Ok, so I don’t know if I have talked about pack weight and temperatures before or not. It’s a very big deal. My first trek out on the Okanagan High Rim Trail in 2017 was attempted with basically no training – or at least proper training, 70 to 80 pounds on my back - I think I documented 60 pounds in a previous blog entry, but it was definitely more once I started to weigh my stuff individually by the gram.
Think of the movie Wild. That girl. The night before her PCT trek. The difference was I was packed with everything ready to go a month in advance and I also made sure I knew how to use things. Remember how she couldn’t lift her pack? That was me. Turtling your body to get into it and rolling over to get on all fours? That was me. I laughed so hard during that scene. I still do.
I was “smarter” on my 2nd, more successful attempt in 2018. I started reading ultralight backpacking books. Getting feedback from my backpacking guru. Thinking things through a lot. I apparently didn’t think things through enough though.
One of the things the ultralight book “taught” me was that I don’t need clothing more than what I wear to hike, especially when the weather forecast says full sun all week. I was going to stink anyway, so just wear the same thing.
Well, yeah, I’m up in the mountains. I’m wet with sweat. I got wetter from the rain. Wet clothing up in the mountains, even in July? Bad idea.
Point is though, I was able to have my complete pack weight be 34 pounds, which included my food and water. Was fantastic! Felt so much better like they always tell me online.
So I felt it was all worth it.
But was it?
I didn’t think so when I was so wet. I was miserable for a few days due to that major mistake.
- Always bring a sleeping outfit. DUH!
- Always bring a raing jacket. DUH!
- Always put your tent fly right side up (haha). DUH.
So just a hiking outfit (only one!!!) and a sleeping outfit (only one!!!) is what I take now.
Above is my current sleep outfit minus my optional liner socks in case I'm extra cold and of course I left out my gotchies. No one needs to see that! As I look at this now,, reading what I wrote below, I can't believe what I was thinking!
I had my pack weight up at 40 pounds a couple of weeks ago. Without food and my 2 pound sleeping bag among some other items. I figured my food would be 2 to 2.5 pounds a day, as that is what it was in the past, and that’s what they say usually is needed. And I thought, good grief, I don’t want to be carrying more than 40 pounds. I don’t want to be over 50 either. What can I cut out?
I was able to shed 8 pounds of pack weight. I figured ok, most of that will be gained back in food weight. So I wasn’t feeling too bad about that. Turns out that my food actually only weighs 6.5 pounds (not sure how I managed that). So that was good!
I took out a lot of stuff that just wasn’t a full on need. I took out the rain pants. Legs I can handle getting wet. I kept the rain jacket in. The thing with the pants is it’s just too hot. And each item of that rain suit weighs about a pound. You wouldn’t think so, but when I weighed it, yep that was it. I don’t have ultralight gear, at least not yet, so I’m working with what I have.
Anyway, I cut out my down jacket which I use for a sleeping layer. It’s also for if it gets cold. I figured if I get cold, my rain jacket will be good, as nothing is getting in or out of that sucker. I also changed my sleeping pants from warm fleece (also a pound) and replaced them with some leggings. My sleeping bag is women’s, good for minus 9. So, yeah I should be ok right?
Well…two days ago I started to think. Wondering, how cold does it actually get up there at night? I remember it gets pretty chilly. Day time is between 30 and 40 celsius (or it has been in my experiences), but night is a whole other thing!
I looked at Kelowna’s average low temperatures for July. The average is 12 Celsius. Then I double checked the elevation I was climbing to. So if the temperatures down here are actually 12 at night, my temperatures up there would be averaging at 4 Celsius!
FOUR!!!!!!!!
Guess who quickly changed the gear list again?
I remember my first night in 2017. I was heat exhausted. Couldn’t eat (forced down a protein bar), ingesting anything made me gag, the thought of food made me want to throw up. So after that bar, I drank as much as I could. Then went to bed at 7:30 PM.
I was so hot. I couldn’t cool down. It was horrible! So I went to sleep outside of my sleeping bag with no sleep clothes. I was not comfortable. I was not happy. I wonder how close I was to being really sick? I woke up at 2 AM freezing. Completely shivering! It felt as if it were November and I had no winter jacket. I quickly dressed and snuggled into my bag. So yeah, I know to be a little more prepared and my brain started to kick in again the other day.
2018. Was I cold? Well yes I was because I was wet. I’m lucky nothing bad happened!
So I’m happy about my final decision on the heavier items. An extra 1.5 pounds for comfort during sleep during a time that you really need it is worth it.
