Gear List and a few questions

So I'm getting to the point where my I have most of my gear selected/ordered, and I wanted to share my list with you guys and also had a few questions.

ULA Ohm pack
Kelty Light Year 20 down sleeping bag
Thermarest RidgeRest Deluxe regular size
Optimus Stella+ stove
Snow peak personal cooker 3 cook set
some cheap tent from walmart

This isn't the whole list, mainly just the bigger stuff, that I thought of at work (don't have my whole list saved on my laptop). The cooking gear I don't plan on taking all the pots and pans that come with the personal cooker 3 I just thought the extra stuff would be handy for car camping. I'm doing the whole roll your sleeping pad into a cylinder and put stuff inside of it, but it seems like the diameter of it gets pretty small pretty quick. My first question is can I cut say a foot or so off the sleeping pad without compromising it's durability? My next question is about clothing, we are going on a 4 day trip so I can't imagine needing much extra clothing other than what I'm wearing some long johns in the pack and an extra t-shirt or two and socks. Is there anything else for clothing I am overlooking? My last question is trying to get my sleeping bag into its compression sack is quite a chore, I'm folding it in half long way then in half the narrow way and rolling it up as tight as I can. Are there any better ways to do this?

Thanks for all your help.

First, I hope you have or will test the walmart tent outside in the rain

yes, you can cut the bottom of your pad, if your feet get cold you can always shove extra clothing or your pack under you.

There was a recent thread about rolling vs. stuffing and as a sleeping bag stuffer, stuffing won. Don't waste time rolling it up to put it back in the stuff sack.

To make recommendations for clothing, you'll have to specify where you are going. You will want to bring enough for most possible conditions, including lots of rain - especially in N.E.

map, compass, first aid kit, some rope, headlamp/flashlight, water purifier (tablets, UV, pump or gravity kit), camera and small knife.

Yes, please be sure to test that wallyworld tent in prolonged rain or under a sprinkler! It's also a good idea to test your rain gear for at least 30 minutes in the shower.

Listing the weight of each item would help. For me, a digital postage scale weighing to the nearest 0.1 oz. is one of my most important gear items. I take it with me when gear shopping. I gather you do have a spreadsheet--in addition to using it to control your pack weight, it's also great to print out as a checklist when preparing for a trip.

Have you checked out the articles on the home page of this site ("TLB Home"), especially the gear lists and the "essentials"? Those should help you a lot!

On the clothing: While I do take layers enough to keep me warm and dry under the worst conditions I might encounter, the only "spare" items I take are socks. You mention T-shirts--please leave anything cotton at home. It gets extra heavy when wet, takes forever to dry and can be a sure ticket to hypothermia. You can find lots of synthetic breathable stuff at wallyworld, K Mart or Target (check the athletic wear sections). Thrift stores are another good source.

I think a full length Ridgerest, a Light Year 20 (7"x14" stuffed), and a bulky Wally World tent will push the limits of the Ohm's internal capacity at only 2100 c.i. None of those items really lend themselves to external carry on that pack. Not to mention the addition of extra clothing.

Have you actually had all that stuff in the Ohm??? If so is there still room for 4 day's worth of food + most of your small stuff?

To me the Ohm seems out of sync with the rest of your equipment. It is not a beginner's pack.

An inflatable pad would free up some room inside the pack but it won't be nearly as rigid as the Ridgerest. But don't forget that the Ohm has its own suspension so it's not mandatory that you carry your pad rolled up like a cylinder with your gear in the middle.

If I were in your situation my next target would be the tent if your budget allows.

You've kept the budget sane for the sleeping bag, at the expense of a little weight and bulk, you may need to compress it to have some room in that pack. and shrink your ridgerest by cutting as some have mentioned.

"some cheap tent from wal-mart" sounds scary. most are. I would acutally use a cheap *backpack* from wal-mart before the cheap tent. If you want inexpensive yet reasonable quality options for a lightweight solo shelter consider:

Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo - $235
Tarptent Sublite Sil, or Contrail - $199
Hennesey Hammock UL $189

If you want to just sleep under a tarp look at:
Campmor ultralite 8x10 tarp (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069) $64
Which you could either pitch on trekking polse, and use a mosquito net under, and/or hang a homemade hammock under it with no problem at all.

Oh, and look at my list (linked below) and you can see what I take for clothing

Yeah i would check that tent out first before going into the field.

I have the same sleeping bag...and the stuff sack it comes with broke on the first trip, took it to REI and they gave me a granite gear block(size medium, you could get away with a small). I dont really like compressing my bag in the block.

Clothing i take it shorts and a teeshirt, and a tee shirt for bed, and three pairs of socks.

I used a cheap Wallyworld tent for two seasons of backpacking, plus several years of car camping. The only time I had any leaks in it was the last season when I got hit by a 4 hour thunderstorm at Rae Lakes. It leaked around the bottom where the floor connects with the wall. It was not a bad leak but it did require regular mopping to keep things dry. I replaced it two years ago with a Contrail for weight and space saving, but I will be taking it out this weekend as my wife will be going with me (her first time). Test it for water proofness, then go and enjoy!

Thanks for all the good advice. For the tent I had planned on doing some seam sealing and a sprinkler test. This isn't a permanent solution for my shelter, since this is my first backpacking trip I'm having to buy all this gear at once. The tent is just a band-aid until I can purchase a tarp tent. Also due to the size of a tent from walmart we are planning on splitting it up into its parts between the 3 of us.

As far as the clothing goes, I will definitely take a look at target and walmart, as well as the goodwill. We will be in Rocky Mountain State Park in mid August, and from what I understand the average lows are in the 40's and the highs in the 70's. But I have read a lot about how afternoon thunderstorms can pop up pretty quick, so I will definitely test out some rain gear in the shower.