Backcountry Gear List Granite Gear Vapor Trail Trekking Poles Tarptent Contrail Sleeping Pad Western Mountaineering Caribou MSR Pocket Rocket Fuel canister Pot and lid Lighter Lexan Spoon Rubber pot scraper/spatula Pack towel Collapsable water bucket 20 oz. soda bottle 2 platypus 1 liter water bladders MSR Hyperflow water filter Map Compass Garmin E Trex Vista HCx GPS First Aid Kit Petzl Tikka Headlamp Leatherman "kick" multitool Ursack & caribiner 30' nylon cord Tooth brush Antiseptic cleaner Golite Virga Rain jacket Mountain Hardware stretch fleece Montbell Down sweater Water shoes/Crocs Lowa Renegade GTX Hiking Boots X-tra liner socks X-tra wool socks Columbia Booney hat Bandana Nylon sleep shorts Sun Glasses Digital Camera Insect Repellent Sun screen

Backcountry Camping Gear List

To be totally honest, I did a horrible job outfitting Yumi and myself at the beginning. I was in such a hurry to purchase gear that I didn't make the wisest choices and wound up paying for it with both my wallet and physically.

If only I knew then what I know now.

12/01/08
OK, this is just sick. I bought the Western Mountaineering Caribou like I should have done last summer. I'll gladly send the Montbell back. But that's not all! My new pack (even though I surely don't NEED another one) as a Six Moon Designs Starlight. More clothing was also on my Christmas list: Golite Virga rain jacket, new base layers, convertible pants and my very first pair of boxer briefs. Somebody please help me. I NEEDED none of this.

10/2008
I now know I'm one sick puppy. I'm looking to pull the trigger on either a Granite Gear Virga or a Golite Jam. A new rain jacket might be in order as well. Stay tuned.

7/2008
Since it's an even numbered year, it's time to buy more gear! MSR Hyperflow water filter, Mountain Hardware Stretch Fleece and long Sleeved T. Montbell Super Stretch Down Hugger #4, Montbell down inner jacket, Tarptent Contrail. Garmin E Trex Vista HcX, topo software and another pair of Lowa Renegade GTX's. Almost forgot the new air mattress. The small fortune I spent was worth every penny since my total pack weight for 7 nights in the Beartooths was 27 lbs. My base weight is now just over 12 lbs.

7/9/2006
I've been a busy boy this winter and spring.  The Forester has been replaced by a Granite Gear Vapor Trail. The TNF Slickrock won't be taken along as much (or maybe even at all) since I went out and got a Henry Shires Cloudburst 2 Tarptent. Finally, a new Hooded Aspen sleeping bag from Western Mountaineering rounds out my big 3. For the first time in a couple of years I find myself not perusing the web for gear. I can now go under 30 lbs. total for a 6 night trip.

9/9/2005
My pack weight including water and food for my 5-night Glacier trip weighed in at 34 lbs. I'm getting there. I could lose another 1.5 pounds buy purchasing a solo shelter, and another half pound by switching to a down bag. I'm also toying with eliminating a few other odds and ends which could save another half-pound. Still, the difference from last year was noticable.

3/26/05
Took a little trip to the Brookfield REI today. Gone is the MSR Dragonfly which was replaced with a Pocket Rocket. The mammoth Kelty Redcloud is now history as I'll be carrying everything in a Gregory Forester

Shelters           Henry Shires Tarptent Cloudburst 2 At a shade over 2.5 lbs. this gem enabled me to go even lighter by utilizing a smaller pack (Vapor Trail). Though light, the Cloudburst withstood some serious horizontal rain and wind in, surprise, in the Wind River range.   Henry Shires TarptentContrail Bought for the 2008 Beartooth trip, the Contrail has more than enough room for a big guy like me , and weighs in at under 1.5 lbs. A great solo shelter Sleeping Bags           Western Mountaineering Sycamore 25*   A sweet bag, cut larger for my massive size. 2 lbs. of comfy warmth.   Western Mountaineering Caribou *35   Probably my new go-to bag. Compresses small and weighs in at under 1.5 lbs.   Montbell Super Stretch Down Hugger #5 40*   This one is probably going back to but it packs small and might be a good summer bag.   REI Mojave *10   Yumi sleeps cold so we needed a warmer bag. Nice loft but only 600 PF so it's a tad bulkier than I'd like. Packs           Gregory Forester (4850 cubes)   For one reason or another, my heavy hauler has rarely benn used, the last in 2006. I'll hang on to this one in case I ever do a longer base camp type trip with Yumi or kids   Granite Gear Vapor Trail (3800 cubes)   This is an awesome pack with only a few limitations which led me to find something different. The collar is too long to pack and unpack easily, and the outside pockets are tough get anything into when the pack is fully loaded   Six Moon Designs Starlight (4200 cubes)   A shorter collar and plenty of mesh pockets make me believe this will be an easier pack to deal with on the trail. The marginally larger capacity fits my trend of going on longer (7-9 days) trips   Gregory Z-Pack (3250 cubic inches)   Yumi likes this pack because it has plenty of places to stuff things she needs close at hand. Bonus: the color looks good on her.