Pack Diet

After this trip I have been planning my next week-long trip and looking at what I need to take for a week as opposed to a 3-4 day trip and also what extra luxuries I might appreciate for a longer trip.

As part of this planning I have been looking to shed weight from my previous pack based on the fact that the weather will probably be slightly warmer and the terrain is lowland rather than mountain and so worst-case weather will be less bad.

After a systematic review of my pack contents I was surpised to find that I had shedl over 2.2Kg from the previous 6.1Kg base weight. This was 1Kg more than I had thought that I could get rid of.

Now, this leaves a base pack weight of 3.9Kg which will probably increase by up to 500g by the time I add in things like Suntan Lotion, DEET and so. Some of the new weight will be for an ultralight first aid kit and bottles of essentials.

What I will do is look at the list from the previous trip and see where the savings are:

What and Why

Pack - Homemade - Saving 300g

The DIY pack replaces the Go Lite Jam for this trip. The big changes for this pack over the Go Lite is the lighter materials (Silnylon for the body, 500d cordura for the friction areas) but with a padded back with an internal frame and a [barely] padded waist belt. I wanted the comfort of my larger pack but without the weight. Ironically after making this pack I discovered that my smaller kit list means that I could easily get away with a smaller pack - that would be less comfortable and heavier. I think the OMM 25 will still be a little too small.

Sleeping Bag - Mountain Equipment Helium 400 - saving 900g

This is the single biggest change. The previous sleeping bag (a Snowline 750) was totally overspecified for the weather and this one will do just fine and still have a good margin for error.

Sleeping Mat - Thermarest Prolite 3 - loss 300g

This may or may not happen. On the route I am taking stealth camping is going to be the order of the day and I think a large mat on the outside of the pack is a bit obvious. Of course, nothing is certain until I set off.

Shelter: Home-made Tarp and base - saving 160g

I will be in the lowlands and so can get away with a much simpler shelter - a 2.3mx1.5m tarp with one end closed off (more tent than beak) and a bath-tub groundsheet. This is an ideal setup for lowland camping and is much lighter.

Cookware - MSR Pocket Rocket, 125g canister and Snowpeak Ti Mug

No change here. The only question is whether or not I take a larger cartridge. I calculate the smaller canister will last 5 days and my trip will last 5-7 days. I do not know if I want two days without hot drinks if the cost is 80g.

Navigation - Ortlib A5 case + Map + compass

No change. Although since I will be using a waterproof guide map I may not take any O/S map with me - not even sliced. It might be a net weight gain or loss

Footwear- Trail running shoes

I have bought and tested a different pair of trail shoes worn with light walking socks (for the extra padding around the heel and toes). They are under 800g in weight and my feet thank me.

Extremeties - Polartec gloves (30g) and a cheap balaclava (38g)

These might not make it into the pack. but might instead give way to a midge net. If that happens the net gain will be 40g.

Rainwear - Montane Windproof smock or Montane 200 jacket

The Montane windproof smock has proved to be excellent as a windproof and most of the time tha is all I seem to need. If the 5-day forecast is looking poor I might take the Montane 200 Jacket instead in which case I will not bother with waterproof trousers. The choice will be either weight-neutral or give me a net saving of about 110g.

Worn - Kathmandu Trekking Trousers and Peter Storm Sunshirt

I've picked up a nice pair of cordura trekking trousers from Kathmandu which are baggier and more comfortable than the Jack Wolfskin ones that are probably now too small for me.

Carried - Microfleece Top and Wicking T-shirt

The microfleece might not get taken if the weather looks good or it might be replaced with a l/s base layer in addition to the T-shirt base layer.

Food + Large Aloksak

On this trip I will be passing through a population centre that has a shop at least every other day (I need to verify this) and so I am planning to carry no more than 1 day of food with a possible day in reserve (for mistakes). This will save some weight (not budgeted). I also expect to be able to buy at least one meal a day at places that I pass through which will make my food go farther and allow more diet variety.

The only change I might make is to place my food in a plastic box rather than an Aloksak - just to be sure that the thing stays closed when shuffling around in the pack.

Hydration - 2 Platypus + 1 Source

I expect to be able to replenish water at least once a day (I need to verify) from either natural sources or shops/pubs and so in general will carry less than 2L of water at any one time but I will have capacity for at least 3L. This gives me the ability to carry more on the quieter stretches of the path and to carry more if the temperature is hotter. Since a Platypus bottle weighs under 30g the extra capacity is at a low cost

Personal Hygiene - Saving 100g

I've tested that a little sample/travel toothpaste will last me the week and I can take a decanted bottle of alcohol hand gel. Smaller samples of the same products save the weight. If I am wrong I can resupply with heavier versions en route.

Toilet Regime - Trowel + Paper (in Aloksak) - Saving 40g

My cheap B&Q plastic trowel weighs 90g. Just for fun I tried to make a replacement in Aluminium. The replacement trowel weighs 50g and if anything is stiffer/stronger than the one it replaces. There are commercial trowels available at this sort of weight - either in plastic or steel but that is besides the point ;-)

Luxury Item - NOT TAKEN Garmin GPS - saving 157g

The terrain does not justify a GPS. The path is waymarked and since I am heading in the same general direction for the duration of the walk even a compass would be good enough if I went astray.

Luxury Item - NOT TAKEN Leki Titanium Trekking pole - saving 130g

The pole has been replaced with two tarp poles.

Luxury Item - NOT TAKEN Padded Sit Mat 93g

No need.

Luxury Item - Camera + Case 223g (less with Lithium batteries)

Canon Coolpix L6. This item stays. I might make a lighter case or it (with a switch protector but that's all).

Luxury Item - Mobile Phone in Aloksak 124g

I've been through my junk cupboard and one of my older smaller phones weighs 30g less and is waterproof - the downside is shorter battery life - which might be too short.

Luxury Item - Pocket FM Radio 100g

This is one luxury that I might take - just because sometimes I like the radio in the morning.

Luxury Item - Comments

I've made some big weight gains by chopping back on the luxury items but some of these will be offset by the extras that I'll need to carry.

Summary

Some gains have been made because I was over-equipped for my last trip - such as an expedition sleeping bag in spring - and some gains have been made by leaving at home some of the luxuries that I took last time.

The rest of the gains in weight are achieved simply by matching my kit list to the expected conditions (with some margin for error) and by using lighter versions of the same kit if possible.

So for the big three we have:

• Pack (DIY) : 380g
• Shelter (DIY): <600g (everything including pegs and poles)
• Sleeping bag: 800g

If you were more puritanical then the sleeping bag could be replaced with an even lighter summer-only one, the shelter could be replaced with a light bivy bag and the cookset could be left at home.

What I have done is trimmed my kit to that which is what I think I can live with for a week. Big gains can still be made if I can carry less water or food on some portions of the trip.

I am currently estimating that peak load will be around 6.6Kg (4.1Kg base + 2Kg water + 500g food) which will still be a comfortable load to carry. I expect that average load will be more like 5.5Kg (4.2Kg base + 1L water + food).