Could I get a gear check please?

[JohnStrider]

Hi guys,

I've just been going through my hiking kit and was looking for any suggestions on where I can save weight.

So here is what I have taken into consideration:

One Planet Ned Medium - 2.7kgs
One Planet Wurley 3 Tent - 2760g (inner and fly only, poles and pegs carried by someone else)
Sea To Summit Ultralight Large mat - 483g
Enlightened Equipment Quilt - 757g
Mountain Designs Lightweight Merino Pants - 146g
Mountain Designs Lightweight Merion L/S Unisex Top - 165g
Mountain Designs Merino Socks - 70g
Aldi Hike socks - 100g
CFC Rain Coat - 260g
Kathmandu Pocket stove - 193g
First Aid Kit (Leuko tape, Elastoplast bandage, toothpaste, small toothbrush, scissors, 7 x bandaids, 9 x Elastoplast blister pads, 4 x gastrolyte sachets, 4 x panadol tablets) - 257g
Hiking pole x1 - 253g
Source WP 3 Litres - 3kgs
Food x6 days - 4.8kgs (based on 800 grams per day)
Kathmandu cooking pot - 141g
Kathamandu handle - 48g
Gasmate cannister - 230g
Topo Map
Compass

Total - 16.36kgs

I'm sure there are other important things I haven't mentioned (such as a PLB and torch etc) but I don't have them yet.

Any thoughts/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Trying to lower my kgs for my 9 day hike at the end of the year in the north island of NZ. The tent will split between myself and my hiking partner i.e. one person will carry the fly and the inner, while the other will carry the poles + a little extra of the other person's food to balance out the weight between the two of us.

Cheers

JS

[Gadgetgeek]

what's your water treatment solution? a thought would be to add in a backup water bottle, I wouldn't trust a bladder on its own for 9 days.
Do you have a stove on the list? I would go with one cooking container, unless they are doubling up as plate/cup. (and make sure you have a spoon or something) The lighter seems pretty heavy, you could light the stove with a mini-bic, or a firesteel.

Weight wise it looks pretty reasonable. I wouldn't mind being in that range, normally that's my base with water and food above it. To be honest I'd be really thinking about comfort over 9 days, and how any gear repair might be undertaken. plus backup/ spares, depending on the group, those can be shared. as in, not everyone needs a spare light in most cases. I would figure out what sorts of things will be show-stoppers for your trip, and figure out how to fix/prevent them. like which buckles are critical, can you replace a shoelace, that sort of thing.

[JohnStrider]

Should have rephrased the Pocket lighter as Pocket stove. It's one of those fold up ones. Similar to this: http://www.kathmandu.com.au/accessories ... ilver.html

I usually take a water bottle with me and I have yet to buy a water treatment solution. Was thinking a Mini Sawyer. Haven't been anywhere yet that water isn't nearby.

I'm hiking with a group of four which is split into two teams of two, so the pot would be for me and the pan for the other person in my team. Spork is in the mail

[Hallu]

Kathmandu make you pay extra for the pan handle ? lol

[simonm]

You say it's a 9 day walk but you only have food for 6 - that is a good way to lower weight

The biggest place you will save weight is going to be your tent and pack, but that can be a relatively expensive exercise.

[andrewa]

Very true Simon. I ended up making my own rucksack which is about 1400g, and 80-90l ( it needs to be large, as I often carry ski boots in it in winter, or a packraft and helmet). I also use a Zpacks hexamid twin for summer hiking. It is about 500g (or less). There are some newer model Zpacks shelters which are bigger, and look ideal if you want to share a tent with someone.

PS Why do you need a cooking pan, as well as a pot?

A

[Gadgetgeek]

makes sense. There are lots of opinions on filters. Do any of your hiking partners have a filter? might be a good way to save weight.

[JohnStrider]

Kathmandu make you pay extra for the pan handle ? lol

No. I just broke the set down.

You say it's a 9 day walk but you only have food for 6 - that is a good way to lower weight

The biggest place you will save weight is going to be your tent and pack, but that can be a relatively expensive exercise.

Food is based on how much I'll be carrying at any one time. The first two days of the trek I will have sent over a food parcel + plus we will be walking through towns so dinner will be sorted on both nights. Day 9 ends with our final destination in Tongariro Holiday Park where I will have sent another food parcel.

The tent will be split between two people, as mentioned. I have a two man tent but recently upgraded to a 3 man tent as myself and my hiking partner are around 188cm and between 80-90kgs. Add two packs to that and a two man tent starts to become a little tight for room. Tested out the 3 man tent last weekend and there is plenty of room for both of us and our packs.

Very true Simon. I ended up making my own rucksack which is about 1400g, and 80-90l ( it needs to be large, as I often carry ski boots in it in winter, or a packraft and helmet). I also use a Zpacks hexamid twin for summer hiking. It is about 500g (or less). There are some newer model Zpacks shelters which are bigger, and look ideal if you want to share a tent with someone.

PS Why do you need a cooking pan, as well as a pot?

A

As mentioned in my response to GG's post, it's for two people. One uses the pot, the other uses the pan.

[Moondog55]

Shared gear is usually shared weight so realistically just show the carried weight for each of you

[JohnStrider]

Shared gear is usually shared weight so realistically just show the carried weight for each of you

Done. I've taken off the pan and the weight of the tent pegs and poles to reflect how much I will be carrying at any one time.

MD, do you have suggestions of where else I could cut down on weight?

[Moondog55]

None at all I'm sorry
Being your first big trip the whole thing is going to be a learning process and as I am so far away from being an ultralighter myself I don't consider the listed weight extremely heavy
You haven't listed any camp clothing, lighting or cold weather gear so it may wind up a kilo or three heavier again
Sleeping gear weight seems reasonable and given your budgetary restraints on the tent and your need for the extra space [ which IMO you do really need] all I can suggest is training to get as fit as possible before the trip

[JohnStrider]

The rain coat will probably come under cold weather gear. Still weighing up whether or not to invest in the rain pants, but I think I will in the end. Just don't have them yet hence why they aren't on the list. The ones I have looked at weigh 250grams. Camp clothing will most likely be my Kathmandu merino layers. Worn them during summer before and they do the trick. If it gets colder I can always use socks and chuck on my rain coat etc.

All other clothing items shorts, skins, lightweight breathable tshirts etc will be worn whilst hiking. If it's not listed above, I'm yet to purchase it. My second tshirt and sporks should be here next week.

Re: training and getting fit, I've been hiking pretty much every second weekend since November and am at the gym 2-3 times a week. I'll vary the weight I carry on these hikes, as well as the kilometres I travel. Have done two overnight camping trips and will be going on my third next weekend to Marysville. Have plenty of other trips planned for the rest of the year before the end of December.

[Moondog55]

Even in the middle of summer I take something warm apart from the spare long johns as it can get quite cold at night
This is an area where weight can be saved by going ultralight down for instance but then it becomes a dollars issue.
Do you have a windshirt yet? Just blocking the wind can increase the warmth of the second layer of underwear a lot, I think mine weighs 120 grams in XL Something like the cheap Uniqlo down parka also works and I only on-sold mine because of a sizing issue [ they run small] and a down jacket or parka can be worn at night too if it gets very cold and I always have my balaclava or beanie in the pack for the same reason

[neilmny]

First aid wise 4 Panadol aren't going to stretch over 9 days if you get the aches.
Some anti inflamatory tabs would be good to have too.

[JohnStrider]

First aid wise 4 Panadol aren't going to stretch over 9 days if you get the aches.
Some anti inflamatory tabs would be good to have too.

Yeah it's very basic at the moment and those panadol will be replaced with anti-inflams. Got some voltaren lying around here somewhere.

[Bluegum Mic]

I would also consider some imodium in that first aid pack too. Can be a godsend if your tummy gets crook mid trip.
I agree with Moondog that a fleece or lightweight down jacket would be a good addition. A few members have purchased the cheap uniqlo ones and seem happy. NZ can be cold any time of year so a light warm layer would be a good addition.

[andrewa]

Other than the tent and rucksack, everything else seems reasonable....and, oh yes, I still don't see any use for the pan! A cheap plastic bowl is lighter, and just as practical.

I often take a round microwave dish with lid, which not only is an eating recepticle, but I use it for cooking 2 min noodles ( noodles and hot water in bowl, lid on whilst heating up other stuff in billy); storing biscuits and other lunch items in during the day, so the biccies don't break, and I use the lid as a cutting board. I've also used those collapsible plastic bowls made by Sea to Summit, or the cheaper "dog's bowl" versions on eBay, as they pack well - the larger s2s cup makes a great cup/bowl. Do you really need billy grips ( which is what I presume the "handle" is? I know it's only 50g, but a washcloth or insulated gloves work fine, and are then multiuse.

With your sleeping mat, does that have insulation in it? If its purely air core, it's rather heavy, but if it's insulated as well, then there's not a lot around that's much lighter. I've used torso length air core mats in summer which are about 250g, but I think I'd rather carry an extra few hundred grams for a longer, thicker and warmer mat, especially as this allows me a slightly lighter weight quilt.

Watch the weights of things like raincoats/pants/outer insulated clothing. I try to keep them as much under 300g as possible. Your jkt is a good weight. Remember fleece is quite heavy, often 7-800g for a 300 wt jkt, and anything made out of thicker goretex is also up around the 500g+ weight. I regularly wear my goretex packlite pants as long pants, and just take shorts/thermals, but it depends so much on what I'm doing (my trips are rarely pure bushwalking - normally also flyfishing, packrafting or skiing, so I have different "multiuse" clothing.

A

[JohnStrider]

With your sleeping mat, does that have insulation in it? If its purely air core, it's rather heavy, but if it's insulated as well, then there's not a lot around that's much lighter. I've used torso length air core mats in summer which are about 250g, but I think I'd rather carry an extra few hundred grams for a longer, thicker and warmer mat, especially as this allows me a slightly lighter weight quilt.

Watch the weights of things like raincoats/pants/outer insulated clothing. I try to keep them as much under 300g as possible. Your jkt is a good weight. Remember fleece is quite heavy, often 7-800g for a 300 wt jkt, and anything made out of thicker goretex is also up around the 500g+ weight. I regularly wear my goretex packlite pants as long pants, and just take shorts/thermals, but it depends so much on what I'm doing (my trips are rarely pure bushwalking - normally also flyfishing, packrafting or skiing, so I have different "multiuse" clothing.

Cheers for your input, Andrew.

Re: the tent, given we'll be walking for 9 days, a 3 man tent split between 2 is probably best. I put up a thread a few weeks ago regarding tent space for 2 people of similar height and weight, and whether a 2 man tent would do the job. The consensus was that a 3 man tent would be more appropriate. The One Planet tent I bought was $200 and retails at around $550. The previous owner was pretty much giving it away.

The sleeping mat isn't insulated. However, according to S2S site, the one I have is 85g lighter than its insulated counterpart of the same length. Mine was 483g when I weighed it, but the website says 455g. Either way, it is lighter than the insulated version.

Typically my hiking clothes i.e. the ones I wear during the day, include football shorts (lightweight and dry easy), Skins, a lightweight drifit tshirt and Merino icebreaker socks with my Salomon Quest 4D hiking boots. If it's cooler, I will chuck on my MD long sleeve merino top. If it rains, I chuck on my rain coat. So far, so good. I will keep in mind your point about making sure all raincoats etc to be kept under 300g.

[JohnStrider]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question on my backpack. Despite it being a decent backpack, I'm wondering if it is too big and I should look at possibly getting something else? I have no intention of selling my current one, but I'm thinking of getting one that can still take 70L, but lighter.

Would anyone have any suggestions? Or should I look to subtract weight elsewhere?

[Empty]

Everyone raves about those OP packs. Seems a bit of an extravagance to buy another. You appear to be carrying more than your fair share of the tent though.

[JohnStrider]

Everyone raves about those OP packs. Seems a bit of an extravagance to buy another. You appear to be carrying more than your fair share of the tent though.

I'm not looking at buying another OP pack. Was looking for suggestions for another pack from a different brand that could take 70L and are lighter. If that's even possible.

Who carries what from the tent will be rotated every day. I chose to include the inner and the fly in the above list as it would be the most I would be carrying.

[Empty]

I meant another pack rather than another OP pack. It just seems odd that you scrimped on the tent and now want to lash out on another pack. A lighter tent would have been a much better investment in my view.

[JohnStrider]

I meant another pack rather than another OP pack. It just seems odd that you scrimped on the tent and now want to lash out on another pack. A lighter tent would have been a much better investment in my view.

Ah yep. With you now.

Just throwing up a thought. I highly doubt I'll do it considering it's a decent pack, but just thought I'd see what was out there.

[Empty]

I have an Aarn featherlight freedom John which I think holds about 70 litres with the large pockets. I would definitely recommend it but for many on this forum they are unpopular because they are a bit too different in style and appearance.

Without doubt the best investment I made in backpacking gear but It would set you back more that $400 which is also a big consideration.

[JohnStrider]

Have seen them around a fair bit. OurHikingBlog raves about them. I think the horse has bolted on the backpack.

When looking at tents, I was tossing up between the OP Wurley 3 or the Vango Helix 300. Went with the OP for its durability.

[wayno]

you have to have an aarn pack fitted properly, ideally from a shop that knows how to fit them and set them up or you wont get the benefit from the design.... they can be fiddly to adjust correctly, and thers a bit more faffing around putting them on and taking them off, they arent for everyone.

[Gadgetgeek]

As rough as it is to have a heavy pack, its probably better to have a sturdy pack that can handle more weight, than save a kilo on the pack, but have it be overloaded. I would keep that pack until the rest of your gear lowered in weight enough that you know you will be under the limit of a lightweight pack, then upgrade.

[wayno]

As rough as it is to have a heavy pack, its probably better to have a sturdy pack that can handle more weight, than save a kilo on the pack, but have it be overloaded. I would keep that pack until the rest of your gear lowered in weight enough that you know you will be under the limit of a lightweight pack, then upgrade.

the lightest packs have to be packed the most carefully, thres often little in the way of support and pading in the back, pack it badly and theere could be items digging into your back or it doesnt sit evenly . or doesnt distribute hte weight evenly... some have hip belts that dont support a lot of weight well..

[JohnStrider]

As rough as it is to have a heavy pack, its probably better to have a sturdy pack that can handle more weight, than save a kilo on the pack, but have it be overloaded. I would keep that pack until the rest of your gear lowered in weight enough that you know you will be under the limit of a lightweight pack, then upgrade.

Yeah that's my line of thinking too. Is there anything on my list that could be reduced or replaced with something lighter?

Cheers for the input too, Wayno. Appreciate it.

[Gadgetgeek]

you could go with titanium pots, my set is supposed to weigh 175 grams pot and pan, with handles (snow-peak trek 900), there are lighter stoves, little things like that. But its less about squeezing every gram out and more deciding what your comfort/skill/safety/ level is and deciding what weight you are happy to carry. Like I said, I don't think your weight is all that excessive, and over time experience will dictate what gear is more important, and what can be left behind. My gear is overkill and far to heavy, but for what I do, it needs to be. when I've got other peoples kids relying on me, my gear has to work, has to be simple, and be tough. If I was only ever on my own, I'd loose a lot of the weight just because its only me relying on the gear, and my personal risk/comfort tolerance is much higher.