Essential Gear for Overnight Hiking Trips

After hiking a few overnight trips, the next day out I happen to see a few hikers heading to the same destination with smaller packs and gear. Is this a sign that I'm over packing or the other hikers could be under packing? Could my gear be outdated and bulky? Please give some input on this dilemma , I know it might be a repetitive question but any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks

It is all a matter of preference...meaning exactly HOW comfortable do you want to be. (no, I am being serious!)

Basically, if there is not going to be any rain, you only really need a sleeping bag. Maybe a tarp for a little cover. Heck, if you are real hardcore you don't even really need a stove or water filter.

But for me, I like having the cover of a full tent, and even though they are pretty poor a sleeping pad beneath me. And I'll be darned if I am eating cold food (or even going the least LNT route of cooking over a camp fire). While chances are slim of catching something I will always filter water too.

Brian

Over the years I have found that the bulky items and overpacking are the biggest culprits. Two years ago Bobby and I had a two night trip to Crag Camp in which at the end of the trip we realized that we each had food bags that weighed in around 10 pounds and we had not even eaten half of that...
I used to carry way too many clothes - I have been able to cut way back on that...

Beyond that, I find that over time I have replaced older gear with newer, lighter items - some examples...

Old camping Gaz stove ( a few pounds with fuel) has been replaced by homemade Cat alcohol stove (a couple of ounces with base and windscreen)

Old 20 degree sleeping bag (over 4 1/2 pounds) replaced with 15 degree Marmot that checks in at 1 lb. 10 oz.

EMS 4700 cu pack is around 7 pounds empty - Go Light 5500 cu pack is about 3 1/2 lbs. empty.

Old MSR water filter was about 1 1/2 pounds, new MSR Hyperflow is about 7 ounces...

My cookpot went from about 10 oz to about 5 oz...

My current tent is an EMS Starlight - about 5 lbs...next time I need a tent I am replacing it with a Shire Tarp tent with bottom - about 2 lbs...

Old polyester longjohn bottoms were almost 1 lb - new silk ones are a couple of ounces - and they seem warmer...

I have stuck with thermarest pads and have stayed away from th self-inflating types that weigh a lot more...

Food - figure what you will need and then bring maybe one extra meal and a few extra snacks...remember - this is the Whites - not backcountry Alaska - how far will you be from your car or civilization if you run out of food and need to get more?

Nalgenes - I like them for filtering and measuring, but they weigh 7-8 ounces empty - my solution is to carry one and a Camelback...gives me 4 liters of capacity and not too much weight...empty Gatorade jugs (32 oz) are a good size and toughness and weight a lot less...

Multitools and knives can weigh a lot - as can some headlamps that are older and use heavier battery types...

It is a game - getting the packweight down...and not going broke in the process - but, the enjoyment you get when you are only carrying 30 lbs, and not 50 is immeasurable!

Good luck!

Old Boy Scout drill:

Upon returning home from a backpacking trip, sort your gear into three piles:

Pile 1 = things you used every day.

Pile 2 = things you used only occasionally (less than every day).

Pile 3 = things you did not use at all.

Next trip, take only those items in Pile 1.

Of course, this ought to be done with circumspection. For example, it would be unwise to ditch an adequate first aid kit, or map and compass, or compromise much on other of the 10 Essentials just because they were Pile 2 or Pile 3 items after last time out.

Then there is the already-mentioned option of replacing older items with newer, higher-tech, lighter weight and more compact versions. That approach also helps to keep the consumer economy rolling along …

G.

Grumpy said:

Old Boy Scout drill:

Upon returning home from a backpacking trip, sort your gear into three piles:

Pile 1 = things you used every day.

Pile 2 = things you used only occasionally (less than every day).

Pile 3 = things you did not use at all.

Next trip, take only those items in Pile 1.

Of course, this ought to be done with circumspection. For example, it would be unwise to ditch an adequate first aid kit, or map and compass, or compromise much on other of the 10 Essentials just because they were Pile 2 or Pile 3 items after last time out.

Click to expand...

Of course there is the other side of the coin, too.

When I had my accident (BC skiing), a lot of those things from pile 3 suddenly became very handy, perhaps lifesaving...

Ultimately, much of what one carries (or not) is a judgment call.

Doug

I pack depending on what I'll be doing, and like Brian said, how comfortable you want to be. I pack what I will need and what I will use, not what I may use. Then I add any necessities (first aid, raincoat, etc), and afterwards how comfortable I want to make the trip. I've made overnights with 60 pounds, 10 pounds, and everywhere in between.

Much of my gear is newer now, but when I started hiking again after the divorce it was older and weighed a lot more.

If you're comfortable with it, don't worry about the weight. After all, the ultralight people tend to flock your way when they realize you brought up the beer and nachos.

Thanks

Thanks for all the informational replies. I will be assessing my gear and packing list for the next outing.

Like Mike said, eliminate or replace the BULKY items as much or more than focusing on weight. E.g., most 20F synthetic bags take up lots of space, whereas a 20F down bag can be mashed down much smaller. Also, take a hard look at your shelter; there are really good ones that are compact and light.

Sacrifice comfort for weight. Are you trying to be comfortable or survive? I had a 30-lb pack this weekend, and I cannot imagine how it could possibly be any less. It is generally much, much more than that. However, we skimped quite a bit as the weather forecast was so unbelievably good that I gambled and left out some normal stuff (i.e. tent, gore-tex, pants).

It's very easy in the summer in our woods, because you would survive a (uninjured) weekend out with absolutely nothing (I mean nothing; naked, no equipment). There's plenty of water; you're not going to starve in two days; and you would be plenty warm at night just by digging into a pile of leaves and duff. So now you can take a "zero based budget" approach. Let's add some clothes and shoes or sandals; maybe a rain jacket and a space blanket; maybe a silk bag liner; throw in a water filter and a couple energy bars. Now it's starting to look pretty luxurious, and you're only up to about 7 lbs.

TCD

Check out :
http://www.backpacking.net/

Practical tips /suggestions etc on reducing gear weight and volume. You don't need to spend a lot of money to shed some weight. There is a forum also w/ lots of knowledgeable people from across the country. I know a few members here are also on the backpacking board. It is worth looking at.

I'd second Grumpy's recommendation: If you don't use it every day, then you probably don't need it. (Exceptions to this rule would be first aid and rain gear, IMO.)

One good way to find out exactly what you're carrying is to weigh each item individually. This way, you can can see exactly what are your heavier items. It will also give a checklist of what you might want to update with newer, lighter items and help you make a budget.

some other thoughts over the past few days...

batteries and cameras are great, but like everything there are heavy and light choices...AAA and coin cells seem a lot lighter than a few AAs.

Also, I have a 3L insulated Camelback - the insulated part is heavy - I may rethink this product as in the winter I use Nalgenes anyways - and I do not like my water to be ice cold anyways...

For me, cutting down on my base weight from over 50 pounds to less than 20 or a multi-week solo trip, came down to one rigid principle: every ounce had to be justified, whether for safety, basic comfort, pleasure or budget. Nothing went into the pack without consideration. I tried to examine some of my assumptions about what I need, and often surprised myself. For example, I missed the immediate access to pure water I got with my pump filter, but I didn't miss my stove, pot or fuel.

I'm sure the three piles approach is fine, as long as there is a fourth pile for some safety essentials.

Best advice I can add to what has been already said:

Buy a decent scale (I got mine at an office supplies store for $20) and weigh everything you can. You can easily reduce your pack weight by 3-5 pounds by being discriminating.

Avoid getting all packed and then throwing in a bunch of stuff at the last minute- just in case.

For summer overnights I'm happy to have a total weight without water at around 16-17 lbs. My 40 liter pack weighs just over a pound and I remove the back padding and use my folded sleeping pad in its place.

You'd be surprised how much stuff you can do without once you get going on it.

Ask yourself: what do I really need to have with me to walk, sleep, eat, sit around, stay dry.

If you carry rechargeable AA batteries for camera, headlamp, gps, plus a few spares then you should toss them all on a scale and watch the needle go 'round.

Neil said:

If you carry rechargeable AA batteries for camera, headlamp, gps, plus a few spares then you should toss them all on a scale and watch the needle go 'round.

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NiMH batteries are fairly heavy. (NiCad or lead are even worse.)

I often put NiMH in the gear that I expect to use, and carry lithium spares as a middle ground. If I am trying to minimize the weight, I just use lithium everywhere.

Doug

vwvanagon said:

After hiking a few overnight trips, the next day out I happen to see a few hikers heading to the same destination with smaller packs and gear.

Maybe they were not prepared properly?

Click to expand...

Is this a sign that I'm over packing or the other hikers could be under packing? Could my gear be outdated and bulky? Please give some input on this dilemma , I know it might be a repetitive question but any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks

Click to expand...

Don't let what others do overly influnce what you need. Carry what you need to feel and be safe. As you get more experience you will drop or change stuff, evolving to what works best for you and comfort level at that time.

My pack is lighter than it was and will get lighter as time goes on & with $.

Little Rickie said:

Don't let what others do overly influnce what you need. Carry what you need to feel and be safe. As you get more experience you will drop or change stuff, evolving to what works best for you and comfort level at that time.

Click to expand...

Absolutely! Copying someone else's approach to gear, no matter how successful or experienced they are, and expecting it to work well for you - is like expecting someone else's custom made boots to get you through a backpacking trip. It would be an awesome stroke of luck if it worked out well.

That said, as a volunteer Long Trail mentor for the GMC, I often refer people to the gear lists and links at http://www.backpacking.net/ which Ripple mentions.

Little Rickie said:

Don't let what others do overly influnce what you need. Carry what you need to feel and be safe. As you get more experience you will drop or change stuff, evolving to what works best for you and comfort level at that time.

Click to expand...

Agreed.

There is a similar thread currently going on rec.backcountry. Someone summed it up by commenting something to the effect of, listen to the experienced people argue it out and then choose for yourself.

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A comment on light weight hiking:
Certainly carrying extra weight is tiring and, all else being equal, a lighter load is desirable. However, all that (weighty) gear might have some value to a hiker on the trail (eg. travel, pleasure, comfort, safety, survival, etc). Beginners typically don't know what they will need or how close they can safely cut their margins and pushing for minimum weight is not a good idea. After one becomes more experienced is a better time to start striving for minimum weight.

Doug