Saw this thread on another forum, and it is interesting to see what people have left at home over the years. Here is a quick list to get things started...

1. I will be leaving behind my MSR Dragonfly and canisters of white gas as I only eat food that needs water added. (solo trips)

2. Tent, tarp and small bug house stay at home as I have a Lean 1 (solo trips)

3. Bear barrel has gathered dust for the past couple years as I switched to Ursack bags (all trips)

4. Rope/pulley to hang food. Have not hung food for a good 10 years (all trips)

5. Fish locator as I just do not fish anywhere near as much as I used to (all trips)

6. Sleeping bag as I have used a quilt for a good 5 years or so (all trips)

I too have left behind the food hanging kit. Go with a bear vault now. I leave behind my crazy creek chair, as I now bring my helinox. (Knock on wood- my back has been good lately don't need seat with back in canoe. Leave behind my phone. Still use a flip phone so no point in having it in the bush. Use to bring a small gas lantern, which has been replaced by luci. Thats a few...

Rope and pulley for hanging food-store food- now use Gamma seal buckets.
Pump water filter- now have gravity filter system.
Gas lantern- now use head lamp and candle lantern.
Tent and sleeping pad- now use a hammock
Any lure that I did not use on the last trip. I’m tired of bringing way too much tackle.

Thermacell and cartridges. Usually tripping in mid-summer, haven't needed it yet.

Half my fishing lures.

Might leave the fly rod home this year. Hard to find spots to use it.

I also no longer use a Crazy Creek chair in the canoe; now just a closed cell butt pad (all trips)

Books; now have a Kindle (a new one as the one I had last year died on day 2 or so on my Hunters Island solo, and that was not good)

BWJ Insulated Food Pack used for a couple years and it was too damn heavy

Multiple pots-now just one and maybe a fry pan

Dutch oven

Backcountry oven

Reflector oven

This year no axe

This is a timely thread for me, as I'm preparing to do the Steel River loop in Ontario, and I'm starting to think of how I'm going to cut my portaging weight down. One of the portages on the trip (Diablo portage) is sort of infamously difficult in that it is very steep, poorly maintained, and littered with rocks from the size of basketballs to the size of cars, all covered by waist-high ferns.

I did have a trip to the Sutton a couple of years ago, where we were limited to 100lbs of gear a piece, which is less than it sounds like when you are weighing your paddles, waders (river fishing trip), spare footwear, etc.. It was interesting to pack my gear ahead of the trip with what I considered essential, weigh-in, and than decide on what to cut back on.

For coffee, I am going to start bringing only Starbucks Via instant coffee. I prefer bringing fresh grounds and a coffee press, but this will allow me to save a bit of weight.

I enjoy fishing, and most years I bring a considerable amount of weight in fishing gear. Although I am very excited to fish on this route, I will be trimming my kit down quite a bit. I will leave home my fish-finder, net, rod-holder, and I'll be cutting down on my lures.

For a few years now I have only brought a twig burner for a stove. I don't recall the brand that I used to use, but I've been using a biolite for a while now. Not only do I save on fuel weight, but I save on batteries by charging devices from the USB port on the biolite.

I used to bring a backup water-filter in case my partners gravity filter fails, but I've come to trust it now. I may bring along a spare cartridge for it, however.

I have managed to fine-tune what exactly I need to bring for clothing, and I've managed to cut back quite a bit. I suppose there may come a trip where I find myself wishing that I had brought along more, but taking advantage of sunny/windy days to do laundry really helps.

Cooking/eating is sort of a luxury for me, but I am slowly coming around to planning out some sort of meal-plan out, as opposed to cramming the food-barrel to the top with all sorts of luxuries and paddling out with 10lbs of food. I don't think that I'll ever be one to go spartan on food though and only rehydrate meals.

After 11 years I still overpack. I just switched out one item for another. For instance, the Helinox cot makes a difference on my old shoulders/joints in exchange for less changes of clothes. No more shaving stuff. Who cares whether I look spiffy when I exit the woods. No one! List goes on and on. :-D

No axe. Learned to love batoning

The Steel is a great trip. Enjoy. That Diablo portage earns its name, I had to tote my 90# Sawyer up that beast and it just about killed me. Budget time to tarry on the lakes. When my friend and I did it we only had three nights for the journey and the Diablo took so much out of us that we camped on the lake it ends on. Long days but a beautiful trek.

Went from a MSR dragonfly to a windpro to simplify stove operation for others. Also we simmer a lot and the noise was getting to me.

No more hanging, all food is in Ursacks. Have been doing it that way since 2003.

No more self-inflating pads. The insulated, blow up ones are just so much comfier and take up a lot less pack room.

Got a hacking knife for batoning and expect to leave the hatchet at home this year.

No more pump filters. Gravity ain't going anywhere and doesn't need me to help it along.

I'd leave behind any guy who pack rocks into newbie packs and thinks it is funny... they'd be off my list!

bobbernumber3: "I'd leave behind any guy who pack rocks into newbie packs and thinks it is funny... they'd be off my list!"

DITTO!

Rope/pulley to hang food. Have not hung food for a good 10 years (all trips). Me too, haven't hung in a long time.

Exped & thermarest are history, I have the Klymit and it's so much lighter and smaller.

This year will be my first that my 1976 North Face sleeping bag will stay home on a BWCAW trip. Cannot beat my NEMO Mezzo Loft with built in pad sleeve, pillow sleeve, etc.

Anyone wanna buy a good pulley (LOL)?

There are a lot of things I don't normally take any more, many of which I have taken at least once or twice in the past, and a lot of things I still take that have been replaced by different/better stuff, like others have mentioned.

Things I don't take at all:

Axe/hatchet/saw
lantern, flashlight - just a headlamp
solar shower (nor solar charger)
fishing equipment, license
binoculars
chair, canoe seat - although I did take a "butt pad" last fall
GPS
tarp pole
books
fanny pack, thwart bag

Things that have changed (without going through all the iterations):

Water - don't take pump filter and Nalgene bottles, replaced by Sawyer Filter Bottle, Sawyer Squeeze/gravity system with Sawyer/Platypus bags.

Stove - Coleman white gas to JetBoil

Kitchen has been reduced to spoon, insulated coffee mug, food cozy, Swiss Army knife, lighter/firesteel, hand sanitizer.

Food - is now dehydrated dinners and breakfast cereals with meal bars and nuts for lunch and Via type coffee packets. No drink mixes anymore.

Food storage - no more hanging a food bag, replaced by bear canisters, then by smaller, lighter Ursacks

Tent - large, heavy replaced by small, light solo about 1/3 the weight

Sleeping bag - heavy, bulky synthetic replaced by small, light high fill power down bag about 1/2 the weight

Sleeping pad - Thermarest self inflator now down to Thermarest NeoAir

Cheap tarp replaced by CCS tarp with pre-rigged ridgeline

No more multiple changes of clothes other than socks and underwear. Also now usually wetfoot until it is too cold.

Backpacking packs replaced by canoe packs

Camera is now waterproof P & S vs. larger camera and accessories

Well, thanks to new topics this year I will no longer be bringing the following:

Ice
Pigs
Pigeons

Writing your goals is the first step.

I'm sure I'll think of more things later........
no more solar shower (that only lasted 2 trips....not worth the space and weight)
I bring a lot less fishing stuff (didn't use most of it)
no more crazy creek chair (not worth it)
I bring less clothes (I always brought home clean clothes because I would keep wearing the dirty stuff so why keep bringing them)
for solo trips switched to a titanium mug instead of a pot for boiling water
switched from blue barrel to a bear vault (smaller)
switched from synthetic bag to down quilt (love it.. 1/3 weight and packs down so small)
1st solo and daddy daughter trips I used a REI Taj 3, now I use an MSR Elixir2 (saved 3 lbs and I found it in the cabelas bargain cave for only $75)
no more french press (now I just use instant coffee to save on weight and mess)
plastic tarp to a Noahs Kelty Tarp (lighter and quieter... someday I'll get a ccs tarp but the Kelty has been getting the job down for 10 years)
no more axe (I almost never have a fire anyways)

boonie: "There are a lot of things I don't normally take any more, many of which I have taken at least once or twice in the past, and a lot of things I still take that have been replaced by different/better stuff, like others have mentioned.


Things I don't take at all:


Axe/hatchet/saw
lantern, flashlight - just a headlamp
solar shower (nor solar charger)
fishing equipment, license
binoculars
chair, canoe seat - although I did take a "butt pad" last fall
GPS
tarp pole
books
fanny pack, thwart bag
Except for a couple of items my gear has evolved in pretty much the same way.


Things that have changed (without going through all the iterations):


Water - don't take pump filter and Nalgene bottles, replaced by Sawyer Filter Bottle, Sawyer Squeeze/gravity system with Sawyer/Platypus bags.


Stove - Coleman white gas to JetBoil


Kitchen has been reduced to spoon, insulated coffee mug, food cozy, Swiss Army knife, lighter/firesteel, hand sanitizer.


Food - is now dehydrated dinners and breakfast cereals with meal bars and nuts for lunch and Via type coffee packets. No drink mixes anymore.


Food storage - no more hanging a food bag, replaced by bear canisters, then by smaller, lighter Ursacks


Tent - large, heavy replaced by small, light solo about 1/3 the weight


Sleeping bag - heavy, bulky synthetic replaced by small, light high fill power down bag about 1/2 the weight


Sleeping pad - Thermarest self inflator now down to Thermarest NeoAir


Cheap tarp replaced by CCS tarp with pre-rigged ridgeline


No more multiple changes of clothes other than socks and underwear. Also now usually wetfoot until it is too cold.


Backpacking packs replaced by canoe packs


Camera is now waterproof P & S vs. larger camera and accessories







"

Except for a couple of things this is how my list has evolved

I swapped a hand axe for an Esse 6 (yes the Esse is still heavy)
Less cookware. Less food.
I quit bringing a repair kit.
Smaller and fewer ropes.
Less tackle.
Fewer clothes.

I have condensed clothing,cookware,and tackle.Mainly tackle. Replaced some heavy gearbut still pretyy much bring same list.

Not out of my pack, but I'm trying to leave behind 20 pounds from my body.

Just switched to a down bag.
Switched compressible pillows to aeros pillow.
Thermarests to expeds.
Hoping to make my first aid kit smaller without loosing essentials.
Will try to better guess how much food to take.
Years ago we quit taking a lantern or flashlight. Just use headlamp and a luci light now.

But I'm probably adding a NOAA radio, and depending on weather I might add thermal bag for my meals, and maybe a wrap to keep the pot warm.

I'm taking my 4th trip this June, so still ironing out what I want/need.

Last year I left a Nalgene and the Katadyn pump filter at home, replaced by the Sawyer filter bottle and Sawyer 4L gravity sytem. Works better and weighs less (a lot)

Last 2 trips I left the tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad at home, replaced by hammock, tarp, under and top quilt. Works better (for me), about the same weight. (less if you move from a heavy tent)

I also use an Ursack, so no hanging food.

Still working on bringing less tackle!

as mentioned, bear rope for bear vault canister, hammock for tent, pad, etc, just less of everything over the years, food, clothes, etc.
my main change was replacing my fuel canisters and stoves with the alcohol stove.
i boil water for my meals and it is all i need. i use the fancee feast stove.
it's quiet, efficient, lightweight, and flat out does the job every time.
i have even cooked walleye fillets over it.
25 lbs have left me this year, so that is a bonus as well :)
enjoy!

Being backpackers we pack fairly light from having that experience. As for things we have since decided to leave home it hasn't been much other than the axe and may leave the saw at home too. We usually find enough dry wood along the shoreline to get that easily breaks up by hand. Plus we try not to use any wood lager than what we can break up by hand or breaking by stepping on it.

Like others, it's not so much an elimination of items, but a more efficient approach has replaced older bulkier items with newer ones.

Glasses and contacts : Lasik surgery.
Separate larger camera and video camera: Nikon Coolpix waterproof camera.
Big synthetic sleeping bag: replaced with down bag.
MSR Whisperlite and liquid gas: Pocket Rocket and gas canisters
Kitchen kit: pot to boil water
Fresh food: freeze-dried meals
heavy flashlight: headlamp and led flashlight

Heavy wool British military sweater and heavy Pendleton shirt.
These items have been replaced by a down puffy jacket, fleece zip, and rain shell.
A lot less weight and bulk with very little loss in insulation level.

Canvas tent and packs.

johndku: "Thermacell and cartridges. Usually tripping in mid-summer, haven't needed it yet.

"

I couldn't live WITHOUT that thing - not worth much in the open, but putting it into the vestibule for an hour before turning in, or during a rainbound day, it has saved me a lot of mosquito bites.

Too much to list from my first disaster of a trip. But namely:
1. Fish finder
2. tent switched to hammock (will never ever go back)
3. 10 lb bag of potatoes (terrible idea for first trip)
4. most extra clothes, packable down jacket replaced most
5. Most extra kitchen gear, now just GSI Dualist
6. Fish fry replaced by fish boil (no fry pan oil oil)
7. Lantern and flash light (headlamp only)
8. Weather Radio
9. Live bait and much less tackle

I see most don't bring a hatch but I got a grandfors for my first BWCA trip and use it on ever trip, we like having a fire.

I light portage trumps any camp luxury item for our group. Besides with a hammock to nap in its all good.

BnD: "Well, thanks to new topics this year I will no longer be bringing the following:
Ice
Pigs
Pigeons
"

You forgot the keg of beer on the Bachelor party thread.

Side note, I was on pine lake and I see these canoes paddling by. One guy was towing something I could not understand. I got out my binoculars and looked. They were towing a big keg of beer in a small raft for 2 guys. They must have been base camping on Pine.

Side note, I was on pine lake and I see these canoes paddling by. One guy was towing something I could not understand. I got out my binoculars and looked. They were towing a big keg of beer in a small raft for 2 guys. They must have been base camping on Pine. "

I’ve seen people paddle by with rafts as well.

My favorite change is that I no longer bring a tent. I much, much prefer the hammock.

I've also simplified my cook kit (no more "big" MSR stove).

And I no longer bring a camera.

I have added a weather radio, though, which I very much appreciate.

old_salt: "Canvas tent and packs."
Oh, man! The old Coleman canvas tent...touch the walls and the water falls! I recall many wet nights in that thing as a child.

Hand ax has been replaced by heavy bladed knife for batoning. I find the knife generally more useful, and notably lighter. Down jacket has been replaced by the hill people gear mountain serape. No more GPS. For solos, much of the kitchen stays home.