“How much does your pack weigh?”
“Base weight is twelve pounds!”
“Dude – that’s way too heavy. Mine is only eight! It’s easy to get down to that weight once you realize that comfort is just a state of mind!”
–Overheard in the backpackers camp at Tuolumne Meadow
While the commitment to lightweight packing is laudable, I took exception to this person’s condescending “I’m better than you” attitude. I also call BS on the assertion that comfort is a state of mind. I’ve spent a lifetime finding creative ways to be uncomfortable in just about every conceivable outdoor situation – and I would suggest that discomfort has nothing to do with my “state of mind.” As proof I offer the following: https://www.seizingthecarp.com/lake-superior-learning-curve/ . It has everything to do with bringing along the wrong gear, forgetting gear (like a tent – yes, it is possible), miscalculating time and distance, bad luck, bad weather, etc.
Now if you’ll wait a moment while I climb down off my self-righteous soap box, I will agree in principle with Mr Ego Head above. I have long ascribed to the scientifically proven “Inverse Weight to Fun Ratio” beautifully illustrated in the graph below.
Conversations about gear are a regular feature along the trail. What’s working? What’s not? What people like/dislike about a particular piece of gear. What people wish they had, or wish they’d left behind. So for your reading pleasure, I humbly submit a few thoughts on the subject of gear in general, and some specific comments on gear we used.
When I did a portion of the JMT a few years ago, I brought a tarp tent that got used once in nine nights out. The rest of the time I slept under the stars. It was glorious. The bug situation made that impractical, so we brought our Black Diamond Beta light and Bug Net tent. Total weight 3 -ish pounds. Not the lightest thing out there, but a third the cost of ZPack shelters and far more durable than some of the ultra, ultra light tents made out of unicorn hair, baby seal tears, and fairy dust. Properly guyed out it easily withstood some gusty conditions. At 6′ 2″, I can fully stretch out and have room to spare at the ends – a bit of a luxury in a lightweight shelter. It is easy to pitch – stake out four corners and insert hiking poles. Initially we thought they’d be a bit of a bother inside the tent, but it turned out to be a non-issue. In fact it actually helped keep Sharon on her side of the tent. You can read an excellent review here: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/ultralight-tent/black-diamond-beta-light We liked it so much that I’m going to re-purpose some tent poles to replace the hiking poles in order to use it on an upcoming bike tour.
Our one big experimental upgrade came with the purchase of down quilts. We both got the 10 degree Revelation model from Enlightened Equipment. I saved quite a bit by ordering a previous year’s model, however Sharon’s newer model had significantly higher loft. (https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/ultralight-sleeping-bag/enlightened-equipment-revelation-20 ) Even on a few frosty, below freezing nights, Sharon was comfy in just T-Shirt and knickers. I’m a cold sleeper, and was comfortable, although many nights I did wear my down jacket. We liked the flexibility of sleeping arrangements with the quilt as well as the weight and space savings compared to our regular backpacking bags. I’m not completely sold on the whole quilt concept, but I can definitely recommend the Revelation.
The last of the “big three” backpacking necessities is the backpack. Sharon hauled out her venerable Osprey Ariel 65. It would have been a bit larger than necessary, except for the need to carry ten days of food in a bear canister. Osprey packs are everywhere, well made and – when adjusted properly – solid, comfy packs. I used my Arrakis 50 from Arcteryx. The Arrakis has several unique features, and is extremely rare. That might explain why it is no longer being made. I love the fit and features, and especially the way it carries a load. Even to save a few pounds, I doubt I’ll ever go to a different pack. We were a bit intrigued by the lighter and smaller Osprey Exos we saw frequently along the way. We might explore that option for Sharon.
Beyond that, our gear lists was pretty straightforward.
- Primus canister stove. In three weeks we used roughly 1 – 8oz, and 2 – 4 oz canisters.
- Cookwear: Aluminum pot and folding silicone cups. Sharon used a silicone bowl, I did not.
- Clothes (me)
- Two running shorts, one pair medium weight tights.
- One Short sleeve T (didn’t need).
- One long sleeve cotton dress shirt. Two technical long sleeve T’s (only needed one long T)
- Arcteryx Thorium AR down jacket with hood (loved it).
- Beanie hat, sun hat, and gloves.
- Bike gloves. I wore these all day, every single day to protect my hands from getting sunburned, and from blisters from using poles. For me, these would be a must bring.
- Electronics: BD rechargeable headlamp. Garmin Mini GPS tracker and two way text. Suunto GPS watch. Fujifilm waterproof camera. Sharon’s IPhone was her camera. Solar charger and small battery pack kept all electronics fully charged.
- We used a 4 L Platypus gravity flow water filter. Larger than the Sawyers that everyone was using. For a group of 4-5 like us, this was much easier and quicker. Also, on a previous trip two Sawyer filters both kind of crapped out on us. Kept it in a small stuff sack strapped to the outside of my pack. We stopped to filter regularly and thus saved the weight of carrying extra water.
- Other: 8″ x 10″ scrap of closed cell foam for a sit/kneel pad (big thumbs up – super useful). Sharon brought an REI camp chair. Half way through I “inherited” Dan’s when he left. Nice, but I’d have been happy with just my sit pad. Trowel (for poo holes). Small roll of tenacious tape, needle and thread for repairs. Very small 1st aid kit…just blister stuff, antiseptic, antibiotic, and burn ointments. Bug head nets which we used once or twice.
- Rain gear. I brought both a jacket and kilt of my own design. Sharon brought her kilt and an old Golite jacket. Amazingly, somehow, blue bird skies for 21 days. Sucked for California, but we did not complain.
- Bear Canisters: A necessary EVIL required on the trail. I used the Garcia’s on the left. Sharon had the BV500. The Garcia’s was slightly smaller, and slightly heavier – but had a superior lid design. We were (just) able to cram in ten days of food.
After three weeks on the trail we felt we had packed well. We had everything we needed and very little we didn’t need. This was clearly a longer trip, but we’ve done this many, many times before. Having said that, we’re always looking to improve, and better ways of doing things. If we took out our “comfort” items and eliminated all electronics, I could have removed 3-4 lbs. Also, the way things worked out, we were a bit light on food at the outset, and then ended up with a bit too much at our 2nd resupply. Still, with ten days of food and water, I was at about 36 lbs, Sharon a few less. I’m sure my “dude” friend above would scoff at such weights, but we didn’t have to just pretend – we were truly comfortable throughout the entire trip.
Hopefully this was helpful. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out and leave a comment below. I/we are always happy to help. Of course, you should always keep in mind rule #1 of hiking the JMT – “Don’t believe anything anyone tells you!” Happy Trails!
