Hi All,

This is about how to go light in the Winter with heavy weight gear - take less of it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The best way to save weight is to try a conservative test, then keep doing it and each time leave something out. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> My own Winter philosophy is always try to be able to travel under any conditions which means really good clothes, <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> to have a bombproof place to spend the night, <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> and to be able to make coffee under any circumstances. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Besides that, finding my way back to my truck is nice and I depend on my GPS for that. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> and its worth carrying spare batteries.

My early winter overnight pack weighs18.5 pounds less what I ski in, the food, water, and fuel. Since I melt snow I rarely carry much water, and since I'm on an overnight food might mean a mr goodbar and a sweet roll with hot coffee - lots of it. So I am concentrating on over night comfort and a bit of cooking. Besides clothes; my list is as follows:
68 oz tent,
46 oz pack
36 oz sleeping bag
27 oz Down Air Mattress
stove, fuel, pan, cup, spoon, fork, spreading knife
towel
pillow
some food hanging cord
toilet paper
head light and photon
canteen
first aid, lighters, tooth brush, trowel,
SOG crosscut mini multi tool

I do have clothes in my pack, but since I am already skiing, the extra ones I carry are:
down coat 25 oz
full zip 200 fleece pants 17 oz
Combi Winter gloves goretex 6 oz
large wool socks 5 oz
poly balaclava 3 oz


Other: I am carrying an Earthling "Fire straw" to test
and sometimes my night vision scope.

I might say - what I am not carrying that could become important depending on conditions and the time I stay:
FOOD
Shovel 23 oz
map - satellite photos
chair 21 oz
spare batteries

What I am wearing skiing- head lamp,
long underwear bottoms and packlite pants, marmot tech tee shirt, 200 full zip fleece jacket, packlite jacket over, light gloves, ski boots, a light fleece hat, and gaiters.

In deep winter I'd change to a warmer sleeping bag, replace the zip fleece pants with goretex down bibs, and throw in my mukluks, and a bit more food and fuel.

Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> YMMV