Looking for suggestions to drop weight that are either free or cheap. I'm lacking water bottles at the moment, but plan on picking up a few before my next trip.

This is a winter packing list.



Edit - forgot a few things, added the updated list

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/17/2013 16:16:53 MST.

Campbells soup cup instead of smaller mug. cut the metal ring off and your canister or stove fits inside (love the crux right?) 25g
http://www.campbellsoup.com/Products/Microwavable short/wide version.

2oz of hand sanitizer instead of dr B's.. no water needed. use plain water to wash any dish.. or do freezer bag cooking.

How much does one of those campbell cups weigh once the ring is cut out?

Dr. Bronner's would be used to brush teeth, wash hands, and wash dishes. And maybe a little sponge bath if I ever wanted one. It seems hand sanitizer would then necessitate toothpaste. Maybe I could get a smaller container for the Dr. Bronner's.

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/17/2013 15:03:20 MST.

25g for cup.

have you used Dr b's for toothpaste before? i haven't heard good things. A full tube of travel toothpaste is 28g

washing pots with snow or water.. no rinsing involved.

you said that was your winter list... you're going to spongebath in the winter? You're going to spongebath... ever? bit of water on a pack towel or bandana and call it good. Dr Bronners or any other soap isn't good for water sources. Long Trail i had 3 real showers in 18 days at town stops and never cared in between.

Edited the first post - updated the list after realizing I forgot a few things.

Probably not going to do a sponge bath (ever)...just saying it's an option. And no, I've never used Bronner's for toothpaste...is it bad? Maybe I'll just use a small tube of toothpaste and some hand sanitizer after all.

And that cup is going to make it's way into my pack. Thanks for the suggestion!

Questions - how am I on clothing? That's pretty much what I took on my last trip (prior to caring about weight) and it kept me plenty warm into the 30's F. I didn't have the wind jacket then, and I had a heavier synthetic jacket instead of the down jacket.

Any other cuts I can make that cost zero to cheap?

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/17/2013 16:23:14 MST.

What are typical SE weather conditions?



You couldn't pay me to spongebath in the winter! :)

If your bears hibernate like ours do up north, you might be able to skip the bear bag rope.

Some people can use Dr. Bronners for brushing. I tried it and it reminded me of the times when my parents would wash my mouth out with soap for mouthing off. ACK!!! There is some powdered toothpastes that are decent. Repackage in a tiny bottle. Each brushing only requires a small sprinkling of the powder.

Edited by T.L. on 02/17/2013 16:39:12 MST.

try it at home once ;) i've heard enough to know i don't care to find out.

What are you bringing for your legs? just the long johns? Probably want a little more insulation and some wind/rain/snow protection as well.

For winter trips, I'll try to stick to 20*-30* lows and 40*-50* highs. That's easy here in the SE. What's not easy is predicting wind and rain. If possible, I'm going to avoid a snowstorm.

As for my legs, I was decently warm with my pants and long johns last trip to Mt. Mitchell, with lows in the upper 20's...but I do agree, I could use a little more protection/insulation.

I've got some old thermals that are 100% polypropylene inner and 30/70 wool/polyester outer. They should be warmer than my Kombi long johns, right? Those are just a single layer of 20/80 wool/polyester.

For wind/rain, I did a quick search. How well would Marmot PreCip Pants work for wind/rain/snow? I can get them for ~$37 + shipping.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/marmot-precip-pants-waterproof-for-men~p~2283d/?filterString=s~marmot-precip-pants%2F&colorFamily=02

And I'll definitely pass on using Bronner's as toothpaste now that you guys seem to be like, "Dude, I DARE you to try it!"

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/17/2013 21:46:08 MST.

I'd drop the mug and just use the Ti Pot. I have the 900 also and it's too much volume for just heating up water for meals and a hot drink for one. Depending on where you'll be, I'd also drop the Sawyer and use Aqua Mira instead.

A few suggestions:

Shelter looks good
Ditch two pots like others have said...I know it's nice to have one for hot drinks, but a lighter option would be a doctored campbell's cup (mentioned) or drink before/after dinner/breakfast.
Ditch the sawyer and go with AM
Why do you have two baselayers? How long are you planning to be out?
Fleece and down insulating layers? Is the MHW fleece a jacket or vest? I'm not familiar with it
Ditch the sit pad

Great start! I'd also include at least a very basic FA kit, a few bandages or tyvek tape/duct tape. Not sure what comes in the exped's repair kit, assuming glue/patches.

I'll post an updated list soon, reflecting some of yall's suggestions.


>Ditch two pots like others have said...I know it's nice to have one for hot drinks, but a lighter option would be a doctored campbell's cup (mentioned) or drink before/after dinner/breakfast.

Consider it done.

>Ditch the sawyer and go with AM

What about areas where water is murky? Plus, I JUST bought it yesterday...where were you when I clicked "buy" (joking)

>Why do you have two baselayers? How long are you planning to be out?
Fleece and down insulating layers? Is the MHW fleece a jacket or vest? I'm not familiar with it

It might help if I explain that this is a generic list for winter trips that I might take, expecting lows near 20*-30* F and highs near 40*-50* F and somewhere in the ballpark of 2-4 days. What I usually wear around camp after a hike is: polyester short-sleeve tee, polyester long-sleeve quarter-zip shirt, patagonia long-sleeve midweight quarter-zip shirt, and then an insulating layer (in this case, my down jacket). The MHW Airshield Elite toboggan is a hat...but i'm from the southeast, and we call them toboggans. So on my extremities, I have the MHW Airshield toboggan, fleece mittens/gloves (convertible mittens with open fingers underneath), and a fleece neckwarmer for sleeping at night. The neckwarmer + hat/toboggan is my version of a balaclava.

But I can ditch the long-sleeve quater zip.

I really feel like this is where I need the most input. Sure, I want to shed a few ounces here and there with smaller gear, but I think my clothes take up too much space. I've read a few great threads on here (one with a confusing chart) that convinced me to get a windshirt, but I'm still left wondering what I really need to stay warm. Is there a basic chart that says (assuming all things being equal) what you should wear for each range of temperatures? I think the thread I mentioned has one, but it might as well be written in Greek.

>Ditch the sit pad

I'm actually not sure about this - where will I sit if I ditch this? It might help to note that I'm getting an REI Flash 45, and not a Kalais, so I won't have a built-in sit pad.

>Great start! I'd also include at least a very basic FA kit, a few bandages or tyvek tape/duct tape. Not sure what comes in the exped's repair kit, assuming glue/patches.

Done. I put one together the other day. And the repair kit is glue and patches.

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/20/2013 14:17:27 MST.

A few things to note:

-I opted for a lighter, less wind-proof toboggan/hat since I now have a wind jacket with a hood
-The jury is out on the sit pad
-The toothpaste and hand sanitizer are estimated weights
-I forgot to add the Campbell's soup cup (25g estimate)

Total weight: 12 lbs. 1.69 oz. (including campbell's soup cup)


Like I said above, I feel like I need the most help with my clothes. Thanks again for the input!

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/20/2013 14:21:01 MST.

I would definitely keep at least one long sleeve baselayer top, I just couldn't tell if you had two there. I would say the windshirt will replace at east one of them. Unless you get REALLY REALLY cold, a ss base plus ls base plus windshirt plus insulating layer will be more than enough for 30-50 degree temps, especially with a shell on top.

For reference, in the sierras in late sept, I carried a long sleeve base top/bottom, ss base top, Montbell ex lite down puffy, dri-ducks jacket (look into this for lighter shell option, very cheap but you have to take care with it, 6oz or so), convertable pants, wool glove liners (defeat) and MHW fleece hap (or toboggan...). It got down to low 20s at night, and I slept with a summer weight quilt, base tops and bottoms, and one night wore the Montbell and one night didn't. I tend to sleep a little warmer than most, but I was never hot or cold the whole trip. Of course there we aren't dealing with humidity. That is a game changer. If I was doing a trip back east with similar temp ranges, I might take a fleece instead of the down jacket, but would still take a down quilt.

Good insight on clothing. Thanks! I'll try to test different combinations on some day hikes to get a better idea of what I need.

Here's a few more ways I might cut down on my weight:

-trim my trash compactor bag to only what I need...and/or find some that have a smaller diameter
-I ordered some liteline from MLD to replace my current tie-outs...should drop a little weight...maybe
-find a smaller Ti pot for solo trips
-leave the neck warmer unless temps are going to drop below 30
-get some wool glove liners (any suggestions?)
-drop the Lite-Core Sit Pad and use a small section of my old Z-Rest for a sit pad (solution found!)

Edited by FightingTheTide on 02/20/2013 20:25:33 MST.

i have the DeFeet duragloves and have liked them so far. i think they were around 4oz

http://www.defeet.com/60300/i1364671/733771/Duragloves-Wool/Duraglove-Wool-Charcoal.html

going from a 900ml pot down smaller won't get you much saving.. not worth the $ imo. I went from 1.4L to 700ml and maybe dropped 3oz but gained space in my pack.. going from 900 to 700 doesn't get you much space or weight.

+1 on the duragloves...been using them for years.

I wouldn't cut the compactor bag...you're going to need the excess at the top to roll down so things inside stay dry. Either that or you lose the whole reason for carrying it. Of course, that would be even lighter; not carrying it at all!

Kidding...for the weight, it's a no brainer to have dry gear.

I've cut up an old (15+ years) Z-Rest and made a new sit-pad that weighs in at 17g. And I'll pass on cutting up the compactor bag...good point there. With the glove liners - seem great, but they are heavier than what I already have. I have some UL running gloves that have a water/wind-proof mitten that can be folded back. They weigh in at 2.2 oz and work well for trail running in the 40's F.

2 Questions: How well would an Exped Schnozzel work as a pillow? That'll shed 2.6 oz if I drop my Cocoon UL pillow. And how well would a small piece of Z-Rest work as a pot grabber? Does that material melt? I cut a small piece that weighs 2g.

Good question...I think Pillows are probably one of the most personal pieces of gear. I personally need my head pretty propped up to sleep at all, so while I'd love to not have the weight of anything, I can't sleep without it. I'm still searching for the perfect pillow solution. Right now I'm using a neoair sit pad that weighs 2.7 ounces, I fill it partly and fold it over and use that. Still not enough height for me, but it's the best thing I've tried yet.

Not sure about the z-rest melting. I just rely on my wool gloves.

I use a 6x6 piece of Shamwow/pack towel for a pot holder. i only boil water so i use it to wipe out my pot and keep my stove from rattling in the pot.

i have the Exped air pillow and happily accept it's 2-3oz whatever. i also need a pillow of some type and tend to wear most of my layers to bed or at least have that option.