Going ultralight in backpacking is serious business. It always has been. The backpacking towel on the left in the photo was considered the ultimate in a lightweight towel for years. My ultralight towel for this year is on the right.
Ultralight backpackers are a serious bunch. I read the other day that you should be able to get by on two sheets of toilet paper per day. Not this kid. I am serious about reducing the weight of my pack, but not that serious. I need a few creature comforts— and I need more than two sheets of TP per day! Also, I refuse to use leaves, even though I know what poison oak looks like. (Fannies etc. are not happy when they come in contact with poison oak or ivy!)
That having been said, I have worked hard to get my pack weight down. I figure with backpacking a thousand miles at age 75, I need every break I can get. And I’ve succeeded. My pack, including eight days of food and fuel, now weighs 28 pounds! Back in the dark ages of backpacking, which was back in the late 60s when I started, my pack for 7-9 days usually weighed between 55 and 65 pounds. Fifty pounds were ultralight for me!
It wasn’t that folks didn’t want to reduce weight in the early years. In fact, one way people had of defining a serious backpacker was whether she had drilled holes in her toothbrush. (I never did.) The primary difference today is that modern equipment weighs so much less. My pack towel featured in the top photo is a good example. But almost every piece of equipment I own has gone through a similar evolution. And it is happening fast. I’ve replaced my light, two-person, 4 1/2 pound North Face Tadpole Tent of the last four years with a 2 1/2 pound, two person Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 for the TMT (thousand mile trek).
REI Medford and I have become quite close over the past three months! And the staff has been tremendous, especially Elise, who always greets me with a large smile and supports my efforts to find bargains where bargains are to be had. The latest, lightest gear is not cheap! But consider this. Trying to go light last year without replacing much gear, my pack weighed in at 40 pounds with eight days worth of food— 12 pounds more than this year’s. Buying light, and weighing everything that goes into my pack has made a significant difference.
Everything that goes into my pack has been weighed on my kitchen scales. Here, my MSR Pocket Rocket stove weighs in at 2.6 ounces.
I thought it might be fun to share what I am carrying on the TMT since most of you will be joining me on my trip, virtually if not literally. Let me start by noting I organize my gear in categories: There is my house, my kitchen, my bathroom, etc. Since I kicked this post off with a discussion on TP, I’ll start with my bathroom, which I am sure you are eager to learn about. (Grin.)
Here’s my bathroom. I put my keys in for a size comparison. The dark blue cloth is my backpack towel. I, quite manfully, carry a pink wash cloth. Other items include biodegradable soap, hand lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, TP, and hair brush— the latter with its broken off handle has been with me for decades. I borrowed the small jar from my medicine cabinet. It houses cotton swabs and floss. The soap does triple duty including baths, dishes and clothes. The disposables are designed to last me eight days on the trail.
Having pulled together my ‘bathroom’ with eight days of supplies, I pack it all together, which is how it goes into my pack. It weighs 9.4 ounces.
These go into my “essentials’ bag. A whistle can be critical if you are injured or lost. The sound carries far. Next to it is a bottle of water purification tablets, then my knife and compass. My maps, also essential are packed elsewhere. My headlamp comes next. The bottom row includes sunblock, insect repellent and rope. Spot is a GPS based gadget that lets my family know where I am each night and also serves as an emergency beacon, informing officials that I have been injured and letting them know where I am. Hit the emergency button and rescuers are on the way. Matches are packed in a water proof bag.
Also essential, but packed separately is my first aid kit. While it is small and light, it is packed full of various bandages, gauze, medicines, ointments, tape, and even a basic first aid guide. It weighs in at 7 ounces.
My kitchen: Everything needed to cook and eat— my stove, dishcloth, bucket, coffee and tea mug, 4-ounce fuel container and its base, bowl and spoon, and an all-purpose titanium cook pot that holds up to 32 ounces of water. I also use the bucket for bathing and washing clothes as well as hauling water to camp.
Water, is critical out on the trail, and micro-organisms such as giardia require that water be filtered or treated. The Katadyne bottle comes with its own filter and is my go-to bottle. I also fill the Platypus bottle on the left when it’s a long ways between water sources. The MSR filter on the right is in case the Katadyne filter decides not to work! Another trick I use is to camel up when in camp! I am constantly drinking liquids.
I carry a back-up bag in the bottom of my pack. It includes extra batteries, TP, matches and fuel. I also have my ‘burner’ cellphone, a repair kit, athletic tape for wrapping a sprained ankle, and a knee brace. Since I am blind as a bat if my glasses break, I always carry an extra pair.
Food for 8 days for one person. I normally carry about one pound per day. I may have to add to this as I use up fat reserves. 🙂
These are my clothes that I will be carrying (as opposed to wearing) depending on weather. On the left is my rain jacket and next to it my down jacket. My red clothes bag includes a T-shirt, underwear, extra socks, rain pants, long pants, a warm beanie hat, and warm gloves. Everything is designed to be worn in layers, more when it’s cold, less when not. I can easily handle most spring, summer and fall weather conditions with theses clothes. Laundry is done each night!
Here’s my house and furniture. It includes my tent, chair, sleeping bag, and sleeping mattress. I switched from a down bag to a down quilt this year. For yeas I have mainly used my bag as a cover anyway. The Therm-a-rest chair works in conjunction with my Therm-a-rest mattress.
This is what all my gear together looks like.
And here is everything packed up. Anymore and I would need a bigger backpack.
Here’s a view of the back. I really like the pockets on the waist belt. One will house the Canon Power Shot G7X camera I will be carrying. The other will accommodate Spot.
And that’s it folks! I am ready to hit the trail. Not shown is a small bag I carry that accommodates my maps, journal, field guide and book, which will likely be my Kindle.
UPCOMING POSTS: As I mentioned earlier, preparing for the trip limits the number of blogs I can post and the amount of time I can spend reading blogs. I am already missing my daily fix! Still, I hope to get up two blogs per week and catch up with your adventures every chance I get.
FRIDAY’S POST: I have a discussion on power politics with my cocker spaniel Tickle on MisAdventures.
TUESDAY’S POST: Part I of my route preview. The first 500 miles.
Wandering through Time and Place 