Fat Pack Needs Lipo Fast!

imported
#1

Hey all,

I’m leaving for a three-week AT section hike and now without food my pack is about 30 lbs. This would be fine & dandy if maybe I was a linebacker for the Patriots, but being a 135 lb lady, that will prove to be a bit much once I add food & all. Ok so here is the list of stuff…

gregory electra pack
pack cover
kelty light year cd tent
emergency blanket/groundcloth
thermarest
32 oz hydration bladder
32 oz nalgene
katadyn hiker water filter
snow peak gigapower stove
3.88 oz fuel canister
20+ down sleeping bag
leki trekking poles
sanitizing hand gel
zipoff pants
shorts
underarmor shirt
short sleeve moisture-wicking shirt
light long underwear pants
light long sleeve underwear half-zip shirt
3 pairs hiking socks
2 pairs sock liners
flip flops
2 pairs underwear
2 sports bras
swimsuit
gaiters
light gloves
bandana
toboggan (no – not the sled, the hat)
rain/wind pants
rain/wind jacket
small first aid kit
pocketknife
25’ nylon cord (for bear country)
lexan spoon
cooking pot & supper dish
contact stuff (solution + case)
toothbrush & toothpaste
biodegradable soap
“vitamin I”
“lady things” - just in case
toilet paper
guide book
IDs, cash, & whatnot

Sorry for the long list, but I figure I would be cheating if I didn’t include everything in there.

Thanks for the help!

Kate

#2

Sorry that list is really hard to read. If this doesnt help, I apologize.

gregory electra pack;
pack cover;
kelty light year cd tent;
emergency blanket/groundcloth;
thermarest;
32 oz hydration bladder;
32 oz nalgene;
katadyn hiker water filter;
snow peak gigapower stove;
3.88 oz fuel canister;
20+ down sleeping bag;
leki trekking poles;
sanitizing hand gel;
zipoff pants;
shorts;
underarmor shirt;
short sleeve moisture-wicking shirt;
light long underwear pants;
light long sleeve underwear half-zip shirt;
3 pairs hiking socks;
2 pairs sock liners;
flip flops;
2 pairs underwear;
2 sports bras;
swimsuit;
gaiters;
light gloves;
bandana;
toboggan (no – not the sled, the hat);
rain/wind pants;
rain/wind jacket;
small first aid kit;
pocketknife;
25’ nylon cord (for bear country);
lexan spoon;
cooking pot & supper dish;
contact stuff (solution + case);
toothbrush & toothpaste;
biodegradable soap;
“vitamin I”;
“lady things” - just in case;
toilet paper;
guide book;
IDs, cash, & whatnot

Kate

#3

Replace your pack with a LITE pack-according to Gregory website that pack weighs anywhere from 5.8 to 6.1 lbs. Ditch: pocketknife, 1 pr socks, sock liners, 2 pr. pants, you have 3 pr pants! Ditch 1 pr. underwear-carry only 1 spare (I rinse my undies out & hang dry overnite), THE BATHING SUIT. How much does your pot, first aid kit, toothpaste & bio soap weigh? Your sleeping bag can be a 40+ this time of year also, that means less weight too. Your first aid kit? Carry a smear of antibiotic in a piece of saran wrap, 2 bandaids. Not familiar with this tent, so I don’t know if it has a floor, if it does, why the groundcloth/emergency blanket? Remember-you can always go into town for emergencies and to wash clothes. Enjoy your hike - go lite. :girl

Marsha

#4

Listen don’t necessarily go switching out your pack for a lighter one, and I say this from experience. If you feel your pack is comfortable then go with it. I would recommend going with a lighter sleeping bag for summer hiking. Drop down to only two pairs of pants or shorts, two shirts, etc. Leave the rainshirt and rainpants at home, it should be warm enough outside that you’ll either get wet from the rain or from sweating while wearing the rain gear, I’d go with the rain. Carry more in your first aid kit than what Marsha says to, it might come in handy, and this again I speak from experience. Carry two pairs of underwear, but leave the long underwear behind. If you have the money get a marmot driclime windshirt and bring that to keep you warm, it packs small, and is just a great investment for the trail. Bottom line check out your clothes, people have a tendency to bring too much their first hike of the year, I know I did back in March. I would stick with the two pairs of socks and sock liners, don’t know if it will be raining alot and if it is then you’ll want the dry ones, some get by without, but if you can carry the gear then go for it. My suggestion is get out a few times with your loaded pack and see how it feels. According to your weight you should be able to carry 35lbs. Don’t know where you’re from but if after going through your gear, your packweight is still too heavy, then I would recommend going to a small outfitter who will take the time to find you the right lightweight pack, just remember some don’t give you the support and stability of the Gregory packs. In my opinion they’re heavier, but my back, hips, and shoulders feel much better at the end of the day then when I decide to carry my “lightweight” pack. Good Luck with your hike!

Almost There

#5

Because I feel kind today, I’ll wade through your hard to read list and help you:)

-No Groundcloth for the tent. Useless weight, no thru-hikeres use them.

-soda bottles instead of Nalgene

-waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy too many clothes. Ditch half of them at least. Forget the underwear, extra sportsbra, rain pants, one pair of socks, swimsuit. And that’s only to start. Use your discretion…do not bring extra clothes for the sake of being “clean” This is stupid because you won’t be clean and you’ll have to carry a lot of extra weight.

-make your own pop-can stove. Look on the 'net.

-iodine/drinking straight/chlorine dioxide instead of water filter. Anything besides a water filter.

-supper dish, eat out of the pot.

-no toothpaste, it pollutes the forest anyway. Your teeth will be okay for three weeks. Mine were fine for 4 months. Ditto with the soap, even the biodegradeable stuff pollutes the water supply. As I said, the illusion of being “clean” is fleeting.

Check out my journal, I have quite a comprehensive gear list with reviews: www.trailjournals.com/jackieb

Tell lit like it is

#6

Toothpaste and a small brush is like 0.5 ounces, so I always bring them, it makes me feel more human to clean up a little and the weight in negligible.

No water filter = take your own risk on the water quality. Iodine/Chlorine/Chlorine dioxide are ineffective against Giardia/Crypto, so without filtering the water you are on your own. I will pack the extra weight to have the peace of mind.

The biodegreadeable soap only pollutes the water supply only if you dump it in the water supply, otherwise it’s fine. The soap is also minimal in weight, you could knock off an ounce or two of water that would weigh more.

I agree you’re carrying too much, and here is what I would whittle it down to:

gregory electra pack; pack cover; kelty light year cd tent; thermarest; 32 oz hydration bladder; 32 oz nalgene; katadyn hiker water filter; snow peak gigapower stove; 3.88 oz fuel canister; 20+ down sleeping bag; leki trekking poles; sanitizing hand gel; zipoff pants; shorts; underarmor shirt; short sleeve moisture-wicking shirt; 3 pairs hiking socks; flip flops; 2 pairs underwear; 2 sports bras; gaiters; bandana; toboggan (no – not the sled, the hat); rain/wind jacket; small first aid kit; pocketknife; 25’ nylon cord (for bear country); lexan spoon; cooking pot; contact stuff (solution + case); toothbrush & toothpaste; biodegradable soap; “vitamin I”; “lady things” - just in case; toilet paper; guide book; IDs, cash, & whatnot

If you can, go on a weekend hike and see what you used and what you didn’t. Anything you didn’t use and that isn’t for an emergency should be left at home.

Also, one question no one asked, are you hiking alone? If so, then I would being all of the aforementioned items, and if not, then maybe you could share the load with someone else.

Lawn Sale

#7

Personally, I would ditch everything except for some of your clothing. You don’t need multiple pairs of underwear or sock liners. If you bring extra underwear you will feel clean for about 20 minutes the next morning when you begin to hike then you will smell the same as if you had on the unclean pair. This in my opinion is wasted weight. You also don’t need rain pants at all. I’m not sure what kind of budget you’re on. If you have some expendable cash and want go light here’s a nice list: Granite Gear Vapor Trail pack, Western Mountaineering 38* Caribou sleeping bag, Thermarest Prolite 4 short, Tarptent Squall, homemade alcohol stove, MSR Ti Kettle pot, Aqua Mira water treatment, Petzl Tikka headlamp, Marmot Precip rain jacket, Aqua Fina or Evian water bottles. This is actually my personal summer setup. It weighs just under 9 lbs as a base weight. With food, fuel and water it’s just under 14 lbs. If you’re still planning on still using your own gear I would scale it back quite a bit. I would echo the comments of Tell it like it is among others.

guru

#8

Correction to the weights above: It weighs just under 10 lbs as a base weight. With food, fuel and water it’s just under 16 lbs.

guru

#9

Interesting how some treat gear as the hiker religion. Opinions fly and occasionally insults too. SoapBox_Mode:off

Here are my recommendations:

  1. Pack: I would look hard at the Granite Gear Latitude Vapor or Nimbus Latitude. Both have good reps & nice suspensions for carrying up to 35 lbs. Given their light weights they will also help you get down to 30 lbs or less. They seem small, but I would carry the tent on the outside. (makes sense when you think about it)

  2. Too many clothes, especially for summer. I would keep the socks, but you don’t need raingear for your legs. Use a pair of running shorts and/or convertible pants. Underwear amount is your call. Two very lightweight shirts & the rain jacket finish it out.

  3. Your tent may be on the heavy side. Look at tarptents and the like. Loose the groundcloth & pick your campsite better (no bare earth).

  4. I use a filter. Removes pesticides, fertilizer, dirt & floaties. To extend the life of your filter, catch the water in something else first & filter from that. I never filter directly from the stream.

  5. Keep the stove. I realize everyone loves the simplicity of alky, but I like the convenience of being able to simmer, turn on/off quickly & not increasing the number of charred circles on picnic tables.

An easy & cheap way to pare gear weight is to lay everything out and then make a pile of what you would take on a lightweight overnight. Then start adding absolute necessities for a longer trip. After that, look hard at what you have left.

30-30