My gear weight, whats yours?

All my gear:

Pack: a Golite multiday Infinity, 1.4 lbs empty

Tent: Mountain Hardwear Meridian 2 single person, 4.8 lbs

Sleeping bag: Golite Featherlight 20 degree goose down ,1.4 lbs

Sleeping pad: 2x6 ft Ensolite Blue foam, 10 oz

Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket, 3 oz (w/out fuel canister)

Fuel: MSR 4 oz fuel (or simular canisters), 8 oz  lasts me 2 weeks @ one cooked meal a day

Cook pot: MSR 1 quart, 19.5 oz

Water bottle(s): Nalgene 1 liter 4 each, 6.2 oz each (full 2 lbs of water)

Misc: Nylon spork, knives (3) including Gerber Multitool, bic lighter, flint and steel, meal stuff sacks, caribiners,etc: 8 oz

Total 12 lbs, not including water and food. extra clothes, footwear

Carrying all the above on my bicycle/backpack tours (the way I travel, never had a car) is much easier than backpacking. I use plastic pail panniers (homemade) and bike tools.

I use a site called gear grams to list out my different gear. Here is a look at my current 3 season list with some new items in it for testing purposes. Usually run around 19lbs minus food/water.

http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=3200

GaryPalmer said:

Carrying all the above on my bicycle/backpack tours (the way I travel, never had a car) is much easier than backpacking. I use plastic pail panniers (homemade) and bike tools.

Gary/Clay?  I have to admire how you manage to spend so much time on the trail.  I can see how eliminating a car expense, would really drop living expenses.

When I take the kids up Mt Adams I carry 48-50# minus water.

General backpacking I only carry 35#.

The best way to reduce weight for me is to increase my fitness and shed fat. 

Well, besides my regular gear weight I figure about 2 lbs a day for food and 2-4 more for water weight. Any more when I pack in for a month, I usually cache my food and water prior to staying longer than a weekend.

I did a 256 mile/26 day hike in the Grand Canyon in 1999 and carried in one week food caches for each of the four weeks I was going for. I placed them at 7 day intervals some with a gallon of water, some without that were near reliable water sources like springs or the Colorado.

I have also cached all my gear,food and water in places like Wyomings Gros Ventre Range and then went back out for two more weeks worth of food. Then stayed in one place for a month, dayhiking from base like spokes on a wheel, going different directions each day. Thats also how I began my hiking carreer in Yosemite from Jan-May 1980.

But just my normal gear listed about weighs 12 lbs. On bike tours my bike with racks, tools and spare sokes weighs about 40 lbs. But a bike rolling down the road and/or trails does'nt seem like it weighs much at all. Even loaded down with my gear and a few days food between long distances on the road.

My next trip starting Friday I am riding via I-40 to Winslow, Holbrook,Show Low AZ. It town is about 50 miles apart. I figure about 25-50 miles a day including stopovers at places I plan to hike.

Hmmm... Seems you left out a few things.

Cup?

lighter/matches?

1st aid kit?

compass & map? (& GPS?)

knife?

windscreen?

camera & pouch?

sunscreen?

toothpaste/powder & brush?

comb?

soap, washcloth & small towel?

TP & hand sanitizer & snowstake "trowel"?

Just to name a few items most carry.

see below

Lightweight, but I see two areas where you can cut some more.

1  Your tent is heavy.  You can find 2 person shelters c. 3lbs.

eg. http://tarptent.com

2   Investigate tarps.  More room, less weight.  (many under 1lb.)

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/tarps.shtml

http://gossamergear.com/

3   Nalgene bottles.  Replace with empty gatorade bottles, or platypus models.

http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus

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