Glen Van Peski's Gear List
Glen Van Peski at Puppet Pass
My typical gear list is for a summer/fall trip of 3 - 6 days in the Sierra or other western mountains, typically mostly above tree line. Temperatures range from freezing to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. My trips are generally composed of some trail, and some off-trail travel, typically with at least one other person. My most common substitutions are adding 4 ounces by going with my heavier sleeping bag, and adding another 3.4 ounces by going with the QTwinn for a shelter if I'm expecting significant weather. If going off-trail by myself, I would invest in a Spot locator. I have used this basic gear for many years, and spent some stormy nights, and days trudging through snow, so am comfortable in a wide range of conditions.
| Category | Gear Selection | Weight (oz) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packing | Gossamer Gear Murmur wo/belt | 8.4 | If load gets above 15 lbs. I add the waist belt. |
| Pack liner bag | 1.0 | Mylar bag | |
| Food storage bag | 0.6 | Homemade grocery-type bag from spinnaker | |
| Clothing stuff sack | 0.3 | Cuben fiber | |
| Stuff sack for misc small items | 0.1 | Cuben fiber | |
| 60' Spectra 725 line, garlic bag, mini 'biner | 1.3 | Bear bag setup, if needed. In non-bear country, use food as pillow | |
| Sleeping | Sleeplight long 30 deg down bag | 17.2 | Hood, no down on bottom, no zipper. If I know for sure it will be under 36, I'm likely to take my heavy 22 oz. bag, same construction, more down. |
| Gossamer Gear Thinlight 3/8" - 30" l, 12-16" w | 2.1 | Minimal torso sleeping pad requires some good site selection skills, and ability to contour sleeping area | |
| Shelter | Homemade Cuben Wedge | 4.4 | Minimal lean-to shelter, with spectra line, 2 Ti V-stakes, 4 Easton FMJ stakes. If significant weather expected, I upgrade to the Cuben Twinn, total of 8.1 oz. with stakes. No stuff sacks. Trekking poles for support. |
| Gossamer Gear polycryo - small | 1.2 | Trimmed down to 20" wide | |
| Packed Clothing | Montbell Ex Light down jacket L | 5.7 | Not strictly needed, but a nice comfort item |
| Zpacks jacket | 5.0 | Breathable cuben fiber rain jacket, also used for wind | |
| Zpacks CloudKilt | 1.4 | May leave this out if good weather expected | |
| RAB MeCo gloves | 1.0 | Not super warm, but usually enough | |
| Possumdown | 1.7 | Warm hat | |
| Balega or other wicking socks | 0.8 | Spare socks allowing for rotation | |
| Fleece sleeping socks | 1.8 | A little extra warmth for feet, don't always use them | |
| Hydration | 1 liter Smart Water bottle | 1.6 | Use for mixing Emergen-C, can reach it from a side pocket while walking |
| 3 liter Platypus | 1.7 | Often hike in dry climes, like to have decent capacity, carry outside pack behind sleeping pad | |
| Platypus drinking tube | 2.0 | I find I stay hydrated better when carrying the extra weight of a hydration tube | |
| Bleach | 0.4 | In mini dropper bottle, good for 4 - 5 days typically | |
| Cooking | Trail Designs gram cracker | 0.1 | Holds Esbit tabs |
| Trail Designs Caldera Ti-Tri | 0.9 | Windscreen and pot support, can be used for wood fires if allowed | |
| paper matches | 0.1 | In a mini ziploc bag | |
| Zelph Fosters with drink band and lid | 1.3 | Cook pot with lid | |
| Cozy/stuff sack | 0.4 | Homemade cuben fiber with insulation | |
| bamboo spoon | 0.3 | I prefer the feel of bamboo to titanium | |
| Small Essentials | Petzl e+LITE | 0.9 | Headlamp |
| Whistle on lanyard | 0.2 | For emergency signaling, I've used it | |
| Dermasafe | 0.3 | Basically a long razor blade | |
| Head net | 0.5 | petersheadnets.com Wouldn't take unless expecting bugs | |
| Bug dope | 0.3 | Mini dropper bottle, don't usually take | |
| mini tube spf 30 plus mini lip balm | 0.7 | Sample from dermatologist | |
| Finger toothbrush and floss | 0.2 | Single use floss packets | |
| Dr. Bronner's soap | 0.2 | Mini dropper bottle, use for toothpaste, bathing, etc | |
| 1/2 disposable shop towel per day | 0.8 | Toilet 'paper', for 'polishing' after natural materials | |
| micro bottle alcohol gel | 0.1 | Good for about 4 days | |
| blister & minor wound care | 0.9 | antibiotic, bandaids, compeed, etc | |
| medications | 0.8 | Imodium,Tums,tylenol pm,naproxin, etc | |
| mini scissors, tweezers | 1.8 | From Swiss army knife replacement parts | |
| Rite in the Rain page, Sharpie | 0.4 | For taking notes | |
| reading glasses | 0.2 | i4u lenses | |
| Sparker and tinder | 0.2 | Emergency fire starter | |
| 8" duct tape, Tenacious Tape, needle/thread, safety pin | 0.2 | Repair kit | |
| iPhone 6 | 4.4 | For taking photos | |
| Stickpic | 0.4 | Great for selfies, group photos without propping camera on a rock | |
| Maps and permits | 2.5 | I usually print maps out at 11 x 17 from AllTrails, both sides | |
| Total base weight (oz) | (not including worn items or consumables) | 78.8 | |
| Total base weight (lb) | (not including worn items or consumables) | 4.92 |