There's always something I shouldn't have packed. I heard someone once say that you pack your fears. I've been trying to keep that in the forefront of my mind as I whittle away at my gear that I expect to carry with me at different points along the trail.
Here's the obligatory gear list. Everybody seems to be making these lists. In all honesty, I'm only cataloging this so my future-self can have a chuckle at the expense of my present naiveté. I think I'm so smart right now. It should be pretty funny when future-me smacks the smug off present-me.
Some of the gear is only used in certain areas, for example, I won't need the ice axe or the rain paints in the desert, but I'll likely need them both in the Sierras, and then only the rain paints in Washington (maybe Oregon?). So, the good news is that I don't have to carry all this stuff all the time. Phew.
The Big Three (plus one)
The Big Three are the things I have to take: a backpack, a sleep system, and a shelter. No getting around these requirements, so I'm trying to keep these as light as possible.
-
Hyperlight Mountain Gear Windrider 2400 backpack
28.2 oz | 799 g -
Enlightened Equipment Revelation 20 down quilt
19 oz | 540 g -
Zpacks Duplex tent
21 oz | 595 g
The "plus one" is the sleeping pad (which I consider to part of the sleep system, and thus a member of the Big Three).
- Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Lite sleeping pad
16 oz | 460 g
Total weight: 84.2 oz (5.26 lbs) | 2,387 g.
Food and Water Gear
-
Granite Gear Air Zip Sack 16L food bag
1.7 oz | 48 g -
2 or 3 SmartWater 1L water bottles
1.3 oz | 37 g (per bottle) -
Evernew Water Carry System, 2000ml water bag
1.5oz | 42g -
TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spoon utensil
0.65 oz | 19 g -
BearVault BV500 bear canister
41 oz | 1162 g
Total Weight: 6.45 - 7.75 oz | 183 - 220 g
Total Weight with Bear Canister: 47.45 - 48.75 oz | 1345 - 1382 g
Clothing
Regular Wear
-
Arc'teryx Elaho shirt
6 oz | 170 g -
Nike Challenger 5" inseam shorts with liner (so short!)
3.6 oz | 102 g -
2 pairs of Darn Tough 1/4 Merino Wool socks
1.6 oz | 45 g -
Nike Air Zoom Wildhorse 3 shoes
10.8 oz | 306 g
Total weight: 22 oz | 624 g
Rain & Wind Gear
-
Outdoor Research Helium II rain jacket
6.4 oz | 180g -
Outdoor Research Helium rain pants
5.4 oz | 153 g
Total weight: 11.8 oz | 335 g
Cold Weather
-
Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer down jacket
7.7 oz | 219 g -
Patagonia Thermal Weight long sleeve top
6.3 oz | 176 g -
Patagonia Thermal Weight bottom
5.4 oz | 153 g -
Outdoor Research Gripper gloves
3.2 oz | 91 g -
Outdoor Research Wind Warrior hat
2.5 oz | 71 g
Total weight: 25.1 | 711 g
Electronics
-
iPhone 6s
5 oz | 143 g -
Apple Earbuds (wired)
0.4 oz | 11 g -
Black Diamond ReVolt headlamp
3.5 oz | 99 g -
Anker PowerCore 20100 battery
16 oz | 454 g -
2-in-1 USB charging cable
1 oz | 28 g
Total weight: 25.9 oz | 734 g
Hygiene & Knickknacks
- Toothbrush (cut in half)
- Mini-toothpaste
- 2 oz sunscreen 50 SPF
- Deuce of Spades trowel
- Wet wipes
- 2 oz hand-sanitizer
- Ink pen
- 1.75" folding knife
Other Stuff
-
Black Diamond Carbon Cork trekking poles (also used as tent poles)
34 oz | 967 g (for two poles) -
Black Diamond Raven axe 70 cm ice axe
15 oz | 437 g
Total weight: 49 oz | 1389 g
Wrap it Up!
That's pretty much it. I wonder if I'm missing anything?
Hmmm...
Many thanks to Rhodes and Rose, and especially Steve Climber for inspiring this gear list. I really couldn't have done this without being caught up in Steve's enthusiasm for the outdoors. Super inspirational guy.