So with that in mind, I decided to first define what I meant by a winter
hike. As Wolf23000 on WhiteBlaze pointed out - he recently did a winter hike
with a 2 pound base, but it was in Hawaii where it doesn't get cold. So with
that in mind, I define winter hiking like this:
The Great Smokey Mountain National Park, mid winter. Expected lows in the
single digits with chances to go much lower on occasion. Snow, but rarely high
enough for needing snow shoes. Tentatively the hike will be the ~70 mile length
of the AT in the park in the first week of February 2011. I calculate this time
and route to give me the best potential for the temperatures and climates I want
to test the ideas on.
To add to that, I want to avoid "survival light". That is, hiking with just
gear to get by eschewing all luxuries. I also didn't want to do tricks like
stuffing pockets to make weight or wearing women's watches and rubber bands for
wedding rings etc. I ain't trying to just make weight, I'm trying to make weight
and still try to be a fairly normal person. So here are my personally imposed
rules for this hike:
1. Base weight of 10 pounds or less pack weight.
2. Items worn and carried can't exceed 6.5 pounds.
3. Any consumable stuff like toilet paper, water, iodine treatment, food,
etc. doesn't count against my base.
4. The gear has to include a hammock system.
5. It has to include a way to cook hot meals including stuff like coffee.
6. It also has to have luxuries, stuff like bourbon, cigars, reading, music,
etc.
I'll mention before going on that I have already packed a hammock in this
weather and stayed pretty light already during my 2008 thru-hike attempt. With
that in mind I know that I'm already on a glide path to probable success. There
are a few items I want to upgrade to before doing this hike. So for now I'm
going to post both the items I have and can use, and the items I would like to
switch to in order to make this happen. Weight totals are left off for now
because of this - but at this point, if I carried everything I have on hand, I
am already at 10.6 pounds, very close...
Items with a yellow background are items I plan to replace. Items with a red
background are items that I plan to replace the items with.
| Item: |
Weight: |
Number: |
Total: |
| Clothing |
 Western
Mountaineering Down Jacket. I like the loft vs. weight, but I'm still not
convinced I like this better than my good old field jacket liner. |
12.38 |
1 |
12.38 |
 Western
Mountaineering Flash down pants |
7.76 |
1 |
7.76 |
 Goose
Feet down socks |
2.29 |
1 |
2.29 |
 Polartec
P300 Mittens. Lightweight warm mittens for wearing in camp when it is really
cold. |
1.80 |
1 |
1.80 |
 Polypropylene
head gaiter a fabric tube that can be made into a hat, balaclava, neck
warmer, etc. Combine this with my compressor hat camp to form a balaclava when I need
it in really cold weather. |
1.98 |
1 |
1.98 |
 REI PowerStretch Top.
Good, light base layer for my top. |
9.14 |
1 |
9.14 |
 Arc'Teryx
Rho Pants. Good, light base layer for my legs. |
8.04 |
1 |
8.04 |
 Wigwam
Wool Socks. I rarely ever walk in these. They are my warm socks I put on
when reaching camp. |
2.51 |
1 |
2.51 |
 Home
made cuben fiber stuff sack |
0.39 |
1 |
0.39 |
| Total |
~46.28 |
|
|
Rain Gear |
 Packa
rain jacket/pack cover. One of my favorite pieces of equipment. It is
waterproof, but the design breathes like a poncho while having the
protection and for fitting of a rain jacket. You can also take this off or
put it on easily without stopping and taking off your pack when the weather
is on the boderline. |
10.26 |
1 |
10.26 |
 Mountain
Laurel Rain Chaps. The Packa covers down far enough that I don't need real
pants in the rain. This option gives me better protection and ventilation
when I do need rain protection for my legs than real rain pants would. |
2.36 |
1 |
2.36 |
 Mountain
Laurel eVent rain mittens. Add over wool gloves when hiking in the wet
cold. |
1.13 |
1 |
1.13 |
| Total |
~13.76 |
|
|
Kitchen |
.jpg) Plastic
Spoon |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Heineken
Keg Can (HKC) pot. Ultralight pot for heating water. Not much use beyond
that. I recently fabricated a lid for the can. I've also added a hardware
cloth insulation wrap.
For more details see this video. |
1.94 |
1 |
1.94 |
 Ion
Micro stove with wire stand.
For more details see
this video. |
0.56 |
1 |
0.56 |
 10.1
ounce fuel bottle. This 330ml bottle came out of a vending
machine for can soda. It fits perfectly inside my pot and leaves room for my
stove, stand, windscreen, lighter, and priming tray. |
0.71 |
1 |
0.71 |
 Small
lighter |
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 Sandwich
sized zip-lock for trash. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
|
1
gallon zip-lock for a food bag. Just the stuff than needs bagged. |
0.46 |
1 |
0.46 |
 24
ounce water bottle |
0.85 |
1 |
0.85 |
 2+
Liter Platypus. I usually only use this in camp, but there have been days I
need to carry extra water. |
1.20 |
1 |
1.20 |
 Home
made cuben fiber food bag |
0.49 |
1 |
0.49 |
 2 ounce
bottle for olive oil |
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 A
McDonalds small disposable coffee cup with lid. |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
|
Cozy to keep boil-in-bag food warm |
0.85 |
1 |
0.85 |
 A
very small glass bottle (not the one shown here) for storing iodine pill
water treatment. |
0.39 |
1 |
0.39 |
| Total |
~8.92 |
|
| Miscellaneous Gear
- those odds and ends you need. |
 First Aid and
Repair Kit. Just what you need to fix yourself or
your gear up to get into the next town. |
2.68 |
1 |
2.68 |
|
Home made cuben fiber dry sack.
|
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Thermometer.
Tied outside my pack to let me know if I should snivel or not. |
0.25 |
1 |
0.25 |
 Steno sized sheets of paper. |
0.03 |
3 |
0.12 |
 Pencil.
Can't run out of ink in the woods. I put a plastic cap from an ink pen over
the tip so it doesn't poke holes in anything. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Spare
Smartphone batteries. That way I have a back up if the primary dies in the
woods. |
0.82 |
1 |
0.82 |
 I
plan to switch over to a Samsung Galaxy S by the time of this hike. The
Galaxy S is supposed to be lighter and have a better power consuption rate
wich should help the battery last longer, so I wouldn't need an extra
battery to carry. |
4.20 |
1 |
4.20 |
| Total |
~7.64 |
|
|
|
Hygiene - keep clean and healthy. |
 My
dentist has me using one of these to prevent teeth grinding at night. |
0.07 |
1 |
0.07 |
 Dispenser
for spray hand sanitizer to keep the cooties off my hands before I eat.
|
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
|
extra
small Zip lock bag for prescription meds. |
0.07 |
1 |
0.07 |
|
Zip lock bag (1/2 gallon).
For carrying toilet paper in. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
| Total |
~0.60 |
|
| Navigation and lights
- to make your way down the trail without getting lost. |
 ITP
A3 EOS Creet. Very small light that can clip to my hat band if needed instead of needing
a band. Has a nice low setting for reading and the brightest setting is
incredible. I got rid of the keychain. |
0.64 |
1 |
0.64 |
| Total |
~0.64 |
|
| Sleeping Bag/Ruck/Shelter
- the big 3 or big 4 depending on how you look at it. Sleeping bag, shelter,
pack, and pad. |
 Gossamer
Gear Murmur. Something new to me. I've got some other pack options that may
end up being the final choice, but for now this is what I think I will be
using. I've added a small bungee cord to the pack since my pocket pad doesn't fit
in the pad sleeve. |
7.74 |
1 |
7.74 |
 Gossamer
Gear pack belt pouches. Size small. I have really grown to like having
pockets like this handy with my ULA pack. |
0.67 |
2 |
1.34 |
 Z
rest pad - 2 panels. This will serve as my pack "frame" and can be used as a
part of my insulation system. |
2.12 |
1 |
2.12 |
 JRB
No Sniveler Quilt. I love this quilt. I've carried this for years because
it makes a good, light quilt in warm weather, and has served as my underquilt
in cold weather. Plus you can wear it in camp when you need an extra layer
in cold weather. Suspension included in weight. |
21.09 |
1 |
21.09 |
 Home
made 7'x9 cuben fiber tarp.
Most hammocks would need something a little longer like a 7'x10'. This tarp
will enable me to totally enclose the hammock if needed. |
4.81 |
1 |
4.81 |
 Home
Made
Cuben Fiber Stuff sack for the hammock system. |
0.25 |
1 |
0.25 |
 Continuous
ridgeline with prussic loops for the tarp. Made from 1.25mm spectra line
from www.ZPacks.com |
0.35 |
1 |
0.35 |
 Turkey
roasting bag. Ultralight pack liner alternative. Tougher than I thought they
would be. |
0.49 |
1 |
0.49 |
 Home
made Tree Straps. Used to protect trees from rope damage when hanging a
hammock. |
0.69 |
2 |
1.38 |
 Home
made aluminum
toggles from Easton Scout arrows. These are the link pin between the tree
huggers and the Whoopie slings on my Ghost Hammock. |
0.035 |
2 |
0.07 |
 Hungry
Howie custom quilt. Hungry Howie made this for me a while back and I have had a
lot of good experience with it. |
17.99 |
1 |
17.99 |
 Home
made hammock with foot and shoulder pockets. This allows the hammock body to
be VERY small (48" x 96") but have the lay of a much larger hammock. |
5.76 |
1 |
5.76 |
 Piss
bottle. I added a 24 ounce Gatorade bottle last year when it was VERY cold.
I didn't want to leave my warm hammock to go. The wide mouth helps make this
a little easier. It takes some practice though. This means you also have a
warm water bottle to help thaw out your feet without burning any extra fuel. |
1.20 |
1 |
1.20 |
 My
own design evazote pocket pad. A two layer pad with a space in the middle
for adding other insulation like the Z rest "frame" |
10.34 |
1 |
10.34 |
 Home
made stakes from Easton arrows and hardwood golf tees. |
0.16 |
8 |
1.31 |
| Total |
~82.53 |
|
| Luxury Items
- items that make camping a pleasure. |
 Flask. Just an old
soda bottle for carrying bourbon in.Results: Worked as planned The
total capacity was only 10 ounces, so I had a little less per night than
normal, but it worked. |
0.64 |
1 |
0.64 |
|
Home made cuben fiber zip lock cigar
case to keep my cigars fresh. |
0.11 |
1 |
0.11 |
| Total |
~0.74 |
|
| Clothing (Worn)
-This stuff serves as my base clothing for all hikes - even in winter. Those
surprise warm snaps hit even in January down here. |
 Wal-Mart
ankle high running socks. They are light weight with some padding for
comfort, and they dry pretty fast. |
1.45 |
1 |
1.45 |
 Buff
- I added this on my thru-hike after getting frostbite on my ears. I was too
warm for a real hat. I just needed some light insulation and wind protection
for my ears and face. |
1.31 |
1 |
1.31 |
 MontBell
UL wind pants. Small, light, easy to put on breathable nylon pants for times
you need something on your legs but are moving and fleece would be a bad
idea. |
2.43 |
1 |
2.43 |
 Marmot
Ion wind shirt.
Small, light, easy to put on when I need a wind block. I finally saw the
light and got a wind shirt. |
5.22 |
1 |
5.22 |
 Black
Diamond WoolWeight gloves. |
1.98 |
1 |
1.98 |
_small.jpg) Short
sleeve wicking shirt. |
3.96 |
1 |
3.96 |
 Addidas
Trail runners. New pair of kicks for my feet. The jury is still out on
these. I've modified these since last hike to prevent blisters |
27.67 |
1 |
27.67 |
 Ankle
braces with liners. I have injured my ankles multiple times - the worst ones
have been in high boots. An ankle injury forced me off the trail in 2008, so
I take care not to repeat that again. |
3.47 |
2 |
6.93 |
 Rocky
Socks. I add these only when the weather is cold and wet, otherwise I hike
in just my socks - these things can be too warm at times. Sometimes I wear
these around camp as slippers. |
3.32 |
1 |
3.32 |
.jpg) Nylon
dress socks to prevent chaffing of my shins on the ankle braces. |
1.10 |
1 |
1.10 |
|
ID, money, credit cards, and keys.
In a home made cuben fiber dry bag hiker wallet. Keep the cards to a
minimum: ID, ATM, insurance, emergency contacts. |
1.73 |
1 |
1.73 |
 Komperdell
Natural Stick Carbon ski poles with bamboo laminate finish. |
5.55 |
2 |
11.10 |
 Duct tape - on trekking poles.
Duct tape can repair almost anything and it is good for blisters. You don't
need to carry a whole roll though. |
2.12 |
1 |
2.12 |
 A
really light fleece hat with a wind blocking shell outside. This makes for a
very warm and light hat. |
1.45 |
1 |
1.41 |
 Cheap
old hiking shorts from Wal-Mart. |
3.71 |
1 |
3.71 |
 Wal-Mart
microfiber underwear. Dry well and prevent thigh chafe. Going commando has
never worked for me. |
2.05 |
1 |
2.05 |
|
Extra
small lighter as a back up to the matches. |
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 Lip
balm. Cool little lip balm pack for when you get wind burn on your face. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Leatherman
Micra. I've tried smaller and I've tried larger. This is what I always
go back to. |
1.77 |
1 |
1.77 |
|
1quart zip lock. For keeping my, maps and guide
book page in inside my pack.
|
0.21 |
1 |
0.21 |
 Photo
copy of the section of map I plan to hike on for this trip. One sheet of
8.5"x11" paper. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Pages
from the AT guide for the AT through the GSMNP. |
0.18 |
1 |
0.18 |
 Dog tags.
I've had this set for years. They are my good luck charms. |
0.71 |
1 |
0.71 |
 Ti
wedding ring. To keep the hiker babes off me. |
0.14 |
1 |
0.14 |
 Glasses
with case. Transition glasses so they serve as sunglasses. The case is a
microfiber bag so it also serves as a cleaner for the glasses.
|
0.88 |
1 |
0.88 |
Cheap pair of headphones
|
0.42 |
1 |
0.42 |
 MP3
player/FM radio with Li battery. Stores 2 Gigs of music and runs off Li AAA
so I can share batteries with my headlamp if I need to. |
1.17 |
1 |
1.17 |
 Casio
Pathfinder watch. Compass, altimeter, barometer, and it charges off solar
energy. You just have to calibrate the altitude whenever you get to a point
with a known elevation so it stays as accurate as possible.tude on this. |
2.72 |
1 |
2.72 |
| Total |
~86.45 |
|
| Consumables - those supplies you use up as
you hike so the weight goes down. |
Days |
Oz per day |
Total |
| Toilet paper |
7 |
0.15 |
1.00 |
| Olive oil @ 0.82 per fluid ounce |
5 |
0.50 |
2.05 |
| Meds |
5 |
0.10 |
0.50 |
| Cigars |
5 |
0.42 |
2.10 |
| Colgate Wisp |
5 |
0.06 |
0.30 |
| Puzzles |
5 |
0.04 |
0.20 |
| Hand Warmers |
5 |
|
|
| Hand Cleaner |
5 |
0.06 |
0.30 |
| Iodine Pills |
5 |
0.04 |
0.20 |
| Food |
5 |
32.00 |
160.00 |
| Water @ 1.04 ounces per fluid ounce |
1 |
24.00 |
24.96 |
| Drinking alcohol @ 0.94 per fluid ounce |
5 |
3.00 |
14.10 |
| Alcohol @ 0.79 ounces per fluid ounce |
5 |
1.50 |
5.93 |
| Total |
|
~37.17 |
~211.64 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oz |
Pounds |
|
1. CLOTHING |
46.3 |
2.89 |
|
2. RAIN GEAR |
13.8 |
0.86 |
|
3. KITCHEN |
8.9 |
0.56 |
|
4. MISC |
7.6 |
0.48 |
|
5. HYGIENE |
0.6 |
0.04 |
|
6. NAVIGATION/LIGHT |
0.6 |
0.04 |
|
7. SLEEPING BAG/RUCK/SHELTER |
82.5 |
5.16 |
|
8. LUXURY |
0.7 |
0.05 |
|
9. CONSUMABLES |
211.6 |
13.23 |
|
TOTAL (Winter) |
372.4 |
23.27 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL (- food & water) |
160.8 |
10.05 |
|
|
|
|
|
10. CLOTHING (WORN) |
86.4 |
5.40 |
|
GRAND TOTAL (FSO) |
458.8 |
28.68 |
|
|
|
Angrysparrow, bankheadboy, and others for the solution
on foot and shoulder pockets for a hammock.
And last of all, but not in last place: My wife for putting up with me and
sewing my projects when I asked. She is a sweetheart.
.jpg)
