3 Season East Coast Backpacking
- Category Weight
-
Pack
1.59 lb
-
Shelter
1.55 lb
-
Sleep
2.82 lb
-
Water Filtration & Carry
0.45 lb
-
Cooking
0.86 lb
-
Bear Bag
0.15 lb
-
Hiking Clothing
3.28 lb
-
FoulWx/Sleep Clothing
1.53 lb
-
First Aid & Hygiene
1.09 lb
-
Navigation
0.35 lb
-
Electronics
1.11 lb
-
Misc
1.6 lb
-
Consumables
10.11 lb
[TL:DR]
Finishing my last section of Vermont's Long Trail in August. Could get cool at night, and during the day on exposed ridges ... With a base weight of 11.7 lbs, and with 10.4 lbs of consumables, for 5 days between resupply, my full pack should weigh ~22 lbs. That's within the comfort range of this pack. I'll be pushing that comfort range if I choose to go longer between resupplies. But only till I consume a few pounds of food...
[/TL:DR]
I adopted UL concepts years ago while planning a 2012 AT thru hike. I learned to appreciate the concepts, and mindset. But I don't base my sense of self-worth on arbitrary base-weight numbers - I pack the minimum I need to stay warm, dry, and healthy given expected risks and conditions. I look at Total Pack Weight for a particular trip, and choose the smallest, lightest pack that can best handle that load.
This spreadsheet helps me do that.
Worn Weight - You'll see items with a shirt logo. That identifies them as "Worn Weight" to the software. That includes everything I wear, stuff in my pockets, and carry in my hands. Right now that adds up to 4 lbs. The software underlaying this web site is smart enough to know that if I list an item as worn, with a qty greater than 1, that I'm not likely to be wearing more than 1 at a time. So it adds the weight of the remainder to the pack's base weight. (I.e. I take 2 pairs of socks and flag them them as "worn." The software adds the weight of one pair to worn weight, and the other to base weight.
Base Weight - The total weights of the pack and everything in it, except consumables and stuff worn
Consumables - Stuff one uses up. Generally food, water and fuel.
The weight of "Base" and "Consumables" combined gives one their Total Pack Weight. That tells one whether the pack they wanted for this trip can support the load they plan to carry. If not, one either needs to switch to a pack with a more robust suspension, or figure out how to make the load lighter, or suffer a few days till they consume a few pounds of food ...
Add full pack weight to worn weight, and you get "total" weight - aka, "Full Skin Out" weight. That number tells one how much weight their feet and knees are supporting.
That Superior Wilderness Designs frameless pack was new to me, and worked fine with this load on the first 200 miles of this trail. It weighs in at 637g. That's 182g or 6.4 ozs lighter than my good old ULA Ohm2. Plus it's highly water resistant, and it fits me a lot better.
So ...
I'll continue northbound, from where I got off to complete my section hike of the LT. That's 65 miles from VT 108, near Stowe, VT, to Vermont's northern border with Canada. That section of the Long Trail is every bit as tough as the toughest sections of the Appalachian Trail. So I'm motivated to go light.
Overnight lows around the northern terminus in early August average around 54°, with the 10 yr record low at 43°. Subtract 3.5° for each 1000' of elevation above the wx station, and the lows at 3000' are likely to be the in mid 40's, with a slight possibility of dipping down into the low 30s. So while I do want to think about how my clothing, sleep and shelter stuff can work together to keep me warm and dry, I don't have to go nuts with heavy base layers and insulation. If I get cold in camp, I can always wrap my quilt around me, and wear all my clothes to bed.
For shelter I'll carry my Dutch Half-Zip hammock, a HammockGear DCF tarp, and HammockGear 40° top and under-quilts. 1.69 lbs is a nice weight for a "shelter," but my "sleep system" is heavy compared to what it would be if I carried a top quilt, a mattress pad, and a pillow instead of all that plus an "under" quilt to keep me warm in a hammock. Choosing to carry a mattress pad in case I want to stay in a trail shelter, or to go to ground, adds 8 oz to my pack. Ultra-Light Blasphemy!
For water filtration, I replaced my old Sawyer Mini with their new Micro. That increased the flow rate, and saved me another 10g!
When I dry camp I like to have 2-3L of water to cook dinner, breakfast, and to start out the next morning with a full water bottle. And if drought conditions have dried up springs, I'll carry 2 liters. I drink from a pair of 600ml Gatorade bottles, and I carry two 900ml Evernew Water Bags as dirty water squeeze-bags. The ones Sawyer provide with their filters fail. Always have, and they still did as of last fall ('19). With all that, my total water carry capacity will be right at 3 liters.
I'm pretty happy with this. I'll keep looking for ways to make it lighter ... Without sacrificing safety, too much comfort, or too much of my life's savings...
[Oblg Disclaimer] I have no personal of financial interest in any companies on this list! No quid pro quo! Links are for informational purposes only! I swear!
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-
Pack
Weight qty -
Pack
SWD Superior 35 HB - Frameless w/ Hip Belt & accy pockets
692
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Pack Liner
Litesmith Nylofume 20 x 37" Pack Liner
27
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Shelter
Weight qty -
Tarp
HammockGear DCF Hex w/ DCF Bag
196
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Hammock
Dutch Half-Zip Hammock (Hexon 1.0) w/ 8" cont. loops
365
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Stakes
Toaks (2), MSR Needles (2), Vargo Ti Shepherd Hooks (4) in orange Toaks bag
97
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Tree Straps
Dutch 12' Spider Web 1.5 (pr)
43
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Toggles
5" Carbon Fiber Arrow Shaft Segments (pr)
3
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Sleep
Weight qty -
Quilt, Top, 40°
HammockGear Burrow 40° TQ
524
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Quilt, Under - 40°
HammockGear Incubator 40° UQ
411
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Sleeping Pad (Non-insulated)
Nemo Tensor Sleeping Pad - Short (48"x20"x3") (R 1.6)
230
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Pillow, Inflatable
Exped Air Pillow UL M
45
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Socks, Sacred
Acorn Fleece, Green
70
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Water Filtration & Carry
Weight qty -
Water Filter
Sawyer Micro Squeeze (wet weight)
62
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Water Bottles
600 ml Gatorade Bottles
38
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Water Bag
Evernew, 900 ml Water Carry
29
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Stuff Sack, Water Filtration
S2S, Ultra Mesh
7
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Cooking
Weight qty -
Cook Pot
Snow Peak Trek 700 Ti Cooker w/ 4 Dog Lid
111
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Stove, Canister
Monatauk Gnat (aka Fire Maple FMS-116t)
47
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Pot Cozy
DIY Cozy for Snow Peak 700
54
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Fuel Canister Stabilizer
MSR Jetboil STB
28
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Fuel Canister (Empty)
MSR IsoPro Fuel Canister (4oz size)
99
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Lighter
Small Bic
0.4
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Cup
Kupilka 21
37
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Spoon
Sea to Summit Long-Handle Ti Spoon
13
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Bear Bag
Weight qty -
Food Bag
Z-Packs Food Bag (10.7 L)
37
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Bear Bag Line
AGG TreeLine, 40' Spectra 725 Line w/ cf rock bag
25
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Carabiner
Black Diamond, Funbiner
6
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Hiking Clothing
Weight qty -
Hiking Shoes
La Sportiva Akasha Mountain Runners
732
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Hiking Shorts
Gramicci, Green
255
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
T Shirt, Wool
Smartwool Merino Tee (w/ Insect Shield)
141
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Underwear
Smartwool Merino Briefs
57
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Socks
Vermont Darn Tough Merino - Hiker 1/4 Cushion
61
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Gaiters
Dirty Girl, Urban Legend, Lg
37
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Ball Cap
Green R&R Hall of Fame w/ lanyard
87
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
FoulWx/Sleep Clothing
Weight qty -
Rain Shell
Montbell Versalite Jacket (L)
186
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Down Puffy
Montbell Ex Light Down Jacket
148
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Dry Bag, Puffy
S2S 4L Ultra-Sil Nano Dry Bag
20
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Base Layer, LW Top
Smartwool Merino 150 Tibetan Red LS
197
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Base Layer, LW Bottom
Icebreaker, Merino 150 Leggings, gray
143
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
First Aid & Hygiene
Weight qty -
First Aid / Meds Kit
DIY - In Grn HG DCF XS Stuff Sack
255
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Hygiene Consumables
Toothpaste, Floss, Soap, Med Shampoo
113
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Toothbrush
Cut down and stripped, natch!
7
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
TP Kit
TP in HammockGear DCF XS Stuff Sack
59
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Trowel
Qwiz small
11
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Nail Maint
Nail cutter & file
21
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Towel
PackTowl Nano
26
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Stuff Bag, Hygiene
HG Grn DFC XS Stuff Sack
3.5
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Navigation
Weight qty -
Map
GMC Waterproof Map
35
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Compass
Suunto M9 Wrist on a Neck Lanyard
15
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Watch
Seiko 5 Military Automatic
56
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Ranger Beads
Black Skulls
8
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Nav App
Guthook, LT
0
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Journal
Moleskine Cahier Lined Journal, 3.5 x 5.5
37
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Pencil
You know, a pencil. Well ... A half a pencil.
7
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Electronics
Weight qty -
Phone
Google Pixel 2
142
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Power Pack
AUKEY PB-Y13, PD 2.0, 10000mAh 18W
197
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
USB PD C Wall Charger
Aukey PA-Y16 w/dual usb c outputs
54
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
USB Cable
USB 3.0 C-C
44
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Pouch, Waterproof, Phone
LokSak 3.375 x 6.25
7
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Dry Bag, Electronics
S2S 1L Ultra-Sill Nano Dry Bag, Green
17
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Misc
Weight qty -
Hiking Poles
GossamerGear Lightrek 4
204
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Headlamp
Black Diamond Ion w/2 AAA batteries
53
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Knife, Fixed Blade
Bark River Knives Adventurer w/ leather sheath
125
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Head Net
S2S Headnet
27
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Bandana
Sunshine Joy India Star, 22" x 22"
32
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Repair Kit
Misc gear repair items
28
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Trash Bag
ZipLock Baggy, Freezer, Gal
12
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Utility Cord
S2S 1.8mm Reflective Cord 6m
7
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Whistle
ACR/USCG
6
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Hand Sanitizer
2 oz Bottle
61
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Bug Spray
Natrapel 1 oz Bottle
45
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Spare Headlamp Batteries
AAA batteries (2)
24
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Wallet, Waterproof
ZPacks w/ ID, DL, CC, DC & Cash
28
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
RoadID Bracelet
Emergency Data
9
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
iPod Nano
6th Gen
20
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Foam Egg Crate Seat
Thermarest Z-Lite Cut Down to fit SWD pack
47
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
-
-
Consumables
Weight qty -
Food
1.5-2 lbs/day
655
g5
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Water
Water at 1g/ml
600
g2
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-
Cooking Fuel
Weight of fuel only
112
g1
- oz
- lb
- g
- kg
-