Need a lighter load!

[FLRider]

If you're looking to drop weight, I highly recommend the three-pile method:

Take your last trip's equipment, throw it on your living room floor, and sort it into three piles. The first pile is stuff you used every day on your previous trip (like your backpack, your shelter, your hiking poles, etc.; include your FAK and firestarting kit in here, even if you didn't use them at all). The second pile is stuff you used some of the time (like your extra water capacity, your spare clothing, etc.). The third pile is stuff you didn't use at all (like your spare batteries, etc.).

On your next trip, leave everything in the third pile at home. Go through the second pile and figure out what you actually, really need out of it. Bring the stuff that's essential on your next trip.

After sorting down to what you actually need for a trip, weigh everything. I mean everything. Then start searching for lighter options. Lighter options need not be expensive; a lot of my lightweight gear is recycled from stuff that's less than $10. My cook kit cost me (I think) something like $15.00 total, including the tools to make it. Look at that stuff first (or make a spreadsheet where you can compare cost versus oz. saved).

Note that a lot of lighter stuff can be had by multi-purposing gear or using systems of gear (an example: my poncho is my rain gear, my sit pad, and my insulation holder for my hammock; I can get by with a much smaller tarp than otherwise since it also blocks blowing rain). It's definitely worth looking at that, too.

Hope it helps!

[Seeker]

Lots of good advice here... the 3-pile method is good, but there are some old timers who would tell you to drop both piles 2 AND 3, not just 3...

Digital postal scale and an excel spreadsheet are invaluable.

Water. No, I respectfully submit you need two bottles... one to drink from, one to carry your treated water in. The problem is their weight and that of your filter... A filter can weigh up to a pound or more... Nalgenes, at 6oz each, are 3/4 of a pound. Too much. Get you some used wide-mouth Gatorade (3oz?) or Aqua Fina (1.6oz) bottles. When they start getting weak, you'll know in plenty of time. If you can stand chemical purification, do it. My favorite is Polar Pure (no longer made, but uses sublimated iodine crystals, which are also used by meth makers, so the DEA, rather than track large shipments, put the company out of business. bastages.) Aqua Mira is also good (oxygenation process). There are others, and they all weigh about 3oz, vs the 16oz of an MSR Miniworks filter.

Clothing. What do you really need? You need what you're wearing, a knit hat, a change of WOOL socks, an extra layer, and that's about it unless it's winter. If you're in a climate that's too humid to sleep in a synthetic shirt, carry an extra cotton T, just to sleep in. Wash your socks and synthetic T out every day, and maybe your pants and shirt (mine are quick-dry nylon) every other day or so. I've gone as long as a week on just that... there is NO need for clean clothes... wash and wear... they'll try on you. And wool socks are not optional. You can rinse them and put them on. They're dry in 20 minutes. Plus they don't stink even without rinsing.

Rain gear. I personally carry a poncho, not rain pants and jacket... you'll never keep your feet dry (and with wool socks, it doesn't matter), so I just gave up years ago. The poncho doubles as a porch roof/cooking fly, gear/firewood cover, or underquilt-thickener.

Pack. Once you get your load down to about 15 lbs (before food, water, and fuel), you can use a 20oz pack, not a 3-5lb one. Mine is a Go-Lite Gust, but I guess has been replaced by the Jam. I also have an older model ULA Circuit. In both, I pad the back with a piece of roughly 10"x14" blue foam pad... this also serves as a doormat under my hammock, sit pad, and table.

If you're looking for a good book on the subject, there's one called "Lighten Up" that's pretty good.
http://www.amazon.com/Lighten-Up-Com.../dp/0762737344

Also, Ray Jardine's book, Beyond Backpacking, is excellent. I don't agree with all of his points, but he definitely makes you think.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Backpac...0290899&sr=1-2

[Wisp]

Here are a few ideas that have helped me reduce weight:

As far as a water filter is concerned, I've gone to the Sawyer Squeeze, which is very light (4oz). Sawyer just came out with a mini filter that is only 2 oz, can be used directly in line and has gotten very good reviews. If you use a bag like a platy, get a zip top and then just use one smart water or gatorade bottle in your kit. In the Sierra's I'd guess that water is not as difficult to find as it is in Texas. You should be good with just carrying a couple of liters at a time.

My other suggestion would be to reevaluate your food. You would ideally like to maximize the most calories per ounce of food. A day's worth of food (and trail snacks) should not exceed 1 lb per day, and could be made much lighter if you go with DIY dehydrated meals or repackaged meals. If you returned home with any food, then that is excess weight. I feel the prepackaged meals in a bag weigh nearly 3 times as much as those I package myself. When its cold, I also add a few hot cocao, apple cider or cup of soup envelopes to drink while I'm waiting for a meal to cook. Oatmeal is not glamorous, but it sure sticks to your ribs and keeps you satisfied longer. I'm pretty small, but the portions in prepackaged meals are all too much for me unless I would be on a thru hike. Food is where I find I could always drop weight as I never eat that much. Even tuna or chicken in a pouch is much lighter after dehydrating and can be rehydrated easily when you are ready to eat. (chicken needs to be flaked or shredded first though.) Avoid candy bars or heavy protein bars when you could substitute something lighter in weight with the same nutritional standards.

And as you said, your gas canister could've been much smaller and take up less room. I'm guessing with the tall canister, it would be difficult to get a good windscreen, so more fuel was wasted to get a boil. Here's also something I learned recently. When I boil just one cup of water at a time and eat my meal in stages, it cuts my fuel needs and boil time. I read somewhere it takes three times as long to boil 2 cups of water as it does one cup. So I boil a cup, drink my coffee or beverage. Boil another cup and make my meal.

Clothing....down is always lighter. If your feet were cold, consider getting some down socks for your sleeping gear instead of wool. They work better and weigh 2 oz instead of 4 or more. Down caps are great too and weigh less. Also check out the "packa" as rain gear. http://www.thepacka.com/ Wear a down sweater, jacket or parka underneath....as long as it doesn't get wet.

Your cook kit is HUGE!! One pot or a large cup could cook everything. You don't need the sea to summit expandable stuff. I've been pretty happy with my GSI minimalist cup. It has a thermal sleeve, a top to double as a cook pot or coffee cup and its made of halulite. The only problem I had was the top, when used for coffee, seemed to drip on me. Thats ok, it kept my beverage hot and I learned to be careful. Another solution could be to get a microwave container that has a light lid and make a coozy. My coozy doubles a a soft pillow.

Go through your first aid kit with scrutiny. I carry tiny sealable pouches (found in the pharmacy department) of pain pills, ibuprofin, immodium, electrolyte tabs, very tiny packet of burn ointment, half a nail file, tiny bit of neosporin, a couple of alcohol wipes and blister/feet supplies. I also bring a very small pair of folding scissors or a scalpel blade, a bit of thread and needle. Most people bring enough in their first aid kit to do heart surgery. After my last trip, I did decide to add a small bit of muscle cream too, such as a generic brand of icy-hot.

If you bring wipes for your personal care kit, dry them out, keep them in a plastic bag and then add a few drops of water to them individually when you need to use them. I bring those little biodegradable soap film sheet that REI sells and put a few in a freezer bag with a bit of water, shake it up and use that to wash up with. Its lighter than bringing a bottle of biodegradable soap.

Finally, re-evaluate any camp shoes if you carry them. Sometimes you can move to something lighter.

Hope even one of these ideas may help! Even 50lbs is too much.

[WV]

Winter conditions call for more gear - no getting around it. If you have enough snow, use a pulk, but even so lighten up, as others have suggested. Too much gear can be uncomfortable. Not enough can be dangerous. Good luck.

[BillyBob58]

Two nalgene bottles, both full of water, only need 1. Sawyer water filter with all 3 bags. Flashlight, headlamp,too many spare batteries, garmin 60csx gps, map, compass, clothes in dry bag, too mush extra cordage, I also took a full extra set of webbing suspension due to the girth of trees in the high sierras. I was hanging one nite from a tree that a 12' strap would not make it around.

How far between water sources and or snow to melt? Do you really need two full water bottles? If you do, so be it, and some times you do, but they are 2.5 lbs each so there is ~ 5 lbs right there. Sure, the Steripin Nalgene bottle is 4 oz, but filled up to 32 oz it is 2.6 lbs, and 2.9 if I fill it to the rim! For example, with a Steripen I have been known to take a break at a creek or lake, take about 90 seconds while sitting to purify one liter, drink as much as possible, then carry as much as I think I will need to get me to the next water source I am confident about. Of course, you need to be sure of your water sources, lakes and streams. And if you are traveling solo, it would be safer to have more water with you in case of injury. But if I am not solo and crossing a creek or lake every 30 minutes, and the map shows lots of creeks and lakes ahead- like most of my hiking in the Wind River Mountains- I lighten up on carried water.

I bet there is lot's of weight to lose in that pack, both from leaving unused stuff behind and replacing heavy gear with lighter ( but cost $ ) and really trying to dual purpose items, before you have to get too concerned with saving a lb or so with a lighter hammock, or even a few oz with a lighter suspension. Especially if you find your hammock really suits you and is really comfy.

[Syrrka]

Lots of good advice here...
Clothing. What do you really need? You need what you're wearing, a knit hat, a change of WOOL socks, an extra layer, and that's about it unless it's winter. If you're in a climate that's too humid to sleep in a synthetic shirt, carry an extra cotton T, just to sleep in. Wash your socks and synthetic T out every day, and maybe your pants and shirt (mine are quick-dry nylon) every other day or so. I've gone as long as a week on just that... there is NO need for clean clothes... wash and wear... they'll try on you. And wool socks are not optional. You can rinse them and put them on. They're dry in 20 minutes. Plus they don't stink even without rinsing.

Rain gear. I personally carry a poncho, not rain pants and jacket... you'll never keep your feet dry (and with wool socks, it doesn't matter), so I just gave up years ago. The poncho doubles as a porch roof/cooking fly, gear/firewood cover, or underquilt-thickener.

]

Lots of good advice here. For some reason the idea of less clothing has never occurred to me. Of course! Wash and wear! That is what synthetic clothes are good for....One question. How do you wash clothes in the wilderness, when you only have one set? Do you go swimming in the streams fully clothed? Wash you and your clothes at the same time? Wouldn't you have to carry a bowl of some sort? Am I missing something?

And you are right, Ponchos are so much better than rain pants and a jacket. Keeps you and your pack dry on the trail.

[Rolloff]

Gear Grams and a digital scale, was what spelled it out in big bold letters for me.

I was able to easily see, what and where I needed work at it. The "Big Three" are always easy, but it probably has to start there. Many say never buy a pack until you have the proper gear to fill it. I think most us already have something we're using to keep our gear in, or have in the past. If you buy a pack that has a max of 30 or even 40 pounds, you will adjust until you have a kit that works in it. IMO

This is a great step coming forth asking for help. Take what you can from every post and see if it incorporates into your style of hiking/camping. It's not rocket science. You will get there.

Rolloff!

[DuctTape]

Good ideas already presented as far as specifics. Another idea is to "cut the weight in half". Imagine getting your pack to half the weight. Here is how. Knowing the goal is Half, you have a ton of ways to get there and the solution is a combination of the following techniques:
Let's explore 3 items:

Item 1, Item 2, and Item 3 (for illustrative purposes they are all of equal weight).

Options:
keep item 1 and ditch item 2
ditch both item 1 and item 2 and replace with one item that does both jobs.
replace item 3 with a version that is 50% lighter.

This is of course simplistic as it involves only three items, and with many many others and of different weights you can see how the different combinations can provide a lot of decisions. When I first did this, I thought cutting my weight by 50% was an aggressive goal. It really wasn't too difficult when I really got down to it. I had to keep saying to myself, if I take item A, what doesn't go which is the same total weight? If I shave 4 oz here, that means I get to take 4 oz over there. BTW my baseweight hovers right around 12 lbs now. I could go lower, but I don't feel the need.

[12trysomething]

If you're looking to drop weight, I highly recommend the three-pile method:
!

Never heard of this...wish I had.

Simple, easy to understand and will deliver.

Where were you when I was pushing to get to 15lbs base weight over the past year?

Thanks for sharing!

[nothermark]

Lots of good advice here. For some reason the idea of less clothing has never occurred to me. Of course! Wash and wear! That is what synthetic clothes are good for....One question. How do you wash clothes in the wilderness, when you only have one set? Do you go swimming in the streams fully clothed? Wash you and your clothes at the same time? Wouldn't you have to carry a bowl of some sort? Am I missing something?

And you are right, Ponchos are so much better than rain pants and a jacket. Keeps you and your pack dry on the trail.

Carry a pair of shorts or rain pants and a full base layer to sleep in. To wash trail outer clothes set a short day, put on base layer and shorts then wash everything else. Base layers tend to dry fast so wash them at lunch then hang on pack or schedule a shorter day. Take 3 sets of underwear and socks. Wear one, wash it at night then hang damp clothes off pack in the morning to finish drying when the sun gets to them. Pair 3 is the rainy day or unintended swim spare. That is how one lives continually on the trail. The other option is to live in one set of clothes and schedule a town break every 3 days when one does laundry while in clothes in the box picked up at the Post Office.

What you are missing is that there are two different sets of folks. The sub 10 lb folks learn to embrace the funk and various skin problems so they can live in the same clothes for several days because they don't want to carry a spare set or soap. The other side of the coin is the folks who treat a weekend as practice for an expedition where there is no town every couple of days to resupply and clean up in. The latter can get down to the 20-30 lb weight range but will probably not hit the sun 10 pound range. If one is into woodcraft skills packs will run heavier with tools the ultralight folks do not carry. OTOH a base load of 60 lbs is really too much unless hauling some serious camera or similar gear.

You really need to figure out what you want out of your back country experience. If it is maximum miles then you hike till you drop and do not carry anything extra. If it is something less mileage intensive because you want to watch the birds, build a fire or do a project then you can figure in your extra gear to do the tasks but recognize that you will probably not be doing 20 mile days with that load.

There is also the combined issues of food and cooking. If one wants to exist on freeze dried or just add boiling water meals one can get by with a simple stove and alcohol. If one wants to really cook something it will take tools as in a better pot or pan, better stove and possibly wood preparation as in saw and/or chopper of some kind.

It all comes down to looking at why you are hauling what you are hauling. One mans excess junk is another man's gotta have. Too much redundancy will bite you. Not having what you need to survive will also bite. If you have specific bits bring them up and folks will discuss alternatives. Maybe you need 60 lbs and maybe you can take it to 30 with some simple decisions like leaving home the spotting scope, second pot, half the cordage, and the spare anvil. ;-)