Here are a few more general items. Without knowing where you are from, where you plan to hike and the season of the year, it's almost impossible to make more specific recommendations. Putting more detail into your profile would help us help you!

You really can't control your pack weight without weighing everything. Don't trust manufacturers' weights; they're usually understated, sometimes by several ounces! If you want to lighten up, a postage scale weighing to 0.1 ounce should be your first priority.

In addition to what Chris said (I concur with all his recommendations except possibly the rain pants if you're going to be in a cold environment like the Rockies or northern Cascades):

Mylar "space blankets" make flimsy and relatively expensive ground cloths, since they will probably fall apart after a night or two. There are many better possibilities including a piece of painter's drop cloth (a little heavier than the cheapest kind) or polycro (the stuff they make plastic storm windows out of) or a piece of Tyvek.

Nalgene bottles weigh more than twice as much as Platypus or Evernew. Consider soda bottles, lots cheaper and lighter, although unlike Platy they don't roll up. Whatever you are soaking can be soaked in a zip lock freezer bag.

If you want a bladder, check for ones that are lighter than Camelback. Instead, I'd recommend two (maybe three, if you're in the desert) 2-liter Platypus or Evernew bottles (add a rehydration hose to one of them if you want it), which would be enough capacity for all your water needs, letting you leave the heavy bladder, Nalgenes and bucket at home.

Even Dr. Bronner's soap is harmful to the environment. Biodegradable or not, if it gets into water it will kill aquatic life.

Read the guidebook beforehand and leave it at home. If you must have a piece of it, either cut up or photocopy the book and take only the relevant pages.

I didn't see anything to keep your critical insulating gear (warm clothing and sleeping bag) dry. Stuff sacks are not waterproof (stick one in the bathtub and you'll see what I mean). The simplest is a plastic trash compactor bag (avoid scented ones) used as a pack liner. This will keep everything in your pack dry and eliminate the need for most stuff sacks.

Re the food, some of your options are really heavy. Check out Sarbar's website. She's a regular contributor here, although since she just had a baby she hasn't been posting much lately. It should give you lots of ideas for ditching the canned food (and the can opener!) and traveling a lot lighter.

More on clothing: Two short sleeve shirts are also unnecessary. Consider taking just one long-sleeve shirt instead (protection against bugs and sun) and the long underwear top. Consider if the wool sweater is heavier than a 200 or 300 weight fleece jacket. A pair of lightweight liner gloves is better on frosty mornings because you don't have to keep taking them off to light your stove or do other things that require nimble fingers.

Now it's time for my periodic warning about iodine. A lot of people are sensitive to it, and it can cause permanent injury. After using iodine to purify water for less than a month (and only on weekends), I had a severe reaction: a deep-seated rash (lichen planus) that lasted for months and left permanent scars. After 25 years, I still cannot eat anything containing iodized salt or any seafood. The CDC recommends that iodine be used only in an emergency. Long term use can affect your thyroid even if you don't have a reaction like I did. Iodine is contraindicated for pregnant women and small children, which should tell you something. It is also ineffective against cryptosporidium, which is becoming an increasing problem. Please, please ditch the iodine and get some chlorine dioxide tablets!


Edited by OregonMouse (04/25/10 05:15 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey