Colorado Trail Gear List

This is our partial gear list for the Colorado Trail. It is composed of gear that we think is the best for the budget we had made. This is not a no expense spared list but it is also not the most frugal gear list. I will mention with each piece, a less expensive or free item that would have worked in place of the more expensive item and vice versa, an item that is better, lighter or smaller but will cost more.

This is Kasey and her Osprey Talon 33 liter Pack.

 

This is a fully loaded pack. It is capable of carrying four days of food consisting of 3700 calories per day in addition to what is shown in the picture. She chose this pack mostly for comfort and took into account the weight. It weighs in at about 1lb and 7oz. She will carry roughly 18lbs with 3.5 days of food.

 

Here is a list of the stuff we are taking with a small explanation.

 

Pack:  Hal Osprey Exos 48 2lb 7oz. It is a wee heavy but is very comfortable. I have tried some of the others like Go Lite Jam Pack etc. There are a few more ultra light companies like (Z packs) that make packs in the 14oz range that I did not want to try, mostly because they are made to order and it seems the lighter they are the more uncomfortable they are. I have not tried most of them but I may in the future. Imagine losing 1lb 5oz on just the pack! WOW! My pack cost about $175 on sale - too much.

 

Shelter: 2 person fully enclosed tent by Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2, 2lbs and 4oz ish. We chose to use this tent because Kasey is afraid of bugs at night and would rather be fully enclosed. I am secretly happy with this choice also. This tent was not cheap but it is one of the lightest Free Standing tents around, roughly $300.00  We have a 1lb tent tarp option from Go Lite that we may try when we want to lose another pound.

 

 Ground pad: Therma Rest Neo Air X Lite. 12oz or 14oz with sack and repair kit. Noisy for others in the area, but it is air and about 2.5 inches thick. Makes for a great night of rest. Another option would be the Ridge Rest 3/4 length which weighs in at about 8-10oz and is a hell of a lot less cash. $35 vs. $129. This could also be used to give some rigidity to a lighter pack without an internal frame.

 

Cooking and drinking: Jet Boil Sol $120. This will boil enough water to just fill a dehydrated backpacking meal for two. A 110g canister of isobutene fuel should boil 10 liters of water. You can stretch that by not bringing the water to a complete boil and waiting a little while longer for your food to come back to life. I have also built a small cat food can stove that costs almost nothing using fuel that is about half the cost of the canister fuel. Write me and I will give you directions to build it. It is very simple and uses fuel found most places which makes it great. It has cost savings but minimal weight savings after getting pots and all the other parts. Jet Boil is fast, safe, easy, and packs well.

 

 

My pack fully loaded minus food. It weighs in at about 11 lbs. My pack will weigh in at about 21 lbs with 5 days of food.

 

Sleeping Bags: Go Lite 1 season 30 degree. These are 850 fill down with Pertex Quantam fabric that is water resistant yet breathable. We will supplement these bags with very light down jackets if needed. They weigh in at 1 lb 9oz each and pack to about 8"X 5" compressed in a Sea To Summit 1.3oz compression sack. Western Mountaineering makes very good bags that last for a decade if you treat them right. The equivalent to ours weigh 1 lb 3oz. They cost about $450 vs. Go Lite costs us $260 and $290.  

 

These items will put Kasey and I at just under 6lbs each for the BIG FOUR:  Sleeping, Shelter, Cooking and Pack. This is a respectable weight that could be much lighter.  

 

We have used big box manufacturers, like REI, because they carry most of these things along with the ability to return anything if it sucks or we just don't like it. That is a great benefit to us. It is also difficult to acquire small suppliers goods and make sure they will work for us. Although the smaller suppliers offer the very best in light weight, reasonable prices that would make your trip very enjoyable, it will take some time to research. Most of the big manufacturers build packs and other items that will last under heavy abuse making them bulky, heavy and overkill for the most part. There are tons of products that are crazy light that will stand the test of time. Take the time to find these and you will not be sorry! 

 

We will post more details later. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have other questions or ideas.

Thanks again!