Light Weight Backpacking

I pack to leave behind computers, cars, people, and all the other stress that makes up normal existence. I love to be out in the wilderness, not knowing what will be around the next corner. I do not, however, enjoy being a pack animal. To that end I have worked over the last year to reduce my pack-weight from about 50 lbs. for a three-day hike, to 15-20 lbs including food and water. I find I can go much further with less pain than I previously did, and most importantly that when I am less tired and in less pain I enjoy the trail much more.

Gear Links/Instructions

Roy Robinson's home made Cat Food Can Stove.

My gear report from a recent trip in Colorado.

Here is my pack-list, it needs to be updated as I've made a few changes, but I'm waiting to do that till I get my new pack. Weights are valid to about .25 oz on a postal scale, and include stuff sacks and straps. Not included is my cell phone (8 oz) which I usually carry. I don't want to enter into the cell phone debate here, carrying a cell phone gives my wife security while I'm gone. My camera, I take an SLR camera for flower photography which is too heavy. I also pack about 1 1/2 lbs. of food per day (the goal is to average 150 cal/oz), and carry an average of 2 lbs. of water. All weights are in ounces.

 

 Gear Reviews:

GVP Gear G4 and Duraflex Journey Backpack. These packs are quite different. The Journey is a scaled back version of a standard backpack. The pack holds about 3500 CC of stuff, I fit everything inside except for my two water bottles that are in the side pockets (only 20-24 oz bottles fit in these pockets). I've been happy with the pack, it did require some repairs where the shoulder strap connects to the pack but other than that it has done well. It is not waterproof. The pack carries up to about 30 lbs. comfortably, that should get you through a week on the trail so long as you aren't in the desert. The pack is light and can be cut down to weigh even less. I have taken out the frame and use my tent poles instead. The pack is available for $49 at Journey Outfitters, but only if you plan to buy 6 or more. It is also available at Jay's Outdoor Store for $60 including shipping. The G4 is a specialty ultra-light pack, carrying 4800 cubic inches and weighing 12 ounces for $75 including shipping. The pack is now made from 2.2 oz Cordura and has 3 large mesh pockets on the outside. My pack was the original version and made from 1.1 oz ripstop sil nylon. The pack looks very nice and carries well with light loads. I haven't used the pack much on the trail yet, only for a short distance in PA and a 4 day hike in CO. I was generally happy with the pack except that the material doesn’t seem durable enough. I took a fall on a talus slope the second day out in CO and found a large rip in the bottom panel of the pack that evening. I had the pack repaired by a local seamstress and it seems to be in good shape now. This pack is made by GVP Gear. I'm currently looking at options for a pack similar to the G4 made of a more durable material.

Western Mountaineering Iroquois and Ultralight. These 750 down filled bags rated at 38 deg and 25 deg respectively. The Iroquois weighs in at 1lb 8oz and is sewn threw so you do get a little bit of air through the seams. I've found it to be comfortable at much lower temperatures than the rating if I also wear cloths in my bag. Now I use a homemade overbag made of Actievent which lets me sleep secure. The Ultralight is a baffled bag weighing 1lb 12oz in the WM ultralight serries. The bag has lots of loft, and is very well made. Both of these bags are fairly resistent to modest amounts of water (like from condensation). Remember to use a sleeping pad with down bags, the down crushes underneath you and has NO insulating ability. WM has just come out with a new bag, the Mylite in the ultralight series that replaces the Iroquois and weighs even less, 17 oz! The best bet for getting these is from MEC, a Canadian company, the Canadian dollar is trading at a good rate and so you get a discount, you will need to call them at 800 663-2667. Cheaper Alternative: Coleman Kodiak ($60), synthetic, rated at 30deg, weight 2 Lb. 4 Oz. Has gotten good reviews on the light weight backpacking list.

Ridge Rest and Z-rest Closed Cell Pads. I have no complaints, they keep you warm and helps you sleep well. No worse in my opinion than the Therm-A-Rest inflatables, and they weigh less. The Z-rest is also used as the frame for the G4. My father finds the Z-rest to be more comfortable than the Ridge Rest. They do take up a lot of room in your pack. Can be purchased at Campmor for $16.

Overbag (homemade). I made this from 2 yd of Actievent, a water-resistant fabric by Gore. It is really great, you don't have to worry about condensation or touching the tent wall or anything and it adds some warmth to the bag. There is just one seam up the side of this guy, it is cut to perfectly fit the Iroquois.

Wanderlust Nomad. This is a single walled one person tent made by Kurt Russell. As far as I can tell it is the best one person tent out there, you can sit up in it, and there is room to store gear as well as sleep. I've used the tent for 30-40 nights and would recommend it. It is easy to set up and as light as a bivy. The biggest concern is condensation which isn't too bad although it certainly is an issue. Once when it was raining all night the rain hitting the side of the tent made the condensation drop off onto me. There is now a new Nomad out called the "Light and Airy" that has windows on both sides, it should reduce condensation a lot. There had been problems when ordering the Nomad with on time delivery and communications with Kurt (personally he is a very nice guy and I thought very fair). I believe that Kurt has streamlined his production and is now more responsive than he was in the past. Cost is $250 at Wanderlust Gear. Cheaper Alternative: Integral Designs Sil Tarp. This is made of the same stuff as the Nomad and is a 5x8 tarp which weighs about 8 oz. I use this when there aren’t bugs around. Available from Paddy's Coop for $44 plus shipping.

Evernew Titanium .9 Liter Pot, .45 Liter Mug. Yeah, titanium isn't worth the cost, but they were on sale at REI and I couldn't help it. The pot cooks great for two people, I use the lid as a plate, and have painted the bottom black to speed up cooking time. The mug fits inside the pot, and a small thing of bio soap and wash cloth fit inside that. The mug is about $18 and the pot is about $35 at REI. Cheaper Alternative: Try getting a cheapo aluminum set, just about the same weight.

Alcohol Stove (homemade). This stove burns denatured alcohol and will boil 2 cups of water in about 7 min. I take about 2oz of alcohol a day, less in the summer, and that makes breakfast and dinner. I think this is much easier to use than any of the other traditional types of stoves, there is a light weight commercial alcohol stove called the Trianga, but it isn't as efficient and weighs more. This costs about $3 to make and is easy. The web page for homemade gear has gone offline, but I've been provided with directions for a very similar homemade stove.

Water bottles. The two I carry all the time are a 20 oz plastic coke bottle with a few yards of duct tape around it for whenever it might be needed and a 24 oz plastic bottled water bottle. Cost, nothing, weight almost nothing. I use the 96 Oz Platypus for around camp and long stretches of no water (weight 3 Oz). This costs $10 from campmor.

Polar Pure. This is a bottle with iodine crystals in. You refill it with water when it gets low and in an hour you have more iodine to treat your water with. It weighs a lot less than filters and takes less time and does just as good a job. If you add a little vitamin C after the water is treated it will take out the flavor of the iodine some, just be sure to wait till the iodine has been sitting 20 min before adding the vitamin C. You can get vitamin C at any drug store cheap, Polar Pure costs $10 at campmor and lasts a long time.

Photon Lights. These lights weigh in at about half an Oz. They are bright enough to read by and to use for walking/working around camp, but not to hike with. They come in all different colors, I like the yellow because it is supposed to burn for 120 hours before needed batteries. I have three of them, with Velcro attached. They then stick onto a Velcro strap that goes around my head, two of them work well for normal use. Be sure to get the Photon II which has an on/off switch. You can get these little guys for $12 from Paddy's Coop. Also consider the mag-light solitaire which puts out significantly more light than the photon at 1 oz.

Duofold Clothing. I use Duofold long underwear and T-shirts. They are made of polyester or Coolmax, great stuff that dries quickly and wicks water form your body. You can get these guys for about $10 each on sale at Campmor or Sierra Trading Post.

Rain Gear. In the summer I use the Pearl Izumi Zephur Jacket. This is very light, but not waterproof. I used it in a real storm the other day and got pretty wet. Got it on sale for $30 from Sierra Trading Post. It works fine summer. In other times I use Frogg Toggs, the rain suit cost about $60 from Paddy's Coop, weighs in at 13 oz for the entire suit in a medium. This stuff is much more breathable than Gore-Tex and just as water proof. You won't get wet from sweat wearing it. Pretty cool huh?

For shoes I have gone to the New Balance 802 trail running shoes and the Montrail Vitesse. So far I like the Vitesse the best. They are light, have good traction, and generally work well except for very rocky terrain where I like to have something with harder soles and better ankle support. Both are lighter than the Nevado shoes I was wearing. Also I found the Nevado's hurt my toes going down hill, I had very bruised toes, the New Balance shoes don't do this.

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Last Updated: April 2003

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