This is my solo gear for a late September 6 day trip on the SHT. You can access it either on my profile or at the community listings.

Edited by dpnoll on 09/15/2010 13:38:41 MDT.

David,

That list covers pretty much all the function I'd be looking to cover. In a dry year (this year isn't!) I would bring more water carrying capacity unless I knew I will camp near reliable sources.

The only concern I might have is with your sleeping pad setup (but I don't know how warm it is or isn't) ... looking at about 120 years of daily climate data for Two Harbors there's about a 25% chance of getting at least one night below 32F over a 6 day span in the second half of September. I've had a few of those in a small handful of trips in September's last week.

Jim,
After checking with the girls at the SHT office I decided on less water capacity. My Kooka Bay pad is insulated and I had it down to a hard frost in the Wind river Range wearing only a T shirt and running shorts. We are doing the section from Tettegouche to Gooseberry Falls so overall the water situation is OK.

Question: What does "D" stand for on the items?
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You list the weight of just under 2 liters of water. When would you truly need to ever cary that much?

3 liters is too much capacity, (you noted that, but haven't changed the list)

Mini Tissues? What are they for?

Towel? For what use? A bandana cut in half weighs approx. .5 oz.

31 oz tent? THe bugs in late september will be nonexistent. Take a tarp and save over 21 oz!

NIX the toilet paper.

Micro-Pur Tabs are hard to regulate if you thing the water content is clean. Giardia requires 2 hours time(according to the instructions) and this is the main culprit of water borne illness. Aqua-Mira drops are superior in their ease and versatility.

Your food weight comes out to 1.5 pounds of food per day. You could trim that back slightly to 1.4 pounds of food per day. And factor in the fact that the first and last days are NOT full days of backcountry food requirements. Food is an area where people will toss in extras "just in case" so you should monitor the exact weight of the food you have left over when the trip is done.

Mike wrote, "[G]iardia... is the main culprit of water borne illness.... Aqua-Mira drops are superior in their ease and versatility."

Drops have only a fraction (1/3) of the active ingredients of tablets. Drops are meant to treat ONLY bacteria. Read your AM liquids instructions.

Tablets (3x the concentration of drops) can treat protozoa (giardia, crypto, etc.) in addition to bacteria -- although treatment time can be long (up to 4 hours). Again, read the instructions.

Drops are less potent and less versatile -- and should be used in places where users are confident that their water sources are protozoa free (giardia included). Just how one can be sure out there in the wilds is beyond me.

To recap:

Liquids - treats bacteria only - 20 minutes treatment time.

Solids -- same as above in treating bacteria. However, its higher potency makes it effective against viruses and protozoa as well. Treatment time for protozoa: 30 minutes for water at room temp -- longer for colder water -- up to 4 hours for water just above freezing.

Edited by ben2world on 09/17/2010 12:36:43 MDT.

Mike,
I never carry more than 1 ltr- the extra capacity is for camp

Mini tissues are for evening clean-up- aka crotch rot

towel is for condensation if needed

31 oz tent- the ticks have been really bad up here this year

toilet paper- they have toilets at SHT campsites and I might as well be comfortable since I am a senior citizen

1.5# includes packaging and ursack

can't spill tablets

D stands for David's gear vs Mary

Edited by dpnoll on 09/17/2010 15:00:30 MDT.

I just finished my late Sept Superior Hiking trail trip. I made a couple of changes to my gear and here are my observations. For Mike C I ordered a tarp at the last second from GG. The Spinn Twinn arrived on Thur, got sealed on Friday and hit the road on Sat. Other than 2 mice running over my head one night it was great. I couldn't believe the small areas I could set up in. I also ordered the titanium inferno to go with my .6 ltr pot. More fiddle factor but it was outstanding. This was my 1st trip with Micropur tablets and I liked it. However the 1st day I got to camp dry and the wait for water wasn't much fun. I will probably add a Frontier Pro the next time. On food, I ate every last scrap but did give away one bar and two pcs of jerky for the other guys to try out. Mike C. For one meal I used your mole sauce dehydrated along with spanish rice and refried beans. A work of culinary art.I kept track of food weight and my tummy and the results are that I need slightly more than 1.5# per day with packaging. I did ditch the Ursak and added Dyneema and a regular bag. Love that chord. I wish I had gone to it a long time ago.

Edited by dpnoll on 10/03/2010 08:06:51 MDT.

Sounds great - Now you have some important data on your personal food needs. You went in with 1.5 PPPPD (pounds per person per day) and it seemed a little low. That is VITAL info that can be put to use on your next outing.

Just so you know, almost NOBODY does this kind of exacting self-examination. Food is a place where too many campers take TOO much. Even in the Light-weight crowd.

= =

Don't add a filter for water treatment! I would advocate Aqua-Mira drops, re-packaged into smaller bottles. No need to wait any longer than 20 minutes. Much faster than the tablets.

Edited by mikeclelland on 10/03/2010 10:25:11 MDT.