounces saving you almost 2 pounds!

I just bought a SMD Starlite and GG Mariposa Plus to try out. That should bring my weight down a bit.

Below are some quick insights. Looks pretty good...
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PACK - SHELTER - SLEEPING
backpack Mountainsmith Phantom 51.0 - EEE-Gadz!

waterproof pack cover MLD Silnylon Pack Cover M/L 2.4 - Nix, a simple plastic bag inside the pack works superior.

waterproof pack liner Sea to Summit UltraSil Pack Liner 4.4 - You don't need a pack cover & a pack liner - a simple plastic bag inside the pack works superior.

shelter Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter 8.9 - - - GOOD!

shelter stow sack Spinnex 0.4 - NIX the stuff sack

stakes 2 Easton anodized aluminum stakes 0.6
stakes 10 Gossamer Gear Tite-Lite Titanium Stakes 2.2 - - - 12 stakes? No way, really???

stake bag Old bag from another tent 0.6 - Nix - replace with an old plastic baggie

waterproof sleeping bag stuff sack Golite Silnylon 8x16 Stuffsack 0.8 - - - More waterproofing? Nix it. Just ONE is fine. a simple plastic bag inside the pack works perfectly.

CLOTHING

sleeping clothes Patagonia Lightweight LS Crew 6.0
sleeping clothes Patagonia Microweight Capaline 5.5 - Question: What does "sleeping clothes" mean?

COOKING - WATER
stove Snowpeak Auto Gigapower 3.8
windscreen Heavy duty foil 0.7
fuel bottle Snow Peak Giga Power 110g fuel canister (empty) 3.5
- - - The canister stove is okay only for short trips, the weight of those canisters will add up over time.

food storage bag Outdoor Products 8 Liter Dry Bag 1.5 A dry bag for food? A super light stuff sack is all y'need.

bear bag hang system 50' Paracord and Rock Sack 2.5
water storage 2 Gatorade 32oz Bottles 3.9 (YES) Cheap, recycled, light, plenty sturdy!

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
flashlight / headlamp Petzel Tikka XP 3.4 - - A little heavy, LOTS of lighter options.

toilet paper 8 squares per day in ziploc 0.4 (?!?!?!?) Easily nixed.

CONSUMABLES
food 3 days 56.0 - that's 1 pound 2 oz per day, that seems low.

water 2 liters 64.0 (weight your pack with just 1 liter of water, and loose 2 pounds of pack-weight) How often do you really "Need" to hike with 2 liters anyway?

Looks pretty good and kudos to replacing that heavy pack. I have a mariposa retrofitted with the new stay and I love it.

Just a couple suggestions that haven't been mentioned. I would ditch the rain gear and bring an umbrella. I use the Birdiepal Swing Liteflex at around 8oz and it works great, even in the shoulder seasons here in the pacific northwest. If needed some lightweight wind gear or dryducks could be used as well.

With the mariposa you can use the nightlite torso for additional frame support and then add a full length thinlight (1/8") and achieve approximately the same amount of comfort for less than half the weight.

Edited by jwell on 06/11/2009 13:03:28 MDT.

I don't carry rain gear here in the SE during summer anymore. I tested it out last year with no problems. When it's 80+ outside and raining you're going to get wet whether you have on a rain jacket or not so why carry the weight.

I infer more concern with cold and wet than expected for "summer southeast". Gloves? This list can be thinned without sacrifice.

Thanks for the comments so far!

Mike-

As for all of the waterproofing, perhaps it isn’t needed, but many of the places I hike get 80 or more inches of rain per year, so I can almost guarantee getting wet every trip, and with the high humidity things don’t dry here, even baselayers overnight.

Pack Cover – I figure the 2.4oz is worth not carrying a pack that has soaked up a bunch of rainwater. The new packs I am trying might not soak up as much water so we will see.

I used to use a trash compactor bag (2.4oz) instead of the pack liner, but my wife got it for me for Christmas, so I had to use it some. I really like the roll closure and everything, but in reality it isn’t all that durable as the movement against things in the pack renders it non-waterproof pretty quickly. I assume that by the end of the year, I will be back to the trash compactor bags.

The GoLite 8x16 bag is just a silnylon stuff sack. I like it big so the bag can expand and take up more room in the pack when I eat my food down, etc. It also does double duty as my pillow when stuffed with raingear, extra clothes, etc.

12 stakes. – The Spinshelter takes 8 (you can use more, but they recommend at least 8) and 4 for the bug shelter. I was going to try and rig some guyline up to use the existing stakes for both the SpinnShelter and Bug Tent, but the stakes are only .22oz so that is .88oz total. The weight of the guyline might be 30% of that anyways so I said why bother.

I use the Sleeping clothes as dry clothes around camp (many times I get cold when I stop at night with a wet T-shirt on) and they keep my bag clean.

As far as the headlamp goes, I know there are lighter options, but just can’t seem to find one I like. I really like the BD Ion, but don’t want something that uses non standard batteries. Do you (or anyone else) know of a significantly lighter light that uses AA or AAA batteries?

For the toilet paper, I know there are ways around it, but I am just not going there. At least not yet, although I might try a trip without it sometime.

My food weight is a bit low. It is tough living on Snickers GU Gel and Paydays. I do a Mountain House meal at night though. Luckily most of my trips are only 3-4 days and I can binge when I get home.

Water is a problem of mine; I do tend to carry too much. There are very few times that I really need 2 liters. I can get by with 1 liter for 90% of my hiking. One of my problems is I hate to stop hiking and get water as it breaks my rhythm up. I just need to get over it and stop at every water source.
You are very right about some things though. I can nix the stuff sack for the spinnshelter, replace my stake bag with a Ziploc type bag, and replace the food bag easily and cheaply. Thanks for the ideas.


Jay –

I don’t think an umbrella would do well here because of all the tight trails and vegetation. It just seems like it would get caught up all of the time. A poncho however, would probably work nicely and would lighten my raingear considerably.

Did you do the retrofit to the Mariposa Plus yourself or did you send it back to GG? The one I bought is used and has the CF stays. From what I understand the conversion is easy and GG will sell me the new stay by itself (great customer service BTW). It would just be nice to hear from someone who has done the conversion themselves. Also, how much better is it than the CF stays?

I may have to try CC foam pads again. I last tried to sleep on a z-lite and it just wasn’t cushy enough. Unfortunately, I am a side sleeper and on thin pads, my arms keep going to sleep. I wish I could train myself to sleep on my back.


Chris –

It’s nice to see a fellow southeasterner on here. You are right about making some alterations to my raingear set up for summer. I can lose the pants at least.

Jeremy –

While it can (and does) get very hot and steamy here, in the mountains it can still get quite cool. I was in the Smokies at the first of the month and had temperatures in the mid- thirties, and I know it got down to 17* up there in mid May. I was up at Mt. Rogers last year in mid August and it was in the upper 30’s at night. On my Memorial Day trip I had rain and temps in the low forties, which made it seem really cold. I might just be a wuss (I am clod natured), but when temps drop down in the 40’s or below, I need light gloves and a light hat.

I did however do a trip a few years ago on a low elevation trail where it was 100* and 80% humidity. That was my last trip in the summer where I didn’t spend at least most of my time at 4000-6000 feet. That is why I seem to do the same trips in the summer over and over because I avoid most of the heat by staying high.

Brad--

Didn't do the retrofit myself, but would be easy enough. The stay is like a large inverted U shape that is curved so it fits well against your back (similar to a conventional stay). The only difference from conventional stays is that there is a cross piece that connects the two stays at the top (this makes the inverted U). Hard to explain, but well worth the trouble of getting it done and the extra weight from the stay. I think it adds about 2oz but coming from the heavier pack that you have you wont know the difference. To do it yourself I think all you would need to do is attach a piece of velcro to secure the cross support. I would give them a call at gossamer gear. They are great. I had mine done and like it so much had them do my girlfriends too. I think the new stay makes a huge difference. With the carbon fiber stays I would have to pack some extra bulk in the bottom of the pouch where the nightlight goes to make it comfortable on my lower back. This worked well and I didn't mind it so much, but with this mod I don't have to do that and the pack just seems more comfortable all around.

I have used the gatewood cape a bunch and it works well, I have also used the golite poncho tarp and like that too. With the gatewood cape you wouldn't have to use your GG spin shelter because the coverage is similar, however I like the spinnaker fabric much more than the silnylon for a shelter (sags). Some day I will pony up the extra cash for one of those fancy MLD poncho tarps.

Sleeping pads are a lot of personal choice and if you are just doing 2-4 day trips the little bit of extra weight for a good nights sleep is worth it. I find myself splurging every now and then and bringing my downmat:)

Thanks Jay. I have talked to Grant at GG via email and he seemed to indicate that the conversion would be pretty straight forward for me to do. I just have to wait for the pack to get here so I can measure the length of the CF stays so they can make the aluminum one for my pack.

It's too bad it won't get here sooner as I am leaving this weekend to attempt the AT through SNP in three days. That will require back to back to back 30 mile days.

"I did however do a trip a few years ago on a low elevation trail where it was 100* and 80% humidity. That was my last trip in the summer where I didn’t spend at least most of my time at 4000-6000 feet."

Good plan. My summers are more like your low elevation trail.

"I did however do a trip a few years ago on a low elevation trail where it was 100* and 80% humidity. That was my last trip in the summer where I didn’t spend at least most of my time at 4000-6000 feet."

I was in the Smokies in August last year and it was hot and humid even on Clingman's Dome.

It certainly can happen. Yesterday the observed high/low on Mt. LeConte was 66/48. I believe the record high recorded up there was 81, and I know it has snowed in June up there. It is humid everywhere here though, and that can make 80* feel miserable.

That reminds me....always check the weather right before you leave and don't forget to account for elevation.