The best thing I've learned from long distance backpacking is that I'm happiest when I have the very least. You're constantly asking yourself, "what else could I do without?" I'm always reevaluating and finding new ways of doing things to shave another ounce here and there. It has been a satisfying practice, and actually more fulfilling than the much more popular practice of accumulating more possessions in life.

I am not an ultralighter, however, as you'll see by my 12 lb. gear list below. I know I could cut it to 7 or 8 lbs, but I choose to carry a few things I don't really need, like my camera equipment, a heavier but more comfortable sleeping pad, and a tent rather than an ultralight tarp.

Below is everything I'll have on the trip, along with the weight of each item that will contribute to my pack's overall base weight (the weight not including consumables like food, water, and fuel.) I'll keep this list up to date throughout the trip on my bio page.

Item	Description	Weight (oz.)
Packing
Backpack	Gossamer Gear Maripossa Plus	24.70
Shoulder Pouch	Zpacks Shoulder Pouch, For Camera	0.50
Pack Liner	Trash Compactor Bag	3.40
	Total:	1 lb. 12.6 oz.
Sleeping
Tent	TarpTent Notch	29.00
Ground cloth	Trash Compactor Bag, combined with liner bag	3.40
Seeping Bag	ZPacks 20°F 900 Fill Power Down Solo	23.00
Sleeping Pad	Full Length NeoAir XLite	12.50
	Total:	4 lb. 2.7 oz.
Kitchen
Cook Pot	Evernew .9L Titanium Pot	3.85
Spoon	Plastic Spoon	0.28
Stove	Homemade Alcohol Stove	0.88
Fuel bottle	Plastic Soda bottle	0.63
Lighter	Mini Bic	0.39
Food Bag	Homemade Nylon Drawstring Backpack	2.05
Waterproof Bag	Bread Bag, for food packaging that isn't waterproof	0.28
Water Bottle	16 oz. Plastic Soda Bottle	0.63
Water Storage	Two 64 oz. Sawyer Water Pouches	2.40
Extra Storage when needed	2L Soda Bottle	1.69
Filter	Sawyer Mini Squeeze Filter	1.50
	Total:	14.58 oz.
Clothing (Worn)
Shirt	Smart Wool Microweight 150 base layer	n/a
Pants	Kuhl Convertible Pants	n/a
Underwear	Synthetic boxer briefs	n/a
Socks	Darn Tough Vermont Merino Wool Socks	n/a
Hat	Kuhl Baseball Cap	n/a
Shoes	Salomon Speedcross 3 Trail Runners	n/a
	Total:	n/a
Clothing (Packed)
Shirt	Adidas Synthetic T-Shirt	3.10
Thermal Pants	Terramar Merino Wool	4.10
Extra Socks	Darn Tough Vermont Merino Wool Socks	1.20
Extra Socks	Injinji Toe Socks	1.48
Rain Jacket	Marmot Minimalist Gore Tex Jacket (will replace in Mojave for lighter jacket)	15.60
Insulated Jacket	Mont-bell UL Down Jacket	8.40
Sock Hat	Handmade Ginger Yarn Co. Merino Wool Sock Hat	2.00
Bandana	Buff	1.20
	Total:	2 lbs. 5.08 oz.
First Aid & Gear Repair
Toothbrush		0.40
Toothpaste	Travel Size	1.13
Chapstick		0.32
Sunscreen		2.00
Gauze Roll	Used with duct tape for bandages	0.11
Anticeptic		0.04
Excedrin		0.20
Floss	Also used for thread in gear/clothing repair	0.04
Toilet Paper		0.50
Zip Loc for Storage	Quart-size	0.13
Zip Loc for Laundry	Gallon-size	0.50
Hand Sanitizer		1.00
Duct Tape	On Trekking Poles	n/a
Sewing Needle		0.00
	Total:	6.37 oz.
Miscellaneous
Trekking Poles	Leki, Carried	n/a
Headlamp	Black Diamond ReVolt	3.50
Cell Phone	Samsung Galaxy SIII, Kept in pocket	n/a
USB Charger	Micro USB and Wall adapter	1.48
Headphones	Yurbud Ironman Earbuds	0.50
Bug Repellent	100% DEET oil in eyedropper bottle	1.50
Compass		0.88
Map/Guidebook pages	Halfmile's PCT Maps Printed on Waterproof Paper	3.00
ID	Driver's License	0.18
Debit Card		0.18
Cash	About $60	0.04
Zip Loc Bag	For waterproof wallet	0.13
Safety Pins	For hanging wet laundry on pack/line	0.04
Fishing Line w/ hooks	For clothesline and fishing	0.18
Cord	50' Kevlar cord for hanging bear bag	0.90
Razor Blade	May replace with knife, not sure yet	0.04
	Total:	12.55 oz.
Nonessentials
Journal	Homemade Grocery Bag Notebooks, Kept in Pocket	n/a
Pen	Space Pen Refill Ink, Kept in Pocket	n/a
Camera	Panasonic Lumix LX7	10.76
Memory cards	162 GBs of SD Cards, in Zip-Loc bag	0.93
Extra Batteries & Charger	Panasonic Lumix LX7	4.76
Tripod	Gorilla Grip Mini Tripod	1.60
Microphone w/ cables	For Podcasting, Samson Go Mic with base removed	2.26
GPS Tracker	Spot Gen3 w/batteries	4.10
Solar Charger	Bushnell Solar Wrap	3.10
	Total:	1 lb. 11.51 oz.
	Total Base Weight:	12 lb. 1.39 oz.
Winter Gear
Ice Axe	Black Diamond Raven Pro	15.60
Traction System	Kahtoola Microspikes	13.40
Gloves	ZPacks Fleece Mittens	1.20
	Total:	1 lb. 14.20 oz.
	Total Base Weight w/ Winter Gear:	13 lb. 15.59 oz.