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05/03/2015 01:04PM |
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05/03/2015 02:05PM |
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05/03/2015 03:35PM |
quote housty9: "I'm not going to fish that much, 7 spoons and 7 rappalas is all I'm taking, no chair,saw and other stuff I might take on a fishing trip, Only 14 sheets of tp 1 per day:) this it more of a test run for my border trip next year, to see if I can survive 15 days alone, will see how I can carry on a conversation with myself, hopefully I won't start naming trees:)"
Well, I'm impressed ever the same. We have many things in common. My goal is the same border trip ,solo, as well. Next year also.
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05/03/2015 08:22PM |
Don't forget that the dog can carry his stuff, so don't include that in the weight you'll have to carry. Also don't include the clothes you'll be wearing. I don't think any of us would be considered ultra light "gram weenies", but . . .
To answer your question about the lantern - no, I wouldn't bring it even though it weighs very little, will run for 13 hours at maximum on the batteries (or 100 hours at low). It's pretty impressive if you need a lantern, but . . . I don't need one. I don't do dishes, so I don't do them after dark, and I don't clean fish, so the same applies, and it's all I need to read a little. I mostly have all camp chores done by dark, and that's a lot earlier in Sept. than it is in June. Will you not be done with those chores by 10:00? I try not to use the headlamp unless I really need it so I can retain my night vision, which is one of the reasons I rarely have a fire.
The realization I finally came to was it doesn't weigh much, but I don't really need it, and it takes up space, and like hobbydog said, you've got to keep track of it, pack it and unpack it. I realized that it's true of a dozen other things and I can either add those dozen things and the 5 lbs. more they weigh or I can subtract 5 lbs. of similar stuff.
I do things that some people won't and they likewise do some things I won't. But I listen to others and sometimes try their ideas; often they work better than I expected. I do a lot of things differently than I did on my first solo. I think each of us has considered various things, tried many, adopted quite a few, and lightened up and simplified considerably on our solo journeys. We each need to find our own way, which is really what solos are all about. I've found that I now have more time to just enjoy being in the BW, to relax and enjoy the moment.
My first reaction when I started trying to lighten up and simplify was pretty much "holy crap, people do that?" There's still some stuff I'm not ready to do, but yeah, you can leave the lantern, the axe, the saw, the chair, the dishes - "you mean you just eat it out of the bag? Yes, we just eat it out of the bag and lick the spoon clean and rinse the mug. We have no dishes (a mug and spoon), nothing to cook with other than a water boiler pot, nothing to clean, and nothing to clean it with, and it takes very little fuel, and very little time." But it takes time to work that out for yourself. You might want to keep it as a goal and just try a couple on the trip.
I've watched wintertrekker's videos and very much enjoyed them, but I've also noticed that he carries a lot and often triple portages . . . but he likes doing it that way. It would be fun to try sometime with somebody else, but I prefer to simplify my solos.
It sounds like a really nice route you have planned. How many miles and portages is it? It sounds like you might get your gear weight down to double portage territory. I hope you have a good trip - I know you are looking forward to it. Enjoy yourself!
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05/02/2015 10:16AM |
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05/02/2015 12:01PM |
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05/02/2015 07:49PM |
I just though of a gear purchase idea for you - a drift sock! It would probably be really useful for solo fishing.
My goal for my 12-day solo in Sept is to have the canoe, food, and all gear as close to 90 lbs. as possible, certainly under 100 lbs.
You're probably younger, stronger, and in better shape than me and I wondered if you planned to double pack. If you're not traveling too far and are base camping, it's not too big a deal, but if you plan on traveling a lot and doing some longer, tougher portages it's a lot more work carrying 2 (or 3) heavy loads than 2 medium loads.
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05/02/2015 08:55PM |
I started out with a lot of cool stuff and a much heavier pack ;). I just keep listening to ways others lighten up and I experiment with it to see if it'll work for me. First thing I did since it was cheap and easy, was to just not take things. Then I started getting lighter stuff when I had a little more money. I quit doing some things and left that gear behind. Of course, sometimes I added some of it back with something else ;).
If a lot of your weight is going to be food, it'll drop quickly . . . especially if you eat the heavy food first. That's what Steve said we should do on our trip last year since I planned the longer portages at the end. I think my food for 12 days will be 15 lbs.
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05/03/2015 08:48AM |
It is amazing how little you can get by with and still be comfortable and enjoy yourself. This year, I'm bound and determined to do a solo trip for 7 days, and then meet some friends and continue on for another 9 days. I'm making my list of things and first thing I'm doing is to cut down on my fishing tackle. I never use all my tackle, but always figure I will. Not this year. But, this year I'm taking my dog, so I have to figure on dog food, that will add some weight.
I look that I need careful planning, and traveling light. Good luck and be safe.
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05/03/2015 10:05AM |
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05/03/2015 10:25AM |
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05/03/2015 09:58AM |
I hope it included the canoe, paddles, PFD, etc. ;).
Well, WV, with one month to go, we can eliminate the option of whipping yourself into ultra marathon aerobic condition and dramatically increasing your strength. That leaves reducing gear weight. How much weight can you comfortably carry on a portage? And remember that it's important not to increase your chances of injury when you're solo.
You used a lot of fuel for 7 days. I could go that long on one small 110-gram canister of fuel (~4 oz. fuel and 8 oz. total weight) with my JetBoil, as long as I didn't drink too much coffee or have too many hot breakfasts. I think you can save some weight here. How do you feel about cold cereal for breakfast? It's fast and doesn't require fuel. Same for food bars.
Just boiling water to rehydrate dehydrated meals doesn't use much fuel.
Most fuels you can find burn time information on the net and some have it right on the container. It will vary with temperature etc., so you have to factor in some margin. I think a small canister has about a 30-minute burn time. I'm careful to only use mine as long as it takes to get the water hot enough, which doesn't always have to be a full rolling boil. The JetBoil is so fast - about 1 to 1/2 minutes for water for coffee or a meal - that I've found I have to have everything ready before I light the stove so I can give my full attention to monitoring it so I don't waste fuel.
I would never use fuel or spend time boiling water for anything other than rehydrating my meals. I don't know what gravity filter you've had trouble with - Katadyn maybe? - but I love mine and most people that have a Sawyer, MSR, or Platypus love theirs. The difference is that they can back flushed and so they are field maintainable, whereas that's not true for the Katadyn. I just hang mine the first thing at camp and by the time I'm done with other chores, I have water. Last year I bought a Sawyer Water Filter Bottle to use while traveling. I found it simple to use - dip to fill, screw the cap back on, suck water up through the attached straw. It includes a syringe for back flushing the filter. Sawyer makes a variety of filter components and systems that you should look at, read about (there are several threads here about it that you'll find on search). I think the Sawyer Squeeze system probably weighs less than 6 ounces for a solo. You can carry chemicals for backup and/or primary use that would also be very light.
One of the small wood burner stoves that burns twigs, etc. would be another way to save on fuel for a long solo, but would be useless during a fire ban.
Leaving behind stuff like the lantern that you don't really need will allow you to take more of the stuff you really want.
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05/03/2015 12:29PM |
Think lite unless your just base camping, or not going that far, it takes awhile to get what system will work for you.
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05/03/2015 04:06PM |
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05/03/2015 04:39PM |
quote nctry: "Wow Housty, you really trimmed er down. If I were going to be around I'd check in on you out there. I eat ok out there and on my forty day I lost 20 lbs... And was in pretty good shape beforehand. Even the tp thing, a little extra came in handy when I had a bout with gardia thanks to a steri pen. Even in a downsizing mode I'm going to be heavy comparatively. Just stuff I'm not ready to give up. Some extremes here. My clothes are going to take a big hit this year I think. Not so much less, but lighter less bulky stuff."
I eat pretty good, big suppers, breakfest snacks and lunch snacks, I could stand to lose a couple pounds, most of my weight is food, I was just kidding on the tp, a least a roll and a 1/2, 7 solos I have trimmed alot of weight from the 1st solo to the 8th in 4 days, canoe,paddle and gear wise, spent more then base camping, always looking to get a little liter as long as it doesn't cost a fortune.
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05/03/2015 08:13AM |
It is not just the weight but on a solo simplicity is important. You will have to repack that stuff every day. How many times have you packed the stuff and repacked. What is the total weight?
The scale is a great idea. You should know exactly how much each stuff/dry bag weighs? Do you have enough dry sacks? Spend time now on organization.
Do you have quality cloths? Nights can be cold. Days can be hot. This time of year requires preparation for both which adds to the pack.
Other than adding more stuff I would focus on organization and tweaking the gear to fit your weight and pack goal. Btw.... Did you have a weight goal?
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05/05/2015 09:07AM |
quote wvevans: "As I mentioned I learned most of what I consider what's considered important tripping gear from Hoop from wintertrekker . Maybe I should learn to stay off YouTube :) He does pack heavy I do realize and his tripping style is not for everyone and maybe I'll find out its not for me after a few more trips. "
I think most of us that have done this for awhile learned the hard way and it is probably the best way. Good gear is great stuff but it is too easy these days to get caught up in it. It is really about being there and living it. Spend more time looking at maps and places you want to go. When you are young, you should not worry about the burden you will be carrying but looking forward to the new experiences and adventure that lies ahead. Wisdom comes later. ;-)
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05/04/2015 02:03PM |
A nice website I use is LighterPack.com
You can break down your gear in categories and get a good representation of what gear and categories of gear is taking up a percentage of the weight in your pack.
I've weighed everything down to socks and underwear. Every gram adds up and you really have to evaluate what you actually need if you want to hit a certain weight goal.
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05/04/2015 06:48PM |
Wow. Lots of good info shared on this thread. Here's what I think/digested and my thoughts on soloing for some 20 odd years. Started out too heavy (resulting in triple portaging). After having to adjust my planned routes due to the excess weight, I learned what I need/like after several solo trips so I wouldn't kill myself on future longer trips.
I guess what I'm saying is bring what you think you want to make your trip enjoyable, and as you gain experience, you'll figure out what you want to keep taking, what you can leave at home, and perhaps new stuff you want to buy/bring.
Most of my recent solos are 10-17 days in Quetico from mid-June to mid-August. On moving days, I'll travel about 10-15 miles, find a good camp, then stay a couple days, sometimes three days. I double portage. I fish. I have to bring at least 2 rods and 3 reels. Sometimes 3 rods. The rods/reels don't weight much and can be strapped into the canoe for portaging. Must have a fish/depth finder. Current setup is a PiranhaMax 230 that runs on 8 AA lithium batteries and transducer shoots through the hull. Always bring an extra set of AA batteries. Also bring enough tackle to catch all species. For camp, must have a lightweight 2-3 person tent (solo tents are too confining for me), Exped pad, down bag, Nemo pillow, CCS tarp, flexlite or aluminum director's chair, and a bugscreen for sitting around the fire. For the nice fires, I'll always bring my Sven saw and small Gerber Sport Ax. As some have mentioned, I eat less when soloing. But I like to bring fresh eggs, pre-cooked bacon, dry cereal, Nido powdered milk, powdered peanut butter w/ jelly and sliced bread, ingredients for pizza, cigars, vodka, coffee and Gorp. I use a primus stove for cooking fish/eggs and bacon, a Jetboil for boiling water, and a fire and non-stick springform pan or jello-mold for pizza. As far as necessary clothing/personal items, you have to bring enough TP/baby wipes, medicines, headlamp, rain gear, fleece jacket, bug dope, pot/pan, small camera, etc.
Many will find this gear list to be way too much. But all can be taken and still be able to double portage.
I don't mean this in a bad way, but when you first mentioned buying two CCS Guide Packs for your solo trip, I tried really hard not to chuckle....I've got a Pioneer pack and when I fully load that thing up with all the heavy stuff, it hurts to walk....
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05/05/2015 01:32PM |
Make sure you have rain gear and a head net. If you need these things, you'll be sorry without them.
Be careful not to take too much food. For my last trip, I overestimated how many calories I would need per day, and ended up with a good deal of food left over. Fortunately I took an inventory of the leftovers. Some time soon, I'm going to calculate my actual daily calorie intake, so that I can properly provision for my next trip.
Best wishes, and have a great trip.
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05/05/2015 01:16PM |
nlong wants a 90-lb load to single portage, I want 90-100 for double portaging. I like to travel and often do routes that are more portage intensive. Last year's trip was 30 miles of paddling, 20 miles of double portaging (3 trips across each portage). That was fine for the time I allotted to it. Triple portaging would have added 13.5 miles and about 9 hours.
I'm not sure I could double portage PineKnot's load on some of the portages we did last fall; I certainly wouldn't want to. But it's his trip and it works for him.
I think hobbydog's point bears repeating. We have all tried different things and learned from experience what works for us. I have done 6 solo trips and am still making changes each time.
Take what you want on your trip to make it enjoyable - just know what you are taking and plan realistically.
Enjoy your trip! Tell us all about it when you get back.
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05/04/2015 11:29AM |
My first trial run this weekend I confirmed I can travel with one CCS bushcrafter and one CCS pioneer and the extra small North Face waterproof duffel. The chair adds too much comfort to leave so I am looking into a helinox sunset.
To wvevans: think simple. I do one dish meals and use a small silicon rubber curved spatula for cooking and as eating tool right out of the skillet. We think of eating as a social thing and it takes on a different function on solo trips.
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05/04/2015 08:58PM |
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05/03/2015 08:18PM |
quote housty9: "This is what I'm going to carrying for 2 weeks, a ccs traditional #2 will weigh 35# to 40#, my waist bag and carry bag, I will tie my fishing pole and extra paddle in the canoe, when portaging I will tie my kayak paddle in the canoe.
Think lite unless your just base camping, or not going that far, it takes awhile to get what system will work for you.
housty-
How much you reckon them other two bags weighs?
How much does your food weigh?
I'm hoping I'll get everything besides the canoe, paddles, painters, yoke, and PFD down to 50 lbs.
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05/03/2015 08:23PM |
I'm going to shoot for a goal of 40 pounds, gear food and maybe 10 pounds of dog food. Plus, my canoe. But, more important than weight at this point, is carrying the canoe and one pack over the portage, and then coming back for the other pack, and whatever I have. But, I will refuse to be a beast of burden. Safety, and light weight is my goal for this year.
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05/03/2015 09:22PM |
Where are you going and when?
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05/03/2015 09:33PM |
If you are going to fish then find a good lake and fish. Bring the fishing gear. If you like photography then splurge there. But tighten up somewhere else. If you want to cover miles then don't plan on doing much fishing. You will be so tired at the end of a day solo carrying all that gear you won't feel like fishing. If the fishing is good you won't need much gear. If it is poor you won't have enough time or energy to figure it out. Know which lakes have the best fishing and then plan on spending a little extra time there. Of course wind or rain could ruin those plans.
If you move every day you are going to have plenty to do.
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05/04/2015 08:08AM |
Hope you have a good trip, housty! I'll be eager to hear all about it. It sounds like your pack weights will be close to my goal weight.
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05/05/2015 12:50PM |
CB
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05/03/2015 10:06PM |
On my solo last fall I was shocked that I hardly fished at all. After traveling a good chunk of the day and setting up camp I didn't really want to go out in the canoe to fish. I was pretty wiped. This year I'm bringing a lot less fishing stuff. Either that or I'm not going to go very far so I can focus on fishing.
Have a great trip.
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05/03/2015 11:14PM |
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05/04/2015 06:31AM |
quote boonie: "quote housty9: "This is what I'm going to carrying for 2 weeks, a ccs traditional #2 will weigh 35# to 40#, my waist bag and carry bag, I will tie my fishing pole and extra paddle in the canoe, when portaging I will tie my kayak paddle in the canoe.
Think lite unless your just base camping, or not going that far, it takes awhile to get what system will work for you.
housty-
How much you reckon them other two bags weighs?
How much does your food weigh?
I'm hoping I'll get everything besides the canoe, paddles, painters, yoke, and PFD down to 50 lbs. "
Waist bag weighs 5#, carry bag I have a couple things to put in it yet including water bottles, I'll weigh my food before I go and let you know.
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05/04/2015 07:33AM |
quote wvevans: "Boonie I'm looking at about a 55 or so mile trip i figured if I include heading into a PMA or two just east of my route. I do plan on securing a permit for atleast one overnight. That is something I really want to do and one of my major trip goals . No question I have to start really getting serious about what is making the cut and what isn't. I did not realize how light people went as well as how many people never wet a line or fished very little. That is very strange to me but to each his own for sure."
WV-
That's not a real long trip for that time, but... refresh my memory here - is that walking each portage 1X, 3X, or 5X?
I'd suggest you check into the PMA private forum if you haven't already. I haven't been into a PMA yet, but I think many are just a bushwhack to get into, which would be tough with a couple of big loads. Do you have one picked out? I think there are a couple that are probably relatively easier to get into that you might target. Eat the heavy food first ;).
Also remember that a lot of us talking to you are old guys and you may be able to carry more, but it's still going to be work. I try to keep my load below 60 lbs. and preferably below 50 lbs. The 60 lbs. is over 40% of my body weight and I'm just not as young, strong, and physically fit as I was when running half marathons. And it's not just carrying the loads, it's picking it up, putting it down, picking it up, putting it down, unloading, loading . . .
It sounds like you are getting the weight down to where you can do it and enjoy your trip. I hope you have a really good one! We'll all be eager to hear about it afterwards.
BTW, you still have time to do some testing and figuring on the fuel thing. Once you have an average burn time for your fuel, you need to figure how much time it takes for each thing you are cooking, then just multiply, add a margin for safety. Don't try to cut it too close on your first solo though - get that real world experience to use in the next calculation. I still have to work on figuring it out for my longer trip. I think I could get by with 2 smalls or 1 large, but that might be cutting it real close, so I'll probably take 1 large and 1 small.
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05/02/2015 09:30PM |
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05/03/2015 09:10AM |
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05/03/2015 08:45AM |
Cutting weight is important because you are the only one carrying it. Simplicity is important because you are the only one doing it . . . AND also because it cuts weight as well as time.
If my brother and I rent a tandem canoe, it weighs 40 lbs., so we each carry 20 lbs. If I rent a solo it weighs 30 lbs. and I carry it all. The same applies to a lot of "community gear". I take the same tarp, stove, water filter, etc., but I carry all of it instead of half of it. So I leave a lot of stuff behind.
As hobbydog said, simplicity means there's less stuff to keep track of, to organize, to repack. It also takes less time, so you spend more time doing what you really want to do. This is important also because there's no partner to filter water while you set up the tent, etc.
Simplicity also makes a lighter, more compact pack that fits in the canoe better and is easier to load/unload, as well as to carry.
Like him, I'd never take a lantern. That would add fuel weight and complexity even if it did use the same fuel. In fact, I use my headlamp very little - almost never outside the tent. I've found I prefer to keep my night vision and enjoy the dark and the night sky to the extent that I very rarely even build a fire now that I've tripped through a couple of fire bans/restrictions. It's something I probably never would have considered otherwise, but I now leave the saw and hatchet behind. I can build the occasional small fire that I want without them.
Besides having learned how much food I'm really going to eat on a solo and not carrying 20 lbs. in and 10 lbs. back out, I've simplified mine about as much as I can. It takes far less time, less fuel, weighs less, packs smaller, and involves far fewer "kitchen utensils". There have been plenty of posts about the way some of us do it.
Each person has reasons they go - if it's fishing you're going to carry more fishing gear (I was surprised that even the minimal stuff I took weighed almost 6 lbs.); if it's photography you're going to carry more camera gear; if it's preparing gourmet meals over a wood fire you're going to carry more "kitchen". Whatever it is, it's easier if you leave unnecessary things behind.
I don't take a chair, a saw, an axe, a lantern, binoculars, or a solar shower. I don't take a "kitchen" per se, so I don't have one of those utensil hangers, no table, no "utensils", no dishes - and nothing for washing them either. I have taken all these things at one time and found that I didn't use them every day or really didn't need them.
Are you sure you won't be able to gat all your food in one Vittles Vault? I think TomT did a 12-day trip with only one - check his trip reports.
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05/02/2015 11:34AM |
I try to keep weight (and bulk) minimal on a solo. I'm also planning a longer 12-day solo this fall and have been acquiring some lighter, more compact things since the food weight will be greater. I have used a BearVault in the past for my food, but have acquired Ursacks to try as a means of lightening my load. In the past I have just carried the BearVault in one of my packs and will plan to do the same this year with the Ursacks or BearVault/Ursack combo if that's the way I decide to go.
Have you considered an option like these or even the Vittles Vault?
I usually carry a small pack and the canoe one trip and the larger, heavier pack on the other trip along with paddle and PFD.
I'm not really sure what else you need or what you could save significant weight/bulk replacing.
How about a PLB, SPOT, InReach?
Stuff for the "ditch kit"?
More clothes?
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05/02/2015 08:27PM |
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05/02/2015 09:24PM |
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05/02/2015 10:19PM |
quote pswith5: "WV, if you're concerned that vittles vault isn't big enough give a call. I have gamma sealed barrel. I think it's. 3 gallons. That was me that sold you the vault. Might cost you another beer.:) pete"
Thanks Pete . I very much enjoyed our 1st meet up. Maybe I'll just go pick up a second one for all my food and call it good.
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05/02/2015 10:25PM |
quote Jaywalker: "My .02 - I suggest your next buy be a good 100lbs digital scale. If you are getting near tripple portaging for a June trip, start thinking about what all you need vs want. A winter solo and June solo are just so much different! You really can get by with so little in June, at least usually. My only trip where I tripple portaged was a couple years ago in late October, and instead of a hammock I was packing my new Snowtrekker base camp tent (28lbs) and large kni-co stove (22lbs).
"
Great advice Jay. I think I'll run to FF and get a scale in the morning. I hadn't thought of that before. Not sure how the single portage guys do it. Maybe not fish I suppose to start.
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05/02/2015 12:01PM |
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05/02/2015 01:56PM |