3 days, 2 nights, 30 miles of swamp (expecting standing water)
Gear list left to right:
(unpictured: Kelty down sleeping bag)
- 3L hydrapak with plug n play tap
- 3L hydration reservoir
Edit: swapped for 2 48oz Nalgene bottles w/ hardside hydration hose adaptor - MSR 2 person deluxe cook-set (lid removed)
- whistle
- black diamond headlamp w/rechargeable battery
- pepper spray
- slingshot
- sleeping bag liner (probably not taking)
- mountain house meals (x7)
- packable rain jacket
- sawyer squeeze
- (red bag + zip lock) fire starting and first-aid
- Exped widget (in hydrapak bag)
- Helinox chair zero L
Edit: swapped for flex lite stool - (Dark green bag) board shorts, tshirt, long sleeve sun shirt, sweatpants. Socks (x2), underwear (x2)
Edit: reduced to tshirt and sweatpants in orange bag - (Lighter green bag) kelty 3 person tent and fly (buddy carrying poles and footprint)
- (Blue bag) light sweatshirt hoodie
- Silky pocket boy
Edit: swapped for silky big boy ()
- Vortex monocular
Edit: removed - Benchmade grizzly creek
- Klymit v Luxe
- 60’ 1100 paracord
- Osprey Aether 65
- Waterproof boot covers (boots are redwing exo-lite)
Dry weight: 32lbs
@Marlon
10 miles per day of swamp backpacking is going to be a real challenge. I have tried it and it was not really fun for me.
Merrick said:
@Marlon
10 miles per day of swamp backpacking is going to be a real challenge. I have tried it and it was not really fun for me.
I’m not looking forward to aspect of it but I am a soil scientist here in Florida and I have a lot of experience in the swamp so I know what I’m in for, mostly.
I don’t know how the bugs are this time of year but it never hurts to take some bug spray
Hal said:
I don’t know how the bugs are this time of year but it never hurts to take some bug spray
I plan on treating my clothes before I go and hoping for the best. Bugs aren’t bad this time of year (for Florida)
Weight?
Darby said:
Weight?
I havnt weighed it. Don’t think I want to. Probably 30-35 pounds.
Darby said:
Weight?
I havnt weighed it. Don’t think I want to. Probably 30-35 pounds.
Why would you not want to weigh it? You got a lot of stuff man, I’m guessing 45-50 lbs. Stuff adds up quick. I mean if your water bladders are full, 6 liters of water is 13lbs.
Weighing the bag is not to hit a random base weight but more so to track what you packed and how one feels carrying it. This allows us to optimize for future load outs.
@Bailey
You are right, I appreciate it that’s also why I made this post and listed gear to review after I was just tired but the time I got everything together last night. It’s 28 pounds with food but without water. 41LBs with water. I’m a big guy 6’ 260 and I always carry heavy loads but I am not looking forward to this. I want to reduce the extra clothes but being a hike through standing water I expect to definitely have to change at least once. Also my MSR hubba hubba is lighter and more compact than even the half of the tent that I am carrying but for two big guys that tent is not big enough.
@Marlon
For sure!! I get where you are coming from, physically I’m similar size as you so I get it.
Ok here are some quick tips that can help:
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Ditch all the sawyer accessory stuff that comes with the bag and the water bag. Keep the filter and perhaps another o-ring for the filter and get one of these to filter dirty water into your hydration bladder - 2L Vecto Water Container by CNOC Outdoors – Garage Grown Gear. This wide mouth bag attaches to sawyer filter to filter dirty water and easier to fill it up vs the little bags that come stock with the filter. Reason why I’m talking about ditching the water bag as you are going to be in the swamp and you will always have access to water. You can filter as needed vs carrying a bunch of weight around.
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Ditch all stuff sacks for your gear. You might feel like things are tidy and organized but its a low hanging fruit to cut weight. The Aether has enough pockets where you can stash things and organize. Just keep the food bag so you can hang your food.
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Like other person said, use a trash compactor bag to keep your stuff dry in the bag, you can get a nylofume bag if you want.
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Looks like you are going to be hitting a lot of dehydrated meals, again… idk what your plan is for meals but consider ditching the parts of the cook set as all you need a pot to boil water and a spoon
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Ditch the whistle, your backpack a built in whistle on the chest strap
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Not sure if you have battery back to recharge your stuff, bug protection and not sure what is in your fire starter kit but you can dial it down to 2 lighters in individual ziploc bags, one lighter is a back up, hand full of cotton balls soaked in Vaseline. Get some aqua tabs as a back up filtration.
@Bailey
So a change I made last night after posting is I am ditching the backpack hydration bladder for dual 48oz nalgenes with the hard side hydration adapter for a hose. That also allows me to switch from sawyer squeeze to the Kaydyn hiker pro filter. I’m trying not to even filter swamp water that’s why I’m packing 6 liters normally it would only be 3. Do you know anything about that filter? I really don’t plan on using any filtration until I get to the springs, I’m a Florida man but I won’t stoop so low as drinking swamp water.
I agree that the stuff sacks could go but the reduced mental stress of packing and unpacking everytime I open my pack is worth the little bit of extra weight. Maybe I’ll change my mind after this trip.
The cook set is reduced as much as I can the only thing I’m considering is leaving the lid (I eat out of the bags) Any thoughts?
Whistle is sentimental and weighs almost nothing
Fire starting and first aid kit is overkill but peace of mind and I plan on having to burn wet shit wood.
I’ll be treating my clothes before I go and hoping for the best. Bugs are part of life in Florida.
I’m still looking for a battery pack. Do you have any recommendations? The exped widget is a pump/lantern/3400mah battery bank but I will be using it as a pump and lantern so idk how much extra battery it will have. The only things I might need to charge are headlamp and a couple of vape pens. My phone will be in airplane mode while hiking and I’ll check for reception at camp but I don’t expect to need to charge it.
@Marlon
Ah the hand pump filter, I have never used it. I personally use the sawyer squeeze. Its good at filtering out sentiment and other muck. Its just that water is a very heavy.
Yeah if you are going to eat out of the bag, you can ditch the lid if you want.
As far of battery pack goes, here are a couple options: Nitecore Carbon Battery 6K USB-C 6000mAh Power Bank – Nitecore Store
Sling shot? Bet whiskey or vodka is a hidden item. Lol any why would you need 60 ft of paracord?
Where at in FL? I’m in NE FL and having a hard time finding decent spots.
Nico said:
Where at in FL? I’m in NE FL and having a hard time finding decent spots.
My favorite spot in NE Florida is Jennings state park and the pioneer trail outside Jacksonville, but this trip is SW Florida big cypress area.
@Marlon
I’ve done some hiking and python hunting down near big cypress. Absolutely beautiful part of the state. But you weren’t kidding about standing water.
I hiked three trails down there, and one was ankle deep water, the second one was knee deep water, and the third one was thigh deep water.
@Rin
Yeah down here we call it wet hiking. One of my friends “hikes” “trails” with water that is chest deep. I am not a fan but i think it will be necessary for this trip.
Marlon said:
@Rin
Yeah down here we call it wet hiking. One of my friends “hikes” “trails” with water that is chest deep. I am not a fan but i think it will be necessary for this trip.
Big cypress is the only area by me that I can camp at, I don’t get to go out often as I’d like but if you or your team ever wants another person along to help I’d love to witness whatever you guys are doing just for the sake of knowledge and to be out in nature. I got my own gear, compasses, and I’ve spent over nights at there before
At a minimum you could repackage all that Mountain House into ziplocks, just keep one of the bags and use for every meal. If you get a smart water bottle you could ditch the Sawyer syringe for backflushing, maybe you don’t even need to backflush for three days.