This is what I carry on long hikes. I know it's not going to win any prizes for low weight, but with the exception of health and safety items, I use everything on it every trip in spring or fall.

I'm interested in hearing people's take on it.

By the way, I cook for two, so several of the kitchen items, pot, bear canister etc. are larger than a solo hiker would need.

Keith,

Since you use every item each trip, I'm not sure exactly what input you seek. Do you want lighter weight alternatives? Are you willing to give up some items (like shaving oil) to save weight?

Let us know.

Todd

PS: What is the keyboard for?

i don't bring my regular cell phone with me if i take a phone backpacking. i have a LG "brick" phone that i take because if it gets damaged, i don't care. Also it has a much better battery life, almost two weeks on stand-buy. it also weighs 2.3 oz. However this is only convenient if you have a sim card phone (ATT, T-mobile, etc)

Also, lithium batteries weigh 1/3 less than alkaline batteries, so that might shave a few ounces off your electronic gear. they also last longer for the most part.

REI still has a few fenix EO1 flashlights in their outlet store for cheap. they only weigh .75 of an ounce with a lithium battery. you can replace your 3.7 ounce headlamp with that.

Instead of a water filter, use a coffee filter to "pre-filter" and purification tablets or a steripen (either the adventurer or traveler model)

what's the keyboard for?

You knife could be a little lighter. there are a bunch of knifes available that weight an ounce or less.

You could probably reduce everything by a pound, maybe a little more by using these ideas.

Edited by denver_whitest185 on 01/01/2010 13:48:46 MST.

Hi Keith

Quite a lot there which could be challenged.

> Mintyboost 0.5 oz.
?

> batteries 3 oz.
Alkalines? Switch to e2 lithiums.
Or rechargeables? Really needed - recharge the ones in use?

> Headlamp 3.7 oz.
Heavy - lighter exists

> Battery Charger, solar 4 oz.
OK for long trips

> Keyboard 6.6 oz.
Huh????? Delete!

> Watch/compass/barometer/thermometer 4.2 oz.
That is very heavy! There are so many lighter ones on the market - but there is a cost.

> Camera 5 oz.
Essential stuff!

> PDA phone 5.8 oz.
Seriously consider leaving it behind.

> Trekking Poles 6 oz.
Me, I think they are a just excess weight imposed on us by marketing.

> flip-flops 5 oz.
Leave them behind!

> Jacket 22 oz.
Heavy

> Convertible Pants 18.1 oz.
Heavy!

> Hiking Shoe 32.6 oz.
Grossly heavy!

> water filter 8 oz
Heavy. Switch to Steripen or maybe chlorine dioxide.

What I would suggest is that you have a good opportunity here to slowly but ruthlessly go through these and other items, upgrading one by one. Don't make big sweeping changes - take it slowly.

Cheers

Keith:

>Stove, wood
What happens if fires aren't allowed?

>Misc. - 16 oz
Some of this duplicates other items -- I think this could be greatly simplified. Plus, all the paper towels and wipes just generates trash that needs to be packed out.

Yes, I certainly don't mind hearing about lighter alternatives, or just plain alternatives, or how you do without (dual use maybe?).

The other questions:

The convertible pants. Can anyone name some lighter ones?

The flip flops. I need to dry and cool my feet whenever possible. Is there a lighter alternative?

Agreed. Shaving oil and razor, though virtually weightless,will go. I have a beard going now and it will keep my face warm and save time.

The batteries are rechargeable NMH's (hence the solar charger)Not usually needed until the three day mark. It would be nice to find a lightweight solar charger like the one I have that's made with lithium's in mind. That would definitely be lighter.

The MintyBoost converts battery voltage (about 3.9V) to 5V to charge my PDA, MP3 and Camera.

I journal into the PDA otherwise it's normally turned completely off except in the rare instances where I use the GPS in it.

I use the keyboard to type into the PDA. I have neither the talent nor the patience to use my thumbs. With the keyboard I can do about 30 wpm. I know a lot of people don't journal, but I get a lot out of the ones I read on-line. My journals also revive the experience of my hikes. I forget a lot.

The trekking poles may indeed be the result of marketing for agile souls, but I've become dependent on them for balance and to raise the sides of my tarp on warm nights.

What do I do when fires aren't allowed? I haven't encountered that issue yet. My stove is fully enclosed and seemingly very safe. It doesn't drop ashes or emit sparks. I've used it on picnic tables. One ranger told me I could use it like any other backpacking stove. Another one said no way. I guess if I head into a questionable area, I'll take a liquid or gas fueled stove.

Roger, you fingered a lot of other stuff as heavy. If you know of lighter equivalents, or where there's a good list that covers those items, I'd greatly appreciate hearing about it.

Edited by herman666 on 01/01/2010 15:19:49 MST.

The White Seirra pants in the REI outlet store weight a little under 14 oz a pair for a men's medium. i don't know if there are lighter ones out there, but i like them since they have a decent short inseam.

Columbia's Omni-Dry Titanium convertible pants are what I use. I believe Silver Ridge is the model name. They are 12 ounces for a medium and I love them! They dry super fast, are really comfortable, and are very durable.

> The batteries are rechargeable NMH's (hence the solar charger)Not usually needed
> until the three day mark. It would be nice to find a lightweight solar charger
> like the one I have that's made with lithium's in mind. That would definitely be lighter.
> The MintyBoost converts battery voltage (about 3.9V) to 5V to charge my PDA, MP3
> and Camera.
> I journal into the PDA otherwise it's normally turned completely off except
> in the rare instances where I use the GPS in it.
> I use the keyboard to type into the PDA. I have neither the talent nor the
> patience to use my thumbs.

Ah so. Well, this is Backpacking Light. So ...

You could switch to a camera which can take e2 lithium batteries, and to NOT carry spares. That should last you about 4+ weeks.

For the PDA stuff - switch to a small pencil and a 'Rite in the rain' flip pad. That's what I have used for months on end in Europe. I wrote it up each night.

For headlights I take my own MYOG headlight which uses one e2 battery. That lasts for maybe a year or more. It weighs a lot less too. Commercial stuff - try a Pak-Lite maybe.

Flip flops - if you change to UL footwear in a wider fitting you won't need to take your boots off in the evening. I often don't bother. If you do need to, just go bare foot carefully.

Clothing - most commercial stuff is heavier than needed because it is made for the street fashion market, not UL walking. I make my own out of Taslan/Supplex. I have never bothered with 'convertible' pants - uncomfortable and heavy.

You can find lots of other good advice scattered through the Forum pages too.

Cheers

Roger, the only thing that concerns me about the light is power. I've hiked at night in the fall when leaves obscured the trail. It would have been tough and likely impossible at times to find the next blaze without the deep hole that my EOS high beam punched in the dark.

That said, I've heard about lighter lamps that have equal or better beams and I'm looking into them.

Ted, Travis, Leanna thanks for the convertible tips.

Consider an iPhone. I used it for my journal and was satisfied with the touch screen key board. It also covered mp3. I combined it with an IMP5000 rechargeable lithium battery, weighing just over 4 oz. At 5000 mAh and 5V it was enough to recharge the iphone 3 times before needing a recharge. If you pass through towns to resupply you can recharge the battery.

The jacket will depend on the temps you encounter. But a light weight synthetic or down insulated jacket good for 3 season use is about 10 oz. Montbell has moderately priced and good quality stuff in this category.

If your feet are getting wet from condensation or just not drying out after stream crossings, than you don't have enough ventilation. Most here use some form of trail running shoe. I like new balance as they come in widths, but everyone's foot is different so try a few. Other popular brands are inov8, montrail, soloman.

Do you need sanitizer and wipes and antiseptic pads and alcohol wipes? Charcoal lighter? A few cotton balls and vasaline work nicely as fire starter and can be resupplied.

The 7.3 hydration bladder seems redundant and heavy. You already have lighter platy bottles. Gatorade bottles also work well.

The pot at 9.9 oz is quite heavy. Is it stainless? Should be able to get those down to 4 oz. The MSR titanium 1.5L is nice for 2.

The trowel's kind of heavy too. I use a titanium nail stake that weighs 0.4 oz and does double duty as a tent peg.

Should be able to knock 3 or 4 lbs off this list. The big expenditures would be the jacket and pot.

Nia,

The Jacket will go on the list to replace along with lighter pants.

Ten drops of charcoal lighter on a tiny roll of fiberglass affixed to the bottom of my stove reliably lights it off. An ounce in a dropper bottle lasts about 10 days. I haven't done the comparison, but I suspect that it's a wash between the charcoal lighter and the Vaseline weight wise and the lighter is very convenient.

The anticeptic wipes will go. One alcohol wipe will stay for first aid. The sanitary wipes are a problem. I don't like to stink and my wife won't let me boil a washcloth in the cooking pot.

I have the platy's and the bladder because I filter. The platy's collect the unfiltered water for two people. I guess you can subtract one. My wife should be carrying hers. I return to this over and over, but I'm just not comfortable with chlorine dioxide and the long treatment times.

Does the stake work well in heavily rooted soil? The trowel cuts the roots nicely. When I've tried to use a stick, it shreds the soil but the roots make clearing the hole difficult.

I've tried quite a few trail shoes. Check out this thread. My Asic's were among the more comfortable but the toe protection was abysmal and the soles weren't very durable. The Vasque Velocities lacked sufficient cushioning. I'll be trying some of the suggestions in the thread, but my final choice will be whatever eliminates the pain,dryness will be secondary.

I sincerely appreciate the time you and the others have taken to comment. There's no getting around the fact that I've put as much emphasis convenience and comfort as low
weight, but I'll likely be making the substitutions of equivalent lightweight gear and be looking long and hard at some of the other suggestions.

I don't like to stink and my wife won't let me boil a washcloth in the cooking pot.

Dude you got work cut out for you... What's the problem, my wife insists on it. Not like you are not going to clean it before you eat out of it. Leave her home, that would save some weight;-}

Keith,

With the changes you're making and the advice given to you, you are well on your way! You're certain to enjoy your trips more.

Please report back!

"Please report back."

Well, I've replaced my pants and jacket with lighter versions saving a full pound. I also bought a steripen adventurer which will save another 4 or 5 ounces. I'm seriously eyeing the bear canister. Hate the weight of it, but love the convenience.

What do you need 2.7 ozs. of nylon rope for? Is it for the hammock (understandable), or something else? Are there lighter alternatives for your purpose?

Why a 6 oz. waistpack? Couldn't pants pockets handle a few items, and your pack the rest?

I don't personally worry about it much, but when I do, a few drops of Betadine under the arms and possibly in the crotch, then rinsed with water, will last longer than deoderant ever thought of working.

It kills the bacteria that causes the stink, rather than masking the smell of the stink like deoderant does. Anyone else here ever try Betadine?

There was a thread a few weeks ago about someone using Betadine for water treatment. It was met with skepticism.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=28634&skip_to_post=239402#239402

I read that thread with interest, because I had never heard Betadine mentioned on this site.

I believe it's usually used medically for cleaning skin prior to cutting and operating.