Ultralight Packing List

Mar 6th, 2019
|

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

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

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.
 

Related Reading