6 aluminum stakes......................3 oz.
1-person ground sheet, a mylar space blanket, cut down....1.5 oz.
Shelter subtotal=1 lb., 4.5 oz.
Ridge Rest pad, cut down...8 oz. -OR-
Thermarest Ultralight pad...14.5 oz. (for colder nights, or when I'm feeling less hardy)
Sleeping subtotal=1 lb. 13 oz. or,
in Thermarest luxury, 2 lbs., 6.5 oz.
6 Esbit solid fuel tablets, plus some extra matches....3 oz.
2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil (for windscreen)....0.5 oz.
Aluminum pot, with lid and bail....7 oz. (So heavy! Should I research titanium pots?)
Plastic bowl, a storage container from supermarket....0.5 oz.
Lexan spoon....0.5 oz.
Sink, a cut-down plastic one-gallon milk container...1.5 oz. I stay clean :^)
Stuff sack, made of silcone-impregnated nylon....1 oz.
Kitchen subtotal=15 oz.
If I don't cook, subtotal=3.5 oz.
Plastic trowel......2 oz.
Cotton bandanna, blaze orange...0.75 oz. (For washing, drying, a visual signalling device.)
Plastic bottle of liquid soap...0.5 oz.
Fire starter kit...4 oz. (Some redundancy here.)
First Aid kit...6 oz. (Includes a manual. My anxiety is showing with this item, too.)
One 4-foot long, construction-grade garbage bag...3 oz.
25 feet of high-quality parachute cord...2 oz.
Misc. subtotal=1 lb., 1.75 oz.
Silva compass, with lanyard....0.75 oz.
Plastic whistle, on string....minute, maybe 0.25 oz.
Potable Aqua iodine tablets.....1 oz.
Sunblock, 3-day supply...1 oz.
Chapstick with UV block...0.5 oz.
Duct tape, for repairs....0.5 oz.
Plastic comb....minute, maybe 0.25 oz. (I have long hair, plus it's good for removing cactus spines.)
Child-size toothbrush.....minute, maybe 0.25 oz. (That's right, no tooth paste.)
Knife sharpener.....0.5 oz.
Contact lens case...0.5 oz.
Travel-size bottle of contact lens solution...2.25 oz. (Wish I could find a smaller size!)
Eyeglasses and case....2 oz.
Signal mirror, good for getting contacts in, also.....1 oz.
Pencil and paper.....minuscule, maybe 0.12 oz??
Coins, $1.10.........0.75 oz. (In case I beat the mountain lion to the pay phone and want to brag about it to all my friends.)
Personal subtotal=12.12 oz.
Microfleece sweatpants...7 oz.
Over-the-knee wool ski socks....3 oz.
Duofold long-sleeved turtleneck jersey...6 oz.
EMS microfleece pull-over....10 oz.
GoLite 3-season parka, with stuff sack...14 oz.
Frogg's Toggs rain jacket....8 oz.
Warm clothes/rain gear subtotal....3.3 lbs.
---------------------------------------------
Worn while hiking mid-day:
Mountain Hardwear polyester t-shirt....4.5 oz.
L.L.Bean nylon ("Tactel") hiking pants...8 oz. -OR-
EMS nylon hiking shorts, if it's warm....5.75 oz.
Leather belt, with metal buckle.....4 oz. (It has many survival uses :^).)
Wright Sock "Running Lite" synthetic socks...1 oz. per pair
Duofold polyester/Lycra sports bra.....2 oz.
RoadRunner Sports polyester/Lycra underpants (You never thought you'd know me this well.)....1 oz.
Nike Pegasus Women's Trail running shoes....1 lb., 2 oz. per pair (much lighter than hiking boots!)
Columbia nylon sun hat, broad brimmed....3 oz.
Maui Jim polarized sun glasses, with cord....1.5 oz.
Timex Ironman Trialthon wristwatch....1 oz.
So, I bring lots of warm clothes. In the evening, in camp, I do wear it all. These clothes also supplement my sleep system. I need to experiment with wearing my GoLite sleeping quilt as a wrap in camp, Native American-style. If it works, I may be able to lighten up-- and reduce the considerable bulk of--my clothing load.
Even better, because I usually go with a partner, I usually don't carry both the shelter and the kitchen items. Sharing reduces my load by about a pound.
For a two-night outing, I would carry about 5 lbs. of food. That's 2 lbs. per day, plus some extra. With more experience, I'll probably feel comfortable bringing less. I often carry about two liters (4.4 lbs.) of water. That brings my total to a little under 16.5 lbs. (sharing) or 17.5 lbs. (not sharing). Yikes! Even I can carry that load comfortably on a long hike.
(c)Rhona Mahony, 2002: rmahony@stanford.edu