Lori,

You are so right about the sunglasses! My $200 photo gray bifocals are now lying on the ground in the upper Little Sandy drainage in the Wind Rivers. I usually take cheap sunglasses and add my reading glasses for night reading. This time I thought the bifocals would be simplier. But, I have never perfected boulder hopping in bifocals, so I had to take them off and this time forgot to button my pocket. Must have leaned over and they fell out. Never found them. So now it is back to $10 sunglasses and cheap reading glasses off the dime store rack. I have glacier goggles, but they are generally too dark when off snow. I cannot see in shadows. Cheap glasses are actually quite light so taking two pair is not much. If you really depend on glasses to see (my far vision is fine) then by all means take a spare pair!

Pat Trick - there are two ways to lighten up - less items or lighter items. Start with a list of TRUE essentials and lighten these as much as you can given your budget. (GPS is not a true essential, nor is a towel, nor is toilet paper). Then add the "not essential but time savers". I allow myself one pound of these. If your pack weight is now reasonable, then you may want to add one or two "nice to have" or "comfort" items (again, I limit myself to one pound). My "nice to have" is usually a camera or small book. My "comfort" item is usually a down vest - not needed but does motivate me to get up and going earlier on those cold mornings.

Food is probably the one thing that most beginners get wrong - too much or too little. Aim for calories per day, not poundage. A minimum of 2,000 works for most people. Few people need or can even eat more than 3,000 per day (unless you are doing a long through-hike). As I got older I found that my food tastes and caloric needs changed from what I had taken in my younger days. I can cut down a lot now. I can maintain my weight for long hauls on 2,400 calories per day. For shorter trips (week or less) I can get by on 2,000 calories per day. When I was 20 I ate 3,000 calories per day!

Water is another really heavy item. Most people carry too much water. You do not have to carry a lot of water to drink a lot of water if you are hiking in areas with water sources. All you need is a way to make gunky water safe to drink. I use iodine or chlorine tabs and honestly do not treat most of my water.

I see no need for any Nalgene bottles. If you need a wide mouth bottle for washing, then look around your grocery store and you will find something with a wide lid. If you are just using the bottle as a pot and not carrying water, a plastic peanut butter bottle is fine - a totally water tight lid is not needed. Those large plastic jars that licoriche candy comes in are also good.

And watch out for little items. Ounces do count! Nail clipper - little light, but add up 20 of these little items and it is a lot! An appropriate first aid kit should not be more than about half a pound if that.

And no "extras". Be a meticulous camper and do not loose things. Like I said previously, if you are blind as a bat without glasses, then yes, take spare glasses. That is a safety essential. One light hiking shirt is enough. Get one that dries in less than an hour and rinse it out at the end of each day.

Just conciously lighten up, get out a lot and experiment and soon you will have a gear list that is perfect for you. Have Fun!