Redundant kit

[Allen]

Hello all

After happily lugging around serious amounts of kit while camping/hiking in my teens I kind of fell into the (bad?) habbit of taking duplicates and 'just in case' bits and bobs with me when out and about and on overnighters.

Zoom forward a few years and the recent arrival of mini-allen, I'm realising more and more that I'm taking less 'Tat' than I used to.. like only one saw etc..

Plus, in a couple of years or so when mini-me is starting to come with me, I'm going to be carrying some of his stuff too.. Motivation to lessen my pack-burden even more!

So, my question is this: What was the last thing that you stopped taking with you and why?

Ta, Al

 

[w00dsmoke]

My wife...
we weren't getting on too well in the wet and damp Scottish weather under a tarp!

 

[wicca]

 

[korvin karbon]

My wife...
we weren't getting on too well in the wet and damp Scottish weather under a tarp!

another :tapedshut:tapedshut:tapedshut keyboard gone

I have to say first aid kit, using a much smaller one now, decided that the first aid kti should be for personal use, not a platoon.

Less water too, trusting my polarpure and the fact that i know my routes now and the water ways near them.

excellent thread, look forward to seeing what other people say

 

[Husky]

The army tought me the habit of being prepared for anything and everything and my civvie backpack weighed accordingly.
Age and healtissues have got me looking at the "backpacking light" trend and without going to any extremes, or for that matter not getting much new kit at all, I cut my carryweight almost in half.
Start with taking out all the "nice to haves". Then look at what you brought last time but didn´t use. How much clothes can you actually wear at once?
Go through your kit. Do you need, use or want three pans just because they fit in each other? Why bring a 2 pound stove when a half pound gasburner is sufficient (check your locker. I´m sure you already have one..).
Can you exchange your heavy warm sweater for one that is just as warm but weighs less.
Now weigh your pack?
Look how many "nice to haves" you have made room for!
I think I´ll bring all three of my gerbertools and that book about tracks and...

 

[Sniper]

Less clothing, as I used to take a couple of changes in case I got wet, I just make sure I don't get wet now and stay under cover. Also I used to take 2 stoves in case one packed up but now my Swiss army trangia is just as happy on the fire as on the stove so if I do run out of fuel I won't be stuck. Also I bought myself a small pair of binos to take the place of the large set, they are just as good opticals for watching what I see when out but a fraction of the size of the original pair. I have also reduced the size of my wash kit with smaller items, for an overnighter probably nothing at all but for longer just a few small items do the trick.

 

[bushwacker bob]

pack everything you NEED, then reduce it by half.

 

[Wayland]

pack everything you NEED, then reduce it by half.

Pack two bergens and only take one.....

I think clothing has been my major reduction.

I've shaved ounces off most things but apart from spare undercrackers I've ditched all the "spare" kit.

If I do somehow get completely soaked, difficult in wool, I can use the "warm" or waterproof layers to dress in long enough to dry the regular stuff out.

If I'm really lighting it, a small SAK can also replace a pound of cutting hardware, but that's probably considered heresy around here.

 

[PJMCBear]

Same with me, re clothes. I will have a change in the car, but I rarely use them. The fixed blade often stays at home these days, too. I'll just use a SAK or Opi more often than not, but I also carry a carving jack.

Oh, and the army entrenching tool tends to stay at home most of the time. Shovel recce has become the trowel recce.

 

[bigbear]

Some years ago I did a couple of two day mountain marathons where you run and carry kit then camp and run the next day. The discipline of realising that everything had to be carried as you ran really made me think about what I took.
The rules make you carry spare clothing and I always do- but a set of thermals weighs almost nothing and if you are very wet putting them on and getting into your pit should ensure you don't get hypothermic. Similarly rain gear- there is some superbly light kit out there and a full set of waterproofs can weigh very little, if you go down the waterproof route- not all do in bushcraft as ventile and wool have good arguements in their favour.
FAK can be pared down to a real minimum- small roll of gaffa tape and a sanitary towel for serious bleeds, plus what else ? Think about what you may need to be able to treat- and what you can actually treat in terms of your own skills.
I tend to carry light pegs fro my tarp but you can carve them out of sticks if you have a knife- and will you just take one knife on a bushcraft trip ? I wopuld tend to want a backup and be happy with the extra weight.
Food- go wholly lightweight and dried for minimal weight, but how easy is it to digest and do you want to live off it for days ?
It really comes down to thinking hard about what compromises you are happy with- different for all of us.

 

[Husky]

The Norwegian wilderness guru "Lars Monsen" advocates only bringing one pot, and he chooses a kettle, for all your cooking. He boils his rice first and then ads his freshly caught fish in inch sized chunks.
When a reporter asked him if his dinner doesn´t taste faintly of cofee he replied that
"No, but my breakfast cofee can have an interesting fishtaste!"

 

[dwardo]

In regards to utensils i take a plate, thermo cup thing and a tatonka pot. With clothes i stick to one set unless the weather is going to be orrible. I also dropped a gimmick wind up lantern after one use, took too long to wind up and didnt use it...
I do how ever take far too much project stuff or a bow and all its gubbins...

 

[Allen]

Interesting so far! I especially agree with the clothes comments. On day hikes I take waterproofs so I dont get wet. If I'm careful and plan then I shouldn't need spare clothes.
If I do get wet it's usually because I have neglected to pack waterproofs, in which case what use are spare clothes until I'm back at the car? They're just going to get wet too! Soggy, steamed up car on the drive home! So I leave a spare set in the car, just in case I got caught out!

 

[drewdunnrespect]

ok redundant kit is all dependant on wheather or not i have my new car (yes for anyone who knows me i have just pass my test and yes i have just baught myself a fiesta),
so the only thing thats made redundant if i walk is my 2.5 kelly kettle but if i have me car not anymore also if i go hammocking my snugpack stratephere bivi tent is redundant but other than that everything else is needed

something i have learnt is that i dont need a load of clothes

just my dpm water proof trousers, jacket and waders plus thick jumper or two in winter with spare pare of clothes
and spare socks for every day cosa spare pare of socks everyday is heaven even if you dont change anything else.

but a question for the good folks of bcuk is does any one have two tarps one big one for living under 3.5 X4 and then a 2 X 3 for your hammock because i do and well its so much easier unless your wayland cos his set up is mint and he just has one big tarp.

wayland you wouldnt mind teaching me how to do such a set up would you? thats if your coming to middlewood that is

 

[PJMCBear]

IMHO two tarps is a bit much. I just use a larger tarp, though not a large as Waylands. He does have a good setup, but he needs it to keep all his kit/guests dry.

 

[Nat]

Agreed. Two tarps is too much. You can get a decent 3m x 3m tarp for about £30 from USMC. I use it for my daughter and myself when i we go hammocking, it's big enough to go to the ground to cut on wind and plenty of room to pole up on one side. I usually use a small 1metre square piece of tarp to dump my kit on.

As for redunant kit - hooped bivi's which i've never used, Knives gone from 4 to one, 3 sets of spare clothes - down to one. A kelly and a billy just use either now.

 

[Kerne]

Clothes mainly. I used to need to change into less smelly clothes when I was young and on the pull. Now I'm old and smell anyway. I might as well leave stuff at home.