High Sierra Topix

I use the Bear Vault 500 for all trips, so I might look into a smaller, lighter canister for shorter trips to save some weight. The Bearikade Weekender is 10 ounces lighter, and holds only 50 cubic inches less. I just wish the diameter was a little less than 9 inches, because I do think it would be a struggle to get into a smaller, lighter pack than what I now use. We both use the same stove and fuel, the MSR Superfly. I think when I weighed my 8 ounce fuel canister, it was 12.5 ounces. I think the weight is about 4 ounces when empty.
Well, I am off, with my 38 pound pack for 5 days to Red Mt. Basin. Its all good.

regards
Richard

For me it all depended on who was going with me. When I carried a heavy pack I hiked slow and took occasional rest stops. With a light pack I hiked moderately fast and took almost no rests for hours at a time up really steep grades. With my wife (Saint Diane) I took nearly everything, knowing that no matter how much I took (within reason) I had to wait for her, which was fine. Among other things I would take a chair that weighed 4-5 pounds. If I went with someone like Lee Starke I knew I should pack light. When I started going with my 2 sons (6 & 11) I packed very light. I wouldn't even take a compass (until one time we hiked an extra 2-3 hours because of this). Still, I usually took a camera and regret the times I didn't. The 3 of us would sleep in a Star Gazer (for 1-2 people) tent. For a week I'd still be carrying 60+ pounds. As a result I bought a lot of gear, some light weight, expensive, and not so comfy. Some of my gear was inexpensive heavier and comfy. Just for me, I had a small, medium and large thermarest. Over many years I must have bought 7 - 12 tents. I spent lost of money on BP gear. It was all worth it.

richlong8 wrote:I use the Bear Vault 500 for all trips, so I might look into a smaller, lighter canister for shorter trips to save some weight. The Bearikade Weekender is 10 ounces lighter, and holds only 50 cubic inches less. I just wish the diameter was a little less than 9 inches, because I do think it would be a struggle to get into a smaller, lighter pack than what I now use. We both use the same stove and fuel, the MSR Superfly. I think when I weighed my 8 ounce fuel canister, it was 12.5 ounces. I think the weight is about 4 ounces when empty.
Well, I am off, with my 38 pound pack for 5 days to Red Mt. Basin. Its all good.

regards
Richard

The very lightest and smallest of the approved bear canisters (good in Yosemite and SEKI) is the Bare Boxer Contender. You can buy it in the stores in Yosemite for $40. Perfect for 2-3 day trips. Even 4 - if you really pack carefully and eat all the first day's food so you don't need to put it in.

sigh :retard:

Way too much. Until the above pic, I thought I was the only one left on Earth still using an external frame pack. Anyway, 55lbs on longer trips and 65lbs on shorter trips. The shorter ones are with my wife and kids. Longer ones with someone who can carry their share. I really need to buy new gear. Most of my stuff is 25 years old.

Until the above pic, I thought I was the only one left on Earth still using an external frame pack.

Not the only one... there are two of us . I still use the Kelty D4 I bought in ~1978. I'm mulling over trying an internal frame pack .

There are more than just two of you who use external frames. I swear by mine, because i'm usually over 45 lbs. I don't trust some of the ultralight packs to do that.. Plus, I hunt/backpack sometimes which pushes my starting pack weight to about 55lbs.

Even with a 45lb full weight, I find it very comfortable and supports the load well.

I retired my camptrails i bought in '77. Bought a Kelty Tioga 5500 3 years ago. I absolutely love it, but, to each their own.

Last year I returned to backpacking after a long hiatus, and am leaving tomorrow for my first-ever solo. My first reaction upon packing for the 5-day trip up to Ten Lakes is shock at how much more weight I have to carry because of going solo.

Can't share the tent. Can't share the cooking equipment. Can't share the food. Have to use a bear canister. Bummer.

A lot of my equipment is a good 25-35 years old. Still using my original MSR Whisperlite. I did buy a new Aether 70 pack, and a new cheapy poly fill bag. Both weigh in at more than what an ultralight purist would put up with. I have foregone the full-size Thermarest and bought a Thermarest Z-Lite pad.

With food and 2 liters of water right now I am starting at 49.8 pounds. That's compared to a trip I took with my 18-year-old pack mule son last summer where I had to carry only 35 pounds. I can really feel the difference.

I'm probably taking too much food for 5 days. My full Garcia bear canister weighs in at 12.4 lbs. But, I need to do this trip to find out what my needs are. Then I can plan better for the next trip.

I also think I'll be more comfortable with the two-man tent. Don't want to get caught out in a mid-September storm or cold spell with only a tarp. Oh, and I could probably have shaved 4-5 lbs off if this was a mid-summer trip instead, but feel the need to bring plenty of warmies this late in the season.

If this trip works out well, I will probably start buying better, lighter equipment a little bit at a time.

This has been a good thread, and encouraging for me to know that I'm not the only one who has to head out in the 50 lb range.

Dave

I have not weighed it all out, but I am pretty sure that my pack weight for my recent trip to Humphreys Basin was in the neighborhood of 50 pounds +/-, including food and water, pretty much standard for me. For years, I have been known as a pack mule, willing to carry pretty heavy loads. I don't think 50 pounds is too much, at least not in the sense that I am uncomfortable, but it is more than I should carry. A lighter pack would probably free me to consider many more options in the off trail arena, which would open up many possibilities. I drink a ton of water, so carry a 100 ounce Platypus bladder and a 24 ounce bottle with electrolyte fluid, which I regularly finish in a matter of a few hours - I don't like the idea of stopping to filter water frequently, which necessitates dropping and dismantling the pack, etc. The pack that I carry is an Osprey Aether 75, which I find to be quite comfortable. I have made gear upgrades recently, including a better sleeping bag (Marmot Arroyo 30 degree 800 FP down), a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3 tent (to be used solo, as well as when out with my wife), and a comfortable, but heavy inflatable sleeping pad (Exped Synmat 7 Deluxe). I carry light but warm SmartWool shirts (short and long sleeve), a warm but light down jacket, and light silk long underwear, specifically for use in the sleeping bag. Crazy as it sounds, I also carry 2 (yes, I said two) bear canisters - one a Garcia for storage of my food and trash, and a BearVault Solo 250, which holds my stove (MSR Simmerlite) and titanium cookpot, my coffee mug, as well as a bottle of wine in a Platypus bladder, and all of my toiletries, plus any extraneous items. When I get to a camp spot, I do not at all worry about bears/critters, owing to the dual canisters - everything scented is stored. I also like to carry fishing gear, and in the case of my last trip, had both a fly fishing rod and a spinning rod, but tackle was kept very basic. Sure there are many out there who would advise getting rid of this or that, but for me it would be like starting all over. Where to begin?
Cheers,
Herm

The suggestion to make a simple spreadsheet, and list and weigh everything is where I started. It really helps me not to leave anything behind that is important, but to see how I can save weight by making various changes.
I am like you, I don't like pumping water, and I like to drink a lot of it. I have come to realize that one of the reasons I don't like pumping is the pump I am using. (Katadyn Hiker) It never was easy to use, and it is about worn out. My top priority is to replace it, probably with the MSR Sweetwater. I experimented on my last trip with pumping and filling a quart bottle and hydrating in the morning, before I leave camp, and then every few miles. Then I just kept a quart of water in my hydration bladder. Water weighs about 2.2 pounds per liter.
So I think in most High Sierra areas, with the abundance of water, an easier to use pump will make this a viable option for me to save weight.
And in some areas, I would not hesitate to just drink the flowing water without treatment or pumping.

My pack starts off usually around 40 - 45# for a 7 -10 trip. After the first day, the beers are usually gone and the pack lightens up quickly. I've found the best way to reduce weight is to share community gear. Before you leave, have everyone lay their gear out on the floor and place all community gear in the middle, (ie. stove, tents, pots, 1st aid, etc.) You will be amazed at how much duplication is out there. Then divy up the items in to like weights. The weight savings is tremendous. There's no way you can make up this kind of weight saving by cutting off toothbrush handles.