this is what i usually bring on trips where the night time low temps are expected to be between 40 to 50 degrees F. I use my sleeping bag "Pod style" in my hammock, and if its expected to be colder than 40 i will bring my under quilt and use the sleeping bag on top instead. Any warmer than 50 and i will leave some clothing at home. not included are the shorts and t-shirt i wear while hiking. the weights on the items are all from what the manufacturer has listed on line, but i had to guess for a few of them,(guy lines, socks, hat, base layer, and first aid kit), but they should be pretty close as they are all small items. please rip my list apart and tear me a new one. i think im pretty good but i could always be better and lighter! thanks

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=7097

Edited by pintoADK on 03/28/2012 23:06:52 MDT.

ditch the rain pants

replace hoody with Stoic Hadron 800 fill down jacket (only 6.5 oz in Medium available at backcountry.com for the best deal you'll ever find on a ultralight down jacket)

replace headlamp with Petzl E+Lite (only 1oz with batteries)

replace filter for MSR HyperFlow Micro filter (7oz)


With these recommendations you can easily loose a pound on your list when you add it up!

Thanks!,i recently bought that jacket because it was on sale and i am going to try to return it because i have only worn it once, hopefully it doesn't smell like smoke. i will replace it with the mont bell ex light, or the stoic hadron.

The water filter was also a recent buy. On short trips of only a few days it will probably stay at home, i have been drinking unfiltered water for years with out getting sick. but on longer trips or ones in to unfamiliar areas one i will bring it along.

and the rain pant can be left home also on quick camps with a good weather forecast. but i like to have them for wearing around camp and the extra warmth if i really need it at night, so i will bring them often. i also have a smaller hex shaped hammock tarp that's good for only light rain that can save me 7oz over the 8x10 in good weather

thanks again, keep the tips coming!

Good list! I'd probably want to change these if it were me:

add compass
add plastic pealess whistle
add maps
ditch stakes and use sticks (I find that they work better.)
might want to try a Photon Freedom (0.3 oz) coin cell light

Your water containers weigh almost a pound.

You could probably cut out the dry sacks and just use a trash compactor bag as a pack liner for everything.

You could save weight but lose convenience if you switched to solid fuel (Esbit) or alcohol.

The Sawyer Squeeze filter is around 3.5-4.5 oz, depending on how you use it. Steripen is around the same weight.

Edited by AndyF on 03/29/2012 08:02:41 MDT.

i forgot to add the map and compass to the list but they are always with me. oops

a whistle would be a wise thing to add, my old pack had one on the sternum strap and my new pack doesn't so i should start packing one

i prefer using a roll top dry bag over a trash bag because it seems to help pack everything nicely in my frame-less pack, that is worth the few ounces to make my pack more comfortable on a long hike

my water containers are to too heavy, i should ditch the nalgene for a regular plastic bottled water bottle.

my headlamp will stay due to the fact that we hike in to the night and before sunrise very often so i like having one that is very bright vs some of the lighter weight options

next time i go out i am going to see how not using stakes works out for me, if it goes well they will stay at home on the next trip

a few of my friends that i usually hike with have steripens so i may grab a few water purification tablets for my self and rely on there steripens. or just carry an extra set of batteries for the extra use they will get

thanks andy! ill take all the tips i can get

Edited by pintoADK on 03/29/2012 08:30:57 MDT.

You could try replacing dry bags with just a large trash compactor bag to line your pack and ditching the compression sack for the sleeping bag. Going heavy on the stuff sacks seems to be a common problem and one that is easily and cheaply fixed. I just shove my sleeping bag to the bottom of my back, and put everything else on top. I'll just shove it in harder if I need more space. This saves weight and lets my sleeping bag keep a little loft in pack which could help increase its longevity.

You could also replace the nalgene with a cheap plastic water bottle that you buy bottled water in. They only weigh an ounce and are plenty durable. The big zip platypus is also kind of heavy at 5.5oz. I use a 2L platypus platy bottle and have weighed them at 1.3 oz.

Consider getting rid of the filter altogether and replace with aqua mira drops. Repackage them and one ounce of the drops should last you several days.

You can also make super cheap and light (about 0.3 oz) alcohol stoves using cat food cans. Search youtube for Andrew Skurka's video on how to make the cat food can stove as well as his video about aluminum foil windscreens which should also run around 0.3 oz.

These changes should save you quite a few ounces and also be pretty cheap changes.

Using a cat can stove with the SP 700 the flames are going to wick up the side. I'd switch either to a wide pot like an Evernew .9 or a smaller stove like a Gram Weenie.

These recommendations are dependent on where and when you hike


Could drop weight switching to being a ground sleeper.

Drop the paclite rain jacket and pants and pick up just a rain jacket in the 6-7oz range (driducks) save over a pound

Drop the knife there are lighter options out there

Go through your first aid kit an think about what you really will use and need, there are usually a lot of extras in these.

I second dropping the stuff sacks and just going with one big liner, it is less bags to pack and I find it fills out a frame less bag more evenly creating a better virtual frame with no air gaps.

Could change from V stakes to ti-pegs save an ounce.

Keep the headlamp if you hike at night that is a great one.