Ultralight Packing List

Mar 6th, 2019
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Plan

    Three friends set out for an early July five-day, off-road ride in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country. They wanted to keep their loads light to make for a pleasant, nimbler ride during the day. Here’s what they packed and took with them.

    Aaron Teasdale’s Packing List

    Sleep system:

    • Big Agnes Fly Creek SL 1 flast fly tent, with 9 stakes
    • MontBell spiral down 30-degree sleeping bag
    • ThermaRest NeoAir 72-inch
    • Flex-Air inflatable pillow

    Clothing:

    • Marmot Essence jacket
    • Marmot PreCip pants
    • Ibex wool short-sleeve shirt
    • Icebreaker wool long-sleeve shirt with thumb loops, chest zipper
    • Skins compression tights
    • MontBell U.L.Down Inner Half Sleeve Jacket, or “sh-vest”
    • Gordini poly/wool beanie OR liner gloves
    • Smartwool socks (for camp/sleeping)
    • Defeet wool riding socks
    • DownUnder insoles

    Possibilities bag:

    • two SPD cleat bolts
    • hydration bladder nipple
    • biodegradable toilet paper and matchbook in a baggie
    • insect repellant wipes (5) in a baggie
    • zip ties (4)
    • duct tape, wrapped around a broken pencil
    • waterproof matches
    • Wet Fire firestarter cubes
    • compass
    • Princeton Tec Scout headlamp
    • Inka pen

    Bike tools:

    • Crank Brothers mini-pump
    • Specialized glueless patch kit
    • Park tire levers (2)
    • Specialized mini multi-tool
    • spare tube

    Cook kit:

    • MSR titanium cup
    • Caldera Cone alcohol stove
    • bottle of denatured alcohol
    • polycarbonate spoon

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    Nutrition:

    • Pro Bars
    • Hammer Bars
    • Thai curry cashews
    • yogurt-covered peanut clusters
    • instant oatmeal packets
    • Mountain House freeze-dried dinners
    • instant soup — corn chowder, split pea
    • Elete electrolyte drops
    • Hammer Recoverite packets (one per night)
    • Katadyn chlorine dioxide water-treatment tablets

    Notes:

    This is a mid-summer packing list — if we were expecting cold temperatures or consistent wet weather I would have packed differently.

    Look for ways to avoid redundancy within your group. For instance, Todd and I shared a stove; I would have brought a Leatherman, but I knew Jeff was bringing one; etc.

    What You Find in John Stamsted’s Bags

    Stamsted has an austere packing style that emphasizes multiple use and avoids redundancy. For instance, he does not use a sleeping bag because, “you can only sleep in it.” A down vest, on the other hand, you can wear as a vest and, if you’re John Stamsted, you can stick your legs through the armholes and sleep in it.

    • Louis Garneau Neo Power lycra shorts, one pair
    • Skins compression tights
    • Patagonia long sleeve wool crewneck shirt
    • synthetic T-shirt
    • one pair of socks, poly/wool blend
    • Patagonia Grade VI waterproof jacket and pants
    • Patagonia down jacket
    • Patagonia down vest (doubles as leg covering at night, with legs sticking out armholes)
    • synthetic beanie
    • riding shoes
    • short-finger riding gloves
    • waterproof, uninsulated lobster gloves (“Because we’re in high mountain,” he says, adding a tip for riders that get caught out in cold or wet weather, “Surgical gloves can really get you out of a jam. Put them on over your short gloves. They’re waterproof and weigh nothing.”)
    • neoprene knee covers (“To put over any injury or overused joint — the moist heat really helps.”)
    • over-shoe booties
    • knee warmers
    • arm warmers
    • two space-blanket bivy sacks (one regular, one vapor-barrier)
    • 3-liter main bladder
    • 1-liter backup bladder
    • ultralight saw
    • alcohol stove

    What Jeff Boatman Carried

    Clothing Worn:

    • bike shorts — Pearl Izumi PRO — 5.9oz
    • jersey — Icebreaker GT 180 wool blend zip T — 6.7oz
    • gloves — Pearl Izumi Octane — 1.9oz
    • helmet — Giro Athalon — 10.6oz
    • socks — nylon mini crew — 1.3oz
    • shoes — Scarpa Quest climbing approach shoes — w/Superfeet insoles — 35.2oz
    • cycling cap — Rapha — Schoeller cotton — 1.9oz
    • sunglasses — 1.9oz

    Clothing Carried:

    • arm warmers — Pearl Izumi Thermafleece — 2.5oz
    • knee warmers — Pearl Izumi Thermafleece — 4.2oz
    • thermal top — Patagonia Capilene 2 zip neck — 5.8oz
    • thermal bottoms — Patagonia Capilene 2 tights — 5.5oz
    • wind shell — Patagonia Houdini full-zip jacket w/hood — 3.9oz
    • soft shell pants — Patagonia Rock Guide, DWR treated, w/ front pockets & belt loops removed — 8.8oz
    • rain jacket — Patagonia Spector full zip jacket — 8.6oz
    • down parka — Mont Bell UL Inner Parka, w/hood & handwarmer pockets — 7.9oz
    • beanie — light wool w/fleece earband — 2.3oz
    • shell gloves — GoreTex nordic ski shells — 2.4oz
    • extra socks — Smartwool crew — 1.5oz

    Cook Kit, all in custom silnylon stow sack — 6.0oz:

    • Titanium folding solid fuel tablet stove w/Esbit fuel
    • .6L Evernew titanium pot w/lid and handle
    • Snowpeak Ti spork w/cut handle
    • custom trimmed & vented MSR aluminum windscreen & heat reflector w/paper clip
    • 3”x 3” pack towel square
    • mini lighter

    Sleep System:

    • tarp shelter — custom made silnylon tarp w/awning style ends & guy lines in custom silnylon stow sack — 13.6oz
    • ground sheet — custom cut and tapered Space Blanket — 4.9oz
    • 7 MSR aluminum needle stakes and 10’ accessory cord for seat post triangulation w/ bike supported tarp pitch method — in DyneemaX stow sack (also used as a durable rock sack when bear bagging) — 2.8oz
    • Mont Bell UL Super Stretch Down Hugger #3 sleeping bag in custom silnylon stow sack w/hang loop (also used as food bag when bear bagging) — 23.2oz
    • Thermarest Prolite 3 XS sleeping pad — used as torso pad w/ backpack and water bladder for pillow & extra clothing under legs — 8.2oz

    Sundries:

    • backpack — Osprey Talon 22 — w/ straps trimmed — 27.7oz
    • water bottle — Specialized Big Mouth 24oz — 3.0oz
    • water bladder w/filter — Platypus Big Zip 3L bladder w/cord for hanging in camp & Sawyer inline filter w/custom neoprene sleeve — 8.1oz
    • head net — Outdoor Research Spring Ring, no-see-um mesh w/spring steel insert — 1.6oz
    • food bag — Loksak 12”x20” odor-proof zip lock bag — 1.1oz
    • Princeton Tec EOS 2 headlamp w/helmet mount and lithium batteries — 3.0oz
    • digital camera in 5”x 4” H2O proof Aloksak — 7.9oz

    How to Mountain Bike Tour

    Tool/possibilities kit, 14.6oz:

    • Crank Bros Multi 17
    • Crank Bros Power Pump
    • patch box w/2 tubes of glue, 9 small patches, 1 large patch, and 2 speed patches in poster paper sleeve
    • spare derailler hanger
    • 2 chain links
    • Power Link
    • 3 alloy spoke nipples
    • 4 cable ends in baggy
    • chain lube in micro dropper bottle
    • poly grease in flip top container
    • 6”x10” T-shirt rag w/bottom hem for cassette flossing
    • old toothbrush w/cut handle
    • 2 plastic tire levers
    • all above in Carousel Design Works 5”x 7” zippered DyneemaX ditty bag
    • 2 Maxxis Flyweight 26” tubes in Carousel Design Works 5” x 7” zippered silnylon ditty bag — 7.2oz
    • Leatherman Juice S2 w/pliers, knife, & scissors — 4.4oz
    • fire starting kit: 10 Tinder Quik tabs, 1 Wet Fire cube, Light My Fire mini fire steel in 5”x 4” waterproof Loksak — 0.8oz
    • bear bagging kit: 40-foot AirCore Pro Ursalite urethane coated Dyneema cord & Nite Ize #2 S biner in baggy — 1.3oz
    • Colgate Wisp mini toothbrush & travel-sized Glide floss in baggy — 0.2oz
    • 1” camp roll toilet paper & 0.5oz bottle hand sanitizer in 4.5”x 7” Aloksak — 1.6oz

    Medical kit — all in 5”x 4” Aloksak — 1.9oz:

    • 3 2”x 3” non-stick dressings
    • 4 Band-Aid Tough Strips
    • 10 wound closure strips
    • 4 Neosporin applications
    • 5 Q tips
    • Swiss Army knife tweezers
    • 1” roll of Leukotape
    • 2 tincture of Benzoin applications
    • 10 Advil & 4 Benedryl in flip top container

    Repair kit/emergency kit — all in 5“x 4“ Aloksak — 3.8oz:

    • 4 large zip ties
    • 4 small zip ties
    • 4 safety pins
    • 1” roll of Gorilla Tape
    • 6ft. 22 gauge bailing wire
    • 1 ¾” male buckle end
    • 1 application of Krazy Glue
    • GoreTex repair tape
    • Kleartape universal repair tape
    • Thermarest repair kit w/one Hot Bond adhesive and 5 patches
    • 2” x 3” signal mirror
    • 1” roll orange flagging
    • mini compass
    • 6 Micro PUR tablets
    • 19”x 23.5” oven-roasting bag in baggy (used as pack liner in extended inclement weather)

    Sewing kit — in metal tube w/thimble cap — 0.3oz:

    • 1 spool 46wt nylon thread
    • 1 spool 69wt nylon thread
    • 1 heavy needle
    • 1 light needle
    • 2 pins

    Journal kit:

    Rite in the Rain 24-page pad w/4” pencil in baggy — 0.8oz

    Other items:

    • 5”x 5” square pack towel — 0.2oz
    • Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap in micro dropper bottle — 0.4oz
    • SPF 30 spray-on sunscreen — 1oz
    • Brave Soldier Lip Defender SPF 15 lip balm— 0.3oz
    • Brave Soldier Friction Zone chamois cream— 2.0oz
    • 100% DEET insect repellant in micro dropper bottle — 0.3oz

    You can find the story of Aaron and his friends’ trip through Alberta’s Kananaskis Country in the Dec/Jan 2011 issue of Adventure Cyclist.

    This story has been updated and was originally published in 2011.
     

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