Pack list help... and hello...

[Latitude42]

Hey everybody,
The missus and me are heading to IR real SOOON (for 6 nights) and I have a couple of questions that you might have some insight on.
It has to do with the pack weights.... I've never taken her on any extended packing trips (more than 2-3 days) before and going solo I seem to be able to pack a bit lighter...
I've slimmed her pack down to 35 lb. but I am having a bit of trouble with mine. I have a list of what I have packed and the weights... any ideas on
what I could leave behind or change???


Pack; Kelty Trekker 65 external frame w/cover…………………………..…..4lb, 12oz.
Tent ; Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 w/footprint. ………………………………….3lb,10oz.
Sleeping Pad; Big Agnes Insulated Air Core ………………………………. 1lb, 8oz.
Sleeping Bag; REI Igneo ………………………………………………………2lb. 1oz.
Stove; MSR Whisperlite International ………………………………………..1lb, 0oz.
Fuel: MRS Containers, 1) 22oz., 2) 16oz. kerosene………………………..3lb, 8oz.
Water Containers; Camel back 100 oz, 2) 1 liter aluminum bottles ………1lb, 3oz.
Voice Recorder; Instead of a paper Journal …………………………………0lb, 2oz.
Headlamp, spare batteries, flashlight, strobe…………………………………1lb, 0oz.
Compass; …………………………………………………………………………0lb, 2oz.
Mess kit; with 3oz. oil and dish rag……………………………………………..1lb, 2oz.
Pillows; Kelty pillow, one inflatable. need one for my arm(side sleeper)…1lb, 0oz.
H20 Filter; Pur Voyager ………………………………………………………… 1lb, 0oz.
Toiletries: t-brush, soap,mouthwash,comb,asprin,knee brace, towell, t-p….2lb, 0oz.
Camp Shoes; Crocs ………………………………………………………………0lb, 9oz.
Rain Gear, Jacket, pants, gaiters,bug shirt……………………………………. 3lb, 0oz.
camp sink; 10 liter…………………………………………………………………0lb, 8oz.
H2O filter bucket; gather water in and let sediment settle before filtering 0lb, 12oz.
Camp seat; foam pad………………………………………………………….. 0 lb, 8.oz.
Hats, full brim and beanie …………………………………………………….. 0 lb, 10oz.
Fleece jacket …………………………………………………………………… 1lb, 6oz.
Misc; para cord (100 ft),multi tool, duct tape, clothes pins, knife, lighter.. 1lb, 8oz.
Clothes; convert pants, LS t-shirt, SS t-shirt, 2)undies, 2)socks, comp sack 3lb, 8oz.
GPS ………………………………………………………………………………….1lb, 0oz.
Food; Mountain House meals, one for two people, thrice a day (20)+ gorp.12lb, 8oz.


any ideas would be very helpful... I know I'm going to be paying for the extra weight on the ferry ride (from Grand Portage) thats ok, but the trail
weight is a bit concerning...

Thanks again,
Latitud42

[srparr]

Looks like a decent list, but since you are looking to save some weight here are a couple ideas that you might consider:

1) Food: 3 meals a day of freeze dried! This may be convenient, but you might want to look at granola bars/oatmeal for breakfast, and maybe some tuna or salmon packs with triscuits for a couple lunches. Cheddar cheese travels pretty well, and it along with peanut butter crackers and summer sausage or jerky are a standard lunch for me. Using some no-cook meals will not reduce any weight (it will add weight until eaten), but it will let you have some variety and perhaps change how much fuel you need.
2) If you go with some no cook lunches/breakfasts, you will need less fuel. I don't know how much fuel you need to boil water (I'm not a whitegas/kerosene user) but 38 ounces of fuel seems excessive. If you could cut back to just the 22 ounce container that would be a good weight savings! Coffee/tea consumption may be the deciding factor here ...
3) If you are willing to spend money to lighten your load, maybe go with a canister stove. There are Snow Peak stoves under three ounces, and a couple fuel cannisters will weigh less than all that white gas!
4) One weight savings that is inexpensive is to replace the aluminum water bottles with 1L Aquifina water bottles. MUCH lighter, and they will easily last the week. As a bonus they come pre-filled with water or soda!
5) Your mess kit (at over a pound) seems heavy if you are just boiling water and doing freeze dried. Maybe look at cutting it to just one pot and a plate? Most of the freeze dried meals can be eaten with just a spoon or spork. You might still want a couple coffee mugs, but if not a coffee drinker you can just use your water bottles.
6) Camp sink (8 oz) & H2O filter bucket (12 oz) could maybe be combined into a single cut-off gallon milk jug (less than 1 oz)? If you eat the freeze dried meals from the pouches there is very little cleanup (one of the benefits of freeze dried meals).
7) 100' paracord & clothes pins may not be needed. A clothesline is very handy (especially if you wash or rinse clothes on the island), but there are plenty of tree branches around that you can hang clothes from to dry. Maybe cut back to 20' of cord?

Your list looks pretty comprehensive. What is your wife carrying besides sleeping bag, pad, and clothes? If that's it, 35 lbs seems a bit much.

[srparr]

Oh, forgot to add that you should have a good map (not the freebie one at the ranger station). You probably do, but I didn't see it on the list. While the GPS can be fun, it is not needed.

If you are sticking to the trails and not going cross-country, the compass is also not necessary (but at 2 oz is a decent precaution if you expect to do some off-trail stuff).

Do you need both a headlight and a flashlight? Why a strobe but no camera equipment?

[Latitude42]

The strobe is a small LED emergency beacon, weighs about 4 oz.. I think I might have too much fuel also, but the wife is a coffee/tea hound so we will be boiling some h2o.
The reason for the two camp sinks is one to bring water out of lake etc. to be filtered and one to do dishes. The one for dishes will only have filtered water in it, the other one will only have water waiting to be filtered... no cross contamination then... (wife is a medical professional ).
The GPS is a feel good thing for her, along with some other things....
Hey, thanks for the insight...

We'll be out on the island on Wednesday.... let you know how it went....

Happy Hiking,
Latitude42

[DonNewcomb]

Six nights. Will you be at either RH or Windago at any time other than the start and stop? Is your stove multi-fuel? I don't believe that kerosene is available on the island. You can save a few ounces with a Neo Air sleeping pad but at a huge dollar cost. The lighting seems a tad heavy, as do the toiletries and mess kit. Does the mess kit include the cooking pot?

[Latitude42]

Yeah, I think I might do away with one of the 16oz. bottles of kerosene... the stove is multi fuel, I'm burning kerosene instead of white gas because it has more BTUs per pound. I boil a liter of h2o in 4 min.
We will arrive at Windago this Wednesday, from what I hear, the store will not be open yet then.
I just picked up the Big Agnes air pad on Friday, it is less than half the weight of my Thermarest. and is good for cooler weather also...same with the sleeping bag,... I camp a lot in the fall.
The Mountain Hardware tent I just replaced weighed 8.5lb. !!! The new tent is less than half that also...
I'm going to lighten up the toiletries... somehow....
Lighting is a LED headlamp, but has 3 AAA batteries, I went with that so I can go green and use rechargeable batteries, yeah, I did gain weight in the process.
Not sure why the mess kit is so heavy, it is your typical pan-plate-pot mess kit, aluminum... I have a
sea to Summit 16oz mug in it & a spork/spatula .... the pouch is Polar Fleece though to keep noise and rubbing down. I'll have to weigh that again...
OK, the mess kit itself is 16oz. The 3oz, oil, 2oz baking soda (to clean the kit), lighter, matches,dish rag and pouch weigh 8oz.
The hidden weight really adds up! It is really a matter of give and take!
Thanks again,
Latitude42

[johnhens]

Why kerosene instead of white gas?
Curious more than anything.

[Ingo]

Looks like a lot of weight for water needs. I recently got a Platypus GravityWorks filter and love it. It's 11 oz all up, you get 4 liters of storage, or 8 liters if you refill the dirty bag too. I use a 2 liter Platy with hose on the trail, so for < 1 lb I take care of all my water needs with effortless filtering. Sawyer makes one too. Not a cheap solution, but I did wait until I needed a new cartridge for my old filter to ease the pain a little

I also replaced most of my stuff sacks with velcro straps from REI. ("Sport Wraps" they call them). Weighed all the sacks and figure I saved 12 oz. Actually like using the straps better for most things (sleeping bag aside). And they're cheap!

[Latitude42]

I use kerosene instead of white gas because it has a higher BTU content... you get more heat per oz. of fuel burned, so you should be able to carry less fuel because things heat quicker. Gasoline is higher yet, but all the additives glog up the stove quicker....

[DonNewcomb]

Why kerosene instead of white gas?
Curious more than anything.

Kerosene has the advantages Latitude42 mentioned at the price of being harder to clean up if spilled. It is also a bit safer as it it harder to ignite. Also, if you use the raw kerosene, it smells. I prefer to use a deodorized decane-ish fuel such as charcoal lighter in kerosene stoves. Works as well but doesn't smell. Since he has a multi-fuel stove, he can probably switch it white gas if needed.

As for the weight of water gear. I normally use a "Hiker's Friend" gravity filter rather than a pump. I did have a problem with it getting clogged on IR, which never happened before. This was curious because the water was so clear. Anyway, I'd be sure to carry a spare filter element.

[alecto73]

I like the Colin Fletcher quote that Midwest Ed dropped in another packlist thread (http://www.isleroyaleforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1721), “Watch the ounces and the pounds will watch themselves.” I'll just second some of what has already been said. Freeze dried is a supper-only thing for me. I do oatmeal (mix/eat in the packets) with Babybels and/or peanut butter at breakfast and tuna packets or summer sausage with more cheese, Wasa crackers, and PB at lunch. I'm a pretty light eater on the trail though. One of the 4 ounce MSR cannisters boiled all my water for five days using a Soto stove and it isn't empty. My GORP is usually mostly Sport Beans and peanut M&Ms but it varies. I only need a spoon and a small pot to boil water. Definitely second the switch to "bottled water" water bottles. I get by with just a 100 ounce reservoir with an inline filter which also saves weight. It works especially well at IR. I find myself content with a Photon key chain light as all I ever really use a flashlight for is finding things in bags and occasionally the way to the outhouse. I used to pack my Petzl eLite but it was overkill for me. You could probably ditch the five-fifty cord for z-line spectra cord and 100 feet is a heck of a lot. I bet you could skip the clothespins and be ok. May be some room to shave in that rain gear/bug shirt area. You are in pretty good shape on the stuff that usually kills people's base weight; pack/bag/mat/tent, so have fun tuning up the rest of your kit and good luck.

Pack List:
http://goo.gl/h0jFd

[Redbad]

I don't think that you will need all of the stove fuel that you have planned: I used less than 1l of white gas for two weeks on ISRO and that use included boiling water for drinking when I was in a hurry (lazy), heating water to clean my clothes on a zero mile day and cooking (I like cooking meals rather than Mountain House type meals). 22oz of Kerosene (along with some fire paste or your accelerant of choice for igniting kerosene) should be enough.

If all you will be doing is heating water for cooking, then you will not need an extensive cookset: think MSR titan kettle or the like and a spoon. Cutting back here will save ounces.

You might want to consider 1l platypus water containers rather than SS containers (platypus containers roll up eliminating bulk).

There is not a lot of sediment to worry about on ISRO (you do have to worry about small fish and leeches however). In some places (both NLD and SLD) access to the water is down a very steep incline which is difficult enough with closed water containers and which could be very challenging with a bucket-type container (spillage would be a factor). Your pot could double as a camp sink...

Your fleece will double as a pillow (I normally use my fleece this way).

You will want bug spray and possibly a bug hood.

If you really want to cut back on weight think about a tarp (wear your bug hood and your beanie in your sleeping bag to avoid being bitten). I was comfortable with a bivy sack and no sleeping bag in August and I only set up the tarp when there was the possibility of rain.

If you are going to experiment with going lighter than you are used to, I would recommend doing a weekend trip or 2 near your home to work out any kinks before you try ISRO.

[photosean]

There are a few items you can switch out on the cheap, and some you can take away.

Fuel - pick a type and figure out how much you really need and add enough for an extra day.
Water - Platypus Hosers only weigh 3.5 ounces (instead of Camelbacks), use disposable water bottles, gas station variety, they will actually last months to years if you don't toss them around.
Take a Rite-in-the-Rain journal (No 391-M, .6oz, 24 pages), and a Papermate (.2oz). If you've got a voice recorder, I imagine you do a bit of shorthand so 24 little pages should be adequate.
Headlamp only - ditch the rest. Many headlamps will give you up to or more than 80 hours of light, plus they have a strobe function.
Pillows - put the clothes you're not wearing in a stuff sack for at least the extra pillow for your arm.
Toiletries - Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap. Good for washing clothes, washing dishes, bathing, and brushing teeth. The taste goes away a couple minutes after brushing, it does taste like soap. Leave the mouthwash at home.
Rain gear - Bug shirt? If it's like a head net, just take a head net. Treat all your clothes in Sawyer Insect Repellent (permethrin), works wonders. DriDucks jacket and pants weigh in at under a pound and are semi-disposable (mine are in their 3rd season and still running strong). If you do get a tear, they're field-repairable with duct tape.
Camp seat - your backpack should have a big piece of foam that's accessible.
Multitool/knife - Take a Mora #1 or the smaller #2/0 (I use the smaller). 1.8 oz. I haven't found a sharper knife. I could shave with it if I had to.
Duct tape - wrap a bit around your water bottles and/or trekking poles. You don't need a whole roll.
GPS - If you can read a map and use a compass, you're probably fine without a gps. You're on an island, find the shoreline, get you're bearings and read that map.
Food - hot meals 3 times a day is ambitious. Make some Logan bread, pack energy bars and other snacks for lunches. Take cereal/granola and powdered milk for some of your breakfasts.

Here's my list for the Isle from June 15 to June 23; 8 nights, 9 days:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html

It's a little lighter than most people would feel comfortable with, but you might get a couple ideas to lessen your weight.

[DonNewcomb]

Toiletries - Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap. Good for washing clothes, washing dishes, bathing, and brushing teeth. The taste goes away a couple minutes after brushing, it does taste like soap. Leave the mouthwash at home.

Dr. Bronner's has a tendency to turn solid if the temp gets below about 50° F.

[photosean]

I used Dr. Bronner's last fall during a trip in the Smokies where temps were in the 40s and 50s and I didn't have any problems. It's the only soap I'm taking to the Isle in June. I'll only take an ounce or so in a dropper bottle. If it turns solid, I'll put it in my pocket for a few minutes before needing to use it. No worries.