What I Carried on My JMT Thru-hike 

Glad it was useful. Again, enjoy the trip!

Yeah, smaller, lighter, just as effective. Got mine from Garage Grown Gear but all the cool kids are using them.... or nothing.

Thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed the video. So, as you probably know the Sierra is not predictable. Generally speaking summer is "more" predictable. In late July, Aug, and early Sept you'll get days of epic weather strung together followed by days of afternoon thunderstorms but rarely will you see all day rain. When you get into shoulder season it's a lot less predictable and the possibility of Pacific storms is greater. Also days are shorter and nights are a lot colder. As for my kit, it's pretty dialed so not much I'd change. My only comment/guidance would be just that - plan on cold nights. So a good bag/quilt/sleep system is key. Also solid layering (base and mid layer, and a quality puffy) unless you plan to get in the tent when the sun goes down every night. The only tweak that I can think of is I might bring along a few of those chemical hand warmers to stuff in my gloves and shoes. I hate having cold hands and feet. Of course I wasn't prepared for a major snow storm so if that happened I'd have bailed. That's a different kit than I was carrying.

@@wellseasonedhiker Thanks for this. Very helpful. Your video mentioned getting 11 days of use out of the smallest fuel canister with the PR 2 stove. That's impressive! How many boils a day was that for you?

@@stevep7785 Yeah, I was shocked it lasted that long. I had coffee every morning - so one boil there and dinner was usually 1 to 1.5 cups for my Peak Refuel dinners and maybe 3 times I had a second boil for hot cocoa. So all in, maybe 25+ boils. Crazy-huh? A few thoughts here: First you're at altitude so boil times are shorter. Second, if you grab water in the afternoon and set aside what you'll need for dinner, then you're boiling warmer water than you would if you just pulled it out of the stream/lake. That cuts boil time a lot as well. Third, as mentioned, prepared dinners don't require cooking. If you're cooking up ramen or something like that then you'll go through a lot more fuel. Sort of obvious but just re-stating the point.

@@wellseasonedhiker Good info! What do you have in mind for your next trip?

@@stevep7785 Ah man, bunch of stuff. I leave for Joshua Tree next week. Then gonna try to do the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne (snow permitting), Hoover Wilderness, Minaret's, Bear Lake Basin (Lake Italy), Miter Basin/Crabtree Pass, and then gonna try to get to the Wind River Range for a few days. When you leaving for the JMT? SOBO? How long you plan on taking?

Appreciate the comments. My thoughts. . If we remove the camera equipment (and batteries), bear canister, and Helinox I'm under 11 pounds. Removing my shoulder season clothing puts me well under 10 pounds. I don't think you can save me 15 pounds but it's a sweet idea. As for the sunscreen and sun protection. I've been hiking in the Sierra since I was a kid. I got the bug from my father who was a mountaineer and spent his life climbing and hiking. Unfortunately he passed away about 15 years ago due to melanoma and exposure to UV's at high altitude. I unfortunately also had a case of melanoma in the early 90's. If you are blessed with natural UV protection, sure, leave that stuff behind but I don't recommend anyone head up to the Sierra without proper sun protection. Doing so is a recipe for problems IMO. Have you hiked in the Sierra?

@@wellseasonedhiker Yes. Thousands of miles. I lived up there for over 20 years. I've been adventuring year round in every condition for over 56 years. I'm only 67. 2 years ago in October. HM north to TM 9 days 8 nights 26 lbs start weight including 20 ozs of water. No resupply.

​@@Herkamite Well, congrats on that hike...you're a stud. I'm not able to do 20+ miles day in/day out anymore. 26 pounds sounds about right for 9 days/8 nights. - I think our summer kit's are pretty close. Take care.