Re: Backpacking anyone?
I make a spreadsheet on every outing and save it. It includes trek, time, topo, environmentals and load-out separated into basic categories;
Food/Water
Food prep/Water Prep
Bedding/Shelter/Clothes
Gear
I’m a gear whore so every time I usually have stuff I really did not need to pack. Scan the spreadsheet and eliminate common redundancy in lights, knives, food prep and serving, etc. I usually have more food than required. I can get 2-days on one 2-serving Mountain House with a few hi energy snacks. There is a ton of lightweight, non-frozen, hiking application foods available at a grocery store without expensive freeze-dried meals (although more limited if you’re watching your sodium intake):
Tuna-salad envelopes (awesome), microwave rice bags, pasta kits with sauce (throw out the main bowl packaging), Hormel stew or meat’n potatoes grossness in plastic, good crackers, chunk of hard waxed cheese, ETC. Some ideas outside of candy bars, jerky, and trail mix/nuts.
A quality, lightweight cook stove is worth the investment. I have snow peak gear but there are others that are good like MSR. I’m not into $400 backpacking tents where I have got along fine through the years with inexpensive pup tents in the 6lb range. Maintenance and waterproofing coatings go along way.
Other key items off the top of my head are; quality socks, poly under garments, proven boots, baby wipes, a decent first-aid kit, athletic and half-roll duct tape, paracord, a bear bag, a nylon pants belt capable of clasping at any diameter whether or not your into belts, a few zip-lock bags for food preservation/carry, a small plastic spade shovel, navigation assistance, swiss-army huntsman, long run LED headlamp like a Petzl, water purifier as stated like a Katadyn.
Although that sleeping bag is nice, it’s also heavy and bulky. A ECW bag fills my entire main compartment on one of larger backpacks. In consideration of sleeping bags, headwear and clothing already worn/available does allot to retain heat. Without going into a huge sleeping bag debate; the chosen sleeping bag should be able to cover your head without your feet tight on the bottom.
