Packing List For Back Packing Trips -
C. Peter Zuroff started: 4 / 2005 revision: 01 / 11 / 2009
Back-Packing
I got into the hobby of backpacking a few years
ago. I sort of stumbled into it. My interest originated from my favorite
activity - motorcycle touring/camping.
I’ve visited so many beautiful parks and forests that people have asked
me if I hiked particular trails in those fantastic places. I never hiked any trails on those trips. As one documentary stated; “Motorcyclists
like to be part of nature, but they want to experience it FAST!” After these questions, riding up and down
Starting out on this new hobby, I already had
a large amount of camping experience. I
probably have close to a thousand miles of canoeing/camping distance/time
logged in. I camp out on most of my
motorcycle trips. I put in my years as a
youth with the Boy Scouts. And enough time had passed where I thought that my
gear was of a high enough quality and lightness where I could use much of it in
the pursuit of the hobby of backpacking.
I went out and bought a large pack, hiking boots and started
backpacking. I avoided many of the
obvious novice pitfalls { breaking in feet and boots before a hike, wore good
wool socks, brought the right gear for rain protection, water proofed my boots,
stuffed things that needed to stay dry in water-proof sacks, avoided cotton, selected
clothing that could be worn in layers, and didn’t bring the million useless
things sold in camping stores }.
So on my first hike I didn’t overpack - well, at least I thought that I didn’t. I was pretty well prepared for the winter
weather. But I quickly discovered that
weight is an extremely important issue when backpacking. The years since hiking as a boy scout
mellowed my memories of a heavy pack. I
was spoiled by my recent years of canoeing and motorcycling. The weight of my gear was supported by either
a canoe or a motorcycle. I learned very
quickly that my gear needed to be lighter.
I started changing my gear to lighten up the
load. First thing was to eliminate
unnecessary items. Then start replacing
items with lighter ones. But there’s
always a cost factor. Light weight gear
is not cheap. But I kept thinking that grams
add up to ounces and ounces add up to pounds; how much was I willing to pay to
avoid lugging up an additional pound up a mountain? That shines a whole different light on each
ounce or even grams. Later on I learned
that water management is a major issue.
Water weighs two pounds per liter.
As I gain more experience I make changes in
my gear to sacrifice one comfort to gain another. On each hike I learn a little more about
myself and what sacrifices I’m willing to make to save weight. When a reduction in weight is obtained, a different
comfort is gained by carrying less weight.
I keep upgrading individual items to ones that weigh less or are more
effective in what they do, or better yet: are dual purpose items. As these changes in gear are made, then that
effects other gear decisions. Occasionally
I decide the opposite: to carry more weight to gain another kind of
comfort. For example; I’m packing a much
larger and heavier camera now. I want to
take better pictures. So it is difficult
to give a person a list of what to pack.
It’s more of a growth experience.
An example: I’ve had the questionable joy of waking up in a rain puddle
on many camp-outs. So I made sleeping in
a tent with a cot a priority. I came up
with a way to pack a one-man dome tent and a cot with the least amount of
weight. Cots are heavy, but it sure was
nice to sleep ABOVE a puddle or the tree roots.
I made walking poles that became the cot frame. That saved a tremendous amount of weight. I adapted my equipment to be able to use a cot
so that I could sleep in comfort.
But later on I decided that the cot and tent
were still too heavy and the hiking poles that I made were very noisy when I
struck rocks. Over time I decided to
switch to using a hammock and a light weight tarp. That gave me the option to either sleep up
off of the ground, or to set it up like a tent and sleep on the ground. My hammock weighed
At the same time my gear for cooking was, and
still is, extremely light and Spartan. All
of my cooking equipment, pot, stove, windscreen, utensils all total to less
than a pound. The important point is
that when I made the switch to the hammock/tarp, then I was able to go down in
pack size. The new pack weighed
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The main theme to my packing list is to be
prepared for the weather, to be able to sleep well, and to have those comforts
at a reasonable level of weight. My base
pack weight ( no food, fuel, water ) was at 18 –
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I heard a saying on the trail
that sums this all up: You either carry
stuff to be able to camp in comfort or pack less stuff so that you can hike in
comfort. Everyone has their own
interpretation as to what level of stuff that they are willing to carry which
will impact the level comfort/pain that they are going to endure while
walking. Each person has to make their
own decision as to what to carry and what to leave at home.
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So far I’ve done nine/ten hikes ( not
counting my days in the boy-scouts ) depending how you count them. The first hike was in the NJ Pine
Barrens. I carried a fully loaded pack
for a day to see how I’d handle the weight.
The second was a three day section hike from the Delaware Water Gap up
to
My longest hike
My
This past summer I did another 51 day hike (
with some zero days – not included in the total ). I bounced around in sections, but overall
completed from
As I hike more and more, my gear is being
fine tuned; and overall it has gotten lighter although my latest tuning has
raised the weight a little bit. My
winter pack base weight ( no food, water ) was down to
Section 1: Clothing/Equipment that I wear or use
everyday:
Shorts/Bathing Suit Pants –
Convertible Pant / Shorts – Columbia Omni-Dry Venture II Convertible Pants
Underwear & t-shirt - 2 setsà I pack one set and wear one set.
Briefs – Terramar Boxer Briefs ( Campmor
#77867, Medium Grey, $12.95,
These are my favorite briefs
for hiking in hot weather. They are
light weight, dry quickly, and are not overly warm. They are 100% Polyester. I settled into the habit of wearing and
“washing” ( rinsing out in a stream ) the same set all of the time and saving
the packed set for town. The shorts
listed above have a bathing suit mesh liner.
So I don’t wear the briefs when I’m wearing those shorts.
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Duofold Duo Dri Boxer Brief Campmor #18726 $9.97 (
Short Sleeve Tee Shirt - Duofold HydroDuct Tee - Campmor #84651
$4.97 161 grams each
They wick away moisture and
dry very quickly. Same story as
described above. I wear one and pack the
other.
Socks - I tend to wear two pairs at a time regardless of
weather conditions. One pair of Injini toe socks and a normal pair of Thorlo
socks. I pack a matching paired set of
socks – bring the total up to four pairs of socks. Maybe an additional pair of toe socks as
well. I try to avoid using one complete
set of socks so that I can wear them when I do laundry in town. Also, it is comforting to know that there is
a clean dry pair of socks available at the end of a day of hiking.
Injini Tetratsok
Crew Socks ( Large, REI #728375, $14
per pair ) – wear one pair, pack one or two pairs. These do not dry as quickly as the Thorlo socks – which is why I tend to pack two pairs. I really like these socks. They lessen the number and frequency of
blisters that I get between my toes.
Thorlo Socks Light Blue
As stated above, I tend to
wear one pair over my toe socks and pair another pair. I have found that since I wear these socks as
an outer layer they tend to not need to be washed as often. I’ve also noticed that small sticks, rocks,
other debris are less troublesome to my feet when I wear the toe and Thorlo socks together.
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It may seem like over-packing,
but you can never be too nice to your feet when hiking. Switching to dry socks on a regular basis ( a
couple of times a day, especially during the first couple hundred miles of a
hike ) make for happy feet. Multiple
socks are necessary when breaking in new boots.
It takes walking in a rain storm for several days to really work-in a
pair of leather boots. Extra padding (
socks ) is needed when breaking in boots.
The other reason that I pack so many socks is that it is important to
wash and dry out socks frequently to prevent blisters. Nothing will create blisters faster than
wet/dirty socks. Well, that’s not
entirely true. Cotton socks will destroy
your feet faster. I pack heavy wool
socks for winter hiking.
Hiking boots – This is a growth topic. Time and experience has made me change what
boots that I wear.
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I started hiking in traditional
leather “bird boots.” These are the type
of boots that I hiked in as a teenager. The
tall ankle region saved me from many twisted ankles on my hikes. I remembered to wear two pairs of socks when
I bought my first two pairs of boots.
But I neglected to put heavier / thicker insoles into the boots when I
tried them on. Consequently, my first
two pairs of boots fitted me pretty well, but as my feet enlarged with more
hiking experience, the boots became too small for my feet. My feet started out as 10 ½ C and they are
now sizes 11 ½ E and 12 E. ( My left
foot is the smaller foot. )
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My first pair of boots were a
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My second pair of 7“ boots was
an experiment to see if I could get the same performance ( before my toe
crunching hike ) as the
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Both sets of boots are made
from kangaroo leather and are pretty light considering what they are. They are far lighter compared to similar
boots made a few years ago. When I hiked
this summer, I left the 10” boots with my mother in a labeled shipping box to be mailed to one of
the mail-drops on the AT if I need a replacement. The idea is to have a set ready to go and not
have to break-in a pair in the middle of the hike.
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Although
I like my leather boots, my feet got bigger after the summer hike. I started out with 10 ½ size feet, and I wore
size 11 boots. My left foot is now a
size 11 ½ E and my right foot is now a 12E.
I took my time picking out these boots.
I made sure that I wore two pairs of socks and put the Spenco backpacker insoles into the boots and tried them out
on the showroom floor. I took advantage
of the simulated incline, complete with rocks, in the shoe sales dept. These are my first pair of hiking “boots”
that are not traditional leather. They
basically look like taller and heavier running shoes. After hiking in them all summer I can attest
that they provided more protection for the balls of my feet on the rocks of
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Shoes – New Balance 907 – I was given the advice
from “EZ-DOES-IT” ( Michael ) to buy these shoes. His advice was sound and sincere. I am seriously considering it.
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Bandana – I carry four or five of these on my hikes. I wear one on my head or sometimes I wear a
baseball cap to keep my bald head from getting sun-burnt and to keep the deer
flies off of my head. I fold two of them
and place one under each shoulder strap/pad (from the pack) for added padding and
to keep my sweat from soaking the shoulder pads resulting in stinky shoulder
straps/pads. Bandanas are easy to
wash. The shoulder strap/pads are
not. I also tie one to the left side of
my pants to use as a hand-wipe or to put between my butt and whatever I was going
to sit on ( to lessen the seat-mark on my pants ). I used the standard
Equipment (
kept on outside of pack ):
Hiking Poles ( 1 or 2 ) – I replaced the two bamboo poles with Swissgear poles from Walmart, $11
each. Prices vary from store to
store. I’ve seen them as cheap as $9.89
each and $14.85 a pair. I didn’t want
to use aluminum poles. I like my
homemade bamboo poles. But I decided to
use these because they are collapsible and cheap. That worked out better for transport to
Sandals - to walk in water and around camp after hiking.
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I walked with a thru-hiker
together through the “Roller-Coaster” in
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Section 2: Alternate Clothing ( normally packed )
Gaiters – I’ve tried three different versions, all from
Outdoor Research.
I started wearing gaiters in
an attempt to cut down on ticks and wet feet.
I never experienced so many ticks as when I walked a hike in the NJ Pine
Barrens. Unfortunately, one got through,
so I spent three weeks on antibiotics.
Wonderful...
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Outdoor Research Celestial
Gaiters #12360 BLK XL ( 10 – 13 ) 6.1 oz. - $24.97
This pair is my
favorite. They are a good balance
between function and weight. They are as
tall as the Crocodiles, but made of lighter material.
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Note: In rainstorms I tie a nylon rope to the top
of one gaiter, snake the rope up one leg of my shorts, then through the belt
loops and then down the other leg and tie the rope to the top of the other
gaiter to hold the gaiters up while I hike in the rain. This system looks stupid but works very
well. The rain from the poncho drips
onto the gaiters instead of onto my leg above the gaiter – and then running
down the leg into the boots.
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Outdoor Research Crocodiles
Gore-Tex Campmor #17267 XL ( 10 - 13 )
These gaiters were my first
pair and the most successful. I’ve used
these on many trips on the motorcycle in the rain and on my three, six, and the
later part of my 51 day hikes. I applied
Deet to them for the hikes. No water, no ticks. I used them during many days of rain. I was wearing a poncho and shorts. The gaiters kept the rain that was dripping
down from the poncho from getting into my boots from above. I tried using a shorter pair, but they proved
to be ineffective. I have since replaced
this pair with a pair that is of similar size, but lighter. Although these
gaiters are heavy, I’m keeping them.
Neos Overboots – These are new items that I’ve only field tested in
light rain. ( They’re not worth using in
light rain. ) The goal is to be able to
walk with dry feet in the pouring rain.
I purchased two pairs from Barre Army-Navy
store in
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Neos Voyager – Size XXL,
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Neos Adventurer – Size XXL,
Poncho (3) – I use one at
a time - one for each pack size and another that is lighter –
Ponchos are great in terms of
weight and airflow. Rain jackets are
terrific in heavy downpours, but will soak you in sweat when you are
hiking. Ponchos are a great compromise -
IF - you bother to add some grommets to tie it up better in windy weather. If you don’t, you’ll be sorry. Ponchos will blow around in the wind,
especially if you use one that is too big.
That’s why I have several sizes; one for each pack and my latest
light-weight one. They can also be used
as a tarp. Camping out under a tarp in a
light rain is a pleasant experience.
Campmor #20275 (
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After 800 or so miles, this
poncho lost its water repellent properties.
I have replaced it with the shorter model.
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Campmor Cascade II, #94339BLU ( Storm Long Backpacker Poncho
Style # 9031, Red Ledge )
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Campmor #90027 ( discontinued model, blue, long, approx
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Stuff Sack #1 -
Blue - Outdoor Research #2, waterproof, 7"*13", 500 cu. in.,
Long Sleeve Shirt – “Dickies” gray or brown workshirt. I got
them on sale at Walmart. They are a polyester / cotton blend. They are very comfortable and dry
quickly. I used to pack a quilted
flannel shirt. I’m packing this instead
and added a polyester pullover for warmth.
375 grams. It’s heavy enough to
provide a layer of warmth. Light enough
to be worn in hot weather, and is presentable to wear in town. And most important, it’s a layer to keep the
bugs off of me in the evening.
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Pant legs from convertible
pants – Columbia Omni-Dry Venture II
Convertible Pants legs.
I now tend to wear the shorts
and pant legs only at night (for bug protection) or in town. I try to avoid wearing and soiling these on
the trail. Towards the end of my last
hike, I lost some weight and the waist belt from the pack started to hurt my
hips. I used these to pad the hip
area. It worked out very well.
Underwear & t-shirt - 2 setsà pack one set and wear one set..
Briefs – see
description – clothes that I wear everyday.
Short Sleeve Tee Shirt - see description – clothes that I wear everyday.
Red Ledge Reverse Layer Microfleece Zip-Tee –
Campmor #56480, Medium, $29.99, 297grams
I bought this to replace the
Polyester Pullover, or to use as an additional layer. It’s lighter and tighter fitting.
Marmot Polartec
Powerstretch pants – ( Campmor #12572-BLK-L, $29.97, 234 grams)
These are very warm long
underwear and feel very light. These are
excellent to wear while sleeping on cold nights.
Manzella Polypropylene Fleece Gloves – ( Campmor #92853, Black,
$8.99, 46 grams per pair)
I used wool socks as gloves
on my last cold weather hike to save weight.
I picked up these gloves after that.
Socks – Refer to description in what I wear listed above.
Injini Tetratsok Crew Socks (
Large, REI #728375 ) – wear one pair, pack one pair
Thorlo Light Blue 83 grams per pair – wear one pair, pack
one pair
Thorlo Dark Blue 107.5 grams per pair – I haven’t decided if
I’m packing these. The decision has more
to do with the condition of my boots/footwear when I start out on a hike.
thick wool socks - 2 pairs ( having cold feet is not fun )
Warm hat – I always pack a light weight balaclava which I wear
mostly while sleeping. Sometimes I use a
hunter-blaze-orange hat too. Odds are if
I need a warm hat, I’ll probably be hiking in hunting season. My grey hat weighs 100.5g My red hat weighs
Big Items (
Pack, Sleeping Gear ):
Backpack – Kelty Trekker 3950 External Frame Pack - Campmor #60681 3950 cu. in. 5 lbs, 3 oz, $109.99.
I appreciate this pack design more and more
as time goes on. I used external frame
packs when I was a kid, totally gave up on packs as a canoeist. When I started hiking in my forties I started
out with internal frames. Internal frame
packs dominate the market. After two
internal frame packs, I tried out this external frame design as an
experiment. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled
with the pack design. The bag is heavy
for its size. It took me a hundred and
fifty miles or so to adjust the frame to my torso and to figure out how to
distribute the weight in the pack and on the frame properly. By the time I figured out how to use the pack
properly, I became frustrated with it and reverted back to my internal frame Gregory
Z-pack on my first long summer hike. But
after lots of miles of experimentation, I’ve concluded that the Kelty Trekker is the most comfortable pack that I’ve used. It’s not the lightest, but it’s the most
comfortable to wear. The ultra-light
crowd will disagree, but it’s worth the extra weight to be comfortable.
It’s funny, people ( including me ) will buy
a pack first and then buy the rest of their gear. The pack is the most prominent gear item, but
it’s the one that is most affected by other gear selections. So as my gear list gets trimmed, so has my
needed pack size. So over time, I have a
collection of packs. In the order that I
purchased them, I have: Gregory Shasta (
large model – 5500 cu. in., 6 lbs. 5 oz. ); Gregory Z-pack ( older style, large
- 39950 cu. in., 3 lbs. 5 oz. ) and the Kelty Trekker ( 3950 cu. in., 5 lbs., 3 oz. ) You’ll notice the large size to start off
with. The smallest/lightest one was a
desperate effort to reduce weight. The Trekker
- same size, but increased in weight to be more comfortable.
I decided to try out this external frame pack
on my previous, long summer hike. The
idea was to strap my food bag to the frame, outside of my pack. I noticed on previous hikes that although my
food was sealed up and in a stuff sack, my internal frame pack wreaked of food. That meant that hanging up my food bag at
night and keeping my pack near me was pointless, from a safety point of view. The experiment was a good learning
experience. The open frame region below the
pack where I tied down the food bag is meant for light weight items. Attaching heavy items to that region hurt my
back. After 100 miles, I decided that
although I liked the frame, straps, and belts; I really didn’t like the
pack. I bought four O.R. stuff sacks and
strapped them to the frame and sent the pack home. That allowed me to place the weight exactly
where I wanted it to go. I tied a small
rectangular fishnet back to the center of the frame to hold the water. I was satisfied with the comfort and weight
distribution, but not the time required to strap everything in place. I switched to my Z-Pack and spent the
remaining 500 miles of my long summer hike enduring the thinner straps of the
Z-Pack grinding into my body and thinking about how to stitch my own pack using
the excellent Kelty frame and using the model of how
I strapped the stuff sacks in place earlier.
Many miles passed with these thoughts bouncing through my mind.
On all of my subsequent hikes I’ve used the Kelty. On some hikes
I moved the pack down on the frame, on others I moved it back up again. I strapped the heavy items { tent and food bag
} to the frame above the pack and strapped the lightest / bulky item – the blue
foam pad to the frame below the pack. It
worked out perfectly.
Hip-belt for Kelty Trekker 3950 External Frame Pack – Kelty, $52
I ordered a 28” hip belt (
size #2 ) to replace the 34” ( size #3 ) that came with the backpack. Like the Z-Pack, the standard ( 34” ) hip
belt fits fine now, but it becomes a problem as I drop weight on a long
hike. $52 is a bit steep when you
consider that the pack only cost $109.99.
It’s extremely important to have a pack fit correctly.
Sleeping Bag – I have three different sleeping bags. Two are approximately the same weight,
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To deal with its excessive
warmth that summer, I started researching materials to make a quilt. After a lot of searching, I found that the Speer Hammocks FrogSac was pretty close to what I wanted to make, so I
ordered one. It weighs
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This past summer I carried
the FrogSac for much of the hike and eventually
mailed it home because I rarely used it.
Big mistake! As soon as I mailed
it home, the temperature dropped. Of
course! I hiked on for a couple of days
in the cold and in desperation I bought a very light weight down sleeping
bag. A laFuma
600. It weighs a little less than a
pound and a half – which is it’s best feature.
It kept me warm, but the nylon material doesn’t breathe as well as the
other two bags. Not so badly that it
caused me to sweat like the cheap Eddie Bauer bag that I bought a couple of
years ago – which I promptly threw out.
So this bag it what I will start out with next summer. I’ll switch to one of the other two as I head
north and into higher elevations.
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I retired the Marmot Trestles
bag (
Sleeping Bag Liner - Cocoon
100% Silk Mummy Liner ( Campmor #45914 ) . 4.7oz.
It is advertised to add
Therm-a-Rest Pro-lite
4 Short Pad – ( #47735, $75.97,
20”*47”*1.5”,
Although I liked and used the
Pro-lite 3 Short pad for all of the previous summer,
I switched to the Pro-lite 4 for the added comfort –
thickness. The extra
Therm-a-Rest Pro-lite
3 Short Pad – ( #47719, $69.95, 20”*47”*1”,
I replaced my foam pad with
this very expensive pad to save packing space.
I like this pad, but it takes a very long time to self-inflate in cold
weather. I opted for the short length pad
to save weight. The extra weight and
thickness of a full-length #4 pad seemed extravagant. I found that using this in my hammock during
the summer worked perfectly. Just the
right size and there were some chilly nights where the insulation to my back
was appreciated. I also used the pad in
conjunction with a traditional blue foam pad during my last cold weather
hike. I was toasty warm all night during
the three nights out.
Stuff Sack – Therm-a-Rest Prolite 3 Short Stuff Sack ( #47743, $12.95, 0.7 oz )
This stuff sack works well
with either the #3 or the #4 models.
Hammock - Mosquito
Free Hammock Bliss ( Campmor #67888 ) - 24 oz,
$49.95 - Campmor # 67888
When I decided to retire my
tent and cot, I switched to using this and a large rectangular tarp. I had to cut down on the weight. This decision saved at least
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I have since alternated
between using tents and the hammock and tarp.
I have also replaced this hammock with the No-See-Um model. The mosquito netting was fine. I only upgraded because of the broken zipper.
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Tarp –
Tree Straps - Hammock
Bliss Tree Straps ( Campmor #67903 ) ( 2 pairs )
Tent -
I use this tent when the
temperature dips and I decide to leave the hammock and tarp at home. It’s a good solid three-season tent. It has a good balance of thick flooring and
sides, a smallish rain fly, and an adequate amount of mosquito netting and
ventilation. It’s a little longer than I
need (
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MSR Hubba
Tent – 2008 ( Campmor # 27369,
I used this tent for NY, CT,
and the top of VA, and the rest of Pa this summer.
I purchased it because of its
light weight and the massive amount of mosquito netting area. I was looking for a tent that I wouldn’t
roast in and be able to be protected from the mosquitoes. I was also looking for something small enough
to fit in a shelter. It met those
needs. Although it kept me dry in some
pretty heavy rain-storms, I am not at all pleased with the rain-fly and pole
design. The single pole design makes for
very little breathing at the top. Consequently,
I would wake up n the morning soaked from my own snores. I quickly learned to unzip the very top of
the rain-fly and poke an open thru-hiker’s guide to prop it open at the
top. This eliminated the worst of the
condensation. The other problem with
this tent is that it is too small to store your pack in at night. If I was younger and didn’t suffer from
leg-cramps at night, then I could sleep around my pack in the tent. But that’s not my reality. If anyone wants to buy this tent, it’s
theirs. I went back to using the
Backcountry-1 tent. It’s a much better
design, and cheaper too. Note: staking
out the rain-fly on this tent made no improvement on my condensation issue.
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I own several
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I decided to add straps /
clip fasteners to the corners of my poncho to use it in place of the rain fly
on my Backcountry-1 tent. I should be
able to save a pound by using the poncho in place of the rain-fly.
Stakes – MSR
7.5” Groundhog Stakes ( Campmor # 31203, 8-pack, $19.95
) Each stake weighs 0.6 oz each. I I pack one of
them. I switched to this item because I
can use one to dig a cat-hole instead of packing a shovel. I haven’t staked
down a dome tent in YEARS. So I’m not
used to packing stakes. I found that I
never staked my tarp during my hike.
Instead I tied it down to branches, rocks, logs, etc.
Stakes – Campmor aluminum tent stakes 6” ( Campmor
# 28881, 4-pack, $2.99 ) Each stake
weighs 0.5 oz. I pack two of these. They are round, so they don’t hold the tarp
in place as well as the stakes listed above.
But I use them as grates for my windscreen to hold my pot up while
cooking and if needed, for the tarp.
Stuff Sack #5 -
Blue - Outdoor Research #2, waterproof, 7"*13", 500 cu. in., 2.3 oz
Light weight down jacket – This is an excellent match up with my Winter Wren
sleeping bag. I bought this down jacket
because it packs very small, it is light in weight and was on sale at Cabela’s. It weighs
approx 680 grams and it is very warm. I
used it for one day of hiking in very cold weather. And I used it as a layer in my sleeping bag
in 0 – 10F temperatures. The system
worked perfectly. I was packing nylon
shell / fleece jackets. They can take a
lot of punishment. First I was using my
All Bergen Appliance jacket, then switched to my new Newton Braves jacket (
approx 950 grams ). I no longer use
these jackets for hiking because the down jacket is such a better option for
hiking and sleeping. Note; the light
weight down jacket is very susceptible to fire damage. While tending a wood fire a spark must have
landed on the jacket and it burned a substantial hole in it. I patched it up with some silicone sealant.
Cooking Gear:
Alcohol Stoves - ( look at the deleted items at
the end of this document for other stoves that I’ve used )
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In
short, I pack the Trangia burner and sometimes in
cold weather one Pepsi-Can Stove.
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These alcohol stoves are not
as fancy as the white gas stoves that I used to use. There is no pressurized fuel container or
control valves, so you can’t adjust the flame size much ( see Trangia burner below ).
They pretty much are either on or off.
You can only extinguish the flame by either waiting for the fuel to be
used up or to cover it up with a metal object to smother the flame. But these things are nearly weightless and
they need no maintenance. They are so
light, it would be silly not to try one of these out. If the fuel is cold then they are a pain to
light. So I’ve slept with the fuel
bottle in my sleeping bag at night to keep the fuel warm. All alcohol stoves require a wind break and
are not as hot as the white gas stoves that I have used. They all burn 70% ethyl alcohol well. Ethyl alcohol burns clean. 70% isopropyl alcohol burns a little sooty
with a tolerable odor with less heat than Ethyl alcohol, but the odor will
drive off a significant proportion of neighboring mosquitoes. Don’t use the orange or green scented
alcohols, they stink!!! 91% isopropyl
alcohol burns with a huge yellow flame and will be very sooty, but you can
water it down. Fuel is easy to obtain
since both ethyl and isopropyl alcohol are available just about
everywhere. They often come in handy
small recyclable plastic containers. An
added bonus is the lack of smell. These
stoves burn cleanly and if you accidentally spill the fuel, it evaporates and
you don’t smell any worse than you did before the spill. The fuel itself doubles as a
disinfectant. Methanol burns very hot,
maybe comparable to white-gas stoves.
It’s available in hardware or auto parts stores as a gas-line
anti-freeze in a yellow container under the brand name of “HEET.” ( Don’t buy the red container version. )
-
I have used three types of
these stoves. The commercially made Trangia, the homemade Pepsi-Can Stove, and the homemade
Penny-Stove ( see semi-retired items listed towards the end of this document ). I favor the Trangia,
because of its ease of use. It’s the
only one that stores its own fuel. Just
unscrew the cap and light it up. The
simmer lid works, but the burner is heavy compared to the others ( 111grams
). The others weigh 15 or less
grams. The Pepsi-Can stove burns the
hottest and the Penny Stove takes the longest to warm up and get going. Otherwise the penny stove heats up just
fine. I pack the Trangia
and a Pepsi-Can Stove since the homemade stove weigh almost nothing and that
gives me the option of two heat levels. Read about all of these stoves below.
-
Trangia Spirit Stove -
This is a brass burner that has the ability to store fuel in it. Between the
brass and the extra mass to store fuel, this is obviously going to be heavier
than the homemade soda can stoves. But
this stove works so well that I continue to use it. It’s fairly light-weight, non-pressurized,
very fuel efficient alcohol stove. It
burns 70% ethyl really well. The fuel
has to be warm. So in cold weather I
sleep with the sealed up burner in my sleeping bag, or tuck it into my pants
pocket during the day. Otherwise in cold
weather it is next to impossible to light.
I bought the “Spirit model” which is the basic stove burner with a steel
base. Throw the base out. It’s heavy ( 190 grams, 6.7 oz ) and
worthless. But the burner is fine ( 111
grams, 3.5 oz - 87.7 grams without the simmer ring ). It is not available in Campmor
or
-
Pepsi-Can Stove - I’ve made eight Pepsi-Can Stoves. The first on was 15.2
grams. They are lighter, simpler
versions of the Trangia stove. You can make one out of the bottom halves of two
Pepsi Cans. All you need is a pair of
scissors, a push-pin or a 1/16" drill, utility knife, one sheet of paper,
ruler, JB Weld - an epoxy that you can get in any hardware or auto supply
store.
I used the directions that I found at http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/pepsistove.shtml,
but I noticed on
These stoves light easier and burn hotter
than the Trangia stove. So in cold weather they worked out to be a
better option. Since they weigh next to
nothing, I packed both the Trangia and a Pepsi-Can
stove. The prettier stoves that I made
were made out of Mountain Dew 12 oz cans ( for the top half ) and Guinness
Draught 14.9 oz cans ( for the bottom half ).
The ones that I made entirely from Mountain Dew cans were just as
effective, just not as pretty. I made
one with aluminum flashing for a heavy center wall. It didn’t work any better. All were made in the same dimensions. I used a 1/16" drill to make the burner
holes (16 - 24). More or less holes made
the stove less effective. I made one
stove from Dr. Thunder cans that didn’t work at all. The shape of the bottom of the can made it
line up in a way that made the final dimensions all wrong. I found that when using isopropyl alcohol the
Pepsi-Can stoves were much easier to light than the Trangia
stove. The Trangia
stove burns with a much smaller almost solid blue flame. The soda can stoves have a much larger and
more yellow flame. So I use the
Pepsi-Can stove when I want to heat up something large or to heat something
quickly.
I think the extended sides of the penny-stove
( the sides extend a little bit above the burner holes ) make the stove burn
more effectively when it is cold. So I
experimented by assembling a couple of Pepsi can stoves with a bottom cut to 1
3/8” instead of 1 1/8”. This created a
ridge that is approximately 1/16” higher than the rest of the can. I made a simmer ring that looks like a big
letter “O” that can be tossed onto the top of the stove. The ridge keeps it in place. It heats up to efficient burn ( all burner
jets working ) 30 seconds faster than a normal Pepsi-Can Stove. It used fuel at the same rate. Instead of using a Guinness Draught can with
a Pepsi can for a nice fit, I expanded the lower section by fitting it onto a
full Pepsi can and rotating it until it expanded. It took me a year to think of this. I like this design. It weighs 17 grams compared to 111 grams of
my Trangia burner.
-
Ethyl or Isopropyl alcohol
- 70% work fine. The bottle that it comes in is a perfect
storage container. Just make sure that
its packed right side up in case it leaks.
Been there, done that. Don’t buy
the green or orange scented versions of alcohol. They reek when lit! Ethyl burns much hotter and cleaner than
isopropyl alcohol. 91% isopropyl alcohol
burns with huge yellow flames – unpractical but it can be watered down. Isopropyl doesn’t burn as cleanly as the
other two alcohols listed. A slight soot
residue will be left behind on a cooking pot.
But isopropyl alcohol does chase away the mosquitoes a bit. So that’s a plus.
HEET – This is 100% methanol, sold in small yellow containers
in auto parts stores. It burns very hot
and evaporates very quickly. It turns a
low calorie output alcohol stove into a fire breathing dragon. I’ve scorced pots
using this stuff in place of my normal 70% ethyl alcohol. I haven’t used this stuff in the winter, but
I will pack it in cold weather camping. The
major drawback to using this stuff is that it will shrink the cap seal on my
brass trangia burner.
So I will only use this with my pepsi-can
stove. Avoid buying HEET in the red
bottles. I’ve been told that that
version has additives that are not conducive to cooking.
Windscreen ( for the stove
) - Is a must with these alcohol
stoves. If you don’t have a windscreen,
you are going to eat cold food. It’s
that simple. I made a third windscreen (
49 grams ). This one uses what I’ve
learned from the previous two windscreens.
It’s a endless cylinder - like the first version. But it’s not riveted together into a
permanent right cylinder like the first version. It’s in two pieces, sort of like the second
version. I added two sets of snaps to the
ends of the bottom half so that it can be snapped together to form a right
cylinder shape. The other half rolls
inside the bottom half - like the second version. I made holes so that using two tent pegs I
can fashion the two halves together and have supports for the pot. It’s larger, but lighter than the second
version. It’s a solid design. It held up all summer. This version fits right in the cooking
pot. It’s tight and won’t get beat-up in
my pack.
Pot & Pan - Snow Peak Trek 1400 Titanium Cookset
#65165 – 5.6 oz. - capacity 32+oz - $40
Pot ( 103.7 grams ) and the
Frying Pan/Cover ( 55.8 grams ) weigh a total of 159.5 grams, 5.6 oz.
The pan doubles as a frying
pan and a cover for the pot. I’ve
decided to pull this out of retirement and use it on my big hike. It’s larger and hopefully I’ll make larger
and more varied meals to make up for the weigh loss that I experienced on my
last hike. I have found the size is
perfect for reconstituting powdered milk ( 32 oz ). I left the frying pan portion at home to save
weight, see “aluminum cover” listed below.
Aluminum Cover - I made an aluminum cover for my cooking pot out of
aluminum flashing. ( ?? grams ). I keep it in the outside center pouch of my
pack. I punched a hole in the center and
attached a brass rivet. I use it as an anti-mice
device for when I hang up my pack at night.
Not a single mouse got past it on my 51 day summer hike. On a few nights I didn’t use it. One night I watched a mouse get past a small
tuna fish can on the hanging rope. I
beat on the pack until the mouse had enough and sent it sailing with an
in-field hit with my hiking pole. After
that I went back to using the aluminum pot cover. It continued to be a perfect mouse stopper. And it makes a great pot cover too.
Spoon and Fork Set - Snow Peak Titanium #65126 - 1.4 oz - $8.95 total
37.4 grams { cable 1.6, fork 15, spoon 20.5 }
I was using a spork, which is lighter, but
it’s nice to be able to fully scoop up everything in the bottom of the pot, so
I’ve semi-retired the spork. Plastic utensils are out because I use them
to cook.
Can Opener – G. I. Can opener “P-38”, #23107, $1.80 for a pack
of two. Each weighs 8 grams. I don’t pack canned food, but you never know
what you might find out on the trail.
Misc. Stuff:
Thru-Hiker’s Guide 2008 – ISBN: 0-9707916-2-7
Thru-Hiker’s Guide 2007 –
ISBN: 0-9707916-9-0
Thru-Hiker’s Guide 2006 –
ISBN: ?, weighs 196.0 grams
* Photocopy the
relevant pages and carry only those pages.
On my next hike I will photocopy the same page to the upper left corner
of an 8.5” * 11” piece of paper. That
will leave me approximately the right amount of space for my notes and written
thoughts.
Whistle - ? grams, “Fox40 Classic”, very light weight. I bought this whistle to use in school for
when I’m on lunch duty. It’s great on
the trail too. Very, very loud; no
moving parts.
Papermate Pen - 5.4
grams Something is need to write with
for the journal and postcards.
Bug Mesh - for covering my head, especially at night. Works great.
Campmor #81276 $.99, 61.5 grams
This item is less important
if I am using my hammock with the mosquito netting or my Eureka Backcountry-1
tent ( which also has good bug netting ).
I’ve never needed to use a head net while walking. But then again I haven’t hiked in black-fly
season. I have camped in that season in
upstate
Toilet Paper – duh! Pack
extra and keep a small roll with you at night for emergencies and hang the rest
up with your food. The mice love to take
toilet paper for nest building. My
latest way of storing this item is to place a mostly used up roll in a large
size peanut butter jar along with a tube of benadryl. That permits me to keep it with me at night
and the container is virtually mouse-proof.
I listened to a mouse knaw on the jar threw
much of the night – no marks on the jar at all.
Rope – Used to tie up the food bag at night and some extra
for tying down odds and ends. Use white
nylon rope. I was using black nylon
rope, but the rope was a hassle to see in the dark. I cut pieces to use with my tarp. A long piece for the center to hang the tarp
over my hammock, end pieces for tying corners down, and short pieces for drip
lines. Both my tarp and poncho have
extra grommets added to them so I can stitch them closed in poor weather
conditions. I have many short pieces of
rope for doing this. I haven’t found any
light weight clip that works out better than the short pieces of rope yet.
Duct Tape – Wrap some around a water bottle or hiking pole. I made a wallet and over-shoes ( rain covers
) for my boots while re-supplying in town during my last hike.
Notebook, Writing Paper,
Envelopes, Stamps - I have trouble
remembering what I did ten minutes ago.
I need to keep some record of each hike.
And of course it’s nice to write home.
NY/NJ Appalachian Trail
Guide - 205.1 grams ( only used when
hiking section hikes in NY/NJ )
I’ll be carrying a guidebook
and maps on my next hike because I’m meeting a hiker in the middle of the Smokies. I gotta be able to find him.
I like the local trail guides
and map sets. Especially before and
after a hike. They help me make sense of
my journal entrees. During my last hike
I relied heavily on the Thru-Hikers Guide.
But Wingfoot is no longer producing it. I decided that I will enter all of the data
points and info from the AT Databook and the 2007
Thru-Hikers Guide and pack the pages that I need from the Thru-Hikers Companion
on my next hike.
Peanut
Butter Jar 1 ( small, red cap ):
I
started using peanut butter jars to store small items to be able to have these
close at hand and yet protect the contents from water and mice. They work exceedingly well. Everything stayed perfectly dry and I
listened to a mouse scratch and chew for a very long time, trying to get into
one. Not a mark on the jar – truly
amazing.
Allergy Pills - I have allergies ( pollen ).
Nail Clipper - a very small one.
21.9 grams Foot care is extremely
important. Once trimmed my nails too
short ( without using clippers ) and almost ended a hike before it started from
an in-grown toe nail.
* I need to drill
some holes in this to cut down on weight.
Tweezers - For tick removal 12 grams. Lighter pair 5.4 grams.
Cigarette Lighter - ( Bic ) to light stove,
burn up ticks, seal ends of nylon rope.
I carry two because I’ve had lighters break on me in the past. ( 22 grams each )
Knife/Multi-tool - Leatherman Squirt P4 ( 2
oz, 55.1 grams, $30 ). Pliers, Knife,
etc I like the pliers feature in the Leatherman tools for fixing things and pulling apart
stubborn rope knots.
Sewing Kit - just a spool of black thread and some sewing
needles. It is inevitable that some
buttons will need to be sewn back on, things to mend. 23 grams.
Toothbrush &
toothpaste - I like to talk to
people, not make them run away. Yeah, I
cut half of the handle off to save weight.
I use a sample size tube of toothpaste.
Toothbrush weighs 9 grams.
Shaver - I carry one disposable shaver to look civilized, at
least once in a while.
Peanut
Butter Jar 2 ( small, green cap ):
Bandaids - You never know if you’ll do something stupid and
cut or burn yourself and of course...blisters.
Neosporene Ointment -
Great for cuts and scrapes. It also very
good to use on blisters and any rashes.
Vitamins and Aspirin Pills - Hikers tend to eat high calorie items. We are not likely to eat well balanced
meals. My doctor put me on high doses of
B12. So I take a huge B multi-vitamin. This last trip the mosquitoes barely touched
me and I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, even in the swamps. I remember reading somewhere about high doses
of B-12 driving off mosquitoes.
Something to think about. I’m
going to pack calcium pills on my next trip.
The food that I was eating didn’t contain much calcium. Gotta think more
about what food to pack next trip.
Peanut Butter
Jar 3 ( large ):
Benadryl Ointment - Great for butt itch, insect bites.
Toilet paper -
Glasses – I put my glasses at night in this container so that
I know where to find them. I know where
they are, that they are safe from being lost, stepped on, rolled on, or mice
doing whatever to them. I put my glasses
inside the toilet paper inner cardboard tube.
Blue Ditti Bag: - ( not
waterproof ) 7.5 grams
Holds
the cooking items mentioned above: Fork
& Spoon, tent stakes, and my headlamp.
Compass - Doesn’t need batteries and it always works. ( 23.7 grams ) It’s surprising how many people don’t know
how to use a map and compass. Learned
that stuff back in my old Boy Scout days.
Come to think of it, my compass is from back then too. ( It finally fell apart
Headlamps (2) – Energizer LED headlight with 6 leds. 47.4grams each plus
-
I am now packing another
Energizer headlamp which uses the same batteries, but has one single focused
1-watt white led, two flood white leds and two red leds. It is heavier
but much brighter than the other headlamp that I use. I now pack two because if you have ever run
your batteries down on a night hike, well then you’ll appreciate having a
second headlamp ready to go.
-
I use the six led headlamp
the most often because the batteries last the longest with that headlamp. It also is just bright enough for most
uses. But the larger headlamp is really
bright for hiking at night.
-
I added a strip of duct tape
to the top of the six-led headlamp to give some additional support to the
push-button switch cover and an additional thin strip to the bottom of the
clear face to prevent the light generated from refracting into my glasses. That’s a real distraction when hiking in the
fog at night. The larger headlamp
doesn’t have this light refraction problem, but is does have a problem with the
larger and heavier lamp body. It folds
down from the bouncing of hiking. So
I’ve had to use rubber bands to hold it up in place.
-
Headlamps are great for
searching yourself for ticks at night.
That frees up my hands to hold a couple of small mirrors to look in
nooks and crannies. Hiking with a
headlamp also allows me to hike with one or two poles because my hands are
freed up to hold onto the poles. I found
the option of spot/flood lamps to be very useful. The spots are nice to use, but they made a
huge white blur in front of me while hiking in the fog at night. I added duct tape to the bottom of the lamps
to keep the light from refracting into my glasses, which was very distracting. Hiking on a clear night with the red leds on is pretty cool, because my night vision was
unaffected by the red light.
I’ve hiked in the dark with a smaller
Energizer LED headlamp ( 47.7 grams + 36.3grams for the AAA batteries ). It had two settings { two small white spot
lights or two small spot red lights ).
Not too bright. Just enough light
to hike by on a clear full moon night. (
I did this south of
Radio – My mother
bought me a Sony S2 Sports Walkman Armband AM/FM/Weather Radio ( digital tuner
) for Christmas. It uses one AAA battery. It weighs
-
As much as I liked this
radio, I did not bring it last summer on my second big summer hike.
Red Ditti Bag:
Red ditti bag - ( not waterproof ) 7.5 grams
Deodorant – If I use this, then I pack a small size.
It’s nice to smell good, but after three days in the woods, then
deodorant really doesn’t matter. Advice
- don’t change brands just to make pack weiight.
My son destroyed his armpits when he changed brands.
Mirrors (2) - To be able to
search ALL of your body for ticks. 2 *
$2.99, 21.7 grams each Campmor
Insect Repellent - For the gaiters.
I hate wearing this stuff or even sun-block. But after being nailed by a deer-tick, I
heavily spray the leg-gaiters.
Carabiner - to hang
backpack from when I sleep in the hammock.
Yes, using a rope that I already pack is lighter. But it’s nice to be able to quickly hang a
pack up on a tree. 23.5 grams.
Electronic
Stuff:
Camera - I now use an
I started out on my 2007 summer hike with a
light weight
Water: This
is an important topic heading!
Water Bag (4) – 2.5 Liter Platypus ( Campmor
#12321, $9.95, 1.2 oz )
I decided to replace the
plastic water bottles with these. These
are so light and convenient. I purchased
the water filter link ( Campmor #55338, $5.95 ). It makes filtering water a snap. Later on, I bought a Duck Bill Drinking Tube
( Campmor #1233, $12.95 ) This makes swapping out an empty bag a
breeze. I carry four of these bags
because they are very light in weight and there are times when you need to
carry a lot of water.
Large Water Bag – 6 Liter Platypus ( Campmor
#62917, $17.95, 3 oz )
I decided to add this to my
equipment list after my summer hike.
I’ve decided to filter water into this bag and then pour the water from
this bag into my Kelly Kettle. After the
water has been both boiled and filtered, then I will store the water in the
other Platypus bags.
O-Ring (2) – #66 size, Tanis Hardware,
$0.49
I added an o-ring to the cap
of each of the Platypus collapsible water bottles. There’s a channel in each cap to accommodate
an o-ring. I figured, better safe than
sorry. The water sleeve in all of the
backpacks are above the sleeping bag compartment. It’s best to minimize the chance of leakage
onto the sleeping bag.
Kelly Kettle – I am now using a large Kelly Kettle www.leevalley.com
item #4517.85 $85 + shipping. It weighs
about two pounds and holds 48 ounces of water.
It’s bulky and weighs a bit, but it’s the fastest and lightest option
that I know of to boil drinking water. It’s
a mini-fireplace with a water jacket around the fire chamber and chimney.
It’s pretty easy to use. Fill it up with water ( not quite full,
otherwise when the water boils, some of the water will slosh out and then down
into the tray that contains the coals ).
Then stuff the chimney section full of small sticks. The sticks will naturally form a teepee
shape, perfect for starting a fire. Then
light it. It’s easy to light since the
combustion chamber is enclosed. Wind is
not at all a problem. It burns pretty
smoky for the first minute. After a
minute or so it will have warmed up and the smoke will lessen. If I have any difficulty lighting it, then a
little vegetable oil ( which I always have some left over when I reach town )
added to the sticks will get it to light with little difficulty. I found that simmering water can be a bit of
a hassle because if I stock it full of fuel, it’s a torch and it boils like
crazy. So I made a cute little chimney cover
out of aluminum flashing.
The advantages of this stove is that it heats
up water very quickly and you don’t have to carry any fuel. The minuses are it smells like a wood burning
stove (duh!) and you can’t heat anything in it other than water. So your heated food menu is limited. I now boil my water for drinking water
instead of filtering. This was perfect
because I can boil as much as I wanted to without worrying about fuel
usage. I have concerns using this
kettle. There are signs on sections of
the AT posted that state that only gas fired stoves are allowed. The kettle is probably safer to use than a
gas fired stove. It certainly heats up
water faster than any stove that I have used.
I found out about this item from reading a trail journal on-line.
I tried using the smaller version of this
item a couple of years ago and again on my summer hike. The smaller unit was fussy to use. When it boiled over it quickly put out the
fire underneath. Since the unit is so small,
the fire had to be closely managed because its lack of size meant that the fire
and coals were small. The larger unit is
much easier to work with. The retired
smaller unit is item # 45K17.80 $62.50 + shipping = $72. It weighs 575 grams, 20.2 ounces and can heat
up 26 oz of water in four minutes. Its
dimensions are: 5 5/8" diameter and 10.5" tall.
Kelly Kettle Accessories:
I purchased a package that
included a small aluminum pot and cover ( a frying pan ), grip-handle, a steel
grate to place over the coals in the base pan, and an interesting pair of
aluminum pieces that fit across/into each other to be placed on the exhaust of
the Kelly Kettle to use as a pot stand.
Sort of an after-burner for the Kelly Kettle.
Very interesting stuff. Only problem was with the lousy exchange
rates of the US dollar to
-
Pot Stand: ( both aluminum
pieces ) 79 grams.
-
Steel Grates ( both steel
pieces ) 84 grams.
-
Food:
Stuff Sack - Red
- Outdoor Research #3, waterproof, 8"**15", 750 cu. in., 2.9 oz
I’ve always packed all of the
food that I needed for my camping trips.
The longest trip has been six days.
I exchanged emails with several Appalachian-Thru-Hikers. The basic consensus was to carry only what
was needed ( duh! ). They all seemed to
limit their capacity to five days worth of food. Some items were carried as just-in-case foods
- a basic meal that they could count on, buut they were aware that they could
tire of eating that same meal. So below
is a growing list of foods to bring and recipes.
There’s a basic trend. Everything requires water to be added to save
weight. High calories. Easy preparation. Lots of snack like foods.
Breakfast:
Hot Meal ( cook / eat in the
following order ):
Eggs – freeze dried (
Mountain House )
Oatmeal – the measure of 2
packages,
one flavored mixed with an
equal amount of plain oatmeal,
each flavored package is 280 – 340 calories
Vegetable Oil – add to most
meals for additional calories.
Hot Chocolate – 2 packages/cups
Breakfast bars
Lunch:
Cold Meal:
Powdered Milk – makes 1 qt
per package, total of 320 calories
Instant Breakfast –
Chocolate, one cup of milk per package, total of 130 calories
* Vanilla flavor
is more frothy, added hot chocolate to get it to settle down.
Preserved Meat - beef jerky
can be chewed or broken up into pieces and thrown into a dinner
Breakfast Bars
Peanut Butter
Crackers, Bread
Gorp
Often I eat the protein (
meat ) portion of dinner during lunch.
Dinner:
Hot Meal:
Noodle Mixes - Lipton makes
lots of different kinds, 220 calories per package
Tuna Fish – in a plastic
package
Hot Dogs, other meat – if
available
Vegetable Oil - for cooking
and for healthier fat calories, 120 calories per tablespoon.
Fresh vegetables if
available.
Instant Pudding – makes two
cups per package, each package 640 calories
Misc:
Candy - sugar! energy!
Lots of Kool-Aid ( with sugar
) flavor mixes - to add to that sweet tasting puddle water that you have to
drink
I have found that I can walk up hills much
faster with sugar added to my diet.
Seriously, it makes a ten mile day into a fifteen mile day.
Powdered Milk & Instant
Breakfast ( Chocolate )
Seasonings - There’s only so
many ways to cook things that you boil. Gotta spice things up!
Salt
Pepper
Dehydrated onions
Rope - to hang the food bag at night
Luxury Items:
Composition Notebook - Gotta keep a record of my
trips.
Postcards - Gotta say hello to my loved
ones. Plus it’s cool to see the
postmarks when you get home.
Pen - How are you supposed to write in the notebook or on
the postcards without a pen, huh?
Bounce Box =
a box to ship from post office to post office:
The idea is to mail ahead
things that are needed for the future to avoid carrying them.
Guide Books -
Maps –
Nikiwax – for resealing leather boots.
Large Toothpaste to refill
sample size.
Wish-list
Items = not purchased yet:
Maps - I have them.
I’ve looked them over before a hike, but I haven’t brought any with me
so far.
Semi-Retired
items:
These items are in the
questionable pile, or listed here because they are seasonal items.
Tarp – 8 1/2' * 10' - Campmor #20069 ( Equinox # UBG-308 ) 13.9 oz $64.99
actual measurements 94” * 118” I
used this tarp on my big summer hike. It
worked out pretty well. It kept me dry
during some pretty heavy downpours. I
had to extend its length by tying my poncho to one end for it to be
effective. It is a little too
short. I originally planned on using my
poncho as a fly for the hammock, but it will only be of value in a light,
straight downward rain. I needed
something of larger dimensions for worse weather. So I tried out this tarp. I added grommets to the edges to make it more
versatile. It can be an open arrangement
over my hammock or closed up like a peanut shell. I fastened a long nylon line up the middle to
hang the tarp. I added shock cords to
one tie down point on the center line. I
added shock cord and thin nylon rope to each corner point for tie-downs. All this was done to speed up the setup
process. A cool thing about this tarp
and the extra tree straps is that I can hang this first, quickly, BEFORE I hang
the hammock. That’ll keep me and the
hammock dry in the rain. I’m not happy
about packing 13oz for this item, but I’ve camped in the pouring rain. If I can keep the poncho on and then hang
this tarp, and then the hammock, then that’ll keep me and everything else
dry. That’s worth the weight. I selected this over the 9' * 9' #22224 tarp
that cost only $33.99 because that one weighed 23 ounces. That’s 10 extra ounces. The extra money spent to save the weight
seemed to be worth it to me. Note, the
dimensions 94” * 118” which I thought were just right for the hammock if
centered properly. Most hammock
manufacturers sell tarps but they are smaller and hung over the diagonal. This doesn’t look like they will give
adequate rain protection in nasty weather.
My tarp will be hung like a rectangle and looks like it will handle
rougher weather. * I found on my hike
that the tarp needs to be about a foot longer.
I used either my poncho or the rain-kilt to supplement my tarp ( to make
it longer ). This worked out perfectly
during some heavy downpours.
Water Filter - Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter. 11oz
$79.95 I bought this at Cabalas. The price was a little high, but I had a $50
cash coupon to use up. I received water
from a hiker that used a unit just like this one. It seemed to work fine then. I used this through all of my 630 mile summer
hike. With care, I was able to nurse the
filter cartridge for the entire hike. I found
that placing the inlet tube on top of a clean flat rock, followed by something
heavy to hold the tube in place allowed me to filter water without churning up
a bunch of silt. It seemed to work well,
but I am convinced that I picked up some kind of intestinal bug in spite of
careful water management. Two stool
tests have come back negative for parasites, but I still have guardiasis symptoms months after my big hike. I now no longer rely on filtering
water. I boil or chemically treat water
instead.
Nylon T-Shirt – 121 grams.
This will be an experiment to try and reduce the rash marks from
shoulder straps that I got on my last summer hike.
Rainpants - Campmor Cascade Full Zip
Pants #82350 - 12 oz. - $29 I tested
these out hiking and while riding my motorcycle in the pouring rain. They did the job. They are a great waterproof windbreak. The full length zippers for each leg makes
taking them on/off a breeze ( pun intended ).
The spaced velcro allows me to unzip them, but
still have the legs together, which allows for some airflow. But they will cause sweating while
hiking. I’d only use them in lower
temperatures and in some serious downpours or around camp. These are an optional item. Sometimes I bring them, most of the time they
stay at home. I pack them mostly in case
of a worst-case scenario – driving rain or a serious need for a windbreak. I keep thinking about replacing them with
Marmot Precip Pants.
Pants - a pair of long “Dickies”
workpants ( gray ). I wear these over
the shorts ( listed above ) in cold weather, otherwise I pack them. I wear them when I go to a respectable
establishment. I used to wear my light
green ones, but my teenage son “borrowed” them.
They are comfortable and they dry quickly. Green or gray are light colors and they hide
dirt better than other light colors. Not
too hot in the sun, not too cold in the winter.
Wearing light colors is very important when you have to be concerned about
tick infestation. You need to be able to
see the blasted things. These pants are
very durable, great for both cold and hot weather, and great for providing a
layer between me and the bugs.
Shorts - “Dickies” work shorts (
dark blue ). I wear these in hot to
chilly weather. They are
comfortable. Air flows well and they dry
very quickly, even in damp conditions. They are long so privacy is maintained.
373.2g
* I will be adding
zippers to each leg to be able to add the legs from a long pair of pants. That will allow me to pack just the shorts
and legs and not a second pair of long-legged pants. I retired these in favor of
Polyester ( Fleece ) Pullover
– Campmor Polartech 200 Fleece Pullover #36484 $19.94 15oz. I used this to replace my sweatshirt. It’s lighter and warmer. It’s made of polyester fleece, so it will
have some insulation value if wet. It is
an excellent thermal layer. I replaced
it with a spandex shirt that fits tighter and is lighter in weight.
Polyester woven pants - from Cabela’s, very comfortable. They are great for sleeping in cold
weather. Fairly easy to take on/off this
layer. 580 grams. These are way too heavy. I replaced these with a pair of Marmot
polyester fleece pants from Campmor. I keep these on my motorcycle now.
Suspenders – I bought these because I’m used to wearing a belt at
home and work. But wearing a belt is
heavy and was a problem with the waist belt on my pack. I used rope as suspenders to hold up my pants
on my first hike. Then tried out the
suspenders. They worked great, but I
decided to go back to rope because of the weight. They weigh 140 grams.
Backpack - Gregory (
Z-Pack ) - Large Campmor
#99978 3950 cu. in. 3 lbs, 5 oz.
I like the size and the
simplicity of packing this pack. Heavy
stuff in first, lightest stuff on top, water is stored up against my back. The suspension straps are much smaller and
thinner than my other packs. So it’s not
as comfortable to wear. I’ve carried up
to 8 days worth of food and supplies in this pack. I really like this pack. It’s my lightest pack, and the one I’ve used
the most. I think it has just the right
balance in features. It has one large
compartment with access from the top and a long rain-sealed side zipper. It has one pocket in an awkward cover for the
top of the pack and a nice pocket on the back of the pack which forms a sleeve
between the pocket and the pack. My only
complaint about this pack is the one size fits all approach. The waist belt is too long for me. It fits right at the beginning of a long
hike. But as I loose weight, the belt
becomes too long for me. I emailed
Gregory about this and asked for some advice or the chance to purchase a damaged
smaller pack, so I could sew in a smaller belt.
They never responded to my email.
My mother stitched the waist belt so that it’s a couple of inches
smaller, so I can use this pack. As I
lost weight on my summer hike I had to pad the shoulder and hip straps. The straps are much thinner on this pack
compared to the Kelty. And it is less comfortable to wear compared
to the Kelty.
I think I will retire this pack.
Backpack - Gregory (
Shasta ) - Large - 5500 cu in. / 91
liters Campmor #68506, 6 lbs. 5 oz / 2.9 kg
I use this only for cold
weather backpacking. It’s huge, but simple. I bought it at Campmor
in
Poncho - Campmor #94339( discontinued model BLU Storm Long
Backpacker Poncho $26.99 52” * 118” )
I use this larger one when I
use the large Shasta backpack. The
poncho is extra long and is expanded in the back to accommodate the pack. I spent two straight days in the rain with this
poncho and the pack. Not a drop on me or
the pack. I added some more closure
snaps to the edges to allow it to snap up better. I used this poncho with my smaller Z-Pack and
it blew around too much causing things to get damp. So I limit the use of this poncho to when I
use the Shasta pack.
I like to wear ponchos
instead of rain jackets because ponchos permit the free flow of air. If I hike in a rain jacket I will become
soaked in sweat in a very short period of time.
Besides, a poncho can be turned into a ground cover or a tarp with very
little effort. A rain jacket will always
be a rain jacket.
Water Bottle – Ozark Trail MSR 20oz aluminum bottle. Walmart $3. I’m thinking about using this as the drinking
bottle - refilled from the two large water bottles. This will give me the
flexible option of being able to heat water and drink it or use the hot water
bottle in my sleeping bag on an overly cold night. And option that I read about on the
trailplace.com forum. Had I thought of
this, it would have made my cold nights on the November, 2006 hike more
comfortable. 99.4 grams.
Ring Saw - Campmor #22142, $2.99,
0.5 oz, 12.3 grams. I don’t plan on ever
using this, but it’s a super “what if” emergency item. Look at the weight. It’s worth carrying.
Mesh bag - to put Kelly Kettle in
Penny-Stove - I’ve only made one of these. 12.7 grams, plus simmer ring 2.2 grams. If I had to pack only one stove it would be a
hard choice between the Trangia and this stove. The Penny-Stove holds less fuel and burns
hotter and longer than the other alcohol stoves. But it takes a very long time to get warmed
up ( 8 ½ minutes ) when using isopropyl alcohol. It takes less time to warm up when using
ethyl alcohol. But it’ll cruise along
for 24 minutes before running out of fuel.
Once it gets going it’s all blue flames and pretty hot. I found using a dime instead of a penny makes
the flames smaller. The first time I
used a penny, it reacted with the aluminum and was almost sealed to the top of
the stove. I found that I had to fill it
up a lot to get it to warm up. After 8
or so minutes I could move the coin into place and the stove cranked right
up. The Penny Stove was much easier to
make than a pepsi-can stove. For direction for how to build this stove (
by - Mark Jurey ) go to http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html This stove design is a winner! The simmer ring worked pretty well too.
Spork - Snow Peak Titanium #65121 - 0.6 oz.( 15.6 grams ) -
$9 I keep switching from using this or
the fork and spoon set. Yeah, ever ounce
saved counts. But it’s nice to use a
full sized fork and spoon.
Water Bottles (2) - I use old 64 oz cranberry juice bottles ( 78 grams
each ). They have a rectangular prism
shape, so they pack tightly. Old soda
bottles work fine, but they have smaller caps.
Bottles are very light and are basically free. If purification tables are used, they are
most effective if the water is left alone for a long while. So a place is needed to store the water while
the bacteria is being killed off by the chemicals. 64 oz bottles are a nice size because they
are the perfect size for using with “Hi-C” mixes. Often flavoring is needed to be able to drink
distasteful water ( iodine treated ). I
use flavored water in the old bottles and not my reservoir because whatever
container you decide to use will have to be strung up with the food at night (
odor ). I don’t want some bear tearing
up my expensive water reservoir! Some ultralight backpackers have commented on the quantity of
water that I’ve been willing to carry.
Yes, water weighs a lot. But
dehydration is not fun. Not fun at
all! But my last hike I carried even
more water ( 7 liters ) and that did my knees in. So I cut way down on pack weight - including
water. I recently bought a water
filtration system so I can reduce the amount of water that I carry. I’m still in the waffling/decision stage on
how much water to carry. I think 1 or 2
liters is a good number for me. These
are kept in the main compartment, listed below.
Each plastic water bottle is 78 grams.
I wrapped duct tape around one bottle.
Deleted /
Retired items:
These items were eliminated
because they didn’t work out or were too heavy.
Gaiters -
Outdoor Research Low Gaiters #14235 4.5 oz. $19.99
I actually bought these for
$26 in Mountain Crossings in
Cot - Campmor # 41223 it’s
heavy ( 5 lbs ), $36 but I’m not sleeping on the ground anymore. That’s final!
I tried drilled holes in the frame to cut down on some of the weight,
but that made the frame too weak. I
moved the hardware to two long tent poles so that I had two walking sticks that
double for a cot frame. It looked a
little odd walking with two tent poles for walking sticks. They also made a lot of noise. But fashion is not a top concern when hiking. Using the poles for both walking and for
sleeping made more efficient use of the weight of the poles. I’ve retired this item in favor of the weight
saved by using a hammock and tarp. I’m
still using the cot that I cut in half and fitted with sleeves on my motorcycle
trips. It’s great for camping and in a
pinch, I’ve shared a room in a hotel and slept on my cot on the floor. I saved the hardware from one cot to attempt
to add them to my pack frame so that the pack frame can become a significant
portion of a cot. I haven’t started this
project yet.
Hiking Poles (2) - I was using two poles that I made from nine foot
long collapsible tent poles from Campmor. I used the inner sections. That makes them around 4.5 feet long. I adapted them to use as the frame for my
cot. I took a cot apart and moved the
hardware over to the poles. That way I
could sleep off of the ground for very little additional weight. The new pole is shorter than what is needed
for the cot. I cut the original cot
frames to then match up with the hiking pole to create the original
length. I used the outside ( wider )
sections of the tent poles as sleeves to attach these pieces. They drew some comments, but the dual use was
a great idea. I never used poles before,
but they did save me from falling quite a few times. But being metal - they were noisy! Also, the hardware for the cot, that I had
riveted in place, clinked and the poles themselves were painfully loud when
hitting rocks. I wasn’t going to use
poles, but after reading hiking journals, there’s enough people out there that
swear by hiking poles that I paid attention.
Later on I removed the hardware and put a layer of JB Weld on the
hardware before I re-riveted them back in place. That got rid of the clinking, but the poles
were still painfully loud at times. I
retired these poles because I have decided to use a hammock in place of my tent
and cot. I made a pair of new ones out
of bamboo. The bamboo is lighter and
quieter.
Pack Cover - I purchased a pack cover from Gregory. It looked like a big shower cap. It looked highly questionable. I brought it right back to the store. I’ve used heavy duty garbage can liners in
the past. They did a fine job. And were much cheaper! My poncho does a pretty good job covering it
as well. Look at the description above
for “Poncho”
Portable Aqua Pills ( in
bottles ) - 61 grams for the two
bottles
Big Zip II Hosers 2 – 2 liter / 70 oz – ( Campmor #67031, $26.95,
1.2 oz )
After replacing my Gregory
128 oz reservoir bag with this smaller bag, I gave away this bag. My goal was to utilize the zip feature of
this bag to place juice mixes in this bag.
The problem was that the bite-valve dripped and I got sugary water on me
while hiking. So I use an old gaitoraid bottle for the mixes. A bite-valve / tubing added to the platypus
water bags works better. Faster to
exchange water bags.
Water Reservoir - Gregory 128 oz ( 3.78 liters ) fits nicely in sleeve
on the outside of both the Shasta and Z-Packs.
On my first hike I used two large soda bottles to refill one small
bottle that I carried in a pocket. I
didn’t like having to stop so often to refill the small bottle. So I used this reservoir for the next few
hikes. I’m not thrilled that I can only
use purified/bacteria free water in this.
It’s not easy to clean and I don’t want to put Hi-C mix in this and have
to hang it in a tree at night. I’m going
to use the old soda bottles and one of my old MSR 33oz aluminum fuel
bottles. This will make a nice drinking
bottle that I can put hot water into and slip into my sleeping bag in a
pinch. I threw this item out.
Sleeping Bag - Marmot Trestles ( 15F, Right, Long, 3lbs, 11 oz ) - Campmor #46528 $79.00
I recently purchased a
sleeping bag. It’s not the lightest bag
on the market, but the price was reasonable.
It’s comfortable, warm, and packs reasonably tight, for a synthetic bag. It came with a decent compression stuff
sack It’s too heavy.
long underwear - wool mix - from Cabela’s. Super important when sleeping in cold
weather.
I’m using these in addition
to the fleece liner for my sleeping bag.
I try not to wear these during the day because taking off this layer (
when I get warm ) is a real hassle.
Polyester woven pants - from Cabela’s, very comfortable. They are great for sleeping in cold
weather. Fairly easy to take on/off this
layer. 580 grams. These are way too heavy. I replaced these with a pair of Marmot
polyester fleece pants from Campmor.
Electronics that
I will retire:
Cell Phone – ( 93 grams )
I carried this to make my wife happy.
To be able to call her each night to let her know that I’m still alive
and to be able to use it to call for help.
I’ve read that most hikers use calling cards instead. That certainly takes care of the worry about
keeping the darn thing charged. No
phone, no worries about the condition of it’s batteries. I want to carry a
phone card instead.
FRS Radio - I’ve carried this to make my wife happy. To be able to call for help. I left it at home on my last two hikes.
GPS - Garmin V, I’ve used this
as a backup plan. If I have doubts about
which way to turn, I stop and mark the location on the gps
unit so that if I get lost I can go back to where I was on the AT. This is a very cool idea when hiking at
night. It’s comfortable to know that if
I fall and break a leg, I can at least know exactly where I am so that if I
have to call someone for help, I can tell them where I am. This is of course assuming that I continue to
pack either a cell phone or a FRS radio.
I downloaded a file that contains all of the gps
locations of most of the shelters along the AT.
I’m converting the data into degrees & minutes for my gps unit. The gps, without batteries weighs 171 grams. I sent this home 30 miles into my 630 mile
hike.
Solar Cell
Retired White
Gas Stoves:
Coleman Expo 550B - 21.6 oz - fuel capacity 10.3 oz. - $60
I really like this
stove. The base is the fuel tank. Just pack it right side up and it’s breeze to
use. No separate bottles to play
with. Much less mess. This stove can use white or unleaded gas or
kerosene. I have only used white gas in
this stove. It has a ring around the
burner that directs the heat upward, which works very well. After using it for many years, I have decided
that it weighs too much compared with alcohol stoves. But if you are thinking about using
white-gas, this stove and the Coleman 400 1 are winners. Sure, they weigh more than other white gas
stoves. But the setup time is
instantaneous and they are totally self contained. You’ll be done eating before someone else is
done playing with their stoves.
Coleman 400 Peak 1 - It’s similar to the Expo 550b except it’s a little
lighter, burns only white gas, and it doesn’t have the ring around the burner. I used this one for many years. It’s a winner. I gave it to my father.
Coleman Apex II Duel-Fuel
Exponent - 18.4 oz - fuel capacity 16
oz. - $60
I never liked this
stove. The separate bottle is a hassle
and the blasted thing flared up since the day I bought it.
I never figured out why. I should have returned it.
MSR Whisperlite
Internationale Stove - 14 oz - $79.95
It worked, but I never liked
it. It flares up until it is warm. You have to play with the separate
bottle. It smells. It’s heavy for what it is. Its biggest asset is that it packs
small. I retired it on my first
motorcycle trip. It was just too messy
to play with.
Spare gas bottle ( one ) - MSR Campmor #80057,
capacity: 33 oz. - $12
I have three of these and two
smaller Coleman bottles. If I use one of
these white-gas stoves on a trip where I’m not concerned about weight, then I
use these to store fuel. Since I’m using
alcohol burners, this is obsolete.
Funnel - I used to use this to pour white gas from the
storage bottle into stove, but I don’t use white gas stoves anymore.
Coleman Propane Stove -
This was a single burner that screwed on top of a propane bottle. Not one of those loud jet-sounding
ultra-light models. It was simple, very
heavy for its size and it worked. But
propane was heavy and bulky even for canoe trips. Prior to this stove I used the very bulky
two-burner stove, which looked like a suitcase when it was folded up, on canoe
trips. I switched to the single burner
stove to save packing space and then switched to the white gas stoves to save
more packing space and weight. There is
no way that I would even think about bringing one of these hiking.
Retired
Cookware:
Pot & Pan - Snow Peak Trek 1400 Titanium Cookset
#65165 - 7.5 oz. - capacity 25oz - $40
The pan doubles as a frying
pan and a cover for the pot. I’ve
decided to pull this out of retirement and use it on my big hike. It’s larger and hopefully I’ll make larger
meals to make up for the weigh loss that I experienced on my last hike.
Large Pot -
It holds two quarts. I was planning on using it as a cooling down
container for boiled water from the Kelly Kettle. Just to cool the water in before storing it
in plastic containers. But the added
weight made me just use this in the VW Westfalia
camper.
Cookset - Snow Peak Titanium 3 piece { cup, pot, cover }
#65128 -
The cup holds 10 oz, pot
holds 28 oz. It all together weighs 5.5
oz. - $50
I bought this when I
misplaced my other cook set ( listed above ).
I figured that I would buy something different in case I found the old
set. ( I did find the old set. ) This set is smaller, which might be a
plus. Nope, it’s now in the camper too.
Windscreen ( for the stove
) – My three retired screens are
listed here:
Windscreen version 2: This was made out of a 24 oz Dinty Moore Beef Stew can and a 3” wide strip of aluminum
flashing. I used two aluminum ground
wires to support the pot with some breathing holes under them. It almost looks like a smiley face. I like it better than my first version because
it packed tighter and was much more solid than my previous windscreen. I made an additional-extended windscreen out
of a 3” ribbon of aluminum flashing. It
was wrapped around the outside of the can and held in place by the two ground
wires. The holes matched up for holding
up the pot and holding the extension in place.
It extends the height of the windscreen and leaves an opening where the
pot handles can stick out. It worked well in theiry. I never took it on any hikes. It weighed 65 grams, plus the two aluminum
ground wires used to hold the pot up weigh a total of 9 grams, plus the
extended screen that I never got around to weighing. It’s a little heavier than my first
windscreen, but it’s more compact and sturdier.
Windscreen version 1: This was made out of left over aluminum
flashing ( 43.6 grams ). I drilled a bunch of breathing holes at one side of
the base and six holes to put the three aluminum ground wires through it to hold
the pot up. It was permanently
riveted/glued together with 1/8” rivets and JB Weld. It was basically a cylinder with both ends
open. It worked very well, but since it
had no closed ends, it got bent up in my pack.
And it was bulky.
Folding Windscreen - Campmor #23067 $9.99, 9
ounces, 257.1 grams. It just plain weighs too much.
My very first windscreen,
we’ll call it windscreen version 0, was purchased from campmor. It folded up nicely, but I realized right
away that it was way too heavy for backpacking.
So it was retired immediately.
Small Pot with handles - SnowPeak Titanium 600
#65123 weighs 2.8 oz, 78.7 grams. - capacity 21.2 oz - $24.95 It’s big enough for Ramen Noodles, a little
large for drinks, but it works fine. I
have tried a variety of sizes of pots. I
really liked this pot, but opted to use a larger one on my big summer hike.
Retired
Clothing:
Baseball Hat - great for keeping my bald head from being sun
burnt. Pretty good in the rain too. This is going into the retired pile. All
Snowsuit - Cabela’s Original
Trans-Alaska Suit - Tall $270 - 4.2 pounds
I was using the snowsuit as a
sleeping bag. It’s effective, especially
when I wear other layers of clothing. It
sure makes getting up in the morning less chilly - I’m still in the sleeping
bag! I figured; why carry around an item
that is only a single purpose item? A
sleeping bag is only good for sleeping in.
It’s of no value when walking.
But neither is this snowsuit. It
would be way too warm to walk in. You
must have good rain-gear and to use it.
If the snowsuit gets wet, then you’ll wish that you had a sleeping bag
that night. I decided to switch back to
using a sleeping bag because the snowsuit is heavier and colder than a sleeping
bag and once you get moving, there is little point to wearing a snowsuit,
unless the temperature is really cold.
And I’m not hiking in weather that cold yet.
Retired Misc.
Items:
Watch - A small, light weight “Timex Expedition.” Another purchase from Campmor. Once I fall into the groove, while hiking, I
can look at my watch and a guidebook or map and figure how many miles I’m
traveling per hour. Then I can plan my
ETA to the next shelter and adjust the hike accordingly. I noticed that many thru-hikers don’t wear
watches. Many asked me for the time of
day. I threw out this watch on my last
hike because the darn thing has reset itself several times and it is therefore
unreliable. Besides, the small radio
that I carry displays the time.
Flashlight - It’s a bit heavy.
It’s a 4/8 LED headlight made by Mountain-Green that I bought at Cabela’s. It’s
brighter ( and heavier ) than the Garrity LED lights
that I was using. What I like about this
light is that it uses AA batteries.
Which I use in my FRS radios, digital camera, etc. This commonality in power sources helps a lot
with recharging and swapping batteries.
Real important on trips! I
retired this light from hiking because of it’s weight. It’s still great in my tool-bag and on
motorcycle trips. I long ago retired the
Garrity LED lights.
I use them for night reading at home.
Match Container - a cheap, waterproof, plastic container to store wax
covered wood matches. I use “strike
anywhere” matches. Can’t buy them in
NJ. Gotta go
to PA to get them. This is my backup in
case the bic lighters fail. $0.99 at Walmart,
$1.99 at Campmor.
18 grams.
Flashlight Garrity ( 1 led )
- My first LED light. 88.4 grams
Mesh bag - to put wet clothing in - I use this only on motorcycle
trips now. I tie cloths down to the
outside of the pack when hiking.
Knife - large Gerber folding knife at Wal-Mart. I replaced it with a Leatherman
Inferno C2 Tool ( 4.3 oz, 121.2 grams $50 ).
Multi-Tool - Craftsman - Combination Knife, Pliers, etc 284.1 g (
255.5 g without case )
Multi-Tool - Leatherman Inferno C2 Tool
4.3 oz, 121.2 p, $50
Shovel - to deal with waste disposal issues ( 8" deep
hole away from water source, mix waste with dirt. ) Campmor
#86702 $1.99, 2 oz It was cheap and that’s why I retired this item. I can trust it on short hikes, but not on an
all summer hike. I watched someone else
with the same shovel walk off happily to do what they had to do and returned
relived, but with a shovel in two pieces.
-
I replaced mine with a
U-Dig-It Shovel. Campmor
#85350 $17.99, 6 oz. It’s much heavier,
but something that I can trust on a long hike.
I then retired the U-Dig-It shovel in favor of a 0.6 oz tent stake. Every ounce counts.
Retired Luxury Items:
Book - As
much as I like to read, I’m not bringing one.
Sunglasses -
I leave these at home now.
Extra Items that I might use:
Stuff Sack #5 - Black - Outdoor Research #?,
waterproof,
Stuff Sack #6 - Green - Outdoor Research
#?, waterproof
Misc Info:
Penny - 2.4 grams
Dime - 2.3 grams
Nickel - 5.3 grams
Quarter - 5.8 grams
1 gram = 0.035273962 ounces
1 ounce = 28.349523125 grams