|
Contents:
Introduction
The Hike
Post Hike Evaluation
Gear List
Recognition
Back in 2005 I was trying (unsuccessfully) to fulfill a role as the stove and
cookware editor for Backpacking Light Magazine. During this time we were working
on a series of articles called "The Super Ultra Light Challenge". The idea was
to use gear that would get your base weight down to 5 pounds or less for a base
and at the same time not fill your pockets with everything else just to make
weight. As I recall the rules were pretty basic:
1. Base weight of 5 pounds or less pack weight.
2. Your items worn and carried couldn't exceed your pack weight.
3. Any consumable stuff like toilet paper, water, iodine treatment, food,
etc. didn't count against your base.
I got some gear from various ultra light gear companies like Gossamer Gear,
Jacks 'R Better, Ettowah Outfitter, etc. and did a practice hike with the sub-5
kit I created. Bottom line is it wasn't my style and I didn't like it. I am a
hammock sleeper and didn't like going to ground just to save weight. I'll add
that some of the gear choices were very minimalist, what Paul "Chef Paul" Fitzer
of Ettowha Outfitter calls "survival light" - basically stuff that is so light
it is more like survival gear than hiking gear, which turns your hike into more
of a Survivor Man eppisode than a pleasant hiking trip.
Army business and duties got in the way, and I had to send all that gear on
to other editors so they could use it and evaluate it. I don't know how the
articles ever came out. I wish I could have seen it through. I find I learn
something when doing these sorts of exercises.
So, all that said, the idea of a sub-5 list still intrigued me. I wanted to
see if a sub-5 list could be done that was more my style of hiking. So using the
above rules, I added a few of my own:
4. The gear had to include a hammock system.
5. It had to include a way to cook hot meals including stuff like coffee.
6. It also had to have luxuries, stuff like bourbon, cigars, reading, music,
etc.
7. Keep some of my normal stuff like dog tags, wedding ring, watch, etc. I
didn't want to be totally changing everything about myself just to hike.
So with those "rules" in place I started working on making a SUL kit. I've
come up with a system and hope to make it work in the Spring/Summer of 2010. I
plan to link in some reviews of some of the more important gear listed here.
What I have found doing these sorts of exercises is they help me try
out new ideas which help reduce pack weight on my "normal" hiking kit. The
ideas I've tried have helped me cut some weight from my normal pack.
The Hike:
I headed out to Georgia to use
this kit on my loop hike of the Benton MacKaye Trail , the Appalachian Trail,
and the Duncan Ridge Trail. The hope was hat this lighter, leaner pack would
help me make it with a little more ease that is the Duncan Ridge roller coaster.
The first night I set up on the trail was actually the day before the
big hike. I picked a campsite about 0.3 miles up the BMT near the falls at
Fall Creek close to Blue Ridge, GA. I didn't carry the entire packing kit
up there, just the hammock and the basics.
 |
 |
| Long Creek Falls |
SGT Rock at Long Creek Falls |
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(Download Night 0)
The first day I started
late, then I realized I lost my knife which I could make do without, then I
realized I lost my map which I could not live without - so I had to adapt. I
only ended up hiking about 2.3 miles that day.
 |
 |
| Ultralight Camp
Shoes |
Ultralight Hiking
Boots |
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(Download Day 1)
The second day I had a total pack failure and was bailed out by a friend who salvaged the rest of the
hike. That got the hike mostly back on track. I ended up managing almost 10
miles that day.
 |
 |
| Blow down on the BMT from the
big storm |
Toccoa River Bridge. |
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(Download Day 2)
The third day started well after a very hard thunderstorm which caused flooding over
parts of the southeast. I made it to the BMT and positioned myself to start the
Duncan Ridge Trail the following morning. The total mileage that day was close
to 16 miles.
 |
 |
| Ultralight Hammock - simple as
possible |
The DRT is so tough the tress
eat the signs |
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(Download Day 3)
The fourth day found me starting later than I wanted to because I was visiting instead of
hiking. The trail got hard, the insects fought back, and the water was hiding. I
ended up doing about 15.5 or so because of looking for water.
 |
 |
| SGT Rock at the start of the
DRT |
Play "Where is the Water" |
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(Download Day 4)
The fifth day was the last day of the hike. Because of a navigation error it added some extra miles to my
hike. With side trail exploration I ended up doing about 10 miles that day. The
day ended well!
 |
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| Coosa Bald - no longer bald |
Another tough sign eating tree
on the BMT |
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(Download Day 5)
Post Hike Evaluation: So now I sit here
after the hike. Trying to sum up what I learned from this trip. There are lots
of gear items that I've changed or added, or taken out of my "normal" pack
because of this. On the gear list below I go into some detail and talk about
some of that stuff per item. But I'll focus on some of the big stuff: 1. Going
lighter was even more fun. Last time I did this I hated it because it wasn't my
style, but once I switched to my style of hiking for the SUL challenge, I could
stop focusing on not liking the gear to enjoying what I was doing. It's hard to
exactly quantify what I am trying to say here, but I had less to set up in camp,
less to take down in the morning, less stuff to keep up with, less stuff to keep
dry, etc. Camping was simpler, hiking was easier, and these things helped to
make the trip fun even though I didn't have pounds of luxuries. 2. I was
totally unfair in my load to the Hammock Bliss pack. There will be a more
thorough evaluation of this pack on a separate page later, but by reading what I
have in the list you might get the impression the Hammock Bliss pack was a
stinker - but it wasn't. It was a great little pack, especially for day hiking
or for having a small pack handy in your car or purse for when you need a pack
(like town shopping or slack packing) . I loaded it up with the 10 essentials
and did some good walking with it. I got the idea that this pack would probably
handle heavier loads so I gave it a try for this, but unfortunately it didn't
make it. I still think it could do it with a couple of tweaks. You may still yet
hear of me making a big trip with the tiny pack. 3. Hammocking rocks. And
keeping it simple can make your trips enjoyable - I am serious. No fancy rigs to
tie your tarp up with, no fancy load adjusters to get the hammock between two
trees, no complicated package system for putting it away. I did find that
the Whoopie Slings and toggles were great - and only 4' slings were always more
than sufficient when you have thousands of trees to select from. 4.
Boil-in-bag cooking is easier than I remember. This bears more looking into.
This also re-enforces once again that Hog On Ice is way ahead of me in so many
areas. 5. Wind shirts and pants - they work. I can't get enough of 'em. 6.
Audio journaling is the way to go. I can't claim to have invented it, I remember
Jeff Hunter doing some audio journals when he was at American Hiking Society.
But this is the first time I tried it and have discovered how easy it is to do
and how it simplifies my hikes (see 1.) 7. Spinn Tarp - loved it. It is only
noisy while packing and unpacking. The rest of the time it is quiet, doesn't
have stretch issues like sil-nylon, and the Warbonnet Spin Edge tarp was all I
ever needed. I still want to try out a cuben tarp and hammock though. 8. Jacks
'R Better - this little quilt already has a review on my site, but I gotta' plug
it one more time. If you want a summer quilt less than a pound, this one did me
right even down into the low 40's. 9. Macpack IX underquilt has a lot of
promise. I'm working with MacEntyre to see if I can work out the bugs for me.
Look forward to more information about this in the future. To end this up. I have started
contemplating doing something like this for winter. The exercise pushed me to
try new things and work out solutions to problems that can't always be solved
with gear (and thus weight). For weight goals I'm thinking 6 pounds or less worn
or carried and 9.5 pounds or less base pack weight. That means getting some new
gear and working out some of the same old problems in lighter ways. I don't know
if my wife will approve the budget though. If I went to do this again, I would
probably worry less about making some arbitrary 5 pound limit and go with my
Packa for rain gear, modify the pack a little to add an outside bungee point to
the back, get a double layer MacPack IX quilt, lose the MRE matches, and carry a
real camera.
Packing List:
| Item: |
Weight: |
Number: |
Total: |
| Clothing |
 Buff
- I added this on my thru-hike after getting frostbite on my ears. I was too
warm for a real hat. I just needed some light insulation and wind protection
for my ears and face.Results: Worked as planned I used this a few
times at night when sleeping when temps were predicted to be in the 40s. |
1.31 |
1 |
1.31 |
 MontBell
UL wind pants. Small, light, easy to put on breathable nylon pants for times
you need something on your legs but are moving and fleece would be a bad
idea.Results: Worked as planned I used this a few times at night
when sleeping when temps were predicted to be in the 40s. |
2.43 |
1 |
2.43 |
 Mountain
Hardware wind shirt. Light shirt used to protect from bugs and wind.
Results: Worked as planned I used this a few times at night when
sleeping when temps were predicted to be in the 40s. |
3.21 |
1 |
3.21 |
 Wal-Mart
ankle high running socks. They are light weight with some padding for
comfort, and they dry pretty fast.Results: Worked as planned I
ended up only ever hiking in one pair, and using this one as a dry set for
camp at night. |
1.45 |
1 |
1.45 |
| Total |
8.40 |
|
|
Rain Gear |
Disposable poncho. Something lightweight enough to make weight and usable
enough to cover me and my pack when absolutely necessary.
Results: Worked as planned I only needed one night when I first
started hiking in the rain. |
1.94 |
1 |
1.94 |
| Total |
1.94 |
|
|
Kitchen |
.jpg) MRE
Spoon. Longer than your average light weight spoon.Results:
Worked as planned This made it easier to eat boil-in-bag foods like
Mountain House meals. |
0.25 |
1 |
0.25 |
 Heineken
Keg Can (HKC) pot. Ultralight pot for heating water. Not much use beyond
that.Results: Worked as planned I used this for heating water to
make Mountain House boil-in-bag meals plus made hot coffee in the mornings
and drank straight from the pot. |
1.13 |
1 |
1.13 |
 Ion
Micro stove with wire stand. More information and pictures to follow at some
point.Results: Worked as planned I only ever needed one fill of
alcohol to make a meal or coffee. Worked perfectly for a HKC pot. |
0.28 |
1 |
0.28 |
 4
ounce fuel bottle. My Ion Micro stove only needs 0.5 ounces per meal, and
with only 4 days out, this will have enough fuel for 2 hots a day.
Results: Worked as planned The perfect container for my hike. 0.5 ounces
X 4 days at two meals per day ended up with only 4 ounces of fuel for the
whole hike. I actually had a smidge over that which helped burning some
trash one night. |
0.49 |
1 |
0.49 |
.jpg) MRE
matches. Small book of paper safety matches that are moisture resistant.
Results: Didn't worked as planned The moisture resistance was enough
to combat the wet Appalachian nights. The matches ended up being useless. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
 Sandwich
sized zip-lock for trash.Results: Sort of worked as planned Quart
sized would probably been enough with my strategy of burning down trash
regularly - except that I also picked up trash from the trail as I hiked
which wouldn't all burn. So I ended up with more trash than would fit in
this bag. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
 Windscreen
pot cozy made from plumbers cloth. More information and pictures to follow.
Results: Worked as planned Helped hod in heat and protect the flame
as I boiled water. It also kept my coffee warm when I used the pot as a
coffee cup. |
0.95 |
1 |
0.95 |
|
2
gallon zip-lock for a food bag. Results: Worked as planned Hard to
find, but works like a charm. A mouse ended up ruining it a night before the
end of the hike and it was the last one I had left. Now I have to find some
more. |
0.74 |
1 |
0.74 |
 24
ounce water bottle from Smart Water.Results: Worked as planned
Plenty for hiking when water is abundant. When water was not, then I
supplemented the capacity with the Platypus. |
1.06 |
1 |
1.06 |
 2+
Liter Platypus. I usually only use this in camp, but there have been days I
need to carry extra water.Results: Worked as planned I almost left
this behind for a lighter water bag option, but the DRT has very few water
sources and I ended up carrying water which made this a good solution. |
1.20 |
1 |
1.20 |
 Plastic
shopping bag for a kitchen sack.Results: Sort of worked as planned
All my food fit in it and it hung easy off the end of my hammock. But it
collected a little water in the rain one night. |
0.39 |
1 |
0.39 |
 A
very small glass bottle (not the one shown here) for storing iodine pill
water treatment.Results: Worked as planned held my
iodine pills like planned. Better than using plastic for those pills. |
0.39 |
1 |
0.39 |
| Total |
7.09 |
|
| Miscellaneous Gear
- those odds and ends you need. |
 First Aid and
Repair Kit. Just what you need to fix yourself or
your gear up to get into the next town.Results: Worked as planned
I ended up not needing anything from this kit. But it's better to have it and not
need it. |
2.50 |
1 |
2.50 |
|
Zip lock bags. To better protect my camera.
Results: Worked as planned I used this to hold my camera/phone and a
few other odds and ends that I wanted to keep dry. |
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Spare
Smartphone battery. That way I have a back up if the primary dies in the
woods.Results: Worked as planned I ended up going 4 days making
calls, taking pictures, and making voice notes before I needed to change
batteries. I cruised to the finish with the second battery still showing 4
bars of power. |
0.81 |
1 |
0.81 |
 Trail journal
pages. Steno sized sheets of paper.Results: Sort of worked as planned
I started using voice notes instead of a written journal. So no need for
all this paper. I did end up using one sheet when making notes one day. I
could probably get by with less next time. |
0.03 |
6 |
0.23 |
 Pencil.
Can't run out of ink in the woods. I put a plastic cap from an ink pen over
the tip so it doesn't poke holes in anything.Results: Sort of worked
as planned I didn't end up doing any puzzles and only making notes one
day. Maybe I could get by with an even smaller pencil. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Motorola
Q 9c Smartphone. Internet, email, camera, and it even works as a phone. It
eats batteries if you leave it on. I tried using it as my camera on my thru
but the quality wasn't good and charging was an issue.Results: Worked
better than planned It doesn't take great pictures, but it will do for
staying light. What I did discover using this was the ability to make voice
notes which has totally changed how I journal. |
4.66 |
1 |
4.66 |
| Total |
8.60 |
|
|
|
Hygiene - keep clean and healthy. |
 My
dentist has me using one of these to prevent teeth grinding at night.
Results: Worked as planned Saves my teeth as planned. But since the hike I
have discovered a lighter option. |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
 Lip
balm. Nice little pack for keeping the lips from getting chapped.
Results: Worked as planned I did end up using this some when the
sun was beating me up. |
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Dispenser
for DEET. Since I am hiking with this kit in warmer weather it pays to carry
a little bug protection. My hammock will also be treated with permethrin.
Results: Sort of worked as planned The dispenser I mean. The DEET was
ignored by the gnats. But no skeeters ate on me. |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
|
Dispenser
for spray hand sanitizer to keep the cooties off my hands before I eat.
Results: Worked as planned I kept this in the bag with my toilet
paper and that made it easy to get a quick shot on my hands after each use. |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
 Colgate
Wisp. Extra small tooth brush with built in toothpaste enough for about 10
uses.Results: Sort of worked as planned The dot of toothpaste was
only good for one good brushing and a couple of mediocre brushings. After
that it was just a brush without paste. It also isn't a very good brush. |
0.07 |
1 |
0.07 |
|
Zip lock bag (1/2 gallon).
For carrying toilet paper in. Results: Worked as planned My toilet
paper stayed dry. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
|
Extra
small zip-lock for a pill bag.
Results: Worked as planned My pills stayed find inside this. It
was a little hard to open. |
0.07 |
1 |
0.07 |
| Total |
1.31 |
|
| Navigation and lights
- to make your way down the trail without getting lost. |
 Small
LED light for when I need to see in the darkResults: Worked as planned
Brighter than I expected it to be. I ended up adding a loop of tape to the
band of my hat so I could slide this in and use it as a headlamp in camp. |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
| Total |
0.35 |
|
| Sleeping Bag/Ruck/Shelter
- the big 3 or big 4 depending on how you look at it. Sleeping bag, shelter,
pack, and pad. |
 Hammock
Bliss Daypack. Approximately 1000c.i. I found this to be just big enough for
the SUL kit and 5 days of food.Results: Epic Fail Full review to
follow. This bag worked fine on some day hikes when the load was under 10
pounds. But a 15 pound load was too much to ask of this pack. The left
bottom strap pulled out with less than 3 miles on the pack.
Here is more detailed review. |
6.36 |
1 |
6.36 |
 Sil-nylon
stuff sack. For clothing and my quilt.Results: Sort of worked as
planned When I was just putting some clothing and the quilt in the bag,
it was on the edge of fine. When I added the MacPack IX underquilt the bag
was too small for all that. |
0.39 |
1 |
0.39 |
 JRB
Shenandoah Summer Quilt I love this quilt.Results: Worked as
planned I felt cool some nights, but it was because of the under
insulation. Once I got that sorted out, this was perfect for the weather I
encountered which was as low as the upper 40s Fahrenheit. |
15.09 |
1 |
15.09 |
 Warbonnet
Edge tarp in Spinn UL. I've been using this tarp for a while now and I'm
very happy with the weight and performance.Results: Worked as planned
I have been getting more and more into this tarp. I encountered a storm that
caused major flooding in the South East but stayed perfectly dry under this
tarp. Tenters that were in the area that night got wet (probably came in
from the ground) while I was high and dry.
More detailed review to follow. |
8.69 |
1 |
8.69 |
 Turkey
roasting bag. Ultralight pack liner alternative. Tougher than I thought they
would be.Results: Worked as planned I put this thing through major
punishment that would have probably poked holes in a trash compactor bag -
but this thing is still going strong. I wish they made bigger ones of these. |
0.49 |
1 |
0.49 |
 Home
made aluminum
toggles from Easton Scout arrows. These are the link pin between the tree
huggers and the Whoopie slings on my Ghost Hammock.Results: Worked as
planned I never needed anything else. |
0.035 |
2 |
0.07 |
 MacEntyre's
IX Under Quilt. Something new I just picked up. More information and pictures to
follow.
Results: Didn't worked as planned That said, I think there
is still a lot of potential in this. I plan to continue playing with this and
figure it out.
More detailed review to follow. |
5.01 |
1 |
5.01 |
 Grand
Trunk Nano7
hammock. 3 yards long by 45" wide 1.1 nylon. It came with two carabineers
that weigh 23 grams each, but I found a lighter way to hang.Results:
Worked as planned There is a more detailed review to follow. Being
small, it was a little hard to find a good "lay" to the hammock, but when I
did, I slept like a rock. At 4.9 ounces for the hammock and a system where
you are already encouraged to add your own suspension, this little hammock
is perfect for someone trying to go on the extreme light end while not
spending a fortune.
Here is a more detailed review |
4.91 |
1 |
4.91 |
 Home
made Whoopie Slings made out of Dynaglide for support lines on the Ghost Hammock.
Results: Worked as planned 4' woopie slings may seem a little short
to most hammockers since 6'+ seems to be the norm. But when you have lots of
trees to choose from they actually ended up being longer than I ever needed.
I also love the fact that these seem to naturally re-direct the water during
rainstorms, so no water stop or re-direct system was needed. |
0.175 |
2 |
0.35 |
 Bug
net "sock". So I can sleep in peace in buggy weather. Treated with permethrin.
Results: Not Needed before I ever started I realized that this wasn't
needed. So I traded the weight for a sunscreen pad to extend the range of
the IX underquilt. |
2.44 |
0 |
0 |
|
Ridgeline
to hold the net up. Results: Worked as planned Well, maybe not
since I didn't bring the net, but I still used it to get the lay of the
hammock right and to hang stuff like my glasses and light off of during the
night. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Sleeves
made from 550 cord shell to help protect the hammock body from being sawed
through by the dynaglide cords.Results: Worked as planned
prevented saw through on the hammock. |
0.07 |
2 |
0.14 |
 Sleeping
pad that is actually a car sunscreen made of Mylar backed soft foam.
Results: Worked as planned When I realized there was going to be an
issue with the IX underquilt and the weather, I picked one of these up.
Together with the IX underquilt I was fine down into the high 40s. |
2.61 |
1 |
2.61 |
 Home
made Tree Straps. Used to protect trees from rope damage when hanging a
hammock.Results: Worked as planned They were easy to set up and
take down, and no trees were harmed during the hike. |
0.74 |
2 |
1.48 |
 Home
made stakes from Easton arrows and hardwood golf tees.Results: Worked
as planned I was worried about these pulling out during the big storm,
but they held in like troopers. |
0.14 |
4 |
0.57 |
| Total |
46.35 |
| |
| Luxury Items
- items that make camping a pleasure. |
 Flask. Just an old
soda bottle for carrying bourbon in.Results: Worked as planned The
total capacity was only 10 ounces, so I had a little less per night than
normal, but it worked. |
0.78 |
1 |
0.78 |
|
Cigar
case to keep my cigars fresh. Results: Worked as planned good
cigars every night. I'm thinking of going to smaller cigars for hiking
though. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
_small.jpg) Sudoku
pages to play with in camp.Results: Sort of worked as planned I
was getting up and moving out later in the day than I normally do. So at
night I pretty much went to bed after eating. I ended up not doing any
puzzles on this trip. |
0.04 |
4 |
0.16 |
| Total |
1.04 |
|
| Clothing (Worn)
-This stuff serves as my base clothing for all hikes - even in winter. Those
surprise warm snaps hit even in January down here. |
|
Wal-Mart
ankle high running socks. They are light weight with some padding for
comfort, and they dry pretty fast. Results: Worked as planned
They were light, padded well so there were no blisters, and dried
quickly. |
1.45 |
1 |
1.45 |
_small.jpg) Short
sleeve wicking shirt.Results: Worked as planned I initially was
going to use a different shirt, but ended up getting this at the last
minute. It worked better than the original I planned to take. |
3.96 |
1 |
3.96 |
 Addidas
Trail runners. New pair of kicks for my feet. The jury is still out on
these.Results: Sort of worked as planned This was the second long
trip I used these on, and the first since I added new foot beds. They ended
up cramming my toes and causing blisters on the outside of my small toes and
loss of nails. In hindsight I should have bought a larger pair since these
foot beds are thicker than normal. |
27.67 |
1 |
27.67 |
 Ankle
braces with liners. I have injured my ankles multiple times - the worst ones
have been in high boots. An ankle injury forced me off the trail in 2008, so
I take care not to repeat that again.Results: Sort of worked as
planned Not as supporting as my old stirrup braces. I may end up
changing these out. |
3.47 |
2 |
6.93 |
.jpg) Nylon
dress socks to prevent chaffing of my shins on the ankle braces.
Results: Worked as planned Great liners for the braces. |
1.10 |
1 |
1.10 |
 ID, money, credit cards, and keys.
Zip lock style hiker wallet. Keep the cards to a minimum: ID, ATM,
insurance, emergency contacts. When I hike a short stretch I also have the
car key with me.Results: Worked as planned I never lost my ID or
cash or my car keys. |
1.48 |
1 |
1.48 |
 Leki
Gear Trekking poles. Working good so far. The take some of the strain off my
knees and help when climbing.Results: Worked as planned They were
a big help
help on hills. |
9.33 |
2 |
18.66 |
 Duct tape - on trekking poles.
Duct tape can repair almost anything and it is good for blisters. You don't
need to carry a whole roll though.Results: Worked as planned I
ended up using some on my toes and some on my hat. |
2.12 |
1 |
2.12 |
 Swim
trunks with the liner cut out.Results: Didn't work as planned The
pockets were pockets in name only. They were too shallow to actually hold
anything, I almost lost my map because of them. I ended up putting
everything I normally have in my pockets into my pack. I plan to take the
extra weight in the future for me shorts with better pockets. |
3.25 |
1 |
3.25 |
 Wal-Mart
microfiber underwear. Dry well and prevent thigh chafe. Going commando has
never worked for me.Results: Worked as planned No leg chafe. |
2.05 |
1 |
2.05 |
 Extra
small lighter as a back up to the matches.Results: Worked as planned
I ended up using this as my primary fire sources since my matches were a
bust. |
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 Lip
balm. Cool little lip balm pack for when you get wind burn on your face.
Results: Worked as planned I ended up needing it a couple of times
when the sun started to chap my lips.. |
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Small
Swiss Army Knife. I prefer the Leatherman
Micra, but I went with this one to save some weight.Results: Lost I almost lost this because of the pocket problems with my
shorts. |
0.74 |
1 |
0.74 |
|
1quart zip lock. For keeping my, maps and guide
book page in inside my pack.
Results: Worked as planned Map and guide stayed protected even
when they got dropped on the trail in a rain storm. |
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Photo
copy of the section of map I plan to hike on for this trip. One sheet of
8.5"x11" paper.Results: Worked as planned There were
times I wished I had the entire map, but this worked for what I was doing. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Pages
from my guidebook shrunk down so I can fit multiple pages on one sheet of
8.5"x11" paper.Results: Worked as planned Now there are
lots of notes on the DRT page. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Dog tags.
I've had this set for years. They are my good luck charms.Results:
Worked as planned I'm still here. |
0.99 |
1 |
0.99 |
 Ti
wedding ring. To keep the hiker babes off me.Results: Worked as
planned I'm still married and no hot young hiker chicks followed me
along the trail. |
0.14 |
1 |
0.14 |
 Mossy
Oak Mesh Hat.
A brim to keep the sun out of your eyes or to keep the rain off your glasses
in wet weather.Results: Worked as planned The one I took didn't
make it. The stitching started going out during the hike and the bill was
coming off. I'm switching back to my older hat. |
2.08 |
1 |
2.08 |
 Glasses
with case. Transition glasses so they serve as sunglasses. The case is a
microfiber bag so it also serves as a cleaner for the glasses.
Results: Worked as planned I saw everything I looked at. |
0.88 |
1 |
0.88 |
Cheap pair of headphones
Results: Epic Fail The first night out these things died. Luckily
I found a set at Hawk Mountain Shelter. |
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 MP3
player/FM radio with Li battery. Stores 2 Gigs of music and runs off Li AAA
so I can share batteries with my headlamp if I need to.Results: Worked
as planned I always had tunes. |
1.17 |
1 |
1.17 |
 Casio
Pathfinder watch. Compass, altimeter, barometer, and it charges off solar
energy. You just have to calibrate the altitude whenever you get to a point
with a known elevation so it stays as accurate as possible.Results:
Worked as planned This is the first trip I have used this on as a
navigation aid. I could generally tell how much further I had to walk on
climbs by monitoring the altitude on this. |
2.72 |
1 |
2.72 |
| Total |
78.98 |
|
| Consumables - those supplies you use up as
you hike so the weight goes down. |
Days |
Oz per day |
Total |
| Toilet paper |
4 |
0.15 |
0.60 |
| Meds |
4 |
0.10 |
0.40 |
| Cigars |
4 |
0.575 |
2.30 |
| DEET |
4 |
0.05 |
0.20 |
| Hand Cleaner |
4 |
0.05 |
0.20 |
| Iodine Pills |
4 |
0.05 |
0.60 |
| Food |
3.75 |
32.00 |
120.00 |
| Water @ 1.04 ounces per fluid ounce |
1 |
24.00 |
24.96 |
| Drinking alcohol |
4 |
3.00 |
12.00 |
| Alcohol @ 0.79 ounces per fluid ounce |
4 |
1.00 |
3.16 |
| Total |
|
|
162.22 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Oz |
Pounds |
|
1. CLOTHING |
8.4 |
0.52 |
|
2. RAIN GEAR |
1.9 |
0.12 |
|
3. KITCHEN |
7.1 |
0.44 |
|
4. MISC |
8.6 |
0.54 |
|
5. HYGIENE |
1.3 |
0.08 |
|
6. NAVIGATION/LIGHT |
0.4 |
0.02 |
|
7. SLEEPING BAG/RUCK |
46.4 |
2.90 |
|
8. LUXURY |
1.0 |
0.06 |
|
9. CONSUMABLES |
162.2 |
10.14 |
|
TOTAL (summer) |
237.3 |
14.83 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL (- food & water) |
79.7 |
4.69 |
|
|
|
|
|
10. CLOTHING (WORN) |
79.7 |
4.94 |
|
GRAND TOTAL (summer) |
216.3 |
19.77 |
|
|
|
Recognition of support:
Thanks to the following people that are helping out in one way or another:
Dances with Mice for helping me with some Duncan Ridge Trail information so I
can plan this hike. Hog on Ice for making me my first Heineken pot and giving
me stove ideas.Dov Frazer, Chief Relaxation Officer of
Hammock Bliss for sending me the pack
for evaluation.
Peter Pan and Smee of Jacks 'R Better
for the summer quilt and stuff sack.
Brandon of Warbonnet for the Edge
Tarp. MacEntyre of Molly Mac Pack
for the IX Underquilt.
Michelle of
Grand Trunk for sending me the Nano 7
and Pak-Man from hammock forums for suggesting it.
Opie of
Whoopie Slings for making me a
set and then being my advisor when I tried making me own.
Paul from
Arrowhead Equipment for making
me some Woopie Slings and toggles, and for the utility line I used on the tarp.
Just Jeff for his plans for hammock
socks. |
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