What's In My Pack?

I've come up with my complete pack list for my SHT thruhike in May. I have had three objectives while packing:

1. Minimize weight
2. Minimize space
3. Have everything I need and NOTHING that I don't

Last year I went from the "traditional backpacker" style of packing to the ultralight method (with a target base weight of 12lbs). This year I'm going the extra mile to conserve space and weight at every opportunity. I'm dreaming of less than ten pounds of base weight, so we'll find out when I add it all up below.

I have strayed a little bit from my ultralight "norm" from last year. I am bringing a small stove, which I didn't last year. With ten days worth of food, even with the stove, I'm saving both weight and space by bringing dehydrated meals. Last year, when out for 2-5 days, I was better off without the stove. I am also bringing my phone, which I have never brought on a trip before. There are usually plenty of people on the SHT on the weekends that it is easy enough to find someone if something goes wrong. A Wednesday in May might be a different story, so I'll have my phone just in case. I also got an ultralight solo tent. It doesn't weight much more than my bivy, but there is some additional weight. I'm willing to sacrafice it for the added comfort on a 10 day trip.

All of that means I had to cut even more weight from my usual packing. The stuff I had in my pack (water bottle, hydro pack, rope) that wasn't already ultralight has been replaced. I've done what I can to every piece of gear to make it lighter and I have seriously evaluated the necessity of everything.

What will be on me while hiking:
T-Shirt 6.9 OZ
Bandana 1.0 OZ
Zipoffs 14.0 OZ
Socks 1.1 OZ
Hiking Shoes 35.0 OZ
Poles 19.7 OZ
Pocket Knife 2.2 OZ
Camera (w/case and extra battery) 8.4
TOTAL Weight on me: 89.3 OZ (5.58 LBS)


Base Weight:
Camelbak Backpack 19.2 OZ
Thermarest 21.5
Stopwatch 1.2 OZ
Compass 0.2 OZ
Flint .6 OZ
Whistle .3 OZ
1,000 ML Platypus Hydro Blatter 4.4 OZ
Toilet Paper/Hand Sanitizer 3.6 OZ
500 ML Platypus Water Bottle 0.8 OZ
SteriPen 9.0 OZ
Extra Batteries for SteriPen 4.0 OZ
Shovel 3.7 OZ
Sunscreen 1.6 OZ
2 Pens 0.8 OZ
Big Agnes Solo Tent 43.7 OZ
2 Waterproof Stuff Sacks 3.5 OZ ea 7 OZ total
Fleece 10.8 OZ
Sleeping Bag 30.3 OZ
1 Pair Socks 1.1 OZ
1 Pair Underwear 2.8 OZ
Fuel Canister (full, most of the weight is the can, so we'll put it here) 8.2 OZ
Journal 4.4 OZ
Tea Pot 5.9 OZ
Matches in Case 0.9 OZ
Ion Headlamp 1.0 OZ
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove 4.3 OZ
Titanium Spork 0.6 OZ
First Aid/Survival Kit (with Soap, toothbrush, etc) 4.1 OZ
Rope 1.5 OZ
Cell Phone 4.5 OZ
Extra Cell Phone Battery 0.7 OZ
Complete Trail Maps 4.7 OZ
OR Ultralight Rain coat and pants 15.9 OZ
Car Key 0.6 OZ
Check Card & Drivers License 0.3 OZ
Troop "Flag" 1.1 OZ
TOTAL Base weight: 220.2 (13.76 lbs!).

Oh No! Not Good! Looks like I have some work to do. I'll reevaluate and repost what I come up with. This will fall below ten pounds!