Kit list for an overnight testing new gear

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
After being away with work for 3 months, I'm finally home and able to get out later this week for an overnight on Dartmoor. I'm testing a few new things such as some pacer poles and a grid fleece base layer that I picked up used on here. New purchases include a polartec alpha top and the big one is hiking in trail shoes for the first time on a proper backpack trip rather than day hike. Dartmoor is notoriously damp so be interesting to see how that goes, I almost always hike in lightweight boots rather than shoes..

The thing I always have trouble doing is picking the right clothes and I always take too much so this is a trial to see if the latest choice and purchases are a better option and keep me lighter.

I may swap out the base layer for a long-sleeved shirt if the temperatures on Thursday/friday are as high as they were today but that leaves me with just a very thin polartec alpha top and a windproof for the evening when it's cooler and I'm not moving. Then again, I can just curl up with the dog :) I may also change out the Montane trousers for some lighter convertible Craghoppers I've got. Neither of those things will change the pack weight though.

Sleep gear will be the polartec alpha top and some lightweight leggings under the quilt.

The other heavy item is the dog's sleeping bag. At over a kilo, it's probably overkill for the summer so I'm looking for an alternative. I take a fleece coat for him so it's a case of trying to find some form of lightweight blanket and a mat on the ground of some form to keep him warm while packing smaller and lighter. A bit of 3mm Evazote 1mx0.75m should be about right and less than 100g, just need to pick that up for next time. He carries his own food, water and bowl etc in some doggie panniers but the sleeping bag is too bulky to fit in that.

Without his sleeping bag I'm at about 8kg plus food, which about as light as I've ever been before.

Happy to take suggestions from the crowd for ways to improve.

https://lighterpack.com/r/b6fbur
 
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Taz38

Thru Hiker
Your dog won't need a sleepingbag. I take a small quilt from gooutdoors that she lies on or under and she's been fine. It also dries quickly. Weighs around half a kg. I bought a warm dog coat for those chilly nights but haven't used it yet.
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
Your dog won't need a sleepingbag. I take a small quilt from gooutdoors that she lies on or under and she's been fine. It also dries quickly. Weighs around half a kg. I bought a warm dog coat for those chilly nights but haven't used it yet.
That's what I was thinking. A bit of Evazote foam would keep him warm on the ground and ideally perhaps a bit of apex to make a lightweight quilt of his own would be a good project when there's some spare time. Might see if there's an old fleece blanket knocking around for this week rather than the sleeping bag.
 

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
If you're trying the wet foot thing for the first time the evenings can be unpleasant if you haven't had chance to dry your shoes out much, I usually take a pair of short sealskinz but a change of socks and a couple of sandwich bags will do the trick.
 

Fossil Bluff

Thru Hiker
That's what I was thinking. A bit of Evazote foam would keep him warm on the ground and ideally perhaps a bit of apex to make a lightweight quilt of his own would be a good project when there's some spare time. Might see if there's an old fleece blanket knocking around for this week rather than the sleeping bag.

Sleeping bag... fleece blanket.... foam matting.... :roflmao::biggrin: Mine have always just had a bit of bubblewrap.
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
If you're trying the wet foot thing for the first time the evenings can be unpleasant if you haven't had chance to dry your shoes out much, I usually take a pair of short sealskinz but a change of socks and a couple of sandwich bags will do the trick.
Thanks, good idea. I always have dry socks as part of my sleep kit and probably have a couple of thin carrier bags in the kitchen cupboard so will pack those.

I’ve some dexshell socks to go over the injini socks if it’s really soggy during the day, not tried them before so that’s another new thing to try out, but the bags are a good idea for those night time excursions.
 

dovidola

Thru Hiker
@SafetyThird enjoyed your kit list, much of which mirrors mine. Might I be so bold as to recommend the following steps, based on my kit list and usage, to save you around 1kg? Not including your tent or pack, where there's an easy 500g or so of further weight savings possible.

Thank you for not feeling the need to take a 1000000000mAh Power Bank, and making do with a 'mere' 6000mAh. For a single overnighter though, I wouldn't be taking one at all. Your fully charged iPhone7plus should go fine for 2-3 days if used judiciously and mainly in Airplane Mode (save 150g). Of course I don't know what you consider essential usage - you might want to find a faint reception signal and spend half the night yacking to your mates/family and streaming vids, but my guess is that you don't. I'm also guessing that phone case is quite weighty - I use a minimal 'bump' protector plus ziplock.

Download OS mapping onto your iPhone and copy a basic map onto an A4 Sheet carried in a ziplock, plus a 'button-sized' compass as backup (save 250g!!)

Perhaps a Petzl eLite+ head torch would be sufficient at this time of the year? (save 60g). This also works well on minimum setting as a tent lantern, so save another 12g.

Save 15g by going 'down' to an Opinel No 7. It hurt me when I did that, but I now prefer the size for trekking.

A NeoAir Xlite is surely sufficient for summer on Dartmoor? And your own lung power to inflate it? (290g saved) - appreciate if you've invested in the (excellent) XTherm you might balk at the expense/necessity of a further NeoAir purchase though. Pillows are a particularly personal thing - your arrangement is quite generous!

The sleeping mat stuff sack isn't needed imho (25g). I just use a rubber band for tidiness.

Your cup runneth over! 70g is a lot - I use the excellent Wildo fold-a-cup which is 45g in the large (0.6L) size (25g saved).

In summer, I'd only be taking those 220g overtrousers if significant or prolonged rain was forecast. Particularly as you have a rain jacket and gaiters, and trousers which dry quickly.

When you're feeling generous, 'trade in' your Tilley for the Tilley Lightweight - same basic shape but 50g lighter and works much better too.

Unqualified to comment on the doggy stuff, but it strikes me as heavy for the job?

Any/all of the above may be rubbish or just not suit you, but if there's something in there which is of use, then I'm happy to have been able to help.
 

Padstowe

Thru Hiker
A small fleece blanket that's big enough to double over if need be should be sufficient for this time of year.
@dovidola are you able to take a bearing from a map & walk on it with that button compass or is it just something that tells you which way is magnetic north?
 

ZenTrekker

Section Hiker
After being away with work for 3 months, I'm finally home and able to get out later this week for an overnight on Dartmoor. I'm testing a few new things such as some pacer poles and a grid fleece base layer that I picked up used on here. New purchases include a polartec alpha top and the big one is hiking in trail shoes for the first time on a proper backpack trip rather than day hike. Dartmoor is notoriously damp so be interesting to see how that goes, I almost always hike in lightweight boots rather than shoes..

The thing I always have trouble doing is picking the right clothes and I always take too much so this is a trial to see if the latest choice and purchases are a better option and keep me lighter.

I may swap out the base layer for a long-sleeved shirt if the temperatures on Thursday/friday are as high as they were today but that leaves me with just a very thin polartec alpha top and a windproof for the evening when it's cooler and I'm not moving. Then again, I can just curl up with the dog :) I may also change out the Montane trousers for some lighter convertible Craghoppers I've got. Neither of those things will change the pack weight though.

Sleep gear will be the polartec alpha top and some lightweight leggings under the quilt.

The other heavy item is the dog's sleeping bag. At over a kilo, it's probably overkill for the summer so I'm looking for an alternative. I take a fleece coat for him so it's a case of trying to find some form of lightweight blanket and a mat on the ground of some form to keep him warm while packing smaller and lighter. A bit of 3mm Evazote 1mx0.75m should be about right and less than 100g, just need to pick that up for next time. He carries his own food, water and bowl etc in some doggie panniers but the sleeping bag is too bulky to fit in that.

Without his sleeping bag I'm at about 8kg plus food, which about as light as I've ever been before.

Happy to take suggestions from the crowd for ways to improve.

https://lighterpack.com/r/b6fbur

A few twaeks I might consider . . . .

Do you need 3 pairs of socks?
Or 2 sets of reading specs?
70 grams for a cup is quite a lot
There seems to be quite a few stuff-sacks as well as a pack liner.
Pillow cover and inflatible pillow? If you must have the cover, could you use it as a stuff-sack?
Do you need a flannel for just a single overnight? If so what about using a light piece of sponge instead?
Appreciate that there seems to be some personal medication in the FA Kit but mine tops out at 95 grams
Not a big saving but I take a couple of poop bags for used toilet paper (only 1 gram each). Also the thin supermarket vegatable bags are good as waste bags, also 1 gram each.
You could decant some of your toiletries/hand sanitiser etc. into smaller squeeze tubes e.g. Speedster 8ml Squeeze Tubes, he also does 20ml versions https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/other-products/8ml-empty-squeeze-tubes.html

Don't know if it helps but I often find it fun to 'sweat' the small stuff.
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
Thanks very much for the replies, some great things to consider. Some are definitely things for the future as it would involve buying new things, some won't happen for cost reasons such as a second sleep mat. I sold my down mat and bought the Xtherm so I have just one of them.

I'll go through a few things in direct replies.
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
@SafetyThird enjoyed your kit list, much of which mirrors mine. Might I be so bold as to recommend the following steps, based on my kit list and usage, to save you around 1kg? Not including your tent or pack, where there's an easy 500g or so of further weight savings possible.

Thank you for not feeling the need to take a 1000000000mAh Power Bank, and making do with a 'mere' 6000mAh. For a single overnighter though, I wouldn't be taking one at all. Your fully charged iPhone7plus should go fine for 2-3 days if used judiciously and mainly in Airplane Mode (save 150g). Of course I don't know what you consider essential usage - you might want to find a faint reception signal and spend half the night yacking to your mates/family and streaming vids, but my guess is that you don't. I'm also guessing that phone case is quite weighty - I use a minimal 'bump' protector plus ziplock.

Download OS mapping onto your iPhone and copy a basic map onto an A4 Sheet carried in a ziplock, plus a 'button-sized' compass as backup (save 250g!!)

Perhaps a Petzl eLite+ head torch would be sufficient at this time of the year? (save 60g). This also works well on minimum setting as a tent lantern, so save another 12g.

Save 15g by going 'down' to an Opinel No 7. It hurt me when I did that, but I now prefer the size for trekking.

A NeoAir Xlite is surely sufficient for summer on Dartmoor? And your own lung power to inflate it? (290g saved) - appreciate if you've invested in the (excellent) XTherm you might balk at the expense/necessity of a further NeoAir purchase though. Pillows are a particularly personal thing - your arrangement is quite generous!

The sleeping mat stuff sack isn't needed imho (25g). I just use a rubber band for tidiness.

Your cup runneth over! 70g is a lot - I use the excellent Wildo fold-a-cup which is 45g in the large (0.6L) size (25g saved).

In summer, I'd only be taking those 220g overtrousers if significant or prolonged rain was forecast. Particularly as you have a rain jacket and gaiters, and trousers which dry quickly.

When you're feeling generous, 'trade in' your Tilley for the Tilley Lightweight - same basic shape but 50g lighter and works much better too.

Unqualified to comment on the doggy stuff, but it strikes me as heavy for the job?

Any/all of the above may be rubbish or just not suit you, but if there's something in there which is of use, then I'm happy to have been able to help.

The power bank is the smallest I currently own, might look at a smaller one for short trips. I like to use my phone to listen to podcasts, check the weather etc. I sometimes watch something on the phone particularly if it's light late or I've stopped early. On longer trips I take the kindle to read. Having something to occupy my downtime is part of why I'm out there.

I have view ranger and the whole country on 1:25000 mapping with it. I could copy down the section of map and take that, I'm still converting to using digital mapping, hard to break the habit of a lifetime of using a paper map. Certainly wouldn't want to lose the ability for the compass to take bearings/resections etc. Will look at printing just the map section I need.

Removing stuff sacs is a good idea, I have issues with being a bit overly neat and tidy and like everything packaged neatly. I need to make some lightweight stuff sacs for a few things.

Like you, I have a wildo cup, it just doesn't quite fit into my cook set, where as my other one does as it folds flat. I also like the measuring marks on it. Something to definitely consider though, I know it's heavier than necessary.

I've taken your advice and ditched the overtrousers this time. Forecast is for no rain, though this is Dartmoor and it could still be misty and damp but I guess I'm packing my fears again. I'm not that far from the car if it turned nasty and could hike out quickly enough if that's the case.

Tilley hat, yes, I have three different ones, the lightweight is on the list.

Now not taking the dog sleeping bag and just a cut in half fleece blanket, I guess he'll just cuddle me as usual :)
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
A few twaeks I might consider . . . .

Do you need 3 pairs of socks?
Or 2 sets of reading specs?
70 grams for a cup is quite a lot
There seems to be quite a few stuff-sacks as well as a pack liner.
Pillow cover and inflatible pillow? If you must have the cover, could you use it as a stuff-sack?
Do you need a flannel for just a single overnight? If so what about using a light piece of sponge instead?
Appreciate that there seems to be some personal medication in the FA Kit but mine tops out at 95 grams
Not a big saving but I take a couple of poop bags for used toilet paper (only 1 gram each). Also the thin supermarket vegatable bags are good as waste bags, also 1 gram each.
You could decant some of your toiletries/hand sanitiser etc. into smaller squeeze tubes e.g. Speedster 8ml Squeeze Tubes, he also does 20ml versions https://speedsterstoves.co.uk/other-products/8ml-empty-squeeze-tubes.html

Don't know if it helps but I often find it fun to 'sweat' the small stuff.

The 3 pairs of socks is because I'm trying hiking with trail shoes for the first time. The Injini socks are what I'll hike in. If the going is very wet, I can either change into the dry shell socks or put them on over the others. The third pair is for sleeping and I will always take a pair for that, dry warm feet is just such a luxury, I'll take the weight penalty for those.

Reading glasses, yes, if I lost a pair I wouldn't be able to read my phone or a map etc. Not necessarily life threatening but bloody inconvenient.

Stuff sacks because I have a neatness and organisational problem :)

I find a pillow vital for a good night's sleep as I get older. The pillow cover is down filled and makes the inflatable pillow so much more comfortable. Sleep comfort is worth the weight to me.

Flannel, possibly not needed but a quick wipe down at the end of a sweaty day before going to bed is lovely. I may look at getting a smaller one.

First aid kit needs reducing, I have one that gets used for everything from hiking to travel to holidays etc so tends to have a bit more than is needed for an overnight or short trip. Something to work on before the next outing.

Poop bags are a great idea, and Fraggle will have a roll of them in his panniers too :) saves a few grams.

All the toiletries are already decanted into tiny 10ml bottles so I don't think there's any saving to be made there.

After last year's big cull of the sleeping and shelter sections of my gear, the small stuff is what I need to sweat, thanks for the help.
 

Shewie

Chief Slackpacker
Staff member
The pillow cover is down filled and makes the inflatable pillow so much more comfortable.

More details please :)

Looks like a good list to me, you could always mark your pack as worn weight to shave a good chunk off :) Food looks sensible, I use a similar Zebralight in winter but switch to an E+Lite or OLight for the shorter nights around camp.

It's usually spare clothes and excess food that piles the weight on but you've got neither, the only grams I can see to shave are with a smaller lighter pack for an overnighter maybe, but why bother if you're happy with the Lightwave.

Enjoy the new kit testing, look forward to seeing some pics on your return.
 

ZenTrekker

Section Hiker
The 3 pairs of socks is because I'm trying hiking with trail shoes for the first time. The Injini socks are what I'll hike in. If the going is very wet, I can either change into the dry shell socks or put them on over the others. The third pair is for sleeping and I will always take a pair for that, dry warm feet is just such a luxury, I'll take the weight penalty for those.

Reading glasses, yes, if I lost a pair I wouldn't be able to read my phone or a map etc. Not necessarily life threatening but bloody inconvenient.

Stuff sacks because I have a neatness and organisational problem :)

I find a pillow vital for a good night's sleep as I get older. The pillow cover is down filled and makes the inflatable pillow so much more comfortable. Sleep comfort is worth the weight to me.

Flannel, possibly not needed but a quick wipe down at the end of a sweaty day before going to bed is lovely. I may look at getting a smaller one.

First aid kit needs reducing, I have one that gets used for everything from hiking to travel to holidays etc so tends to have a bit more than is needed for an overnight or short trip. Something to work on before the next outing.

Poop bags are a great idea, and Fraggle will have a roll of them in his panniers too :) saves a few grams.

All the toiletries are already decanted into tiny 10ml bottles so I don't think there's any saving to be made there.

After last year's big cull of the sleeping and shelter sections of my gear, the small stuff is what I need to sweat, thanks for the help.

I've tried to comment on things that cost little or nothing in your gear list

Stuff Sacks - I use a 35 litre dry bag inside my pack (45 grams). Inside this goes everything I want to keep dry, quilt, sleep mat, sleep clothing, wash kit, first aid kit, food etc. I stuff it all down and it fills up all the nooks and crannies in the pack. I admit that I have 2 additional stuff sacks to keep things neat and tidy. I have fitted a Thermarest AirTap (see attached image) to the bottom of the dry bag to inflate my sleep pad (12 grams). Outside of this goes everything that doesn't matter if it gets wet, water filter, tent, stove and stuff, fuel bottle, waterproofs.

Reading Glasses - The smart answer is don't loose them! Seriously though I have to wear vario-focals and I'm blind as a bat without them, so I look after them with my life. My worry is breaking my specs not losing them but I know that I can still read a map with half a pair of glasses. Reading my phone is not an issue because most of the time its turned off, the only reason I take it is beacuse Management insists!

Absolutley agree with the pillow and a good night's sleep. The pillow cover seems to be the bit of gear you treasure the most, so could you stuff it with spare clothing/waterproofs etc. and dispense with the air-pillow?

First Aid Kit - I broke a wrist in 3 places some years back and realised that my first aid kit was pretty well useless and when I made it down the mountain to the Pharmacy in Llanberis, there was little they could do either. So forget major issues you will never solve them on the hill. Now I only take what is needed for fairly minor stuff.

Toiletries already decanted into 10ml bottles - I reckon that anything I put into a Speedster 8ml squeeze tube will not weigh more than 10 grams tops. You have stuff that weighs - bug spray 17g, sunscreen 17 g, toothpaste 25g, soap 17g, foot cream 18g, sanitiser 16g, All for one night out. So I reckon there is a saving of 50 grams just on these items. Speedster 8ml squeeze tubes coat 35pence each!

Two years ago I packed far more than you did, its taken some time and a good number of nights out to cut down my stuff to something reasonable (10LB base weight). You have to be comfortable with what you do and if you carry more weight than is necessary, then that is your call and if it makes your trip more enjoyable then you shoild go for it.

ATB, Phil
Thermarest Air-Tap.jpg
 

SafetyThird

Section Hiker
More details please :)

Looks like a good list to me, you could always mark your pack as worn weight to shave a good chunk off :) Food looks sensible, I use a similar Zebralight in winter but switch to an E+Lite or OLight for the shorter nights around camp.

It's usually spare clothes and excess food that piles the weight on but you've got neither, the only grams I can see to shave are with a smaller lighter pack for an overnighter maybe, but why bother if you're happy with the Lightwave.

Enjoy the new kit testing, look forward to seeing some pics on your return.

https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-pillows/
 

Padstowe

Thru Hiker
First aid kit needs reducing, I have one that gets used for everything from hiking to travel to holidays etc so tends to have a bit more than is needed for an overnight or short trip. Something to work on before the next outing.
I remember the first time I read your first aid kit list I wasn't sure if you were a pill head or someone in serious pain taking the vicodin & then the mondafinil to try & counter act the drowsiness of the vicodin. But the serious antibiotic you carry tells me you may be just very cautious?
(mine consists of a few migraine pills, 2 cheap elastic knee supports, couple of compeed patches, a knife & some duct tape, swap for yours :whistling:, you can keep the cipro though & all the other stuff I didn't mention :))
 

dovidola

Thru Hiker
A small fleece blanket that's big enough to double over if need be should be sufficient for this time of year.
@dovidola are you able to take a bearing from a map & walk on it with that button compass or is it just something that tells you which way is magnetic north?

It depends how accurate you are trying to be. I find +/- 10 deg is good enough (it wouldn't be if you were crossing an ocean or a desert), when coupled with observation of your physical surroundings and the ability to relate them to the map. The compass is a Silva, about the size of a 50p piece, and 14g (quite a large button I suppose), which is adequate to take bearings to that level of accuracy. I've not had the electronic mapping fail on me yet, and the admittedly minimal map and compass are there as backup, sufficient to enable safe navigation back to civilisation.
 

Padstowe

Thru Hiker
It depends how accurate you are trying to be. I find +/- 10 deg is good enough (it wouldn't be if you were crossing an ocean or a desert), when coupled with observation of your physical surroundings and the ability to relate them to the map. The compass is a Silva, about the size of a 50p piece, and 14g (quite a large button I suppose), which is adequate to take bearings to that level of accuracy. I've not had the electronic mapping fail on me yet, and the admittedly minimal map and compass are there as backup, sufficient to enable safe navigation back to civilisation.
10 deg is way way way to much to be out in on up-land nav when walking in poor visibility when you can't see your physical surroundings, which is when you need the compass. If you can see your surroundings & relate them to a map then you shouldn't have need of a compass at that time. If you are telling me that if you are up a hill in poor visibility & you believe that walking x amount of different legs at 10 deg out each leg will get you back safely, I have to ask, have you ever done any proper nav work with map & compass? Cause what you are saying can & more than likely will lead you into very tricky & dangerous situations unless you are walking on very soft feature landscape. I'd count yourself very lucky that your electronic mapping hasn't failed on you yet.
edit: with around 10 deg out, after 500m you're already around 150m of your mark, walk more you go more off, couple that with a few more legs & where are you in poor visibility?
 
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ZenTrekker

Section Hiker
It depends how accurate you are trying to be. I find +/- 10 deg is good enough (it wouldn't be if you were crossing an ocean or a desert), when coupled with observation of your physical surroundings and the ability to relate them to the map. The compass is a Silva, about the size of a 50p piece, and 14g (quite a large button I suppose), which is adequate to take bearings to that level of accuracy. I've not had the electronic mapping fail on me yet, and the admittedly minimal map and compass are there as backup, sufficient to enable safe navigation back to civilisation.

Geonaute Begin 100 Orienteering Compass from Decathlon, 20 grams, £4.99
Decathlon 100 Orienteering compass.jpg
 
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