Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I'm curious what you're even bringing with if your base weight is 12-15lbs. Please provide your gear list, and what you consider "base weight" items. After pack weight, you've got, at most, 8-11lbs for shelter, food, sleep system, layers, etc. Maybe for an overnighter in the summer this would work.

 

I'm guessing his base weight is sans food or water. That's about what I would carry for anything less than 3 days but I live in the desert and only bring 1 change of socks and boxers.
3lb tent
2lb bag
Jet boil and fuel can (1.2 lbs and not needed if doing open fire cooking)
Titanium spoon
1 headlamp
TP
Poop shovel (obviously)

Probably right around 10 lbs /13 lbs with pack weight (kestral 48)

 

So I looked at one of those Scrubba in person yesterday. Totally not worth it for $40. Just use a regular dry sack for half the price. The "washboards" inside were about as thin as a ribbed condom. Nothing that a good finger kneading wouldn't do a much better job of.

 

To get credentials out of the way - I was the manager and an instructor/guide for the Backpacking Wilderness Trekking School for a few years and have more recently been an instructor/guide with Andrew Skurka. You can google both but afaik those are the only two options for classes on lightweight backcountry travel (backpacking, skiing, pack rafting, etc.). NOLS has something similar but the weights are considerably heavier.

I haven't carried more than about 18 lbs total (including food and water) since 2008 for trip lengths up to a week. I've been as light as about 9 lbs including everything I was wearing for a 2 night trip but typically average 12-15 lbs for most trips. The 18 lb trips included snowshoes and were during winter in Montana in the Bob Marshall Wilderness or Absaroka-Beartooths. Traveling in groups can be a huge weight saver but modern materials, good training/education, and a little street smarts can go a long way. Also,learn to use a tarp/bivy.

During milder weather I use an 11 oz 8x10 cuben fiber tarp and a 3 oz mosquito bivy. My 30 degree custom made quilt is 15 oz and I typically use a NeoAir XTherm large which is 17oz and a winter pad. I have a torso sized pad that's quite a bit lighter but no as comfy. My pack is an HMG Porter 3400 (probably a few revisions old now) I had design input on and weighs 34 oz. I can probably post up a gear list on my personal site if anyone wants it that much but most everything else follows suit. FWIW - cuben fiber offers great weight savings and is 100% waterproof by design but it is a lot more expensive than silnylon which will do the job 99% of the time. That said, I tried a silnylon pack once and would never use another.

 

Base weight means everything you're going to bring except Food, Fuel and Water. Those are variables added per trip. My base weight includes extra clothes and it is for three seasons, not cold weather.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've never met someone who had hands on so I didn't know if it was a gimmick or effective.

 

I'm only 12 pages in... and so far whats caught my eye is the Streamlight Siege Lantern, Hennessy Hammocks, Jetboil Flashcooker... and a few other goodies.

I'll need to figure out how to best tackle the purchases of whatever I begin to work towards. It'll be weekend camping with 2 kids, 4&8, the wife and our dog. Thankfully I can request some Christmas gifts and gift cards to begin the kick off! LoL.

 

Here's a 4 pound 4 person tent for ya http://www.tarptent.com/hogback.html


I'd say don't get carried away buying thing that "should" or "might" work. We all sell so much gear after realizing something else would fit our needs better.

Getting kiddos into camping isn't much more expensive than going it alone because they just sleep in your tent and eat your food at first. Getting them into backpacking/hiking or other outdoor activities however can be pretty spendy haha God speed my friend!

 

True point on the kids, and yeah the hiking part will be interesting. All for good times! Thanks for the link on the tent.

 

Siege light x 2 bought.... it begins lol. Going out looking for sleeping bags today with the wifey. Hope my bank account survives.

 

Subd

 

I once asked my girl if she wanted a poop tent she said, "Why would I want to stew in my own and block good views?"

 

Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed, best sleeping bag ever!

 

Love to get one but my North Face Chamois down bag from 1974 is still kicking butt. I sent it to the factory in San Leandro about 6 years ago for a repair, and it came back damn near new. Best $120 I ever spent buying that bag. Got it at a place called Sierra Outfitters, in Sacramento.

 

It's always a toss-up between the best gear of the past and some of the newest. I have a couple of Camp 7 bags from the 70's that are still light enough to use in an UL setting at 2 lbs and 2.2 lbs apiece. My base weight is usually around 13-18 lbs for a week trip above 12,000'. The heavier weights include a rope and a bigger first aid kit, I'm a volunteer Wilderness specialist with the FS

 

I just happened to see one at Sportsman's Warehouse and thought of your post. I took it out of the packaging and give it a look-see. It's a very thin walled dry bag, and the lining on the inside has the "washboard" all throughout. It's basically a thin wall of ribbed silicone lining that has about 1/2" wide washboards but they are no more than 1/16" thick. Very low profile and in my opinion not an effective agitator. Just using a regular dry sack and kneading it with your fingers would be just as effective at half the price, plus you could buy a stronger dry bag and have it be more durable than the Scrubba.

 

Word. Thank you for doing some recon!

 

No problem, happy to help.