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2012 Emigrant Wilderness Pack

Here is a detailed listing of everything we brought along on the trail. Note, there are 453.59237 grams in one pound.



Food Storage Kevin Jean Nathan
Bearikade bear canister (Expedition) 2.271
Bearikade bear canister (Weekender) 1.938
Bear Vault Solo 2.112

The Bear Vault Solo was a last-minute replacement for the Bearikade Scout, which wasn't in stock. I have to say that I found the Bear Vault Solo very hard to open and close, and I'll probably end up returning it and getting the Scout instead.

Dehydrated Meals Cal Grams cal/g
3 MJF Mac 'n cheese 1395 408 3.42
BP Lentils & Rice 450 142 3.17
BP Lentil Bisque 390 122 3.20
4 MHPP Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce 1760 536 3.28
3 MHPP Chicken Teriyaki 1380 392 3.52
3 MHPP Rice & Chicken 1680 444 3.78
2 MHPP Beef Stroganoff 1000 288 3.47
MHPP Lasagna 480 134 3.58
Total 8535 2466 3.46

MHPP = Mountain House Pro Pak
MJF = Mary Jane Farms
BP = Backpacker's Pantry

Bars Cal Grams cal/g
6 sesame snaps 1380 252 5.48
25 chocolate chip Z bars 3250 964 3.37
8 Nutrigrain bars 960 350 2.74
8 Luna bars 1450 394 3.68
6 Pro Bar bars 870 270 3.22
7 granola bars 1030 254 4.06
2 yogurt/granola bars 300 76 3.95
1 Pure bar 190 50 3.80
6 fig newtons 1200 356 3.37
Total 10630 2966 3.58

Fruit/Nuts/Jerky Cal Grams cal/g
dried mango 1599 492 3.25
craisins 500 154 3.25
raisins 565 174 3.25
cashews 2532 422 6.00
almonds 1045 190 5.50
beef jerky 2320 730 3.18
Total 8561 2162 3.96

candy 3657 1062 3.44

Drinks/Cereal Cal Grams cal/g
15 hot chocolate 1200 334 3.59
10 gatorade mix pouches (makes 20 ounces each) 500 168 2.98
7 instant coffee 378 92 4.11
10 cream of wheat 1300 386 3.37
18 oatmeal 2720 784 3.47
Total 6098 1764 3.46

Grand Total 37481 10420 3.60

I did a better job estimating our calories for this trip. Here's the list of food we had left after our trip:

Food Cal Grams
3.5 Z-bars 455 135
2 oatmeal 302 87
1 Pro Bar bar 145 45
1 Pure bar 190 50
raisins 175 54
dried mango 247 76
candy 737 214
Total 2251 661

Nothing really stands out. I'll probably go with less Z-bars next year, as the boys are starting to like more variety. They ate a lot less candy this year compared to last year; I'll probably try to cut out even more next year. Nathan wanted more than one meal each night, while Jared couldn't finish his. They both really liked the MHPP Rice & Chicken (as did Jean and I). I could probably bring more beef jerky next year. The fig newtons and Nutrigrain bars were nice, but they're hard to bring since they're easily squished. Better to eat them on the first day or two.



Bedroom Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
sleeping bag (Marmot Pinnacle +15 reg) 2.782
sleeping bag (Marmot Pinnacle +15 WR) 2.624
sleeping bag (Nathan) 3.081
sleeping bag (Jared) 2.540
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 4.125
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 Tent stakes 0.406
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 Tent poles 1.875
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 ground cover 0.705
sleeping pad (Kevin) (ProLite 4R) 1.609
sleeping pad (Nathan) (ProLite 4S) 1.085
sleeping pad (Jean) (Prolite Plus WR) 1.561
sleeping pad (Jared) (ProLite 4S) 1.085
Pillow (Thermarest Medium) 0.714
Pillow (Thermarest Down Large) 0.437
Pillow (Thermarest Down Medium) 0.340
Pillow (Thermarest Small) 0.448

The tent was a dramatic savings from last year, about 7 pounds (including stakes, poles, and ground cover) compared to 12 last year. The two down pillows was also an improvement over the larger Thermarest pillows, both in size and pack weight. Jared and I still used the old ones, although we might change next year. Both the kids don't seem to even need pillows. When they wake up in the morning they're rarely using them.

Liquids Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
Water 4.000 4.000 2.000 2.000
Total 4.000 4.000 2.000 2.000

The above values are just estimates. I probably put more water in the Camelbaks because I did so in Sonora, where it was 100 degrees.

Pack Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
Arcteryx Bora 95 short 7.500
Arcteryx Bora 62 regular 6.250
REI Passage 40 3.25
Deuter Fox 30 2.482

Jared switched to Nathan's old pack, and Nathan upgraded to a larger pack this year. So we did add a couple pounds in this department. Clearly, the next big thing for me in dropping weight would be my actual pack, coming in at 7.5 pounds. However, I'm a little leery since this pack has served me well, fits well, and lets me carry large loads relatively comfortably. At this point I'm not sure if it's worth dropping 2 or 3 pounds for a less comfortable pack. I'll decide next year.

Photography Kevin Nathan
Sony A700 DSLR body 1.834
Tamron 17-50 lens 0.996
large camera bag and strap 0.988
Canon Powershot SX200 compact camera 0.538
Gorillapod SLR tripod 0.529
Blower 0.106
Extra battery 0.168
Remote control 0.066
polarizing filter 0.057
cable release 0.056
Extra SD card 0.031
lens tissue in pouch 0.019
Nikon coolpix + pouch 0.282
Total 5.388 0.282

I decided not to bring the graduated neutral density filter, since I hardly ever use it. It would be nice for some of the sunrise and sunset shots, but I generally use my camera's dynamic range optimizer for that and it does a decent job. The Coolpix was significantly lighter than the older camera Nathan had been using. I could probably find a lighter alternative to my SX200; maybe next year. Alternatively, I could buy a new DSLR with video capability and dump the compact, but I like having a backup. On the other hand, Nathan is already carrying a backup. That could save me half a pound.



Kevin Clothes Kevin
jacket 1.027
Fleece top 0.650
Long sleeve shirt 0.547
Long underwear 0.463
Gloves 0.163
Underwear (5) 0.758
Balaclava 0.094
1 pair liner socks 0.102
1 pair hiking socks 0.216
quick-drying towel 0.168
Total 4.188

I bought a new rain jacket which was significantly lighter than my old jacket. It doesn't provide as much warmth, but I think that's ok (I still have my fleece and long sleeve shirt as a back-up).



Sandals Kevin
Kevin's sandals 2.046
Jean's sandals 1.847
Nathan's sandals 0.842
Jared's sandals 0.899

Despite the added weight, I like using these for camp shoes and for river crossings.



Nathan Clothes Nathan
Fleece jacket 1.005
Windbreaker 0.516
Balaclava 0.066
Underwear (5) 0.397
Pajamas 0.366
Pull-ups (4) 0.476
Socks (2) 0.203
Stuffed animal 0.172
Total 4.048


Jared Clothes Jared
Fleece jacket 0.855
Windbreaker 0.454
Balaclava 0.066
Underwear (5) 0.344
Pajamas 0.304
Pull-ups (4) 0.476
Socks (2) 0.168
Stuffed animal 0.185
Total 3.751



Misc Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
Headlamp (w/ batteries) 0.181 0.176 0.176 0.172
12 spare AA batteries 0.307
2 garbage bags 0.094
Gerber knife 0.069
compass 0.063
credit cards + ID + cash 0.056
map 0.229
Paper / pens 0.150
whistle 0.038
4 ziploc bags 0.040
GPS (Garmin Edge 305) 0.172
Mophie battery for charging GPS 0.269
Lenmar battery for charging GPS 0.172
USB cable for charging GPS 0.035
accessory cord 0.185
Half-size playing cards 0.088
Magnetic chess set 0.291
Extra shoelace 0.026
Repair tape 0.035
Car keys ?

I was worried about the headlamps running out of juice, but in fact I didn't use a single spare battery. That's nearly a third of a pound wasted. The Mophie battery did run out of juice after about 4 recharges of the GPS, so it was good I brought both it and the Lenmar. The Lenmar seemed to perform better given its weight, so maybe I should get another one of those instead of the Mophie. The Edge 305 was good, except it lost my track data for the first day. Not sure why that happened. I've been considering the Garmin Oregon, but not sure if I would really use it, and it's larger and probably sucks up more power.



Kitchen Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
MSR Reactor stove + pot 1.155
Stove fuel (12 ounces, one 8 ounce and one 4 ounce canister) 1.367
water filter 1.014
CamelBak 0.313 0.313 0.438 0.438
2 cups with lids 0.617
another cup with lid 0.256
1 Sea to Summit X-Mug (collapsible) 0.137
dish soap / scrubber / bag 0.123
large squirt bottle 0.185
two 96-ounce floppy Nalgene bottles 0.338
5 plastic spoons 0.110
Matches (2 boxes) 0.119
2 Extra Camelbak bite valves 0.018
Garbage bag (Sea to summit) 0.273
Total 5.659 0.679 0.438 0.438

Out of 340 grams of fuel, we used 208, leaving about 132 grams of unused fuel. That being said, one canister probably wouldn't have been enough, as it probably would not have performed well as it got near empty.


Bathroom Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
Wet wipes 0.400
Sunscreen 0.353
lip balm 0.013
Toothpaste 0.057
Trowel 0.119
Kleenex 0.159
Toilet paper (1.5 rolls) 0.494
Toothbrush 0.035
Handkerchief 0.062
Floss 0.035
Mirror 0.018
Wet wipes 0.581
Total 1.926

I don't know how much Jean's bathroom stuff weighed, or the kids' toothpaste/toothbrushes. 1.5 rolls of toilet paper was just about right. Just a little left over.


First aid kit Kevin Jean
Insect repellent 0.088
Ace bandage 0.062
Bandages 0.062
swiss army knife 0.044
Sting Eze 0.038
Ibuprofen 0.066
Moleskin 0.017
Antihistamines 0.009
Epipen 0.163
Kid's medicine 0.511
Total 1.071 0.000


Summary Kevin Jean Nathan Jared
Actual 65.0 36.5 16.0 12.0

I was hoping to reduce my pack weight this year, but ended up with the same as last year. It was ok. I would love to get it under 60 pounds next year. Nathan never complained about his weight and was generally the fastest and seemed to have the most energy; he probably could have carried more. Jared struggled a little with the weight, so I ended up carrying some of his weight on the latter days of the trip. His pack was significantly lighter than 12 pounds on the last two days. It's always hard to gauge a six year old's true feelings when he complains. Is he complaining because the weight is really too much, or just because he doesn't want to carry it? He said his feet hurt, but I checked and he never got any blisters.


Worn
Trekking poles
Sunglasses
Hats
Watch


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