My pack needs to go on a Diet! Please help.

[WaitingInTheWeeds]

Sorry if this is kinda long...

Ok so I got back yesterday from a 2-day hike in the Desoto National forest and the trip taught me a lot about my gear; mainly that it is way too heavy. (I'll be posting more on the trip in another thread). I know everyone here has seen a thousand threads like this before, but hey one more won't hurt right!? Besides I really do need some help getting the weight down.
I don't have an exact weight w/ food and water, but I'm pretty sure that w/ food and water the total weight was around 37-38 pounds. Obviously that is way too heavy and I'm now shooting for less that 25 pounds w/ food and water included.
Here is the list of items that I took along w/ notations of what I already know can be removed, what cannot, and what I need help replacing w/ something lighter. This list is for pack weight only, not what I will be wearing on a normal day. I will be bringing 2 trekking poles which are also not included in the list.

Pack
Coleman Elate 65L ($69) ~4lbs
- I couldn't take my Go-lite Jam (~1lb 10oz) pack w/ me because my gear simply didn't fit. I made due w/ a Coleman Elate 65L pack from Wally World because I didn't want to cancel my trip. This pack is junk, too heavy, and is going back to Wally World today. I have to say I did like the top lid for storage and the load lifters helped (I think).
Question is, should I stick w/ the Jam (assuming I can get the weight/bulk down) or go w/ something like the Rei Flash 65 which has the top lid and load lifters, but weighs less than the Coleman? Bear in mind that I'm willing to shell out a little more money if needed, but the budget is still tight and I don't know if I can find another great deal like I did on the jam ($50 on clearance).

Shelter
Kelty Teton 2 ($95) ~4lbs 10oz
- Don't get me wrong, for the money this a great tent w/ plenty of room and easy set up. However, after the trip I felt like I didn't really need this 2 person "castle" and would like to go w/ something much lighter and smaller. (No hammocks). I was thinking maybe a tarptent or something similar? Recomendations? (Something less that 200 bucks would be best).

Sleeping
Campmor 20 Degree Down Bag ($120) ~2lbs 4oz
- Worked great and I doubt I'll find anything lighter without severly blowing the budget. Open to suggestions though.

Insulmat Self-Inflating Pad ($40) ~2lbs 4oz
- Was comfy, but I'm thinking I can save some weight here by going w/ a closed cell pad. Suggestions?

Camp Pillow ($?) ~6.5oz
- Hey look I just saved 6.5 oz cause this item is NOT going w/ me. I tried it and didn't like it at all.

Clothing (sorry don't have weights for most of these cause my bathroom scale won't register them)
Under Armour Frost Stopper Jacket ($35) ~1lb
- Don't think I can get much lighter here when I comes to a wind/water resistant warm jacket.

Paradox LS Base Layer Top (medium weight I think.)
- Already had this, don't want to spend money on something else that might save a few ounces.

Paradox Base Layer Bottom (same material as top)
- Will save a few ounces here cause I don't think I'll need them. However I don't know if just my normal pair of hiking pants will cut it on really cold days. Suggestions?

Fleece Hat
- Just a basic fleece hat

1 Target C9 DuoDry T-Shirt
- Basic hiking shirt. Worked great and low cost (Yay for clearance racks!).

2 Pairs Smartwool Socks
- Will eliminate a couple of ounces by just packing 1 pair.

1 Pair C9 Underwear
- I wore a pair and packed a pair on the Desoto trip. I will only bring 1 pair to wear on the AT and only then on cooler days or to sleep in. Went "commando" (sorry probably TMI) for the 1st time in Desoto and preferred it w/ the warm weather (80 degrees).

Lightweight Fleece Jacket
- Gonna save about 13 oz here cause I think it is overkill and will NOT be bringing it.

1 Pair of Gym Shorts
- Light and great for sleeping/wearing while doing laundry.

Dri Duck Rain Jacket
- Don't think I could get much lighter w/o sacrifcing durability.

Other
Katadyn Water Filter ~13 oz
- Will definately be bringing this. I know I could save weight by going w/ chemicals, but I don't think I could give up the benifits of having a filter.

GSI Soloist Pot & Cup ~1 lb 10z (including stove and stuff below)
- Worked great. Couldn't really save any weight unless I went titanium which is out of my budget.

NoLimits Canister Stove W/ Plastic Fork, Spoon, and 1 4oz Canister (See above for weight)
- Worked great. Found that I really like the ease of freezer bag cooking. Even if there are lighter alternitives (alcohol stoves for example), I've already used this item and can't return it now so I guess I'm stuck w/ it (which isn't neccesarily a bad thing).

Wally World Plastic Trowel
- Nuff said

Roll of TP
- Nuff said

Electronics ~1lb 6oz
- Camera (may replace with a new camera that uses batteries, eliminating the heavy charger)
- Cell phone w/ charger
- Headlamp
- Sansa Clip Mp3 player w/ charger & headphones (very light weight, probably wouldn't notice the difference if I didn't bring it)

1st Aid, Toiletries, and basic Swiss Army Knife ~1lb 7oz
- Will save ~6oz by leaving out some uneccesary 1st aid items, camp soap, deodarent stick, and sunscreen. Was thinking of leaving out the bug spray to save a few more ounces. I already have a head net (which is lighter). What do you think?

Journal and Section of AT Companion ~13oz
- Will save an ounce or 2 as I broke up the Companion into even smaller sections.

Food bag
- Gonna save a couple ounces by switching to a sil-nylon bag instead of the plastic thing I have now.

I think thats about it. I've already removed aproximately 2lbs 4oz as listed from my comments above. I will save another 2lbs 6oz if I go with my Go-lite Jam. That would get me down to roughly 32.5lbs with food and water, but it looks like I still need to cut 7.5lbs to get down to my 25lb goal. I might be able to shave off a pound by packing lighter food, but not really sure about that. Let the comments begin; and thank you all for your help.

[10-K]

Tent, 1st aid kit and your sleeping pad are the 3 that jumped out at me as heavy.

Lots of other places to lose ozs too...

[Cabin Fever]

Tent, 1st aid kit and your sleeping pad are the 3 that jumped out at me as heavy.

Lots of other places to lose ozs too...

Agreed. You should be able to easily shed 2+ lbs and not spend more than $200 (look into TarpTent). I would leave the trowel at home. Use a stick.

[johnnyblisters]

Jam, Tarptent contrail, CCF pad, and alcohol stove should save you about 6 pounds.

[Papa D]

here are a couple of items:
1) ditch the water filter and use aqua mira if you want to filter water - just boil water a little for cooking - i promise it will get clogged in a week anyway - i saved you about 10 ounces right there
2) your toilet kit sounds really heavy too - i take a toothbrush cut in half, a sample size tube of toothpaste, a tiny container of dr. brommers soap and 1/16th roll of toilet paper or so and some coaches tape for first aid - that's it = pare it down
3) you don't need the plastic trowel - use your shoe to dig a cat hole - you'll probably use the privy 90% of the time anyway
4) your clothes sound ok - doubt you need the base-layer top - hike in your shirt and take it off and just put on your fleece when it's cool
5) your tent is too heavy - a tarptent maybe? a MSR single Hubba?
6) pad is WAY heavy -any themo-rest is lighter
7) go back to the go-lite Jam - maybe it will all fit now
hate to add anything but I didn't see a pack towel or a pack cover - nice to have
that's a start - hope it helps

[woodstock64]

Replace GSI Soloist 1lb 10oz w/ the GSI Minimalist appr 7oz.

[Papa D]

saw that you are dead set on the filter - change your mind - I'm serious - about the third time you replace the $30 insert (even if you do the coffee filter on the pre-filter trick) you will say to yourself, damm, that guy was right - this is more trouble than it's worth and send it home. I've already hiked 700 or so miles with the same filter for you and yes, it's fine to have on weekend hikes, etc. but for your AT thru-hike, leave it behind - I promise

[Papa D]

you will also cross contaminate the thing if you are not exceedingly careful - just drink the water and do nothing if you don't like the chemicals (tons of people do) or use 1/2 the aqua mira mix for twice the time - that will probably do the trick - stomach imps are rarer than lymes disease - be more concerned about ticks than about the water

[sbhikes]

Did you actually use the fork?

[Fog Horn]

Please don't cut weight by packing only one pair of socks!! Your feet are the most important thing on a thru hike, and you need to make sure you keep them as clean and dry as possible. At least take two pairs so one can try to dry while you wear the other one.

[Papa D]

yep - I agree with Fog Horn there - 2 pairs of socks are good

[Croft]

Here's a few suggestions:
I found a Lafuma 20 degree down bag at REI last year for $130. It weighed 32 oz. and compressed smaller than a synthetic would (so you won't need so many cubic inches to accommodate it in your smaller pack.
Steripen for water treatment at 5.2 oz. including batteries. ($79) (3 days of iodine tablets as backup but I had good luck with my Steripen and only needed them once when my batteries died and I was still a couple days from resupply.)
CCF pad from WalMart $15, or for comfort a ThermaRest Neo (about $130) at 13 oz.
Steripen and Neo prices above are retail. I bought mine for less when they were on sale.
Good luck!

[skinewmexico]

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...ductID=POE1035

[WaitingInTheWeeds]

Thanks everyone for your input. I’ll address each.

Tent – Obviously a place where I can lose some serious poundage. Saw a recommendation for the Tarptent Contrail. Any other recommendations for similar setups that are less than $200 and less than 2lbs?

Sleeping Pad – Will definitely switch out for a lighter closed cell pad.

Stove – Can’t switch out b/c I can’t return it. I’ve made my peace w/ it and like the ease of use anyway.

GSI Soloist – Can’t return it (ebay purchase) *Please note that the weight I listed was for the pot, the cup, the lid, the stuff sack, the stove itself, the utensils (yes I used the fork and the spoon and I hate sporks), 1 cansister of fuel, a bic lighter, and a P38.

Trowel – If you insist, consider it gone.

Water Filter – Still a bit up in the air. I guess I want to keep it b/c this weekend I had to get water out of a not so nice looking creek. I guess I just don’t really know what to expect as far as water clarity on the AT. I’m not worried so much about waterborne diseases and such as I am about getting bits of dirt, leaves, other particles, or drinking water that’s just plain ol not very clear. More info to enlighten me would help I think.

Base layer top – Thanks for the suggestion Papa D, but since I’m already eliminating 1 fleece; I think I’ll keep this layer at least to start with. I may not need it while hiking, but at night it could come in handy. I’ll probably send it home at some point in time.

Socks – To be clear, this weekend I wore one pair and packed 2 additional pairs. I was thinking of just wearing one and packing one. Are you saying I should stick to 3 pairs total then?

Toilet/First Aid kit. – As it stands right now it weighs ~1lb 9oz (please ignore the weight listed earlier as my scale was a bit off the first time) and contains the following:
-Pack towel (thanks papa d; it was in there before, but I forgot to write it down)
-Pepper spray (for personal security – it has to go sorry to all you ultra-light people out there, but I have my reasons and don’t really wish to bring them all up in this thread)
-100% deet bug spray
-Contact solution
-Hand sanitizer (travel size)
-Extra contacts
-Travel size toothpaste
-Toothbrush
-Blistex
-Rewetting drops
-Contact lens case
-Ear plugs
-Swiss army knife
-Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Pepto (and no not the whole bottle, just a few of each)
-Tweezers
-Afterbite
-Small roll of gauze
-Eyeglass screwdriver (Now removed as I just realized that my knife will fit the screw just fine)
-2 Safety pins
-A few bandaids of different sizes
-Waterproof matches
-Latex gloves
-Steri-strips
-A bit of moleskin

That weight does not include TP (but seriously TP is pretty light to begin with and it will get lighter each day anyway!)

I also forgot to include in my original list that I will be bringing 50ft of 550 cord, a pack cover (thanks again for reminding me to write it down Papa D), my regular glasses in a hard case, and a pair of sunglasses (yes I realize I’ll be under the trees most of the time, but for those times that I am not, my eyes are very sensitive to light and it would be very unpleasant not to have them. For those of you who are sensitive to light you know what I am talking about).

[paintballswimguy]

Thanks everyone for your input. I’ll address each.

Tent – Obviously a place where I can lose some serious poundage. Saw a recommendation for the Tarptent Contrail. Any other recommendations for similar setups that are less than $200 and less than 2lbs?

Sleeping Pad – Will definitely switch out for a lighter closed cell pad.

Stove – Can’t switch out b/c I can’t return it. I’ve made my peace w/ it and like the ease of use anyway.

GSI Soloist – Can’t return it (ebay purchase) *Please note that the weight I listed was for the pot, the cup, the lid, the stuff sack, the stove itself, the utensils (yes I used the fork and the spoon and I hate sporks), 1 cansister of fuel, a bic lighter, and a P38.

Trowel – If you insist, consider it gone.

Water Filter – Still a bit up in the air. I guess I want to keep it b/c this weekend I had to get water out of a not so nice looking creek. I guess I just don’t really know what to expect as far as water clarity on the AT. I’m not worried so much about waterborne diseases and such as I am about getting bits of dirt, leaves, other particles, or drinking water that’s just plain ol not very clear. More info to enlighten me would help I think.

Base layer top – Thanks for the suggestion Papa D, but since I’m already eliminating 1 fleece; I think I’ll keep this layer at least to start with. I may not need it while hiking, but at night it could come in handy. I’ll probably send it home at some point in time.

Socks – To be clear, this weekend I wore one pair and packed 2 additional pairs. I was thinking of just wearing one and packing one. Are you saying I should stick to 3 pairs total then?

Toilet/First Aid kit. – As it stands right now it weighs ~1lb 9oz (please ignore the weight listed earlier as my scale was a bit off the first time) and contains the following:
-Pack towel (thanks papa d; it was in there before, but I forgot to write it down)
-Pepper spray (for personal security – it has to go sorry to all you ultra-light people out there, but I have my reasons and don’t really wish to bring them all up in this thread)
-100% deet bug spray
-Contact solution
-Hand sanitizer (travel size)
-Extra contacts
-Travel size toothpaste
-Toothbrush
-Blistex
-Rewetting drops
-Contact lens case
-Ear plugs
-Swiss army knife
-Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Pepto (and no not the whole bottle, just a few of each)
-Tweezers
-Afterbite
-Small roll of gauze
-Eyeglass screwdriver (Now removed as I just realized that my knife will fit the screw just fine)
-2 Safety pins
-A few bandaids of different sizes
-Waterproof matches
-Latex gloves
-Steri-strips
-A bit of moleskin

That weight does not include TP (but seriously TP is pretty light to begin with and it will get lighter each day anyway!)

I also forgot to include in my original list that I will be bringing 50ft of 550 cord, a pack cover (thanks again for reminding me to write it down Papa D), my regular glasses in a hard case, and a pair of sunglasses (yes I realize I’ll be under the trees most of the time, but for those times that I am not, my eyes are very sensitive to light and it would be very unpleasant not to have them. For those of you who are sensitive to light you know what I am talking about).

You need to buy a real scale and not use your bathroom scale, It needs to be able to read to the .1 ounces. The little things are what is killing your pac weight.

****You should wear normal glasses, It would allow you to ditch all of your contact stuff. Along with not having to worry about keeping your contacts clean and fresh.
****Are the latex gloves for your first aid kit? In an emergency you will probably have them barried so far in your pack you may not grab them...
****Ditch the water filter ASAP. Your not using a purifier anyways, so its not really providing you any additional protection over what aquamira or polar pure would. I have a sweetwater purifier, so i understand your reluctance, but trust me. You aren't going to want it in the long term.
****Does your swiss army knife have twizzers? If so, don't bring two sets.
****Cut your toothbrush handle in half
****Get a small bottle to put bug spray in, you don't need to carry the full size bottle
****Is your pepper spray at least the smallest lightest version you can find?
****Take the cardboard role out of the TP. It will make it lighter.
****Your better off using Camp Soap then hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer doesn't actually kill all bacteria believe it or not.
****Socks, you want one pair on your feet. The second pair in your pack. You can also use the second pair as gloves if need be.
****get a bic mini lighter, they weigh less

[wyclif]

Looking at your list, the main things that jumped out at me that will save you weight are the tarptent and the alcohol stove-- those are essential things that you will be glad you have later and replace much heavier, less useful options.

Take 3 pairs of socks if you must, but you can do with two (tip: get black smartwool socks, or as dark and as long as you can get. They will dry faster in the sun and you can clip or tie the extra pair on the outside of your pack to dry them as well).

[wyclif]

Looking at your list, the main things that jumped out at me that will save you weight are the tarptent and the alcohol stove-- those are essential things that you will be glad you have later and replace much heavier, less useful options.

Take 3 pairs of socks if you must, but you can do with two (tip: get black smartwool socks, or as dark and as long as you can get. They will dry faster in the sun and you can clip or tie the extra pair on the outside of your pack to dry them as well).

[wyclif]

Socks become much more important when hiking than in normal life. The status of how dry your feet are compared to the dryness level of your extra socks will be always before you.

I also agree 100% with the hiker who said to cut your toothbrush handle down and wrap your floss around your lighter and some needles, or your knife handle. No need for the little floss box; that just takes up space. Don't carry copies of topo maps or the AT Book with you the entire hike-- make copies of sections and put them in your mail drops. Fold up the ones you need.

[Rocket Jones]

Sounds like a good trip and you gained some valuable experience. Reevaluate your gear, repack and go again. At this point, you really are just tweaking except for a couple of big items.

As suggested, try a hike with AquaMira instead of the filter. Try a hike with glasses instead of the contacts. And so on. You'll get comfortable with things, and more importantly you'll get comfortable *without* some things.

Good luck.

Oh yeah, I didn't see any kind of water bottles listed.

[10-K]

Keep in mind you can tweak your gear list forever.

Unless you physically can't handle it, when you get down to 30-32 lbs start hiking and let your own style dictate the changes you make to save weight.

You can go much (much) lighter than that or maybe you'll decide what you have is just right for you. Most likely you'll come in somewhere in the middle.

One other suggestion - when you go hiking make a note of anything you took but didn't use. Do it again the next hike, and the next. If you took something 3 times and didn't use it it's a likely candidate for staying home.