Welcome, guest [login | register]

Posted by Bill S on April 17, 2008 at 12:19:29 pm EDT
In reply to Minimalist or Everything but the kitchen sink? posted by Bryan L on February 22, 2008 at 12:56:24 am EST

bheiser,
Light and even "ultralight" gear does not have to be expensive. You refer to your Kelty D4. I forget exactly which model of Kelty that is, but IIRC, it is similar to my Kelty Mountaineer, which is a little over 2 pounds. The D4, I think, had a heavier waist belt.

The real secret to cutting down the weight is keeping a list of what you take and at the end of the trip, checking off what you actually use. When I started doing that, I immediately cut the weight of my pack by half - so much stuff I never used. You say you are backpacking in the Sierra in summer. Well, temperatures in the summer Sierra (my main backcountry area, with the expeditions being only once or twice a year) are pretty benign, so the demand on clothing is pretty minimal. Since clothing wears out, you can cycle to lighter-weight, warmer, and less expensive clothing in just a couple years. Stores like WalMart, Target, etc have been selling fleece, synthetic wicking T-shirts and underwear, pants and shirts for a number of years now that may not be as fashionable, well-made, or durable as the Big Names, but they work just fine (especially for a retiree living on a pension and Social Security, like me - yes, I do have a way of getting some of the Big Name stuff at WalMart prices, but I do sometimes go into the mobs and deal with the surly "associates").

You say you have a 2 pound bear canister - really? I have several canisters available (since I work with Scout troops and can borrow them as needed), and even the small size Bear Vault (the new one that supposedly the Sierra bears can't get into, unlike the earlier models) is a little over 2 pounds - and it doesn't hold much food, just barely a weekend's worth. If you are carrying an extra day or so food, you need a larger container (the BearIKade is lighter for the capacity, but MUCH more expensive). Yes, in the Sierra, a bear canister is a necessity.

You don't really need a tent in the Sierra, since storms in summer are rarely more than a couple hours and things dry out very quickly. I didn't use a tent at all when I was in high school and college, until I was in my mid-20s, just a plastic tube tent or plastic sheet that I laid over me (a 3 mil 9x12 plastic drop cloth costs $2-3 at the local hardware store, less back then), and works just fine, and weighs less than a pound. Only thing the tent is better for is the mosquitoes that are present from snow melt until sometime in August. And a few yards of mosquito netting solves that problem. For Sierra summer storms, a poncho is fine, and covers your pack as well as you. Besides, it is cooler. Yes, there are some major problems with ponchos, but used in the appropriate place (like the Sierra, or in the rain forests in Tanzania, where I really wished I had one), they are actually better than rain jackets and rain pants, plus a lot lighter and less expensive.

8 pounds of tent? That must be a roomy 2-3 person tent. When I do take a tent in summer, it is a fairly roomy 2-person tent, shared with Barb (meaning the load is shared as well), and that's a 5.5 pound tent that has lasted for something over 6 years now (the expedition tent is for winter). It wasn't all that expensive, either (close-out at an REI sale).

60 pounds? That sounds way too heavy for what you actually need for summer Sierra. Yes, camera gear adds a lot. I used to pack a 4x5 view camera in, with tripod, sometimes. Not these days, though, since my town has banned chemical darkrooms, unless you have very expensive filtration and hazardous chemical handling and disposal (Kodak used to have a processing lab here, but moved out because of the restrictions, and we also have no 1-hour film and print places any more, though neighboring towns do). As you know from my trip reports (in Trailspace News, for Antarctica and Kilimanjaro), I frequently carry a large load of camera gear - DSLRs these days, 2 bodies, pro lenses from 12mm through 400mm, polarizers and UV for all lenses, remote flashes, auto-tripping release for catching wildlife, tripods, photostorage drive. Yes, it adds up, but even with all the camera gear (often around 15-20 pounds worth), I don't get to the 60 pound level for backpacking (I do if carrying climbing gear, but then half to 2/3 is the climbing gear).

No, the solution is NOT buying expensive gear. It is being judicious in choosing what to take (I prefer to spend my money on the camera gear, not the camping gear). You say you actually use everything you take. But do you make things do multiple duty? How many pots do you need for cooking? For a weekend trip, how many changes of clothing do you really need (I sometimes see people with 3 or 4 changes of clothing, including their warm gear for temperatures well below freezing - ya know, with just a little care, you won't get everything wet on a weekend backpack).

Replies

View: flat | threaded

There have been no replies

Post a Reply

Before replying, please read the complete thread.