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Help me pack for my first longish solo trip

Hi all,

I'm going on my first longish solo trip at the end of this month.  I'll be
hiking the Susquehannock Trail, an 85 mile loop trail in northern
Pensylvania (maybe I'll run into Jim Owen!).  Anyway, in a fit of anal
retentiveness I weighed EVERYTHING I might even consider bringing and put it
all in a spreadsheet.  I then picked out a subset of the items and let the
spreadsheet add things up for me.  The answer, of course, was: "too much".
My total weight (including walking stick, clothes on my back, etc.) was 64
lbs, and my pack weight was 62 lbs.  I'd really like to get my pack weight
down to 55 lbs, but I don't see any way to get there!

Here are some of my assumptions:

Hiking time:

        7-10 days

        I don't think it will take me 10 days, but I don't want rush and
        I want to leave myself the option of sitting out a heavy rainstorm.

Food allowance:

        2 lbs/day => 20 lbs total

General plan for each day:

        I hope to get up early, put in my miles, and take some time to
        write before it gets dark.

Silliest item:

        I'm trying out contact lenses (daily wear) for the first time
        since 1977.  As a result, I'll be bringing three pairs of glasses
        with me (prescription, prescription sunglasses, sunglasses) as well
        as the juice for the contacts.

Runner up silliest item:

        Bright red suspenders.  I need them to hold up my rain pants, which
        have no belt and end up "way down south" if I wear them with a pack.

Questionable item I don't want to give up:

        I really want to bring my little 10oz thermarest chair kit.  I have
        very little padding on the bottom.  I also have a little ensolite
        sit pad that I use for breaks, at the enterance to my tent if it's
        raining, and under my feet at night.

What comes next is the spreadsheet data.  The first column is the weight of
the item in ounces.  The next is a "y" if the item made my first cut, and
blank otherwise.  The third and fourth items hold the weight of selected
items in pounds and ounces.  The last column is a description.

The rows are broken into categories:

        Clothing
        Shelter/Bedding
        10 Essentials
        Hygiene
        Repair & Emergency
        Miscellaneous
        Food & Pack
        Stuff being worn or carried

And, finally, at the end are a summary of the total weight (including the
stuff I plan to be wearing most of the time) and the pack weight.

Here is the data:

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Clothing
   6       y               6    Suspenders
   13      y               13   3 pair Thorlo Trecking socks
   6       y               6    3 pair liner socks
   12      y               12   midweight long underwear top
   9       y               9    midweight long underwear bottom
   7                            lightweight long underwear top
   6                            lightweight long underwear bottom
   10                           wind pants
   9                            supplex pants
   2                            belt
   23      y       1       7    rain parka
   14      y               14   rain pants
   1       y               1    two bandannas
   2                            liner gloves
   3       y               3    fleece gloves (windbloc)
   2       y               2    neck gaiter
   1       y               1    light weight balaclava
   3       y               3    midweight fleece balaclava
   1                            fleece headband
   5                            OR "hat for all seasons" + pile liner
   5                            short gainters (OR)
   10      y               10   long gaiters (OR Crocodiles)
   26      y       1       10   Tevas + fleece socks
   16      y       1       0    midweight fleece pullover
   14                           midweight fleece bottom
   15                           synthetic fill vest
                   9       1    Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Shelter/Bedding
   80      y       5       0    Tent (stakes, poles, rope, etc.)
   26      y       1       10   3/4 length thermarest
   57      y       3       9    down 20 degree bag, stuff sack, plastic bag
                   10      3    Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces 10 Essentials
   4       y               4    Maps, guide book
   2       y               2    Compass
   72      y       4       8    two water bottles (32 oz, filled)
   16      y       1       0    headlamp & pen light
   2       y               2    single blade knife & kleenex
   1       y               1    whistle, "dog tag", little knife
   25      y       1       9    first aid kit
                   7       10   Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Hygiene
   2       y               2    Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
   2       y               2    soap
   3       y               3    baby wipes
   2       y               2    wash & dry things
   2       y               2    foot powder
   1       y               1    kleenex & "cat crap" anti-fog stuff
   8       y               8    toilet paper & trowel
                   1       4    Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Repair & Emergency
   1       y               1    Matches
   2       y               2    Spare bags (garbage, ziplock)
   0       y               0    spare spoon
   2       y               2    fire kit (fire sticks, candle, matches)
   6       y               6    spare batteries
   1       y               1    iodine tablets
   1       y               1    match safe (includes needles & thread)
   1       y               1    cable ties, rubber bands, paper clips,
safety pins
   3       y               3    50' parachute cord
   2       y               2    pole splices, screwdriver, pliers
   3       y               3    thermarest kit, ripstop tape, stove kit
   6       y               6    flares & smoke
  0.5      y               1    surveyors tape
                   1       13   Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Miscellaneous
   5       y               5    Sunglasses & spare glasses (3 pr)
   5       y               5    Contact lens stuff
   6       y               6    pack rain cover
   10      y               10   thermarest chair kit
   5       y               5    ensolite sitpad
   1       y               1    pencil & notepad
   4       y               4    writing paper & pen
   8       y               8    binoculars & case
   8       y               8    camera
   2       y               2    film & spare battery for camera
   3       y               3    spare stuff sack
   7       y               7    lip balm/sunscreen/bug stuff
   3       y               3    bear bag rope
   2       y               2    carabiner
   13      y               13   water filter
   4       y               4    LED light (instead of candle lantern)
   9                            Candle lantern, spare candle & reflector
                   5       6    Subtotal

                 Pounds  Ounces Food & Pack
  320      y       20      0    10 days worth
  112      y       7       0    Pack
                   27      0    Subtotal

        Selected Pounds  Ounces Stuff being worn or carried
   5       y               5    coolmax T-shirt
   6       y               6    shorts
   1       y               1    watch
   6       y               6    wide brimmed hat
   14      y               14   hiking staff
                   2       0    Subtotal

                   62      5    Total pack weight
                   64      5    Total load

Thank you!

-- Jim Mayer
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