Ultralight Packing List
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.