Gear List For Backpacking

[InsaneBoost]

Hey everyone,

As some of you have seen I’ve been getting together some intro backpacking for a friend of mine, but with that said the girlfriend and I will be doing the majority of it, and while there are some sales going on I’m looking to buy anything else I might have forgotten.

I’ve done a lot of reading so I’m hoping anything I’ve forgotten is either something I just missed or just a personal preference for you all.

With that said, anything you think I should change from please let me know, some of the things in this list have already been bought, others haven’t, but I wanted to give a complete list. Our eventually goal right now is the JMT in the future, but right now these will be used for overnight/multi night trips.

I would like some input on First Aid Kits, right now I’m looking at the REI one, but I know there have been some good ones online put together that are like $30 and are much better. Can’t seem to remember where I find them though.

List:

Osprey Aether 85 (bought)
Osprey Ariel 65
Kelty Salida 4 Tent (bought)
2x Osprey’s Rain Cover
2x Western Mountaineering Ponderosa Sleeping Bags (bought)
2x Therm-a-rest Neo-Air X-Lite Sleeping Pad (bought)
2x Pillows (can’t remember the name, but they’re small and light) (bought)
2x BearVault BV500
2x Jetboil Sol Titanium Personal Cooking System’s
2x Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
2x MSR Hyperflow Microfilter
2x MSR 3L Hydromedary Hydration Bag
2x REI First Aid Kits (if they don’t have mirrors in them, a mirror).
2x Maps

I think that about sums up the gear besides other things like clothes and what not. We’ll be making our own food in a dehydrator, we have boots already that work well for both of us as well as water shoes for river crossings.

Just looking for anything else I should be looking to buy, another version of the things I’m looking at, etc, and any other information you can give that I might have missed. You all have been doing this much longer than us, so something might look good and have good reviews, but there might be something cheaper that works just as good.

Thanks everyone, you’ve been very helpful so far.

[rlown]

It's a nice list. Have you weighed what you bought so far? Tent alone looks like 6lbs. How are you divvying up the weight?

Also on the MSR water filter. Friend had one and it stopped pumping. We preferred the http://www.rei.com/product/830745/katad ... 4530460960|" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We always carried 2 pumps, as on my last trip, my friend used mine and broke the intake by stepping on it. He had the backup pump.

On the first aid topic, there were other threads somewhere here about what to carry, but you have to tailor it to your groups needs. For me, its basic meds (advil, aspirin, Vicodin (for teeth)), a good ankle wrap. Beyond that, ask your doctor for additive meds based on any conditions; As always, your prescriptions for the length of the trip. Not sure the mirror is necessary, but my olympus camera is shiny SS..

I'd also recommending testing all gear before you leave the house. An example, I always light my stoves before i leave and make sure the mattress blows up and holds air.

Fun to plan,

Russ

[InsaneBoost]

I did not do the weight thing, so I'll need to do that. I went in knowing the tent would be 6lbs, we just wanted some nice room/extra in case friends ever came, so I might kick myself for it later, but I understood about the tent.

The rest I will add up, and good information on the pump. Someone else mentioned after using it for a month it started getting hard to pump, so maybe I will look into something else.

[InsaneBoost]

Assuming I did it all right, it comes out to 20lbs of weight for me, and 13lbs for the girlfriend. That's without the hydration filled with water, without food, and without the sandals in the pack, which I'm going to guess weigh no more than 5lbs?

Speaking of water. How many water bottles do you normally carry? I assume you don't just use the hydration correct? Should I be carrying one water bottle? Two? More?

[markskor]

Nice list, good gear, and should work well...to start.

As always, backpacking equipment constantly changes (evolves?) with experience, as priorities change, and as the seasons pass. Myself, I would eventually get both a smaller backpack and lighter tent, rent or borrow a Bearikade for the JMT, maybe lose the pack-covers, and re-think the water reservoir/ filter issues. Weight matters.

As to all the "what nots" unmentioned (that you say "cannot weigh more than 5 pounds") - right! They may exceed your predictions, (which should be no big deal as you have an 85 liter backpack to fill...lol..)

In the spirit of your request for a "complete" JMT gear list:
Not counting items on your list previously mentioned/bought and clothes worn (which includes hat, sun glasses, and hiking poles), in my 60 size pack Sierra there is also: fishing gear, a wool cap, wool gloves, bandana, a waterproof shell, long (lightweight) pants, spare underwear & socks, a paperback, spork, plastic water bottle or two, a cup, a large plastic trash bag, whistle, a fleece layer, a spare Bic or two, a down vest, personal hygene items - (toothbrush/toothpaste, chapstick, Excedrin, sunblock, Deet, TP, Glide, etc), short CC blue pad, groundcloth, a compass, maps,...and my trusty 10 inch Ti frypan. You say you carry water sandals? Some may carry a cell phone, SPOT, GPS, and/or a camera too. Some also carry alcohol? That's a lot of "what nots" for 5 pounds.

Not knowing how much experience you have...go out, maybe get some more, and as always - hike safe.

[rlown]

To be clear, when Markskor mentioned: "Myself, I would eventually get both a smaller backpack and lighter tent, rent or borrow a Bearikade for the JMT, maybe lose the pack-covers, and re-think the water container/ filter thing. Weight matters."

I agree with the lighter tent or even instead of a single 4 person, two 2 person tents. Easier to find a place to set them.

Also, on the water thing, Mark doesn't filter his drinking water. That is personal choice. For Giardiasis, It takes some time to become sick which is usually less than the length of a trip. I prefer to filter my water unless I'm going to boil it for a dinner/coffee/etc because there are other things in the water occasionally. I carry 2 poly bottles. One primarily for the water; the other to mix a nice cocktail, and as Mark alluded to, if you carry something like lets say 151, that's the third bottle.

I'm not UL as you can tell, so others will chime in as appropriate. my standard 10 day pack is about 52-55lb to start out with; sans water.

[InsaneBoost]

Thanks for the information guys. I'll take a look into the two tent thing eventually. That might be a nice way to split the weight up a little more as well.

[AlmostThere]

I can guarantee that that pack is going to weigh much more than you think it will. Nothing in my pack weighs more than 2 pounds – that includes the tent and the pack itself. My base weight is under 20 pounds however the minute you add water, food, and stove fuel that can exceed 25 easily for a single night trip. on a much longer trip of nine days, the same gear plus food and fishing gear and extra canister, was nearly 40 pounds.

Add a scale to weigh things to the gear room. A luggage scale can also help you get an idea of the total pack weight with food and water. Guessing will be wrong more often than not. if being lighter matters to you, the scale is the way to go.


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[InsaneBoost]

Yeah I'm definitely sure the pack will weigh more than that, it was more of a rough estimate. Later on I'll plan on getting a better tent to help save the 4lbs, but I might be more hard headed about the pack. Really like mine and how it fits, but maybe after a couple long trips I might decide otherwise of course.

[Wandering Daisy]

I would second the idea of making your own first aid kit. I have never thought that those pre-packaged kits are much good, and are overpriced for what you get. There are a lot of "nice to haves" for a first aid kit that I no longer carry. For example - tweezers. Yes, nice to have, but so far my fingernails work pretty good. My first aid kit reflects my first aid training - pretty basic. Just enough to stop bleeding, butterfly a cut, and pills geared by my needs - absolutely I need antihistamines, not everyone does. I carry only one small square of moleskin. Over the years (many of them!) I rarely get blisters, so I just do not need it. The only thing I have used the moleskin for in the last 5 years, is patching a hole in my tent! I also do not carry antibiotic cream - I never have had an infection of a cut, either in the wilderness or at home.

Some "first-aid" items are duel use. I really feel trekking poles are a first aid item. Use as crutches to walk out on a sprained ankle. Use as a splint. Also I carry two handkerchiefs - one for my hair - doubles as wash cloth, and the two tied together an arm sling. Your sleeping pad can also be used as a splint. But to do this, you need something to tie things together with - I consider the tent cord as my "extra" cord for this use.

In all the years I have been backpacking and climbing, I have never been seriously ill. I have never broken a bone. I have never had anything but minor bleeding. Never had a belly ache. I have done stupid things like get my finger between my tent stake and a rock while pounding them in. Ouch! Most of my "first aid" stuff is for pretty mundane things - allergies, headaches, small cuts. I guess what I am saying is , review the kinds of ailments you have at home, bring stuff to alleviate that, and add a few things for stopping bleeding. The most important thing is to take a good wilderness first aid course. Knowing what to do is more important than having lots of stuff.