Continued from Part 6: Food.
Previous installments have discussed the gear I took to Yosemite for July’s 10-day backpacking trek. My pack weighed 20 lbs 0.8 oz / 9,095g before adding 11 lbs 5.4 oz / 5,143g of food, water, and fuel. I carried or wore another 7 lbs 10.1 oz / 3,461, though it’s debatable as to whether I was wearing my camera gear or it was part of my pack. Either way, my total skin-out weight before consumables was 27 lbs 10.9 oz / 12,556g. This figure reflected nearly 7.5 pounds of reductions in weight by substituting lighter and more versatile gear for existing items.
This entry looks at those substitutions, while highlighting some pitfalls, and explores ways of reducing pack weight further without losing sigificant functionality. Finally, I’ll discuss some additional items which, with the benefit of hindsight, I should have brought.


WEIGHT REDUCTION BEFORE YOSEMITE
I was able to reduce weight by substituting:

  • Canon Powershot G9 system for Canon Digital Rebel XT system, saving 4 lbs 13.2 oz / 2,189g at replacement cost of $652 ($8.45/oz saved)
  • MontBell ultralight down vest and GoLite Wisp wind shirt for Columbia fleece top and REI windblocker fleece jacket, saving 1 lb 4.9 oz / 593g at a cost of $159 ($7.60/oz saved)
  • GoLite Odyssey for Gregory Reality, saving 1 lb 3.3 oz / 546g at a cost of $200 ($10.38/oz saved)
  • Hennessy hammock-based shelter for solo tent, saving 1 lb 0.6 oz / 470g at a cost of $215 ($12.97/oz saved)
  • Silk base layer for wool base layer, saving 9.1 oz / 257g at a cost of $60 ($6.62/oz saved)
  • Platypus 2-liter collapsible bottle and drinking tube for CamelBak insulated hydration bladder, saving 8.9 oz / 253g at a cost of $23 ($2.58/oz saved)
  • Kiva keychain pack for REI Desert Rat daypack, saving 8.9 oz / 252g at a cost of $9 ($1.01/oz saved)
  • Esbit-based stove system for Primus cannister stove system, saving 8.9 oz / 251g at a cost of $46 ($5.17/oz saved)
  • Nike tank top and running shorts for polyester T-shirt and hiking shorts, saving 6.0 oz / 169g at a cost of $53 ($8.89/oz saved)
  • Driducks rain pants for REI-branded rain pants, saving 2.1 oz / 60g at a cost of $15 ($7.09/oz saved)
  • Nalgene collapsible canteen for hard-sided water bottle, saving 2.0 oz / 58g at a cost of $10 ($4.89/oz saved)
  • Regular hiking socks for wool camp socks, saving 2.0 oz / 56g at a cost of $13 ($6.58/oz saved)

These substitutions for my usual backpacking gear netted weight savings of 11 lbs 5.8 oz / 5,154g at a total replacement cost of $1,455 or just at $8 per ounce reduced. Had I not replaced any gear prior to the trip, my total skin-out weight before food and water would have been 39 lbs 0.7 oz / 17,710g. With food and water, it would have been a backbreaking 50 lbs 1.7 oz / 22,729g! So, it was money well spent.
For someone just starting down the lighweight path, gear substitution should focus on bang for the buck. The biggest single-item reductions come from The Big Three — pack, shelter, sleeping bag — but the most cost-effective reductions can arise from judicious substitutions of lower-weight gear.
Let’s say the budget for new gear for this trip was $200. Among the Big 3, the best I could do would be to swap out the pack, saving 19.3 oz. For $197, I could swap out my hydration system, daypack, stove system, drinking bottle, and insulation layer (MontBell vest for a fleece top), saving 31.5 oz for the same amount of money. Doing the analysis is key to understanding how far a given budget will go. The best pieces of gear to have are a postal scale which measures to the gram and a spreadsheet. Weigh all gear, put together a packing list, and then research other options.
The choices I made were not necessarily the best. Hindsight revealed that I needed more insulation, more complete rain gear, a bigger canopy, and more durable base layers than silk. These changes will add weight, of course, but this can easily be offset by additional savings, some of which cost nothing at all.
OPPORTUNITIES TO TRIM WEIGHT
As I mentioned in the last installment, one of the biggest contributors to “late-train weight gain” is a poor food plan. Working from a logical schedule and thoughtful analysis, I brought what I thought would be enough food for 5 1/2 days, only to discover it could have lasted 10. More realistic planning could have chopped more than 2 lbs off my pack weight without spending a dime. It could also have led me to a lighter bear cannister, potentially shaving another 11 oz, although that cannister would have been more expensive than the (heavier) one I took with me.
Using solely a chemical-based water treatment system would have eliminated the 6.5 oz of weight from the SteriPEN. Reducing unneeded water containers would have still given me 5 liters total capacity while eliminating another 5.5 oz.
The decision not to pack a resupply box for either my final night in Yosemite (at the Lodge) or for San Francisco required me to carry 8.3 oz of chargers and other items not needed on the trails in Yosemite. It turned out fortuitous that I had them on the way to San Francisco, but I did not need them on the trail itself. Had I had a vehicle, I would not have carried these items.
These options (not including a lighter bear cannister) would reduce pack weight by approximately 3 lbs 7.6 oz / 1,576g, or about 11% of my trailhead pack weight, and would have cost me only the shipping charge for a small bounce box.
Beyond these, I would mostly be nipping at the margins, provided I wanted to keep the same or better functionality out of my gear. There are probably lighter-weight hiking clothes out there — a polyester long-sleeve base layer is ligher than my hiking shirt — but I doubt they have the same durability as what I wear now.
Repackaging some personal items would produce some savings. In particular, I could have put some of the soap into a small, corked vial and saved probably 1.5 oz. Some additional food repackaging could result in marginal weight savings, although I already squeezed 5.0 ounces out of packaging already.
One of the luxury items was a 39×24 inch pack towel, which weighs 4.4 oz / 126g. MSR makes a line of ultralight towels which would be superior in terms of weight. The extra-large version is 50×27 and weighs 3.6 oz ($30 — $37.50/oz saved) and the large is 36×20 and weighs 2.1 oz ($20 — $8.70/oz saved). For a 25% reduction in surface area, the large achieves decent savings.
Camp shoes are another luxury, but it’s hard to find lightweight shoes with a closed toe. I suppose I could go with flip-flops, but these don’t help much when I stumble into a log or stub my toe on a rock (or encounter a cactus or scorpion). Other luxuries, such as toothpaste and deodorant, could be eliminated, saving about 3.5 oz.
So I find myself near the end of economical weight reduction. I have lighter bags, packs, and other gear, which I can use depending on terrain and expected weather. For a trip like the one I recently returned from, the options for further practical, economical weight reduction are limited. My best bet is making better choices in terms of what I pack, which is something that fortunately costs nothing but thoughtfulness.
WEIGHT WHICH SHOULD BE ADDED
Hammock improvements. Almost everyone who buys a Hennessy hammock replaces the canopy, and I will be no exception. It needs better coverage and a separate main line to provide superior rain protection. This will add to 5 oz of weight. I also want to get larger tree-huggers than the 1×42 inch ones I have. This is another 3 oz or so.
Clothing improvements. The MontBell vest, while fantastic, does not insulate the arms, so I will probably upgrade to the matching jacket for another 2 oz (and $130). I found that my silk base layers provided neither enough insulation nor durability, so I will probably either return to wool (9 oz) or poly (8 oz).
Rain gear. I should have taken the Driducks top (5.6 oz) that I already have. This would have provided some additional insulation but more importantly would have ensured my down vest did not get wet. I also need to invest in a good, lightweight pack cover. Some on the market today hover around 4 oz.
While iodine is an acceptable water treatment option, I’d rather have a chlorine-based chemical solution if I’m not going to use a pump, filter, or SteriPEN (and I won’t be using one of those again). This would add an ounce or two of weight.
These additions come to a little under 2 lbs, which is well within the “free” weight cutting potential I have from my current setup and packing strategy.
This concludes my analysis of the backpacking gear I took to Yosemite. I hope it was helpful to others considering reducing weight from their own pack or pondering a similar hiking trek, either to the Sierras or elsewhere.
The complete series:
Part 1: The Big Three — pack, shelter, sleeping bag
Part 2: Clothing
Part 3: Hydration and Cooking
Part 4: Camera Gear and Electronics
Part 5: Everything Else
Part 6: Food
Part 7: Further Weight Adjustments
The complete trip report:
Part 1: Glacier Point Dayhike
Part 2: Porcupine and Yosemite Creeks
Part 3: Entering the Grand Canyon
Part 4: Walking Among the Waterfalls
Part 5: Glen Aulin to Cathedral Lakes
Part 6: The Tempest
Part 7: Sunrise to Clouds Rest
Part 8: Facing Fear on Half Dome
Part 9: Triumph Atop Half Dome
Part 10: The Final Miles
Part 11: From Woods to Wharves
Part 12: The Streets of San Francisco
Part 13: Muir Woods and Foggy Shores

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