Re: [at-l] Sleeping bags, socks, and gear

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

On 4/3/2000 11:28 PM S Johnstone sgj@bright.net wrote:

>Now for a challenge to all you Tuckerizers out there.  My pack weighted in
>at 36# with food and water. Not Good, needs to be lighter.
>Here's my gear list and what I have done to lighten the load already.
>Old Jansport pack Wt. 4# 13oz. ( I love it, fits great)  Have ordered a new
>Intrepid pack, @ 3.8 # I think.

There are lighter packs than this, but fit is key here. If it isn't 
comfortable then what good is it? People are really saying great things 
about Glen Van Pesky's G4 pack right now (I'm eagerly awaiting mine) 
<www.gvpgear.com>. The Packs from Macpac <www.macpac.co.nz> are also 
highly rated and a bit more "traditional." Glen's pack weighs around 
12-13 ounces and is really meant to carry loads around 30 pounds though 
it'll carry more albiet less comfortably. The Macpac packs let you carry 
more.

>Z-rest 14.5 oz

Turn that into a 3/4 Z-Rest and save several ounces.

>Tex Sport cooking set with cup and spoon 15oz  Have ordered a new titanium

What'll be in your cookset? For short trips, or maybe even long ones, 
just by yourself you can probably get away with an MSR Titan (0.85L) 
Kettle and zip-lock bowl(s) to heat water and then simmer, in the bowl, 
your food. The kettle can serve double duty as a cup. Alternatively, take 
a bigger pot, like the Evernew 1.3L pot, and a 0.4L cup which'll weigh 
perhaps 3 ounces more than the other combination, but still only about 
6.5-7 ounces all told.

>cook set
>Camp gaz stove 6oz
>fuel canister 6oz   Have ordered Esbit tabs to use with the stove Chase
>made me.

Certainly lighter. Other lightweight stoves include various alcohol 
stoves like the Trangia or the many home made designs out there. The 
stock Trangia is heavy at around 6 ounces, but it is easy to lighten to 
closer to 5 for burner, pot stand, and wind screen. Alcohol is also easy 
to get and Esbit tabs are tougher. I think I prefer alcohol.

>North face sleeping bag 2# 8oz
>Fleece sleeping bag liner 1#1oz Took but did not need :), Could be used in
>the hot of summer as a sleeping bag.

There are certainly lighter and warmer bags out there. I've used my 
Western Mountaineering Iroquois down into the teens though that was 
pushing it. A WM Ultralite will go quite a bit colder. The Iroquois tips 
the scales a 1.5 pounds and the Ultralite at 1.75 pounds. For summer use 
your fleece liner is a great idea. There are down bags that weigh a pound 
(plus or minus) that will also work. I'm a fan of down v. synthetic.

>Eureka rising sun tent  4#

Many lighter tents out there. Of course, there are tarps and bivvies too 
though I've not gone that route yet. The lightest and sturdiest 2 person 
tents are certainly from Stephenson and can be used year-round (love my 
2RSLD). One person tents like Kurt Russel's Nomad might tip the scales at 
about 33 ounces.  There are tent (not tarptent) designs out there that 
weigh around 22-23 ounces (see the backpackinglight files section for 
some - www.onelist.com is the site that hosts that list).

>Sweetwater Filter  8oz

Pretty good here. Consider the Safe Water Anywhere inline filter. This 
gravity-based filter with tubing and water bladders (bottles) works 
pretty well and is probably half to two-thirds as heavy all told. 

>polypro long underwear  11.5oz
For 3 season use? I only take this sort of stuff when it is getting 
chilly.

>leggings 9oz
What are these?

>hikers shovel 3oz
I think you can find a lighter shovel. You could try using one hefty tent 
stake (0.75 ounces). Some people use a bit of aluminum gutter channel 
that is also pretty light.

I've probably missed some things.

  ** Ken **

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


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