RE: [at-l] OK, a gear list it is

["Kenneth R. Knight" <krk@home.msen.com>]

>> Design Salt silk bag liner              132        4.66       I

>I carry one also, in the deep winter, leave it...

I might. But it does help keep the bag clean and that is worthwhile. 

>> SWA inline water filter                 140        4.94       i
>
>You might as well carry tablets and use your bandanna...

Maybe I will. My biggest reason NOT to do this is that I've never really 
done it before. I carry Potable Aqua as a backup, but I've never used it. 
I'm just not sure I'm comfortable using it long term. If I can get some 
"tune up" hikes in before the biggie I'll experiement with this approach 
and see how I like it. If I like it I'll go this route.

>> wallet                                  72         2.54       w
>
>This IS just a ziploc bag, right?...

Actually, I think when I weighed that I weighed a trusty old, well loved, 
leather wallet with the things I'd carry in it including a modest amount 
of cash. A ziplock would be lighter, but that wallet has seen me through 
many years and journeys. We'll see.

>> 50' rope	                               70	       2.47	      I
>
>Not necessary really, but I never go anywhere without one myself...

Well maybe not that much is needed to hang food, string a clothsline, or 
what not. But, I'm going to carry some amount of rope.

>> monocular                               90         3.17       w
>
>Naah...

Ah ha! Ignorance of my physical abilities rears up and grins at me. I've 
said before my vision is poor. I guess I've not recently said just how 
poor. One eye. Legally blind, very limitd vision in that eye (I leave 
guess which sees and which doesn't up to people who meet me). The 
monocular has many uses and it goes everywhere.

>> plastic trowel                          52         1.83       I
>
>That is what sticks are made for...

They always break on me. And I've never really been able to dig a 
sufficiently good "cat hole" with the heel of my boot. I might substitute 
of plastic winter tent stake which probably is only an ounce.

>Actually, at the total weight you gave, you aren't doing bad at all!

Thanks. If I dropped the "misc optionals" out the gear weight would drop 
to around 20 pounds. Went with a tarp instead of the Stephenson (which is 
pretty darn light considering how big it is; I'd not mind having a Nomad 
or if I had the ability to make Tread Well's TW2 that) then I could 
probably drop it to about 18 pounds. But, I'll be very happy if 25 pounds 
with five days of food is where I end up. That's a lot lighter than many 
hikers you meet on the AT.

I was skimming the Trailplace journals and the lightest pack I've seen so 
far weighed in at Springer at something like 38 pounds.

By the way, I did not include camp shoes in the gear list. I don't own 
any. I'm not sure if it is worth even getting a pear of Teva knock offs 
for the purpose (I have heavy Tevas). However, most people seem to carry 
some sort of camp shoe. Am I unusual in that I don't? If I had something 
that tipped the scales at less than 6-7 ounces then maybe....

  ** Ken **

**  Kenneth Knight    Web Design, IT Consultant, Software Engineer  **
**        krk@home.msen.com           http://home.msen.com/~krk     **


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