High Sierra Topix

Wow! Do you use all the fuel?
Rain gear, there is stuff out there that is much lighter, even Columbia stuff is lighter.
Bear canister, compare apples to apples. The Expedition is half again as large as the Garcia, if you bought the comparable, but larger sized Bearicade Weekender, you would save 13 oz.
Pots, what is the two qt. pot for, there are smaller and much lighter options out there.
Poly bottles? Can Gatorade bottles work instead?
Daypack, get something lighter, look at Z packs, a daypack would only be a few oz.
Do you need a water filter? Water in the Sierra is pretty good. I use pills if anything now.

You could save 5-7 lbs. right here.

I think you'll find that most are like me. we have stuff that works well, and we don't want to spend zillions (at least not right now) to replace it. On fuel, we ran out 2 years ago. we ramped it up last year to make sure we didnt. we like coffee and dessert which takes a LOT of fuel, not to mention when you cook fish. I love my coleman stove.

I usually go with about 4 friends.. we do cooking, etc communal style, so the more water we can effectively boil for 4 meals, etc, is a good thing.

I would NEVER drink from the sierras without a filter.

I would like the bearicade as it is somewhat lighter, but my prior post.. way, way too expensive.. I'd rather be a tad slower on the trail for that money..

Russ

to elaborate on "rain gear".. I carry REI fleece pants, and then a gortex rainpants shell. The upper is a combo gortex/fleece shell. keeps me warm at 10 degrees easily. that's my last gasp before crawling into the bag to keep warm(er). I add an extra fleece jacket if the weather indicates i need more. My Pack is waterproof and i dont care about covering it.

Russ

Bearikade expedition vs Garcia

Yes it is lots more $. But, you pay that once and you save the weight on every step you take ever after.

A big and meaningful difference is the wide mouth of the Bearikade vs the constricted opening of the Garcia. Access to the Bearikade is much much easier, especially early on in a trip when it is crammed full.

I bought mine in 2004 and have taken it all over the place. No regrets.

The o-ring breaks down earlier than I think it should. I send Allen an email and he sends me a new one, no charge. I have replaced it (o-ring) twice since 2004.

so.. anyone else on a lazy saturday night/sunday wanna weigh their stuff and post? I figured i started this mess, so i pulled it all out. Amazing how close to my original estimate of 52lbs i was.

I must say, in all fairness, If i wanted to be really, really frugal, and even not spend more money to get lighter, i could shave 5 lbs off the pack. But then half the fun is sitting around at night, being warm and not in your bag yet, enjoying a cocktail, playing a bit of Pai Gow or Craps with your friends after a full day of hiking/fishing.

Russ

balzaccom wrote: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?

I always ask myself the same question. Well, I use a full size thermarest (I could never sleep on a foam pad), a full tent (not a tarp tent or whatever), some extra warm clothes since my week long trips are usually in late September, and there are lots of little things that most people probably don't bring (megadoses of Vitamin C, some prescription stuff, stuff to help me breath at night like Ocean spray, an IPod for boring stretches of trail....). But I think the main thing is the food --- I go through a lot of it. I bring stuff like a loaf of real bread (in a side pouch), hummus, carrots, dried fruit, scads of energy bars and chocolate bars. The bears would love me, but they've never once come close to getting my food down from a tree. I actually do have a bear canister, which I sometimes bring for short trips, particularly if it's an infested area like Rae Lakes.

It's good to know that the ultralight crew hasn't taken over the world, although there are certainly some lessons for all of us worth learning from them. [For contrast, take a look at this: http://www.ultralightbackpacker.com/JMT2000.html#Pack: 19 pounds total for the first 5-day leg of a JMT through-hike. Yikes!] One thing I've never been able to handle, though, is hiking in running shoes, one of the key parts of the ultralight program. (For those who haven't read Ray Jardine, the idea is that you move your feet, covered with boots/shoes, up and down more than any other part of your body, and according to the theory the main reason you need boots is because you're carrying lots of weight. So, if you get your pack down light enough you can dispense with the boots and save huge quantities of energy.) For me, the boots are mainly about protecting my feet and ankles, so I wouldn't go hiking without my boots even if I were hiking naked. (Try not to think about that very much; it ain't pretty...)

—B²

Here is what I wound up with for a trip on the JMT a few years back with my brother so there was some splitting of weight for the tent and stuff. I don't think it is ultralight but it certainly wasn't overweight. If I had to do it over, two main things would change. Take the Thermarest Pro-lite 4 instead of the Ridgerest 3/4. When you have blisters on the feet a full pad is a lot better! That would have added about a pound. Taken my Osprey Aether 60 instead of the GoLite Speed. Nothing wrong with the Speed, it is just not as comfortable as the Osprey over 30 pounds. That would have added another 2-1/2 pounds but would have distributed the weight better.

We went northbound so stopped at Muir Trail mid way up the trail. Had way too much candy. My brother likes M&M's.

Sorry for the format but took it from my page http://www.southforkriver.net/jmt/gear.html

Equipment

* Backpack - Golite Speed - 27 oz.
* Sleeping Bag - Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32D - 21.5 oz.
* Sleeping Pad - Ridgerest 3/4 - 8.4 oz
* Stove - Giga Peak - 4 oz.
* Fuel - Giga Peak 220 gram - 13.1 oz.
* Pot - Snow Peak 900 Titanium - 5.2 oz.
* Cup - Blue Lexan - 3.4 oz.
* Spoon/Spork - Lexan & Snow Peak - 0.6 oz.
* Bear Canister - BearVault BV 300 - 38 oz.
* Misc. Kitchen Equipment - 3 oz.

Emergency & Repair

* Knife - 2 oz.
* Matchsafe - 1 oz.
* Ace Bandage - 1.1 oz.
* Moleskin/Bandages - 1 oz.
* Flashlights - 1.7 oz.
* Misc. - 1 oz.

Extra Clothes

* Socks - Hiking - 3 pair - 3.6 oz.
* Socks - Thick - 1 pair - 1.8 oz.
* Long Johns - Capeline Top & Bottoms - 10.5 oz.
* Coat - Mont-Bell Thermawrap - 10.8 oz.
* Beannie Cap - Fleece - 1.6 oz.
* Fleece Gloves - 2 oz.
* Buzz Off Pant Bottoms - 4 oz.
* Extra Shorts - 7 oz.
* Extra Underwear - 1 pair - 1.8 oz.
* Mosquito Head Net - REI - 2 oz.
* Sandals - Airwalks - 10.4 oz.
* Rain Jacket - Gossamer Dri-Ducks - 5.3 oz.

Personal Care

* Microfleece Towel - 1 oz.
* Soap - Small Bar - 1 oz.
* Purell - 1 oz.
* Toothbrush/Paste & Floss - 1.5 oz.
* Sunscreen/Chapstick - 1.2 oz.
* Mirror - 0.25 oz.
* Pills & Medicine - 2 oz.

Miscellaneous

* Drivers License/Cash & Card - 1 oz.
* Trekking Poles - REI Peak - 12 oz.
* Camera - Canon Digital with Case - 20 oz.
* Fishing Rod - Winston 9 ft. with Sock - 4.5 oz.
* Fishing Reel - 6 oz.
* Flies-Tackle - 3 oz.



* Base Weight without Food or Water - 18.32 lbs

# Base Weight with Food - Whitney Portal - 32 lbs - 10 days of food.

# Base Weight with Food - Muir Trail Ranch (Re-Supply) - 27 lbs - 6 days of food.

In my younger and heavier pack days, I would have some trouble with ankles or knees if scrambling over boulders around lakes, off trail, etc. in Desolation Wilderness, using work boots and some years wearing cheap jogging shoes. However, with my lighter pack, four years ago when I did the South Lake-North Lake loop, I changed my plan and stayed on trail the whole loop as my knee was bothering me, wearing hiking boots. The day after I changed my plan, the pain had gone away, what the heck? Last summer, using my trail runners going over all those passes offtrail to get to Palisade Lakes out of South Lake, my ankles and knees did fine, no issues. Half or more of my first four days were off trail, I was worried before the start when I realized that I have had issues in the past with ankles or knees and was hoping I had not bit off more than I could chew. My lucky year last summer.

This has been really great reading! I started backpacking at age 15 and never knew how much my pack weighed in at...the 1st time I ever weighed my pack was on a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon and it weighed in at 53 pounds!! that was for a 8 day trip..over the years I have slowly got the weight down...my last trip my pack weighed 37 pounds that was for a 7 day trip and 12 pounds of that was my old fashioned garcia filled with all my food.

I think the only way I am going to be able to get it down more is getting a new sleeping bag...mine is quite heavy, warm clothes and rain gear I take the same on a 7 day trip or a 3 day trip..so I can't cut that down, shorter trips would mean less weight for your food. I really doubt I could ever get it under 30 pounds...unless I did not take a tent and less warm clothes...but that is not going to happen ...I want to also be comfy and comfortable once I get to camp..so it is worth packing a little extra weight for that.
Hi there Duane...we are getting rain in Tahoe..how have you been?