PACKING LIST: light my fire mess kits / first aid and cleaning supplies / target wine / north face waterproof shell / baggies / montrail hiking boots / buffs / SOG knife / alice pack (sly’s) / tp and cleanwell natural hand sanitizer / card games / clothing.
NOT SHOWN: lafuma ultralight sleeping bag / big agnes inflatable sleeping mat / eno double hammock / thermarest pillow / mammut head lamp with ambient light adapter / ultralight canister camp stove with fuel
We aren’t incredibly light packers, even when it comes to backpacking, though we have come a LOOOONG way since our first backpacking trip together to Bearpaw High Sierra Camp when Sly lugged 4 gallons of water and I carried 3 books (like real hard back books made from paper) 11 miles up the side of a mountain. I think 30 minutes in, I wanted to turn back around because I made another rookie move of not testing out/loading my backpack prior to hiking. Yeah, we were pretty much stupid back then.
These days we don’t count ounces or anything, but we have really pared down. Now I usually judge the amount I’m willing to carry based on the distance of the trip and what kind of transportation options are available (like if we are backpacking in another country and are relying mostly on public transportation). In this instance, I knew the hike to the cabin was under 2 miles down hill. Since it was a pretty short distance, we didn’t mind carrying ‘heavy’ food items like slabs of cheese and boxes of wine knowing that they would be gone by the time we made the return trip back up to the trail head.
I’ve gotten pretty OCD about packing lately — I’ll pack and repack at least four or five times until I have whittled down my essentials. Some things always make it into our bags no matter where we travel: our Buffs and our mess kits go everywhere.
