Pictured Rocks Gear List

My reasonable ultralight gear for 5 1/2 days in the north woods

Almost everything I’m carrying on next week’s hike of the Pictured Rocks segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail is in the title photo. Everything except 2 SmartWater bottles, food, phone (was in use taking the pic), TP and wipes. You can review my LighterPack HERE for details.

With a Base Weight (BW) of 7.2 lbs. and a Total Pack Weight (TPW) of less than 16.5 lbs., this is easily going to be my most ultralight trip ever. But I’m not cutting ounces at the expense of comfort….except maybe in the food department. Because I wanted to see just how light I could go, I won’t be cooking my usual fancy meals on this trip. Commercial meals it shall be, but I think I’ve found some sneaky good ones.

Of course, it’s summer, which means I get to go with a very light 50 degree Apex quilt from Enlightened Equipment. It also means I’m only bringing minimal carried clothing. Aside from rain gear, I’m only bringing my KUIU fleece top and bottom and a pair of spare socks. I won’t need anything else. The KUIU pieces combined (in XXL even) weigh a mere 11 oz. They will serve as dry camp clothes and will supplement my sleep system in case the temps dip more than expected. I have a little built-in insulation on my person as well. That would be fat.

Because my load is so light, I’ll be able to use my new Nashville Cutaway pack and it’s little brother, the Penny Fanny. These will save me over 10 oz. compared with my already lightweight SWD Long Haul 50. It will be my first time using a frameless pack without a hipbelt, but since only about 15 lbs. max will ever be on my shoulders, I’m not anticipating any problems.

Water should be abundant, so I possibly could drop one of the water bottles and use a smaller BeFree filter bladder….but I like having a lot of water in camp. And I could have shaved 1.5 oz. by using a ziploc for my sundry items instead of my Equinox ditty bag. And if I wanted to amp up the possible misery, I could have foregone the spare socks, rain kilt and sit pad. But I like dry feet and a dry ass, so no.

Bugs can be a real pain in the north woods at certain times of the year. Not knowing what those times actually are, I’m playing it safe with a long sleeve top and lightweight nylon pants. Oh, and DEET. Stable flies and mossies can suck my DEET. Plus my clothing will be treated with Permethrin. Ticks can suck on that.

I will be using an HMG pod for food storage. All of the campsites on this hike have bear boxes.

I’m only carrying 20 oz./day in food, which seems low. But I know from experience that my appetite takes about a week to really ramp up on a section hike. I will make up for it by savaging the local eateries in Munising when I emerge from the woods a week from Friday.

Finally, in the quest for the lightest possible pack, I’m making the greatest of all sacrifices- I’m not bringing bourbon. I may yet regret this decision.