Hey I wanted to run my clothes list for the Colorado Trail by y'all, to see if I could cut a bit more weight. I'm waiting to post my gear list until I get a scale.

Worn:
BPL Headsweats race cap
Native Eyewear Hardtop sunglasses
Icebreaker 150 tee
Patagonia 9 trails running shorts
OR Flex-tex Gaiters
Darn Tough 1/4 wool mesh
Inov-8 Roclite 295

Carried:
Marmot Essence-6.5
Tyvek pants-2.5
Montbell Merino longjohns-6
Smartwool 1/4 zip 200g l/s-8
Thru-hiker kinsman pullover (like thermawrap)-7.5
Ray-way bomber hat-1.5?
Montbell fleece gloves-1ish
MLD event mitts-1
2nd pair socks-2
MYOG headnet/bugamid-1
TOTAL: 37oz

I feel like that's kind of a lot, but my base weight is ~6# with all that stuff, and I haven't been on a long hike in a while so it's kind of my security factor. If I add Gore-tex socks, it could snow on me and I'd be comfortable.

I'm leaving the week of the 20th, so it'll be almost July by the time I hit the high elevations.

Edited by Jaddleman on 04/22/2010 23:24:45 MDT.

The list looks great. Personally, I like the addition of Gtx socks for CO. Even if they never get used, you won't notice the extra ounces with your current list.

Good list-- I would probably leave the gaitors and event mitts at home though in July.

It took me until the end of the thread to realize you weren't talking about Connecticut. I was really blown away by all of the gear you wanted to haul through southern New England in late June!

CT = Colorado Trail

485 miles from Denver to Durango.

About 220 of those mile are also the CDT (Continental Divide Trail)


I'm doing it in July.

In all fairness, CT could also refer to the state of Connecticut, which is often abbrevated as CT. The OP didn't really make this distinction very clear.

Edited by ChrisFol on 04/22/2010 21:22:48 MDT.

swap the gaiters for a set of montbell stretch gaiters. i'll be doing the colorado trail with a set of those this summer. They are cheap and they work great.

Sorry for the "CT" misunderstanding, it's been all I've been thinking about for weeks, so I guess I just assumed everyone would understand what I was talking about.

Re: gaiters
-The gaiters are more for debris than anything, I'm not under the impression that I'll be facing winter conditions. Ted, can you tell me why you recommend the Montbell gaiters? I've already got the ORs and they're a little bit heavier but they seem very similar to me (Spandura vs. Schoeller dynamic), and the ORs have a more durable strap. If I do end up with different gaiters it would probably be LevaGaiters, since there's no strap to even break.

Re: mitts
-I want the mitts because wet hands are no fun when it's chilly or windy and I plan to hike in the rain.

The biggest thing that I was wondering about is this: it seems obvious that the easiest way to cut a lot of weight is to hike in my long sleeve merino shirt (or a different 150g one, like the Beartooth hoody), thereby saving a full 8 oz. It might get hot, but I could always hike with my shirt off (sunburn?) Can anyone weigh in on that?

Edited by Jaddleman on 04/22/2010 23:40:42 MDT.

Bring the mitts. I left behind my gloves last weekend because the temperatures weren't going to drop below freezing and I figured I was better off dealing with 38 degree weather for the first couple hours of the morning than hauling 2 oz. I was wrong. Cold fingers suck.

My new rule: Whenever I feel the need to bring sleeping socks, I'm bringing my gloves as well.

i guess its just a way to reduce about 3 oz off your feet. i don't even use the strap. i use a little piece of velcro on the back of my boots and a little piece on the gaiter. they fit perfect and work very well.

If you're happy with the OR, then keep them. Moontrail has the montbell ones and you get 5 bonus points too for some extra free stuff.

Hiking with shirt off? I've definitely done that, but make sure to lather up with plenty of sun screen. Down side, plan on adding a lot of "sun screen" weight if your trip will be long.

As far as the gaiters go, I wouldn't bother bringing them if you aren't worried about weather conditions, but that's just me. I also own OR's, but they only get worn during winter months. I'm just not too concerned about smalls little scrapes during bushwacking sessions. That's just my view.

You do have 2 pairs of handwear there. also drop a shirt. you could drop the long johns, and put in wind pants like the Montbell UL wind pants(just sleep in them). those changes would be almost a pound.

Don't I want some sort of insulating glove? Which shirt should I drop? (How much of the time will I be hiking above 80F?) And the tyvek pants are my wind pants. My quilt is 1.5in synthetic, good IME to freezing and I want some warm layers to make sure I can be comfortable if it dips to 20. If I have time, I may make a 2" down quilt and be able to drop the bottoms, saving weight 2 ways.