Oops, this is supposed to be for Heather!

Thanks for the reformat; it's far easier to work through.

Looking at your overall weight, subtracting out the items worn or carried, gives you a total pack weight of 27 lbs. Of course there are a few items with no weight yet, but I presume none will be heavy. That is really not too bad, although a lot more than I'd want for 4 days!

I personally would take the puffy jacket instead of the fleece, depending on which is lighter. For warmth they're probably the same; it's just that you don't need both. And cut the first aid a bit. On the toilet articles, are you taking only the amount of lotions, sunscreen, bug repellent, etc. that you need for the trip in tiny containers? There's no point in carrying a big container even if it's half empty--it will still have enough contents for a dozen or more trips.

Here are some things that stand out as a LOT heavier than what I use are (rounding off to pounds). Admittedly, I don't live in Alaska, but I do backpack in places like the northern Rockies at high altitude.

Pack: Yours 4 lb.; mine 2
Sleeping bag: yours almost 4 lb., mine (20*) 1 1/2. What kind of bag do you have? If it's one for Alaskan winters, you should consider something a little lighter for summer use. Not a summer bag, but what here in the lower 48 is a 3-season bag.
Tent: Yours, 3 1/4 lbs., my 2-person tent is 2, my older one-person is 1 3/4. (I'm ignoring my pricey $$$ 1 lb. cubenfiber tent)
Your pad, though, is 3 oz. lighter than mine!

I understand that you don't want to get new gear at this point, and that you live in Alaska, so these comparisons are for future reference, not this trip. I won't comment further except that there are lighter versions available that will hold up to nasty weather. In the future, if you will be doing a number of solo trips, you might consider a solo tent. Also for the future, a tent that uses your trekking poles for support will save the weight of your current poles.

What I would like to address are those stuff sacks: A couple of dry bags, one for your sleeping bag and one for your insulating clothing: mine (Sea to Summit UltraSil) weigh 1.8 oz. for the 20L (for your sleeping bag) and 1.1 oz. for the 8L (for your insulating clothing). (My sleeping bag goes into a 13L dry bag, but we'll ignore that for this trip.) A silnylon stuff sack for your tent would weigh about 1.2 oz. These or something similar might be worth the purchase in weight savings.

I notice the lack of either a waterproof pack liner or the above mentioned dry bags. IMHO, you need one or the other. If you're going soon, you may encounter higher stream flows. Having slipped and fallen during a ford myself blush, I strongly urge you to make sure your critical insulation will stay dry even if your pack is totally immersed for 2-3 minutes. Stuff sacks are not waterproof (even if the fabric is waterproof, the closure isn't.) Dry bags are also a bit easier for compacting the sleeping bag. If you prefer a pack liner, a package of 2-mil trash compactor bags (make sure they are unscented!) will last you for years. Since you have to compress the sleeping bag anyway, I'd suggest the dry bag route.

Clothing: 2 sets of undies (one worn) should be sufficient. You can rinse them (well away from water sources, please) at the same time you rinse out your hiking socks. Mine are Ex-Officio, highly breathable, dry in half an hour from my body heat if i put them on wet, well worth the cost because I've been wearing mine for everyday for almost 5 years now.

I personally would grit my teeth and take the bear canister. I've been to Yosemite only once, but I got a good look at what their bears can do. Except during hunting season, bears don't really care about park boundaries! At least it makes a great seat in camp!

Speaking of bears, I hope you're taking a balaclava and not baklava! The bears would love the latter!!! laugh


Edited by OregonMouse (05/22/13 04:31 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey