High Sierra Topix

Despite what John wrote about not counting on fish I do, but conservatively. On short trips, two nights or less I never count on fish. In the cascades I never count on fish. In the sierra and I know there are fish where I am going I will count on fish for one night on a 3 or 4 night trip and maybe for two nights on a 5 day trip. On longer trips I will count on fish 1/3 of the nights. I don't number my meals so when I catch the appropriate 9-12 inch fish in the afternoon that is the night I have fish.Since I generally have something with the fish I won't go completely hungry if I don't catch fish. And, unless I forget to pack it, I usually have some cheese and salami or summer sausage to go with my evening cocktails. We must be civilized!

Cheers

Mike

the only reason I really backpack, is to fish. Yet, I find myself less and less inclined to actually use the trout as a food source.

I have no moral objection to keeping fish in these backcountry lakes, as fishing pressure is low enough to not amount to any significant take on most I've visited.

I do enjoy the taste of fresh trout (though I have grown somewhat tired of it).

BUT:

I don't think it saves weight, and it makes a mess that needs to be cleaned... Taking away time I could be fishing!



Next year, I plan to switch over to a jetboil or similar stove and use pack-meals for all dinners, granola, snickers and trail mix for lunches, and oatmeal for breakfast. By not actually cooking, I can leave behind the oil, seasonings, utensils (except spoon), cooking set. If I really want trout I figure I could Jet-boil steam it somehow. When I've planned for fish meals, I've always counted on, at most, 2 dinners per 6 nights to be fish. I can almost always manage a few smaller fish in the streams if I'm starving.


I don't drink coffee, and despite my love for all things Rum, I can't justify packing any, so I pretty much will drink straight-up water for the entire trip, with the odd dose of powdered gatorade or kool-aid.

I also picked up a new lighter pack (christmas present), REI UL Cruise 60, and I'll try desperately to make a trip packing just one fly rod (we'll see how that goes...)

That being said, I am hoping this plan will finally get me under 40lbs. for about 6 days.


man, just thinking about it makes me want to get back out there!

Ok..

Here's what i propose for those who aren't enjoying the storm by backcountry skiing. We all pull our gear and do a simple weight test. A two column spreadsheet in ounces. For a 7 day late fall trip with chance of bad weather. Tent can be optional, but pointed out for it's weight.
I use a postal scale as i do for my home brewing. but it works for my backpacking stuff as well. I cross-check it with my bathroom scale so i can detect anomolies.

First column: what you take (everything you would carry on your back)
Second column: ounces it weighs (total weight)

7 day trip, late fall with threat of snow.. above 10,000'

Russ

SSSdave wrote:http://www.davidsenesac.com/Backpacking ... cking.html

Perfect. A picture is worth a thousand words, and your picture of you with your pack makes me feel, well, not so bad. Glad you laid out your weights for your photography gear as well.

Russ

David,

the images on your website are breathtaking.

May I suggest that you redo the image of you.

Smile.

The current image is a cross between a DMV photo and a passport photo.

Again, the images you have recorded are stunning.

If I made images that pretty, I'd be grinning ear to ear.

We (my wife and I) begin with a total of about 35 pounds between the two of us, not counting food & water. And then we add about 2+ pounds a day for food. So for a 3-4 day trip we are around 45 lbs total plus water. For a seven day trip that get closer to 55 plus water. I usually have about 35 of that weight, and she has about 20. We each carry our own water more or less---about 24 ounces each. But if we are looking at a long dry stretch, we'll carry more.

I still remember meeting three guys about 15 miles into Emigrant Wilderness last summer. They were each carrying about 50 pounds. We were carrying 50 pounds between the two of us. I think we were having more fun. And one of them was hiking with a limp because his knee was killing him.

And yeah--that inclues a couple of pounds of fly fishing stuff, plus a small camera and small binoculars.

I'm always in a state of astonishment at people who go out there carrying something like 30 pounds for a whole week trip.

I'm with the heavy folk -- I'm at about 50 pounds. And that is counting no stove/jetboil (I'm a primitive), and no bear canister, and I usually don't carry more than 1/2 quart of water unless I know I'm in for a long dry stretch. The no bear canister rule is because there is no way on earth I could get 7 days of food in a single bear canister, maybe not even in 2 bear canisters.

But I'm into my creature comforts (cold food, notwithstanding), and it's worth the trade off for me. I did buy a super-light Marmot Helium sleeping bag and a North Face R-2 jacket last summer, and that will save maybe 2 pounds. I have an Arcteryx 85 pack, which weighs at least 7 pounds, but I need something that big, and I also need something that is padded enough to be bearable on the hip bones. So mostly I focus more on trimming weight off myself than off the pack.

Quentic

OK--so you don't have a bear cannister, and you use a light stove. So what the heck is in your pack to get it to 50 pounds? Creature comforts? What are they?

We take enough clothes to stay warm and clean (and wash them occasionally during the trip) and plenty enough food to avoid hunger. We have a bear cannister. My wife takes two sleeping pads. And our packs are not superlights---about 4 pounds. So what ARE you taking along for the trip?

BTW--one of our favorite creature comforts are two small remnants from an old sleeping pad, each about 8X15 inches, They weigh nothing, slide into the bungie cords on the outside of the pack, and cushion us every time we sit down, whether it is on the trail or at the campsite. Old bones need the help!

balzaccom wrote:BTW--one of our favorite creature comforts are two small remnants from an old sleeping pad, each about 8X15 inches, They weigh nothing, slide into the bungie cords on the outside of the pack, and cushion us every time we sit down, whether it is on the trail or at the campsite. Old bones need the help!

Yes! Sit-upons! At the last second I tossed out my small bit of Ensolite (remember Ensolite? ) for the last JMT trip, and I think it was a mistake. I'll certainly put it into the mix this time and see how the weight looks. They are light, but "they weigh nothing" is a bit of an exaggeration, I think you'll agree...

-B²