Critique My Pack List

Hey guys, first time posting but have been visiting the site for a while now. I just recently got into backpacking back in March of this year but I went head first into it and have made more than 10 trips this year.

My first trip my pack was around 50lbs and had everything you could ever want in it. I've made a lot of changes since then since my 3 season weight is 22lbs(with food and water for a 3 day hike) now and with winter gear around 27lbs(I know winter hasn't really hit for on my trips yet but I've been down to 35F). Where I'm at its pretty rare for the temperature to ever get below 20F in the winter so I'm not geared up for anymore than that.

Below is my current pack list and I'd appreciate it if you have any additional inputs. I'd love to break the 20lb barrier.

Pack
-Gossamer Gear G4(17oz)

Sleeping
-Marmot Nanowave 45(3 season, less than 2lbs)
-North Face Cat's Meow 20(winter, less than 3lbs)
-Gossamer Gear Nightlight sleeping pad(also is 'frame' for pack)

Tent
-Eureka Spitfire 1(replaced factory stakes with titanium ones, less than 3lbs)

Raingear
-cheap Coleman poncho(not emergency types, I also use it as my ground cloth for the tent)

Navigation
-tiny globe compass
-Garmin 450T with lithium batteries(only take this if I'm trying to find something like a waterfall, same batteries as camera and headlamp, around 9oz)
-laminated map of trail/area

Clothing
-Bandana(also use as water filter for the big stuff)
-1 tshirt(worn, 3 season only)
-1 fishing shirt(worn)
-1 pair of army style pants(worn, heavy but thorns don't poke through and since its worn I don't notice the weight as much)
-1 pair cotton socks(worn, 2 pair during winter)
-hiking boots(I know there is weight savings possible here but I step on too many snakes to change yet)
-1 pair of lightweight gym shorts(3 season)
-1 pair of lightweight flip flops
-1 pair top and bottom insulated underwear(winter)
-1 pair top and bottom of Marmot's wicking base layer underwear(winter)
-1 belt
-1 safari hat(hit or miss on whether I decide to wear it)
-fleece gloves(winter)

Safety
-first aide kit(bandages, qtips)
-1oz germex
-signal mirror
-spot 2 elb with lithium batteries(on belt loop)
-Fox 40 micro whistle
-compact 0.380 pistol with bullets(give me flack all you want but I'd rather have it and never need it than need it and not have it, about 1lb all together)

Fun
-collapseable fishing pole(including extra line and hooks, very lightweight)

Fire
-exotac nanostriker
-3 cotton balls
-1 box of coleman waterproof matches
-1 zippo(don't want to switch to a bic but I'm up for other options)

Cooking
-snowpeak 600 titanium mug(multipurpose for sure)
-evernew titanium alcohol stove(winter only or during burn ban)
-4oz alcohol in plastic bottle for stove(winter only or during burn ban)
-snowpeak titanium short spork

Knives
-Victorinox Swisschamp(lightest I could find and have what I need for fishing)
-Esee 3(on belt, not willing to give this up)

Electronics
-Nikon digital camera with lithium batteries(same batteries as headlamp)
-Fenix HL21 headlamp with lithium battery(same batteries as camera, less than 2oz w/o battery)
-spare lithium batteries for spot 2 elb(aaa) and camera/headlamp/gps(aa)
-both my work and personal cellphones(different providers)

Water
-potable aqua iodine tablets

Wordly Items
-fishing license
-driver's license
-cash
-Jeep keys

Other
-trash bag
-60ft of paracord(10ft is in different lengths for tying various things while the 50ft is for hanging my food away form the bears and coons)
-1oz tube of sunscreen
-tube of carmex
-toilet paper(pretty sure you won't convince me to ditch this)
-safety sunglasses
-0.85oz toothpaste
-toothbrush(sawed off all I could of handle)
-dry bag for hanging food in

Thanks in advance.

Seems like alot of electronics. 2 phones, a garmin, a camera, a spot, headlamp, batteries.

Also I "get" why you want the gun, I have carred my .380 before also, but in reality a small pepper spray would probably be adequate in most cases against humans or animals.

You didn't specify anything about what your food and water consists of but did say it was included in your pack weight. It's easy to carry too much water and heavy food items.

Otherwise there is only so much you can do to cut weight and still be happy with the level of comfort you have. You could lose the tent and get a lighter tarp tent, but you may pay a couple hunderd dollars to save a 16-24oz which may not be worth it.

Welcome to the forums!

Your list looks pretty good to me, shoot 22lbs ain't bad.

I'm about the same winter weight as you and there's not much left to give up. It'd take some spending to get much lighter, so I'm pretty happy.

One thing you can add as a option is an alcohol stove, like the "Penny Stove" or "Super Cat". For your three day trips they might be a very good option for you.

You're hitting that point now where you're going to have to start heading towards "Ultra Light" to shed weight. That pretty much involves minimization.

Leave your gun, fishing gear, GPS, and camera behind and you're probably getting close to losing those 2lbs. Switch to a small tarp and leave your pad behind too and you might be under 20lbs.

It may not be worth it to you though. It depends on what you're comfortable with.

I suggest gram counting! It looks like you are ready to get or use your scale to weigh each item. Those smaller items creep up on you (well, they do me anyways - ah it doesn't weigh much, I throw it in "Just In Case" - and by the time I'm done those little things weigh up to and possibly over a pound )

Yes, I've consider not carrying both phones so I just need to weigh which one is less ounces. They weigh more than you think. Obviously the camera and Spot stays. The GPS I don't take everytime. Its more for when I'm waterfall hunting and have to leave the trail.

As far as water it depends on how much water I expect at the location. For a normal trip where I know there are some reliable sources here and there on the trail I carry a 2 liter bladder pack with a 16oz bottle. I use the bottle for mixing up with the iodine and the bladder I just drink while hiking(its normally empty at the end). If I'm going somewhere without water obviously that weight goes up. Though if I'm going to a trail that say follows a lake I'll just take the 16oz bottle.

I used a tyvek tarp for a while but went for the poncho instead since I'm already carrying it. Its cheap enough if I tear it up being a groundcloth I can buy a new one. Plus its a lot cheaper than replacing the tent.

Oh, and as far as food I carry the bare minimum I can get away with and not be hungry. So for a 3 day trip I don't plan on eating on day 3 during the hike and on day 1 I eat a big breakfast so I only carry 2lbs(or less sometimes) of food on a typical trip.

As I wrote on one of the other boards, the main things I would eliminate are those that you already know about, and are defending. That's how to get really light---leave behind the stuff that you KNOW isn't really necessary.

We don't take a phone, SPOT, GPS or gun. So we are WAY ahead of you just on those factors along.

But we do eat a full menu every day.

let's see...gun or eating?

Be careful with the iodine! It isn't recommended for water treatment anymore except for emergencies. I think it is OM or Lori that now has a horrible sensitivity to Iodine because of using it for water treatment.

Just my 2 cents.

That would be OM. I read on the CDC web page where they no longer recommend it for emergency water treatment a number of years ago, know the risks, and refuse to push my luck, so never treated water with it.

I've never actually read anything about that though haven't researched it too much since I used it on the first trip and its light so I never changed it.

What do y'all use?

Ahead or stupid depending on how you look at it. But I won't judge you on what you find important and expect the same. And I'm never hungry and have the gun.

^ I knew I liked this guy^

I vote eating ! On a serious note though. Once I upgraded to a smartphone that is a phone , GPS , Camera , And a book I cut about a pound and a half from my pack. And in the event that it fails you'll realize just how much you don't need any of the above .

I am a lot more willing to ditch the phones than when I started out and all I had were the phones and my camera.

Real camera takes so much better pictures and has optical zoom so hard to replace that with my phone. GPS doesn't go on too many trips because it is a paperweight so its religated for helping me find waterfalls way off trail.

I never wanted to carry the Spot but it makes the old lady happy when even if I don't have cell service I can check in. If I ditch the phones though I'll want the Spot. I'm going to at least ditch one phone.

Does anyone have a raingear groundcloth pair that would weigh less than the poncho?

Photos are memories to me! And reminders of places to go back they don't have to be perfect for me to close my eyes and remember actually standing there even from a phone they generally get the point across.

I have a heavy duty, heavy weight, practically bomb proof (but not freeze proof :D) water filter - but I'm... OCD about water. Most normal people carry chlorine dioxide pill... I think (I don't know many "normal" people )

Don't you have to wait like 4 hours on chlorine dioxide to work? I think I remember looking at a pack in a store once. I do remember thinking it was more effective than iodine.

I have a filter. Three, actually, for different reasons... and put Micropur tablets in the emergency kit, just in case.

Chlorine dioxide is more effective than iodine when it comes to giardia. Iodine isn't really.

No, 4 hours is when the water is very cold AND very dirty. Treatment time for clear water is 30 minutes. There is a table somewhere on Micropur literature that reflects this.

Polycryo sheet (that film you heat-shrink to windows for better insulation) is cheap and extremely light.

I have a tyvek sheet I use for putting up tents on granite, which puts holes in things quick.

No need for the stupidity comment, I was talking about weight in the pack, which was your original question. And by leaving those heavy items behind, we're ahead of you on weight.

Thanks Lori, you're a real help.

I use this as my filter. I should also say, be careful when setting the plastic bag down. I've already poked a hole in the 32oz size bag.

Bought some new items and a postal scale for some more precise measuring.

Base Pack Weight(3 season): 11.8lbs

Total Pack Weight for 3 Day Hike(3 Season): 19.8lbs(drop of over 2lbs, finally broke 20lbs and even still have the gun and both phones)

Base Pack Weight(winter): 12.4lbs

Total Pack Weight for 3 Day Hike(winter): 20.5lbs(drop of over 6lbs)

Thanks guys, next stop 15lbs for 3 days.

There's more to backpacking than pack weight! Like humility ! It's what makes some one a pleasure to hike with or an annoying I wish this guy would just take a hike kind of joker!

I carry anywhere between 20 -45lbs with beer food and wine ,board games,or guitars all depends on who I'm hiking with.

But in the event I truly need to move and cover miles I rely on conditioning, determination and experience.

Not pack weight.

Sometimes reading these forums I think we should evaluate ourselves our strengths our weaknesses , our passions and what drives us to be out there doing what we do. Before we trouble ourselves with packlists.

If you are passionate about it you'll know what to bring and you won't need a scale to persuade you!

It is true that most of us at one point or another aimed at the lightest possible pack...and over the years have added back items that we either found necessary or desireable, despite their weight.

It only really matters once you take it on the trail and find out what works, and what doesn't work for you.

For me, less weight is for two reasons. First is the lower weight of gear allows me for longer trips to carry more food. Second, I go to the woods to try to get away from all the crap in the "real world", so less stuff means I get to enjoy the woods more. It allows me to convene with nature more intimately.

To me its the getting away and the challenge of it. I start almost all of my fires with my fire steel. Would it be easier to just use the lighter. Yes, but not as fun. I do want to have the ligther if I really need it though.

When I had the heavier pack it would start out okay but it seems it was always "I just can't wait to get to camp" so I'm not enjoying the hike. Now I'll do more exploring off trails to reach vistas and other things. Before forget that.