I've been using the same gear FOREVER and have been carrying fewer items however I am totally plateauing. Anyone have any advice on this list: http://www.prepatrip.com/lists/Mcpuddin-Ultralight-Backpacking-List

I know I need a new tent and sleeping bag, but beyond that does anyone see any red herrings of things I need or don't need or that could be lighter?

Totally appreciate it!
James

Did I miss the cell phone? If you carry one do you need the camera too? As for boots, maybe trail runners instead? Yes the tent is way overkill for one person. I don't bring PJ's...

It looks like you're doing pretty good to me. I'll offer a few suggestions:

I don't bring a trowel. A stick or rock or your boot heel works good enough.

An DYI alcohol stove, like a "SuperCat Stove" is really cheap, and they work really good if all you're doing is boiling water for packaged meals. You could save almost a pound there.

You can save some weight by using a lighter fuel bottle. I use single serving 8 oz orange juice bottles. They're made with heavy plastic and have a wide mouth, and seal good and tight.

You can use a couple disposable water bottles for your water and save half a pound or more.

I'll offer that you'd be better off learning how to identify poison oak than bring the Poison Oak Soap.

I didn't see a compass or GPS. You should at least have a compass.

The tent and bag are where you can lose the most weight and money.

Depending on conditions you might just rig a tarp, and even a plastic visqueen tarp can work pretty good, and not cost much at all. You could lost two pounds or so there and spend as little as $20 and some time, and even more if you bought a real tarp.

The sleeping bags are tough one. I got a Kelty 20º down bag last year for about $130, but it's only a couple ounces lighter than yours. It may be warmer, but that's hard to say. It works great for me down to 30º with just long undies on, but 20º is a bit chilly without adding layers.

That should help you lose at least a couple pounds for pretty cheap. Those next few pounds will cost you a bit unless you start bargain hunting. Thrift shops can be a gold mine, so keep that in mind.

I'll amplify and add to a couple of Bill's comments - and I'm in the same boat you are, so take this for what it's worth.

1) Your waterbottles are heavy. A cheap/light replacement would be Gatorade 1L bottles or 1 L soda bottles (the closure on soda bottles tends to be pretty strong). Platypus sells 1L and 2L bottle/bladders for about $20 per each that will save you a similar amount of weight at a higher cost.

2) Your stove is heavy. I know - I have one. This is a $1 (homemade supercat stove, depending on the tools you have) to $50 (upper range of a decent canister stove) fix for the range of temperatures you seem to plan to operate in.

3) Why are you carrying the crocs if your boots are comfortable? If your boots aren't comfortable, then you can save two for one (lighter boots/no crocs). I'm, BTW, right here with you as I'm in the process of jettisoning a pair of Danners that I was warned not to buy...

4) You can save ounces by replacing the trowel and knife, but the effort and cost probably isn't worth it until they wear out, unless you want to go there anyway.

5) You've already identified your sleeping bag and tent for replacement. The sleeping bag is probably as good as you are going to do in the $100-$200 range, unless you snag an awesome used/sale price on a good 800 down bag. You can save pounds on the tent, but you need to decide what you need (bug screening, snow loading, how much space?) before chasing a new one.

6) One question - other than the compass, what else are you missing on your list? I didn't see matches or a lighter. Or a whistle (low cost/low weight insurance, this).

I aim to get to the baseweight you're at. Hope you're having as much (or more) fun than I am doing it...

Sincerely

Steadman

I would not delete the poison oak soap IF you are extremely reactive to poison oak. But, no need for it when you are in the Sierra above 5,000 feet. Yes, bring it on the coast! My husband is highly reactive. He certainly can ID poison oak, but he can get it even if he never touches it, wears long sleeves and long pants! If you use the soap, be careful not to let it run into water sources. Wash at least 200 feet from streams and lakes.

How many days do you go out? If weekend only, and you have a forecast for good weather, then why even bring a tent? A small tarp is all you need.

In general, I do not take the same stuff on every trip. You need to customize the gear to fit the condtions - terrain, weather, time of year, length of trip. My coastal backpacking list is REALLY different from my high Sierra list.

Yah this pack is mainly used for 1-2 night backpacking in Coastal areas in california between 0-2k feet. I am highly reactive to P.O., so a night scrub down is always needed for me unfortunately.

As for the tent, I usually leave it if there weather forecast looks stellar. However I always wonder if the forecast goes bad.. then what do I do. Maybe I should get skilled at making a tarp shelter.

My Sierra pack looks the same as my coastal one unfortunately, any suggestions there in terms of what is different for you?

Thanks for the feedback! Stove and bottles are definitely the easy things I can resolve.. right away!

Looks like you have great gear to me.

Others have made suggestions, so I'll just add to them and they won't cost you a cent.

Do you really need 50' of rope? I find I can do with about 30 feet for hanging my food. That leaves 5' to cut off for any little repair I might need.

Could you use just half a Brillo pad? Or even wash with no pad at all.

The map seems heavy. I just copy the part I need and put it inside a ziplock bag. You can print free maps here. .

First of all, welcome to The Lightweight Backpacker! OK, I'll take the challenge! I started this process over 7 years ago and it's still continuing for me!

First of all, a couple of items about your list format which, for the most part, is quite good. First of all, the items you wear or carry in pockets, hands, around neck are by convention not included in your pack weight. They are part of "skin-out weight," the sum of total pack weight and everything you wear or carry, actually a more realistic number because that's what your feet, ankles and knees actually have to support. Therefore your base pack weight (everything except food, fuel, water) is really 15 lbs., 15 oz., which is squarely in the middle of "lightweight" (usually defined as 10-20 lbs. base weight, depending on who is doing the defining). It's actually a satisfactory base weight for most people, although the folks over at BPL consider it heavy. The 27-lb, 7-day gear list on the home page of this site has a 15.5 lb. base weight. "Ultralight" is usually defined as under 10 lbs. base weight (again, depending on who is defining! ). These conventions are primarily for the purpose of comparing your list with others, a good exercise--assuming the lists are for the same conditions--in finding possible weight-saving ideas.

The main item in your list format that needs revision is that you have two separate "buckets" labeled "Essentials." Normally "Essentials" would be defined as the essential survival items that go on all trips, both dayhikes and backpacks, such as here. That's pretty much what you have in this category, except they should be all together in one "bucket."

Second, it would be really helpful to know where, when and under what conditions you expect to use this list. A list suitable for Oregon's Columbia River Gorge in midsummer (high of 90, low of 55) is not going to cut it for Wyoming's Wind River Range where it can snow and get down to the mid-teens F in midsummer. With the list good for the Winds, you'll end up with heat stroke in a Midwest summer.

Okay, let me go through and hit the heavier items, concentrating mostly on those which will save half a pound or more:

Clothing worn: Ditch those 40.5 oz. boots. Consider either trail runners (what I use) or a pair of the lightweight "mid" hiking boots. They'll be far more comfortable, both because they are lighter and because they are more flexible and conform to your feet. You won't need as heavy socks and your feet will rejoice. I haven't had a blister since I ditched my boots! (I've never worn the boots since, either, even in winter.) In addition to saving about 10 oz. on your footwear (there is at least some truth to the saying that one pound on your feet equals 5 pounds on your back), you can also ditch the camp shoes because the lighter footwear will be plenty comfy in camp just by loosening the laces. Total savings about 19 oz.

Clothing in pack:
Missing: base layer (see "Sleeping" later) and second pair of socks. Socks are the only spare clothing I take, but with my feet as my only mode of transportation, I really want those--a pair of clean dry socks at night is awesome. If it's liable to be a soggy trip with little chance of drying anything (think Oregon in November), I'll take two spare pair of socks. I also like to take a pair of thin liner gloves for cold mornings.

"Essentials" (both buckets):
Ditch Nalgenes, already mentioned. 2 1-liter Gatorade or Powerade bottles are 3.2 oz. Assuming you can stand to drink the stuff, zero dollars! Savings, 9.2 oz. A 2-liter Evernew bottle is 1.5 oz. and can be flattened and rolled up when empty. A 2-liter Platypus bottle weighs slightly less (I was forever losing the Platy caps, which is why I switched to Evernew which has the caps attached to the bottle).
Water filter--Sawyer Squeeze, replacing their fragile squeeze bags with a 900 ml Evernew bottle, 3.4 oz. Savings, 12.4 oz. plus a lot of pumping! It's also a slightly better filter (0.1 micron instead of 0.2). Chemical disinfection won't be much lighter because of the wait time--you'll often have to carry extra water that's in the process of being treated.
Liquids (sunscreen, bug dope, Tecnu)--decant into tiny dropper bottles only the amount you need for a trip. Probable savings 4 oz., maybe more. I know this is only 1/4 lb., but taking only the amounts needed for the specific trip is an important weight saving principle. Do the same thing with your camp suds and any liquids in your toiletries.

Sleeping:
Pajamas--replace by lightweight base layer, far more versatile because they can be also worn under clothes for greater warmth on cold evenings and mornings (multiple-use is another important way to lighten up). Example: men's Capilene 1 L/S top and bottom, 9.1 oz. total. Savings, 10.7 oz. If you want a heavier base layer (Capilene 2), still about 8 oz. savings.
Sleeping bag--there's no cheap way around a truly lightweight sleeping bag with 800 or higher fill down. That will cost $$$, but if cared for properly it will last a lifetime. The cost per year of life will be less than a cheap bag, assuming you can manage the initial outlay. Example: Western Mountaineering Ultralight, size regular, 29 oz. Savings, 14.3 oz. If you want to go to a down quilt, you'll save a bit more (quilts are not for me; your mileage may vary).
Tent--A very few examples (stakes included): Tarptent Contrail, 24.5 oz.; Tarptent Notch, 26 oz.; Tarptent Rainbow, 32 oz (no trekking poles needed for this one); Six Moon Designs Skyscape Trekker, 26 oz. For all except the Rainbow, add 2-3 oz. for poles if you don't use trekking poles. The Notch and Skyscape Trekker are double-wall with net inner; the others are single-wall. Savings, 51.6 to 55.6 oz., subtract 2-3 oz. if you don't use trekking poles.

If money is no object, there's a list of various solo fully-enclosed shelters and shelter combinations weighing 20 oz. or less on John Abela's excellent website. Most are cuben fiber, a wonderful way to lighten your bank account!

Cooking: Stove and Fuel Bottle: Example (mine): Primus Micron Ti stove, 2.1 oz; MSR 8-ounce fuel canister full of fuel, 12 oz. (will last a week unless you do a lot of cooking). Savings, 18.2 oz., including close to a week's fuel. For short trips (a week or less) you'll save even more with an alcohol stove (it takes a bit more, by weight, of alcohol fuel to boil water, so for a long trip the heavier weight of more alcohol will even things out). In the case of alcohol, you carry the fuel in a soda bottle (not a smart idea with white gas). If you want to be really technical, the MSR canister mentioned above weighs 4 oz. empty, a better comparison with your 16 oz. fuel bottle.

We can whittle down some smaller stuff (some already mentioned by others), but I've already saved you close to 9 lbs. here. Since the only non-pack item is the boots (~10 oz.), your base weight will now be in the true ultralight category!

To that we have to add back (about 6-7 oz. total) a few missing items:
Extra pair of socks
Lightweight liner gloves (unless you like cold hands)
Compass (part of the "Ten" Essentials)
Whistle (ditto)
Waterproof liner for pack (unscented 2-mil trash compactor bag works fine and lasts several trips) (It's vital to keep your insulating items dry!)
Mini-Bic lighter, much easier for lighting stove (still take the matches, though)
Hand sanitizer or soap to clean your hands, if not already included.

Do you take a camera? If so, it should be on the list.

Awesome Advice OregnMouse!

RE: Liquids, I totally agree with you and not only is bringing the right amount save on weight but also space. I've been carrying big empty tubes which just aren't needed.

RE: Sleepware, I definitely cannot use those clothes at all as a base layer. So I love that extra versatility tip

RE Whistle, the Go Lite thankfully comes with that out of the box

RE Compass, I used to bring one with me but I end up always able to tell where I am based off of maps and by looking at the sun / stars. Do you see other benefits of the compass? Maybe if I were bush whacking I guess?

Thanks so much again?

The other benefit of the compass: sometimes it's cloudy.

Like you, I rarely use one - but I almost always travel on well-established and well-marked trails nowadays, and do a lot less bushwhacking than I used to. But I still carry at least a Brunton 9030 compass - it doesn't have a baseplate, but for $10 and an ounce of weight, it's cheap and light insurance.

You may not want a compass often, but when you do, you'll want it bad: no sun visible, in a forest without visible landmarks, in the snow, and the trail is nowhere to be seen. (That's not a made-up scenario.) If I carried a GPS, that would also be when the batteries died.

+1 to what Glenn Roberts said; bring a compass. Cheap and light; just make sure you know how to use it.

Thinking about it now, I have definitely been in the situation in snow.. no trail in sight or those extremely dense dark forests. I guess I have been desensitized to navigation because of all this California shrubbery :-P

Your list isn't that bad. The tent and bag combo could be down about 3 lbs with new equipment, but that would be $$. If you have the money to spend, it would be easy. If you are dead set on 5-7lbs, you will have to make due with dual use items, like a poncho that turns into your shelter. That would eliminate the rain pants/jacket and the old tent. Sea to summit and six moons both have nice ones. You could also go with a sleeping quilt over a bag. A Jacks r Better could eliminate your jacket and be your sleeping bag. You could lose the stove and fuel by packing none cook meals. All of these options require compromise for lightness that most are not willing to do. If you are set on lower weights, it is almost the only thing open to you...unless you just want to lose 5-7 lbs yourself, then you can keep all of the old stuff. It's cheap too, just diet for a couple of weeks. Good luck.