The Ultralight Pack

By Bob Rockwell

Updated May 3, 2010

Here is the list that guides me on Sierra Nevada climbing trips in the summer, and I have it handy every time I pack. I know that there are people who trim the edges off their map, drill holes in their spoon, and take the string off their tea bag; I applaud their philosophy but dont do such things myself. Carry: Pack, 3200 cu. in. (Blast 32 from ZPacks.com) Sleeping bag (Marmot Atom 40), with stuffsack Pad, Cascade Designs NeoAir, small, with stuffsack Heat Sheets Emergency bivy bag, with stuffsack Ground cloth: black garbage sack with sides split Down vest (Western Mountaineering Flash), with stuffsack Light polypro long underwear, top & bottom DWR wind shirt (GoLite Ether), in Ziplock sack Light polypro balaclava Light fleece gloves Headlamp (Petzl Tikka Plus), with extra batteries First aid kit, Adventure Ultralite .5, with toothbrush & paste Toilet paper: 8 sheets per day; Wash & Dry: 1 per day Quart Gatorade canteen, carried empty Topo map, whistle, signal mirror, compass, in Ziplock sack lb 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 oz Wear: 6.7 T-shirt Fleece shirt 3.4 Hiking shorts 9.5 Briefs 3.6 Tilley hat 1.9 Bandanna Sunglasses 5.5 Socks, and VBL 0.0 Lightweight Boots 3.4 Scree gaiters 2.0 2.2 Consider also: 3.9 Hiking poles 6.8 Sunscreen 0.9 Mosquito repellent 1.8 Ice ax, light 3.6 Crampons, aluminum 7.2 0 7.2

Base weight: 5 Food, 1 lb 8 oz per day plus liquid & packaging: 4 Total for a two-day weekend trip: 9

These weights are as measured on a regulation US Postal Service scale, so differ a little from advertised. The things to wear in the right-hand column add another 5 lbs or so that your feet feel. Below them are a few other items that are sometimes needed. There is no tent. And there is no provision for treating water, because virtually all High Sierra water is perfectly clean. And no stove and cookset. If you absolutely have to have hot meals, there are plenty of lightweight options out there. For example, the Firelight Esbit Wing Stove weighs only 0.4 oz, and two 0.5 oz fuel tabs will boil a quart of water. Add an aluminum or titanium mug/pot, and your total system weighs in at less than 4 ounces.

If rain is likely, I take Titanium Goat bivy (7.3 oz) instead of the Heat Sheets bivy; weight increases by 3.7 oz. If I have to depend on snow for topping off my canteen, I take a wide-mouth polyethylene canteen instead of the Gatorade jug. It adds 2.0 oz. Finally, bear canisters are becoming required in many areas. I have a Bare Boxer Contender, weighing 1 lb 13.9 oz. For more than a few days, you may have to pull a few tricks to make it do. Unfortunately, I have my weaknesses. Add a couple of sips of brandy per evening out. Taking all of the abovecooking system, cape/tarp, canteen, canister, brandyand total weight is just over 11 pounds for a two-day trip. The Blast 32 is comfortable up to about 20 pounds, but if need to take any technical gear, goodies to share, etc., you may want a more substantial one. The Mountainsmith Ghost (no longer available) is about the same size as the Blast 32, but with a much more rugged suspension system. It adds 2 lb 3.7 oz. There are, of course, many other choices out there. Other substitutions are obviously possible, and I do it often. However, I always have the scale handy. I didnt invent the saying, but I do abide by it: Watch the ounces and the pounds will take care of themselves. It should be clear that the 25 to 50 lb weekend packs so commonly seen have far more in them than is necessary. Finally, Im not at all fanatical about this. But operating from a list like the above is useful for identifying whats truly essential for the trip, and realizing whats just nice to have along.