Gear list for a week-long Sierra trip, August, 2018

Since I just finished two 1 week trips to the Sierra, I wanted to compile a fully detailed gear list before I fully unpack everything and put it away.
Here is is:

Worn or carried:

Prana stretch zion pants
Mountain hardware canyon shirt
darn tuff socks
La Sportiva Bushidos running shoes
Outdoor Research "sun runner" hat
Fancy leki poles
Ex officio underwear

On the pack:

1 liter water bottle w/ lanyard and s-clip
2 liter water bottle w/ lanyard and s-clip
A6000 Camera w/ 18-55 lens via peak designs clip

The pack itself:

Hyperlight 4400 ci "porter" borrowed from Mr. Baker
Jacks r better sierra quilt
NO tent on the second trip (I slept in the tent Alex carried)
Nemo Hornet 1P on the first trip.
Exped downmat UL winter LW
Exped schnozzle bag (M)
Ursack with food
Exped pillow (developed a leak)
cotton pillowcase

midweight capilene thermal pants (for sleeping)
Patagonia thermal weight hoodie (mostly for sleeping)
Cloudveil hat (luxury)
Baggies shorts (used for lake swimming, and over thermals)
Patagonia nano-air hoodie (in lieu of down jacket)
Sierra Designs Hurricane rain shell - totally failed me
Black trash bag - used to make rain skirt (perfect)
Patagonia down vest in dry bag (never used)

NO stove on the second trip (I used the stove Alex carried)
Jetboil classic on the first trip.
8 ounce gas canister (used 3.7 ounces of this shared by two of us)
Cut down Whirley cup for food bowl
Blue cup for hot drinks (rather heavy)
Polycarbonate spoon.

Small stuff (carried in one bag in the pack):

Dark glasses
Bandana (cotton)
Headlamp (Fenix HL22 with single NiMH AA battery inside)
Big 3 ounce tube of sunscreen (enough for the whole summer)
Extra pair of darn tuff socks
Pair of generic fluffy sleeping socks (for 3 pairs total)
nail clipper on lanyard
4 extra camera batteries (I used 3 of these)
neoprene camera case
ziplock full of Ibuprofen (very handy)
1 roll of medical tape
Whole toothbrush (later for the cut in half thing)
tiny (0.85 ounce) tube of tootpaste
toilet paper in zip lock bag
Bronners soap (2 ounce bottle) - used only a few drops
Patch kit for exped pad
Steripen classic 3 with 4 AA NiMH inside
10x Belomo triplet on lanyard (never used)
Spyderco Native 5 knife on short lanyard
Small new testament bible in zip lock bag (nice)

In book bag:

map (Kings Canyon High Country)
Pen and paper sheets stapled for light notebook
Flower Book (Elizabeth Wenk)

Food:

A lot could be said about food. I have learned that 1.3 pounds per day is exactly right for me. For a 6 day trip, I figure 5.5 days so I aim for 5.5*1.3 = 7.2 pounds of food. I make up the breakfasts and dinners, weight them, then add stuff for lunch to make up the target weight. I did consume 2 extra ramen packages on this trip and was glad to have them This 1.3 pound rule works for me, but some people will want more (or less). Weighing is the only way to do things whatever your plan may be.

Mary Janes Farm "outpost" portions for dinners One night had Packit Gourmet Texas State Fair Chili one night (excellent) Carried one Ramen and accepted another from Alex as dinner suppliment Hot chocolate packets are a nice dinner suppliment My oatmeal mix for breakfast (must have the powdered milk!) Starbucks Via (2 or 3 per day) with breakfast Loose tea (just in case, hardly used) Salt (6 or 8 packets from fast food joint) Dove Chocolate - 2 pieces per day (melted on Sawmill trail)

Lunch was:

I can barely gag down Cliff bars, your mileage may differ. They do "get the job done" when you are working hard and running out of fuel. The new "sweet and salty" seem to be an improvement.

I blended some lemon Vitalyte with the Perpetuem, which was probably a good idea for electrolyte replacement, but tasted kind of nasty mixed with the coffee latte perpetuem. Also carried some Hammer "fizz" electrolyte tablets, which I think were beneficial

Some general notes:

Shortly after I returned from the second trip, there was an opportunity to purchase a Hyperlite pack on sale, and I purchased a Hyperlite 4400 "southwest". This is a case where some extra weight is really worth it. The difference compared to my old "pillowcase with straps" was amazing, even with loads less than 30 pounds, and the waterproofing is a significant bonus.

The Nano air was more than adequate in July and is certainly better than the down jacket in rain. In September I would carry the down jacket instead. The nano air is intended to replace a fleece during activity - the nano puff is more for stationary insulation. So the way I used the nano air (under a shell while hiking in the rain) is just as intended -- and in July temperatures it was just what I needed in the evenings. The down vest was insurance in case the Nano air was not adequate, but it was never needed.

My "hurricane" rain shell totally let me down. You get what you pay for and this is a $50 piece. But I have carried it for over 5 years and it is just breaking down -- you could argue I got more than my moneys worth -- but I am definitely in the market to replace it. I was only marginally adequate to begin with.
I have now replaced it with an Arcteryx Alpha FL.

I slit the bottom of my black trash bag, stepped into it and tucked it into my pants which I then rolled up during heavy rain. This worked great for essentially no weight and no money. With the pack belt fastened there was some extra security and it never came loose once, even with nothing more than tucking it in to fasten it.

I am surprised that a big 8 ounce fuel canister sufficed for both Alex and myself. Alex carried a 4 ounce can as a backup (which was never needed). We burned only 3.7 ounces between us, which is amazing for 6 days cooking both breakfasts and dinners). In theory we could have carried just one 4 ounce can, but I would never do this on a week trip for two people. Maybe for just one, but the big can gives peace of mind.

I discovered dry bags on this trip, and will use them on all subsequent trips. My quilt goes into either the Exped schnozzle bag or a 20L bag. I use the Sea to Summit "nano" bags which seem to be silnylon, and which I prefer infinitely over polyurethane coated bags. My down vest fits nicely into a 2L bag, but I need a 4L bag for the down jacket.

The "sun runner" hat greatly reduced the need for sunscreen, which I like a lot. In some ways I prefer wearing a wide brim hat, but there is no question that the sun runner provides much better sun protection.

No cell phone with maps on this trip. This is sort of a luxury in a familiar area, is a bit heavy, and puts the phone at risk. The Peak Finder app would be a compelling reason to carry the phone though.

I only carry one pair of pants (the ones I wear). Having thermals and baggies shorts allow an excellent option (wearing the baggies over the thermals during the day). This may be a tad too warm, but prevents terrible sunburn. The shorts alone are good of course for swimming and can be worn by themselves for short periods at least without risk of sunburn.


Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org