Isle Royale Forums

Some of the stuff I haven't weighed myself so I'm using the manufacturer's claimed weight (which are usually a bit ambitious, but then the tent is actually two ounces lighter than published). For the stuff I have weighed I used my wife's baker's scale. Sometimes I bring my old Columbia fleece gloves, and in some places during hunting season I bring a heavier blaze-orange Cabela's knit hat (I hate it but it beats getting shot). The Hexamid is new to my kit. Prior-to I have been using a Hubba that with footprint comes to 60 ounces, so at the end of last season I was closer to 13 lbs. I also left out my trash Ziplocs, of which I usually bring two, so I should probably add a few ounces there. I don't worry much about the weight of worn items or poles. I suppose I could weigh my phone, but I keep it in my pocket and not in the pack. I find myself leaving the shovel behind most of the time, but if you want to count it that's probably 3 or 4 ounces. Every time I bring more than a pound of food a day I end up bringing food back so I've pretty much accepted that the conventional wisdom doesn't work for me. Since I have a 3L reservoir which I generally fill almost but not all the way, and water weighing 2.2 lbs per liter - I estimate my start-of-day water weight at ~6 lbs (5 lbs in cooler weather). Not weight-related but I usually treat with Permathrin.

List (ounces):
GoLite Tumalo Pertex rain pants 7.00
Dri-Ducks Ultra-Lite2 (top only) 6.00
ZPacks Hexamid Twin w/8 stakes, Cuben Fiber tub** 16.00
Western Mountaineering HighLite 6' bag 16.00
Exped UL Medium mattress 16.20
Zpacks Cuben Fiber pack cover (medium) 0.90
GoLite Jam backpack 29.00
Soto OD-1R stove w/Soto windscreen 3.27
Evernew Titanium 500 mug 2.70
Sea to Summit headnet 0.96
trial size toothpaste, travel brush, medkit, T.P. 2.33
compass, knife, matches, extra phone & light batteries, tape 3.10
Z-Line + ZPacks carabiner + headnet sack = PCT critter bag 0.75
Photon Micro II Pro 0.17
REI Ti long spoon 0.96
Platypus Big Zip 3.0L reservoir 5.80
Sawyer SP122 inline filter 2.00
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus (small) 2.00
extra socks 1.00
REI Lightweight Polartec Power Dry long underwear bottoms 4.95
REI Lightweight Polartec Power Dry long underwear top 6.08
MSR PackTowl Nano (small) 0.40
GoLite Cady synthetic insulated vest 10.00
ZPacks MicroFleece hat 0.95
Granite Gear Uberlight DrySack 18 0.74
Sprintaquatics mesh water shoes 1.9
-----------------------------------------
ounces 141.16
pounds 8.82

**not seam sealed yet

Thanks for all the details. It's been several years since I've worked on downsizing any of my equipment. I'm getting interested in doing some more of it.

It's tough to adequately describe the difference a lighter pack makes, but I have never met anyone who was looking to make their pack heavier. You do need to know your backcountry-self well enough to start subtracting but I'm sure you have many years on me there so good luck. Any time you wanna talk gear I'm a total gear nerd.

I have a goal to try to drop 20% of my carry weight this season. The first step will to probably be to replace my pack. I've been carrying the same one for about 20 years, and could shed some weight right there. I do like Granite Gear (for their Minnesota connection, as well as quality) but the pack sizes seem to run smaller than most multi-day packs. I'm accustomed to the ~4500cu in size; most GG is <4000. Do folks find that an issue? What size do most of you use for "Isle Royale climate" (warm, then freezing, then raining, etc) multi-day backpacking?

The other thing I need to overcome is that I tend to be a cautious contingency planner. Every trip I return and go through all the stuff that I never used.... And every trip, I seem to put all that same stuff back in the pack, since, maybe THIS trip I'll need it/use it. I know I need to stop that practice, but I always feel like somehow I may be unprepared!

Tom wrote:I do like Granite Gear (for their Minnesota connection, as well as quality) but the pack sizes seem to run smaller than most multi-day packs. I'm accustomed to the ~4500cu in size; most GG is <4000. Do folks find that an issue? What size do most of you use for "Isle Royale climate" (warm, then freezing, then raining, etc) multi-day backpacking?

I agree, Tom. I've had a Grante Gear pack that clocks in at 4300 cu. in. and it's the perfect size for up to six days. But now I'm seeing the largest pack is about 3800 cu. in. So sad.

I did see this article today in my news reader, but unfortunately, the rest of the article is blocked at work. Maybe this might be a viable option for you: http://sectionhiker.com/granite-gear-cr ... ker.com%29

fonixmunkee wrote:http://sectionhiker.com/granite-gear-cr ... ker.com%29

That is a sweet pack.

Tom wrote:I'm accustomed to the ~4500cu in size; most GG is <4000. Do folks find that an issue? What size do most of you use for "Isle Royale climate" (warm, then freezing, then raining, etc) multi-day backpacking?

I ended up with plenty of extra room in a ~3000ci pack. Love the roll-top.

Tom wrote:The other thing I need to overcome is that I tend to be a cautious contingency planner. Every trip I return and go through all the stuff that I never used.... And every trip, I seem to put all that same stuff back in the pack, since, maybe THIS trip I'll need it/use it. I know I need to stop that practice, but I always feel like somehow I may be unprepared!

Maybe just try and find lighter versions of things you have a hard time leaving behind but are always considering, or even make your version lighter? Just beware - once you start it's hard to stop. You'll be sawing off the end of your toothbrush in no time.

Tom wrote:The other thing I need to overcome is that I tend to be a cautious contingency planner. ... I know I need to stop that practice, but I always feel like somehow I may be unprepared!

Were you a Boy Scout, too? I'm the same way, but getting better. My first aid bag is probably 1/4 of what it once was, but still larger than most, I'm sure.

Believe it or not, my first backpacking experience (on Isle Royale no less) included a cast iron fry pan. I then started reading Colin Fletcher. He was quite popular in the 70s. I will always remember his quote, “Watch the ounces and the pounds will watch themselves.” I took it to heart. My second trip included a hand modified, extra short toothbrush. It’s the technological advances of the last 20 years that I haven’t quite taken advantage of yet.

BTW, most of my extra carry weight these days can be found just above my belt line.

I used to say that you can have things:
1) inexpensive
2) lightweight
3) durable

Pick two.

Maybe I should consider adding...
4) effective. It simply seems like there must be something wrong with a 2.6 ounce stove.

Well I love the stove but I'm a water boiler, not a cook, so for that it rocks. Anything involving a frying pan, probably not so much.

Hey, we're pretty close in weight and gear! Sometimes it's difficult to find other ultralight Midwesterners.
Thanks for sharing your list! I see lots of neat things to check out.

Here's a link to my evolving list for the Isle in June:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html

Here's my cookset:
http://youtu.be/lxUXAmzJXZ4

And a variation of the clothes I take:
http://youtu.be/fGdfKUMA6rU

photosean wrote:Hey, we're pretty close in weight and gear! Sometimes it's difficult to find other ultralight Midwesterners.
Thanks for sharing your list! I see lots of neat things to check out.

Here's a link to my evolving list for the Isle in June:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html

Here's my cookset:
http://youtu.be/lxUXAmzJXZ4

And a variation of the clothes I take:
http://youtu.be/fGdfKUMA6rU

Backpacking 2012.pdf

Have you considered the Sawyer in-line setup? Some ounces to be saved there (and I've been happy with it so far). I've toyed with the alcohol stove idea but I am pretty happy with the simplicity of my current stove for no-headaches water boiling. My Hexamid ended up at a hair over 17 ounces after seam sealing. I was pretty liberal and used the nearly whole tube between the tent itself and the groundsheet but I did stay dry this last weekend in the Smokies and it rained every night. I am still struggling in the pillow department. I thought I had it solved with the $4 one from antigravitygear but while it is very cool it doesn't quite work for me so I'm going to bite the bullet (and the ounces) and get the Exped UL one.

The Sawyer Inline looks really cool. Unfortunately, my Hiker only has one season of use in the field because I switched to a SteriPen a couple years ago. So, I'm going to eat the extra ounces this trip and take the old pump. It does kill me to see 11 oz on the list every time I look at it. It's almost as heavy as my sleeping bag!

Well other than that I don't see much in the way of fat to be trimmed on your list. Very impressive. I keep my actual list in Google docs as well, and I have it nested in my backpacking page along with a breakdown of how I went lighter. Maybe I missed it but what shoes are you using? Been eyeballing Inov-8 295s but wonder whether they're for real or just BPL dogma. After this last trip I am ditching the water shoes since I've found just traipsing through water in my trail runners works fine as they don't stay wet and even when they are I don't have any blister problems with them.

I wear a pair of Saucony trail runners. I just upgraded to the TR5 Excursion ($39 @ Campmor) from the TR3 Excursion. I've worn expensive boots, hiking shoes, Gore-Tex boots and shoes but have found that with a cheap pair of trail runners I avoid blisters and fatigue. It was nice to have dry feet with the waterproof shoes, but unnecessary for warmer conditions. I also found Gore-Tex keeps shoes wet just as well as it keeps them dry. One miscalculation on a slippery rock and your shoes are wet for the remainder of the trip.
As for camp shoes, I've made my own flip flops out of running shoe insoles. They weigh about 1.5 ounces. See attached.

Ahhh...now I can't get the Sawyer Inline filter out of my head! I have a feeling my pack is going to lose a few more ounces before my June trip. I'll have to skip a few lunches at work to justify it.