Hello all....okay, everyone here has inspired me to get my weight down even further than last year. It is not ULW by any means but it is much reduced than in years past. I backpack to fly fish the back country so I take a lot of non-minimalist stuff. I do lots of trips into serious mosquito territory so I "need" a tent and tons of repellent on long trips. Plus I just love the comfort of a big tent....especially when you're pinned in for a day during rainstorms. For anyone who thinks it doesn't sometimes rain for days on end in the Rockies has not been around Colorado for the last two weeks!!!!!! And the Rockies is serious t-storm territory, so I have always placed an emphasis on rain gear and staying dry. Bears don't kill backpackers, hypothermia kills backpackers.

I will embarrassingly say I've spilled some pretty serious coin to get it down to where it is now. So for now, no more new gear. I want to thank everyone for including their lists, now here is mine. I don't have a scale, so weights are from specs off websites and/or approximations:

REI Flash 65 pack......... ............51 oz
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 tent..........54
WM highlite bag w/sack................18
Therm a Rest Neo Air pad (reg)........14
teva sandals................................22
weather blanket/ground cloth...........12
MSR pocket rocket (no case)... ........3
REI/Evernew Ti Pasta Pot w/sack.......5
Sea to Summit 10L carry water basin.....5
3 cheap plastic water bottles.........3
Gorillapod camera pod.................1
Integral Designs poncho/tarp..........10
Golite Tumalo rain jacket.............9
REI UL rain pants.........................13
PUR water filter (minus bottle att.).......10
first aid kit..............................3
compass and maps......................2
iPod shuffle and outdoor speaker......2
2 spray cans (powder) Off repellent...8
8 or 9 Off towelettes with DEET.......1
flashlight/lantern combo..............6
trowel.....................................3
50 ft paracord.............................2
various sized stuff/dry sacks(3)......2
knife......................................3
Petzl Tikka XP head lamp..............4
Sea to summit head net................1
(2) mini bic lighters....................1
toothbrush and paste..................1
small bottle with soap................0.5
small bottle of oil for baking fish...0.5
3" x 2" scoth brite pad...............0.3
roll on sunscreen/lip balm............1
bandanna..............................0.5
(3-4) brawny reusable wipes...........0.3
alum foil for windscreen and baking fish...0.5
mesh bear bag...........................1
(4-5) Oscarware grill toppers to grill fish....0.5
new pair of jersey gloves.................1.5
plastic bags (food and trash).............1?
3-4 Taco Bell plastic sporks..............0.5?
TP minus cardbd. core.....................0.5?

I didn't include any of my clothes because I have no idea of their weights. I mainly have REI's line of MTS garments which I include on almost every trip: one LW short sleeve, one LW long sleeve, and one "heavyweight" fleece MTS pullover for cold nights. For around camp and fishing, I have a long sleeve cotton T shirt that mosquitoes can't bite through. And I have a pair of convertible cargo shorts/pants that I hike and fish in. I will only wear cotton athletic socks due to their extreme comfort factor, but they require I bring a fresh pair (or two) for each day. I have a fleece cap and I hike and fish in a wide-brimmed outriggers cotton hat.

I'm still trying to find ways to not have to take so much darn repellent. I choose to only hike in shorts, and I wet wade with my sandals on while I fish so shorts only as well. And I hate head nets while fishing, they're just too distracting. So, I really have to depend on repellent if I want to stay half way sane around the skeeters in July. I've bought some Permathrin, and will experiment with treated clothing. But I have to have lots of repellent, period. I just spend too much time exposed in prime skeeter territory.

My flashlight/lantern combo is heavy, but it just puts out so much light around camp and I can hang it in the tent and it's like having a house lamp in your tent. In the future, I will find a better light/lantern combo. The trowel is a necessity because I make my living with my hands (delicately) and the idea of digging a 6" cathole in the timber with a rock or stick is a no-no. And the one "extraneous" item I won't shed is my 10 liter camp basin. I couldn't imagine trying to camp solo w/o one. Almost every area I camp has restrictions as to how close you can camp to moving and still water so the camp basin is a true luxury I can't do without.

For food, I just mainly do the commercially made freeze dried stuff. And I like Zatarain's line of beans and rice box dinners. They're pretty light, easy to cook, and very nutritious. I did not include my fuel canister in my list, and quite often I bring half full canisters because I'm solo and I only cook about once day. And of course a big bag of trail mix and I'll bring along some string cheese. I always bring along a package of tortillas and make lots of fish tacos from the trout I catch. If I eat lots of fish, I just save the expensive freeze dried stuff for the next trip. (please no flames re: the trout.....i only harvest fish from overpopulated non-trophy fisheries) I don't do coffee or tea. I filter water often on trail and in camp, so I never have more than 3 pounds of water on me. I do bring booze usually, and I've found a way to save weight there too!!! I like to bring along Bacardi 151 and I dilute it with lots of powdered lemonade and filtered water. The 151 also is great for an emergency fire starter - seriously!!!!

So there ya have it...right above 17 pounds with no clothes, food, booze, or fishing gear. But that includes tons of "luxury" items. Two years ago, my pack weighed about 45 pounds for a 3-4 day trip, now I've got it down to around 30 depending on food and water.

I know many of you don't consider 30 pounds to be a light load, but it's feather light to me. I'm 6'00" and weigh 185 lbs so this load is less than a fifth of my legitimate body weight laugh



Edited by countr21 (05/15/10 02:48 AM)
Edit Reason: proofed