In this two-part series Hyperlite Mountain Gear owner and avid adventurer Mike St. Pierre provides tips and techniques on how to plan your gear and food for expedition-style thru hikes. He utilized a decade of experience in ultralight backcountry travel, and succeeded in section hiking the first two parts of one of the hardest thru hikes in the world—a 700+-mile below the rim traverse of the Grand Canyon. This extreme adventure incorporates long-distance hiking, rock climbing, canyoneering and serious map and compass skills. Water is scarce, established trails are nonexistent and the terrain is steep and difficult to navigate. It’s a trip that fewer than three-dozen people have done (consider that 40 people summited Mt. Everest in one day in May 2016). St. Pierre plans to be one of only a few dozen to complete it. In this blog post St. Pierre details the gear planning and final list he ended up with for the trip, and in Part II he will describe the food planning and preparation.
I live for adventure. As the owner of a high-tech gear company that makes everything in the USA, I work in an urban environment. But I spend as much time in the woods, mountains and rivers as possible. There, I test and perfect the ultralight packs and shelters we make at Hyperlite Mountain Gear, brainstorm new products and hone my lightweight skills. I’ve dialed in my systems to be as minimalist as possible and to conserve energy with every step I take. The lighter my gear, the further I can go; the less weight I carry, the less the strain on my body and the less food I need. Going light just makes sense. And it absolutely doesn’t mean I’m uncomfortable when in the backcountry. I’m always warm enough, well fed, hydrated and I sleep well at night.
Gear is the critical tool that can make the difference between a trip of a lifetime or a miserable failed adventure. On the other hand, the more skill you have the less gear you need. And, the more information you have the better prepared you’ll be. Know where you’re going and what you’re doing, and you’ll be able to choose exactly the right gear for the conditions (and leave behind what you don’t need). For example, if I’m going for an overnight trip in the fall and the weather is clear, there won’t likely be bugs. So I might not need to bring a shelter, or I might take something very minimalist like a 6′ by 8′ Flat Tarp. On the other hand, knowing that the temperatures were going to range wildly on my Grand Canyon section hikes meant I had to take a puffy jacket, clothes and sleeping system that could handle anything from 15- to 90-degree weather.
Planning
I carefully planned our gear list to address the different types of terrain we would climb or hike through, as well as the climate and season. I listed out everything I thought I would need on an Excel spreadsheet and then calculated the weights of everything and the calories per day I would need to carry that weight (and to stay warm and energized for the long miles we were hiking). I had to carry up to ten days of food from cache to cache, plus at least 12lbs. of backpacking gear, my camera, plus 6lbs. of shared technical gear. Thus, my baseweight (aka the total weight of my entire gear kit, excluding consumables) was 15lbs. That, and the weight of my consumables (food, water and fuel) food would put me at anywhere from 30-50lbs (sometimes we had to carry up to 20lbs. of water!)
Shakedown
The next thing I did was shake down my own list. I constantly refine the gear I carry in order to travel as simply as possible. I use gear for multiple purposes, and I replace heavy objects with the lightest, most cutting-edge gear on the market (it’s remarkable how light and durable outdoor gear is these days; it’s something I obsess over regularly).
Some of the most key things I immediately lightened were my down jacket and base layers. It’s actually really easy to overpack clothing, and clothes are heavy. My typical ultralight kit has just been for three seasons, but in March there are extreme temperature changes in the Grand. It could drop to 15 degrees and snow at the higher elevations, but we didn’t want to bring a heavy winter kit because most of the time it would be 60 to 80 degrees. So I looked for clothes that would work together in a system in a broader range of temperatures, but would have the same weight as my three-season garb. I found Luke’s Ultralight, a company that made me a 4oz. down vest and 6oz. jacket that were warmer than lighter than the jackets I’ve carried for years. As well, I brought a lightweight 20-degree sleeping bag, I knew I could suffer through a few nights of 15-degree weather with all my layers and puffy jackets on, but the gear was sufficiently light that I wouldn’t feel weighted down. I’d be curled deep in my bag waiting for morning, but I wouldn’t become hypothermic.
As well, I upgraded my base layers, and wore the same shirt and shorts for nearly 30 days. I used just one super light Arc’Teryx’s Phase SL Crew ultralight base layer and one button down long sleeve synthetic shirt, in addition to quick-drying convertible pants. You can only use soap in the Colorado River, so I was able to do “laundry” just three times on the trip. But that was enough. Besides, soap is heavy!
Share & Share Alike
I’ve spent years dialing in my kit, using some gear for multiple purposes and sharing as much as possible, when I have hiking partners. In the Grand Canyon, my partners and I split the weight of what we considered “group gear”–Jetboil, fuel canisters, UltaMid, tent stakes, SteriPEN, Aquamira Drops and all our technical gear. Even with this extra climbing and canyoneering equipment, our packs were lighter than average. This allowed us to remain relatively comfortable even when we had to pile on the water, as we often had to do while in the Grand (because water sources are so scarce). It also allowed us to travel more safely; if something had happened to either of us, the other person (or people) would have much more easily been able to help.
The Gear List
I used the below list of thru hiking gear for my Grand Canyon section hike, but minus the technical climbing and canyoneering gear, it’s basically what I’d bring on any long-distance section, thru hike or weekend backpacking.
Total Sleeping System: 32.15oz. (2lbs.)
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad (14oz., size regular).
Sleeping Bag Feathered Friends Hummingbird Nano 20 Sleeping Bag Reg. (16.75oz.)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Large Stuff Sack Pillow (1.4oz.)
Total Shelter System: 24.2. (1.5lbs.)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ground Cloth (3.4oz)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4 (20.8oz.) Clay and I shared this pyramid tent. Your shelter shouldn’t weigh more than 2 lbs.
We left the tent stakes at home
Total Pack System: 39oz. (2.4lbs.)
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest Pack (Slightly modified with a stiffer frame sheet)(28.6oz.).
DCF8 Stuff Sacks (2.2oz.) Two Jumbo, one for a sleeping bag and one for food; a Large to be used as a clothes bag; an additional Large and one Small for other odds and ends. Read more about how I use stuff sacks in my blog post, Stuff Sacks for Thru Hikes & Backpack Trips.
5 Pods (6.1oz.)—1 Large (1.3oz.) and 4 Small (1.2oz.) for my breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and personal items/toiletry kit.
Total Hydration/Kitchen: 43.2oz. (2.7lbs.)
Jet Boil Flash Lite Cooking System (11oz.)
2 large fuel canisters (16oz.)
Vargo Titanium Long-Handle Spoon (.5oz.): Long ones work better if you are going to eat dehydrated meals directly out of the package.
Three 2L Platypus Bladder (1.2oz each; 3.6oz total)
Plastic Wide Mouth Water Bottle (.5oz.)
Coffee Cup with lid (.5oz.)
Food Bowl & ZipLock Cup Coozy (1.2oz.)
SteriPEN Freedom (6.4oz.)
Aquamira Drops (1.5oz.)
Back-Up Water Purification MSR Tablets (20 X .1oz; total 2oz.)
Back Up Bit Valve Platypus (zero oz.)
Total Clothing: 47oz. (2.9lbs.)
Rain Jacket (HMG prototype) (6oz.) I prefer using waterproof, breathable shells.
Synthetic Long Underwear Top (6oz.)
Synthetic Long Underwear Bottoms (6oz.)
Synthetic T-Shirt (4oz.)
Convertible Pant bottoms (.5oz.)
Two pair Socks (8oz.)
Camp Shoes (HMG prototype) (3oz.)
Sun hat (cap with neck fabric) (2.8oz.)
Luke’s Ultralite Argon Down Vest (4oz.)
Luke’s Ultralite Down Jacket (6.7oz.)
Total Electronics: 53.8oz. (3.4lbs.)
Camera Sony Alpha A6000 (12.7oz.)
Camera Sony 28-70mm lens (10.5oz.)
Two Camera batteries Sony (3.6oz.)
Four Memory Cards (1.5oz.)
Camera Case (3oz.)
USB Cable (.7oz.)
USB Battery Pack (8oz.)
Solar Panel (6oz.)
USB Solar Meter (1.8oz)
iPhone (6oz.)
Total Miscellaneous: 22.6oz. (1.4lbs.)
Cash, License, CC
Headlamp (5oz.)
Multi Tool / Knife (5oz.)
Mini Lighter (.5oz.)
Tooth Brush (.3oz.)
Tooth Paste (.3oz.)
Camp Towel (2oz.)
Soap (1oz.)
Hand Sanitizer (1oz.)
Chap Stick (.5oz.)
Sun Screen (.8oz)
Four 1-Gallon Ziplocs for Garbage (2oz.)
Five QT Zip Locks (.5oz.)
Twenty Sandwich Baggies – for used toilet paper (1oz.)
Toilet Paper (.5oz.)
Gloves (2oz.)
Alum – for treating silty water (.2oz.)
Total Technical Gear: 70.9oz. (4.4lbs.)
60′ 8mm Canyoneering Pro Static Rope (24oz.)
60′8mm Dyneema Pull Cord (1oz.)
Camp USA Alp Racing Harness (4oz.)
Petzl SIROCCO Helmet (5.8oz.)
DMM belay device (3.1oz.)
Four Camp USA Locking Carabineers (6oz.)
Ti Bloc ascender (1.4oz.)
Prussic cord (1oz.)
Rappel Ring (3.6oz.)
25′ 9/16″ Black Tubular Webbing (7.3oz.)
Delorme InReach SE (6.7oz.)
Med Kit (7oz.)
Total Worn Gear: 42oz. (2.6lbs.)
Button Down LS Quick Dry Shirt (7oz.)
Convertible Pants (tops) (6oz.)
Socks (2oz.)
Dirty Girl Gaiters (2oz.)
Hat (2oz.)
Black Diamond Carbon Cork Trekking Pole (9oz).
Five Ten Guide Tennies (14oz.).
Filed under: Earthmate App, Fun Stuff, inReach, Tips & Tricks