Simple Mac-n-cheese Dinner Review

Kraft Mac-n-Cheese

For my simple and easy camping dinner on the Green Swamp camping trip, I placed a full box of Kraft Macaroni And Cheese and the full flavor packet into a quart-sized regular zip lock bag (was out of freezer bags).  The idea was to make cooking my dinner very simple by just boiling 2 cups of water on my Esbit stove.  To this bag I added 1.5 cups of boiling water and placed the ziplock bag inside my cooking cozy, clipping the top of the cozy closed with a small spring-clip.  After 20 minutes of cozy cooking, the mac-n-cheese noodles were cooked through.  I drained off the excess water and added a drained 3 ounce can of chicken breast.  Once stirred, I enjoyed the whole bag.  My drink was hot tea, made from the other half cup of water I boiled earlier.  Cleanup was washing my spoon and cup and closing my zip lock bag, placing it inside a trash zip lock inside the Ops Sac bag I used to transport my food.  Desert was a chocolate-mint Cliff Bar, yum!
Apparently the simplicity of my meal drew lots of questions from the group.  A few of the Sierra Club members we were camping with seemed impressed that I had just opened a full box of mac-n-cheese and dumped in a can of chicken for a scrumptious, and quite filling dinner.
However, I could have eaten a lot less food that night.  To make a better portioned meal, I would cut the mac-n-cheese noodles in half when packing it and still use one and a half cups of water to heat it in the cozy.  Then I would drain the noodles,  and add the flavoring mix afterwards.  Cutting the flavor packet in half shouldn't be too difficult.  I would also use a quart-sized freezer bag to cook in, because they seem to hold up better to the heat of boiling water.  Adding a quarter cup of dried vegetables to the mac-n-cheese mix would make it a much more nutritious meal, and this could be done before the water is added.  I'll try this out at home.  Once I get the details worked out, I'll publish the recipe.

Granite Gear Air Zip Sack Review

Granite Gear Air Zipsack, xx small to medium L to R.

To carry my food, cooking gear and other "smellable" items on backpacking trips, I use a medium-sized Granite Gear Air Zipsack with a LokSac Opsac zipper bag inside it.  The Air Zipsack is generally water proof and can be easily hung as a bear bag overnight.  The top zipper opening of the bag zipper makes access easy and prevents smaller items from spilling everywhere.  I use the medium size in blue (16 litres).  My food for a weekend backpacking trip plus my cook kit and health items (pretty much anything with an odor) easily fit inside both of these bags with a lot of room to spare.  These are very useful items to the ultralight backpacker, reducing extra bags and weight, increasing organization and providing odor safety so critters won't be chewing through your backpack in search of your goodies.  As a bonus, Granite Gear sells each Air Zipsack inside of a small zippered flat bag.  That flat zippered bag was perfect for my personal health kit and it contains a full-size toothbrush, micro toothpaste tube plus all my other overnight trip health items.

Locsac Opsac

The Loksac zipper bag I use inside the Air Zipsack prevents odors from leaking out of the food and other supplies inside, and they are also water proof.  I plan to add a few smaller sizes of these bags for water proofing individual items inside my backpack top pocket like my cell phone and wallet.

I originally purchased the medium-size Air Zipsack based on easily carrying a 5-6 day supply of food and snacks on longer backpacking trips.  It is a bit too large for the one or two overnight backpacking trips I'm currently taking, so for future trips on I plan on purchasing an extra-extra small sized Air Zipsack (5 litres) to use for carrying food and "smellables" plus my utensils.  My cooking pot is used to only boil water and won't need to be added to the food bag nightly for bear hanging.  My food will still be bear bag friendly and it will reduce my weight a little bit and make packing and unpacking my pack a little easier.  Inside the Air Zipsack I will still use a smaller odor-proof Opsac.  

I have read online about a few horror stories where Opsac bags failed during an outing and food got eaten by critters, so I plan to carry a spare Opsac for redundancy during future backpacking trips.  Critters in Florida include bears, raccoons, squirrels, mice and ants.

Thermarest Alpine Sleeping Blanket Review

Thermarest Alpine Blanket

I slept wonderfully under my new Thermarest Alpine blanket during my Green Swamp backpacking trip!  The overnight air was 48 degrees around 5:00 AM that morning, and I never got cold during the night.  I wasn't too hot either.  I cannot say that of camping before, I was always too hot or cold, off and on all night when sleeping out.  In my case this was because the old sleeping bag I used had lost its loft.
I have always liked down comforters, having slept under one during the winters up north when I was young.  I spent several years sleeping deep in a feather bed with tons of blankets piled on top.  The down comforter was my favorite cover because there was no weight to it, unlike the heavy wool blankets of which we had too many.
What makes this Thermarest down blanket (I prefer to call it a quilt) so comfortable are the draft tubes sewn along the sides and the foot box design and its light weight.  The foot box is created by snapping the quilt together to make a pocket at the bottom that wraps underneath you while sticking your feet inside.  Your feet just stay there warm all night, they don't wander out from under the covers at all.  There are 2 snaps to really close in around your feet and lower legs.  The draft tubes along the sides of the quilt stop drafts of cold air from coming in where the quilt may get pulled back along a side as you roll around or turn over at night, something I do a lot of.  This is a large model, the regular sized measurements seemed too narrow for me, so with an extra 4 inches width and one additional ounce of fill, it seem to be just right for me, at the same price.  The 700-fill goose down was more than enough quality feathers to keep me very warm while staying lightweight.  I slept that night wearing my REI lightweight long underwear, smart wool socks and a knit cap.
Sleeping on top of my older 48 inch long RidgeRest Sleeping Pad and with my backpack tucked under my legs, I never felt the first breeze of cold air all night long.  That is with one tent door open for fresh air, as there was no wind or rain that night, just lots of thin, high clouds passing above.
I like the look of the quilt with the deep blue color and the dark gray underside.  I didn't need to use any of the straps Thermarest offers to attach around the sleeping pad.  I can see where a small sheet on the sleeping pad could be nice in warmer weather and I may investigate that at some time.  This quilt is so very light, it doesn't interfere with sleeping at all, and it packs light too, at just 24.1 ounces or 1 pound 8 ounces on my scale, a few ounces lighter than advertised.
However, for sleep comfort, my older RidgeRest pad was just too thin.  After the first 5 hours of sleep that night, whenever I rolled onto my side I woke up from a pain in my hip, a pain I didn't have anymore once I got up.  I had purchased a Z Lite SOL mattress that I did not get to use, thinking the older sleeping pad would work just fine and because it would be more convenient to carry.  Oh well, I should have taken the Z Lite SOL pad with me and will do so from now on, packed inside my backpack.  It is thicker than the older RidgeRest pad and I have slept very comfortably on one recently.   When it gets cold out, the shiny side of the Z Lite SOL should reflect a few degrees of my own heat right back to me.
I had used many different sleeping pads and air mattresses in the past, any many worked very well.  I wanted to get away from the air-filled mattresses though because they eventually fail and I don't want to mess with repair kits anymore.  That is unless the Z Lite just doesn't pad my body enough for a full nights sleep.
For the Thermarest quilt, it is the best of anything I have ever used for cover when sleeping outdoors.  It was comfortable and felt regular, just like I was sleeping in a bed at home.  For backpacking, I keep it waterproofed inside my pack in a trash compactor bag, and for sleeping, my tent will keep me dry in foul weather.  I am very pleased with my purchase and highly recommend it to backpackers looking to replace their older sleeping bags with something more comfortable and lighter.

Gossamer Gear Kumo Backpack Review

I used my new Gossamer Gear Kumo backpack on an overnight outing in Florida, and I was very pleased with how well it performed.
My actual pack load was a little heavier than the 17.88 pounds I had planned during the packing list creation due to the temperature dipping into the upper 40's at night.  The long underwear and knit hat I added put me at a pack total weight of 19.5 pounds.

Gossamer Gear Kumo.

The full pack fit me well.  The large model (weighing 14.65 ounces) was long enough to place the hip belt right at my hip (the regular size was too short for my long body).  I put the pack on without the usual grunts and gymnastic antics I used to use to hoist the (then) heavy weight onto my back.  Once strapped on, the wide shoulder pads absorbed the load and distributed the weight evenly across my shoulders.  Clicking the sternum strap together held the shoulder straps in place all day without it being too tight, once I had it adjusted.  I used the waist belt mostly out of habit, but I could feel the weight of the pack riding on my hips and that felt comfortable.  It was like I was not really wearing anything on my back.  I never felt pulled from side to side or from front to back like I have with other backpacks.  And I never experienced any balance issues or had any difficulty walking.  I also didn't have to sling my pack to the ground at the water break, I just stood there with it on like it wasn't on me at all.  Someone asked if I needed to take off my pack (for the break) and I said no thanks.  And all of this while also carrying 4.27 pounds of tent instead of carrying only 2 pounds of tent.
Getting my soft water bottles out of the side pockets was a challenge for me.  I asked for help getting them out and then back into their side pockets.  I'm not quite a fan of the soft water bottle yet.  Because my pack weighs so light I may consider carrying my old hard-sided water bottles or use lightweight recyclable water bottles just for on-trail water drinking.
When it came time to setup the tent, I liked that everything I needed was outside of the pack.  I laid down the footprint in a couple locations, then laid on top of it to chose my tent site.  The tent, poles and stakes were in the same front pack pocket and on the side of the pack, and I was able to setup the tent without unpacking anything from inside the pack.  I removed my sleeping pad from the back of the pack and laid down for an hour nap, zipped inside my tent with the tent doors open to enjoy the breeze, using the still-closed pack as a pillow.
When I awoke, I unpacked my cook kit, and brewed a cup of tea at the picnic bench.  I took my headlamp out of the top zipper pocket for when it got dark and looked at the map I had placed there for the trip.  There was still room for a few other small items in the top pocket.  Robert and his friend Gerry from the Sierra Club were napping in their separate hammocks.  I watched the clouds go by for some time, then explored the land around the ponds.
At bedtime, I opened the Kumo pack inside my tent, and dumped everything out in one bundle onto my sleeping pad and got ready for the night from there.
The next morning after breakfast I repacked the Kumo pack as I had before my trip, with the sleeping bag in the stuff sack at the bottom, then clothing, then the repair kit and finished with the food kit on top and the raincoat outside of the water proofing trash compactor bag.  I put the headlamp back in the top zipper pocket of the pack and packed my snacks in my pants pocket for the hike back to the trailhead.  Packing the tent parts back into the outside pocket was easy, even after the pack interior was loaded.  The tent poles easily slipped under the elastic cords above the side pocket, and I stood around with the pack on for a while before we left the campsite.
It still felt like I really had nothing on my back.  There was no shoulder, back or neck pain at all and I didn't need to take any pain medication during the overnight.  Perhaps the Kumo weighed a little bit, like a small daypack, but certainly not what all my gear used to weigh for an overnight camping trip.
On the walk out the backpack was a little lighter, and the pack again carried fine, even though it was slightly unbalanced left to right due to how it was packed.  There were no surprises or even small problems.  The pack just fit me and fit me well.  When we got back to the trailhead, I took off the pack and placed it in the car with one hand.  Man, was I pleased!  My congratulations to Gossamer Gear for creating such a fine, well fitting backpack!
I did apparently over-pack the bag on the back panel with my sleeping pad causing a slight tear in the mesh fabric on the seam.  Going back to the GG supplied pack pad has reduced the stress on this point.  For future trips I'll be packing my sleeping pad inside my pack, and using the supplied pad in the pad pocket, so this will not be an issue for me.
The good news:  This backpack comfortably rocks for my one or two night backpacking trips, and may serve me well for 3-4 nights in warm and clear weather.  The overall fit is good and the shoulder straps really carry the weight well without being too tight while using the sternum strap.  The hip belt is very useful in pulling the light pack weight to my hip bones, and may be even more useful with a pocket or two added for trail snacks, navigation gear or my camera.  I like this pack and had a great backpack in and out with no issues.  With adding waist belt pockets, purchasing a lighter tent and using hard-sided water bottles, I may be happily set with using my Kumo pack for a long time.
The just OK news:  For carrying bulkier items like winter jackets, and plenty of warm clothing, this 36 litre pack is just too small, while it is fine for clear weather camping in reasonably mild temperatures.  The side pockets were a little too tight for me to grasp my soft-sided water bottles and remove or replace them.  I don't typically use water bladders on overnight trips and did not use the packs bladder holder either.  The torn mesh on the back pad pocket will be left alone unless it tears more, then I'll return it to Gossamer Gear to have it repaired.

Free Rails to Trails guide with donation

I have been involved with the Rails To Trails organization since the early 1990's before we moved from Central Florida to the mountains of Colorado.  In Central Florida I participated in the setup work and a few of the early meetings on what eventually became the West Orange Trail.  I am very pleased with how the rail trails here have expanded here over the years and how well walkers and bicyclists have taken to the linear parks concept in Florida.  I both walk and bicycle some of these trails near my home.
The Rails to Trails folks are currently giving away a trail guide for making a $35 dollar donation to them.  Pick your favorite trail guide from the list on the site at this link.  Instead of a paperback book, you could instead select an E-Book guide for your Kindle or tablet.
These guides cover Rail Trails in the Southeast;  New England; Mid-Atlantic; Midwest; West; and PA,NY & NJ areas.  Pick your favorite area and support this fine organization.

While most rail trails are located in urban areas, some regional rail trails like the General Van Fleet and Withlacoochee State Trails in Florida are located far from towns and follow through woods, forests and farmland along the way.  I like travelling them just to enjoy the outdoors and have created multiple day trips along a few of the longer trails.  Rails to Trails TrailLink mapping system works very well for locating these rail trails in your area and for planning your day.  There are about 25,000 rail trail supporters in the state of Florida, and many have supported the state in creating more rail trails and with expanding connections between existing rail trails.  A lot of energy has been expended to make your rail trail trip more enjoyable.  Please check these trails out as welcome alternatives to just backpacking only in the wilds.

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve Camping Trip

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract

I traveled with my friend Robert on an overnight backpacking trip with several members of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club to the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract east of Dade City, FL.  The drive over was enjoyable; Robert and I had worked together for several years and caught each other up on life's latest events.  We arrived right behind Ben, the trip organizer.  The rest of the group arrived soon and one member would arrive later in the day.  We geared-up and backpacked about half a mile along the shell road to reach the Florida Trail crossing, where we headed North over two miles, directly into a group of trail runners.  The trail runners were with the Dances With Dirt event starting from Colt Creek State Park, through the Green Swamp on various distance trail runs of up to 50 miles.  We stepped aside every few feet for a while, until the heavy breathing runners had all passed.

Concession Stand Campsite.  Nothing like what it sounds.

This section of the Florida Trail is hilly (yes, we have hills in Florida) and we came to our reserved campsite side trail at the top of one of these hills.  Small lakes had surrounded the campsite below but the water level was very low now, so we had 3 or 4 separated ponds around us.  The site had 2 picnic tables and a fire pit with a rusty horse shoe hung on the tree by the fire.  A previous group had left a stainless stock pot by the fire ring.  Everyone setup their tents and hammocks, and the faster hikers ate a quick lunch to hurry back to the trailhead to meet the late arriving backpacker.  Robert and Gerry setup their hammocks and were asleep in minutes.  I laid in my tent and snoozed about an hour in the mid-70's degree weather.  Afterwards I drank tea, checked out the lakes and watched the thin, high clouds through the afternoon.  Later on, firewood was gathered for the night.

Gerry's peaceful and laid back campsite with a view!

After a few hours the rest of the group arrived with their late-arriving member in tow.  These Sierra Club people have backpacked and camped together for several years and were constantly joking and teasing each other.  A few had "earned" funny trail names over time and the others were afraid they might earn a trail name based on their foibles.  The group took off again on a short hike a little later before dinner.

Just one of the various stoves for the trip.  Robert's wood-burning stove with blower.

We all fired up our various and functionally different stoves or cook fires and each person made and enjoyed a unique meal.  My meal was a regular box of mac and cheese, cooked with chicken in a cozy, (details in a later post).  On the menus that night were also pizza, cold pasta salad, Mountain House foods and some scrumptious homemade meals.

The Starry Sky App and the "Campfire Channel".

The rest of the night was spent listening to funny stories being told about each of the backpackers.  We built a nice fire, looked at stars in the sky using cell phone apps, talked about comets and past backpacking trips, then watched the "Campfire Channel" until we were sleepy.  Sleep was good and we awoke to a peaceful, clear morning.  Coyotes and owls had howled and hooted through the night, with sand hill cranes warbling in the morning.  Having lived in Colorado, I still find it odd to hear coyotes in Florida, though they have been here for over 20 years.  Robert said it was 52 degrees at breakfast.

Howard, Bryce, Howard, Robert, Julie, Gerry & Ben, preparing to strike camp.

Breakfast also involved everyone using multiple and different stoves and various means to boil water for coffee, and cook granola and eggs or eat cold pasta from the night before.  It didn't take very long to strike camp, and backpack back to the parking lot.  Near our campsite, we found an old kitchen stove and pieces of a building that had been there at one time, maybe the actual concession stand the camp is named for?  On the trail, we met a FT through-hiker who said he was hiking all the way to Maine on the AT when he finished through-hiking the Florida Trail.

I've never seen a "Come Back Soon" sign at a camp site before!

As for the weight of the Kumo on my back, it was like there was nothing there.  There will be some updates, but overall, my equipment performed flawlessly and I am very pleased with my first ultralight backpacking trip!
We enjoyed a group brunch at a locally-owned restaurant in Dade City, then drove home.  It was a good backpacking group of neat people and we all had a wonderful time.
Thanks to Ben for organizing such a great trip!  Robert said he hadn't thought about work for the whole weekend.  I'm looking forward to more trips with this Sierra Club group next fall.

The end of Ultralight Backpacking?

There is much online about the death of, or the end of Ultralight Backpacking.  I'm a bit surprised.  I just started and it's over with?  I find that silly actually, but after reading pages of posts, I see what the issue is.
Ultralight Backpacking has become a "bone of contention" or a sore spot to those who don't believe in it, or those who feel threatened or are abused by some who they feel preach too much.  I say if it doesn't work for you, then great.  If it does work for you, then great.  It's all just backpacking anyway.

Lite Hikers assisting the Santa Barbara National Forest to recon trails for repair after a devastating  fire in 2008.
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/may/28/fire-and-ultralight-us-forest-service-recon/

Ultralight Backpacking has come to mean a base weight (gear excluding food, fuel and water) of 10 pounds.  By purchasing a one pound tent/tarp, a one pound sleeping quilt with a one pound sleeping pad, a one pound backpack and about a pound of stove and cooking gear, it is easy to reach that base weight.  Note I said "purchase" in that sentence.  All the gear I already had and used for years weighed from three to eight times more than what I needed to buy in order to get to the base weight of 10 pounds or less.  Most of my gear was worn out and needed replacement to be effective anyway.  So I had to spend money to buy into "ultralight" gear, some of it from cottage producers like Gossamer Gear.  I already knew I couldn't buy into the typical heavier equipment because I just couldn't carry it.  I'm proud of my purchases.  And I'm not going to talk to you about them unless you ask me first.
I have been pleased to read of many areas where ultralight backpacking helps the outdoors, like in the Santa Barbara National Forest in the link above.  All backpackers I know are helpful people.  In some cases an ultralight backpacker may be able to get in quicker and is lighter on their feet, or can cover more ground in a day on the trail.
I started backpacking in the late 1960's, during the industry change from cotton canvas to manufactured fibers for tents, packs, jackets and sleeping bag fill.  I was so happy to carry my lightweight tube tent instead of a ten pound canvas one, that I never considered both ends were open and I would be eaten alive by bugs at night.  I was just glad to be free of the weight.  While I didn't read about or follow Ray Jardine until forty years later, I felt I had done well keeping up with the Boy Scouts with the gear I had.  Reading Jardine, I see his plan of "camping systems" was right on, the packing, sleeping and the cooking systems are the best ways to consider your gear for weight and usefulness.  I see him as a thought leader who helped bring Ultralight Backpacking into existence.  Ray Jardine was a person who talked a lot about what works for him, but not necessarily for me.

Gramma Gatewood, Hiking the AT in 1958, 1960 and 1963.

If you look back into the 1950's, Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail with about the same weight of gear as modern-day ultralight backpackers, but unlike Grandma Gatewood I didn't have these things laying around my house, so I purchased them.  If I could sew, I may have made some of my gear, but I don't know how to sew and didn't want to take the time to learn how.  With a 40 hour weekly job plus family, school events and more it is hard enough to balance my little free time with being in the outdoors.
The outdoor skills I have used for years still work for me; I know how to safely select a sleeping space, pitch a tent or a tarp, how to build a fire, cut down a tree, clean and take care of my body, watch for snakes and wildlife, navigate off trail with a map and compass, deal with rain and severe weather, use basic first aid, feel comfortable outdoors and even lead a crew.  Called "Black Arts" by some, these skills are necessary to anyone interested in more than an overnight trip into a local park.  And they have nothing specific to do with "Ultralight Backpacking".
Adding to those skills Ultralight Backpackers rise, strike camp and backpack an hour before breakfast.  They eat lunch while taking a long mid day break, and later have an early dinner while still on the trail.  Then they hike until just before dark to make camp.  That increases your daily mileage and leaves less of a mess "in camp" to deal with.  That works for me, but maybe not for you.  And that's OK.
The real truth is we all must "hike our own hike" and use the tools that work best for us.  In my very personal way, that is to reduce my pack weight to make it possible for me to hike all day long without pain.  I have shoulder, back and leg injuries that make carrying a heavy pack nearly impossible.  And I'm over 55 years old, so I don't have the strength to sling fifty to sixty pounds over my shoulder and walk all day any more.  And that's OK.
Twenty five years ago we didn't have ultralight anything, so I had to quit doing something I loved.  Now I can take it back up again, and even dream of making a through-hike a possibility.

I Love April Fools Day

April Fools day is one of my favorite non-holidays each Spring.  When younger, I took part in many April Fools day events, most playing a joke on coworkers.  There are several of those "really funny moments" I could bring up, but instead, I found a really cute and funny April Fools joke online from REI this morning, and just have to share it with you.

REI Adventure Kitten

I love kittens, and this one is adorable.  I'm pleased REI has a good sense of humor.  They may have some aged and humorous footage of some of our climbing wall foibles to share too!

Here's a link to check for more fun about this picture.  

Enjoy, smile and have a happy day!

Spring 2013 Gear List

I weighed everything again and finished my gear list today.  The list is included below.  It all fits into my Gossamer Gear Kumo backpack with a little room to spare.   Depending on the weather the week I actually plan to go camping, some clothing like long underwear, and a hat may be needed.  This is Florida, but the nights may still be cold.  We are too far out from the trip date to determine that at this point, so we'll go with the average highs and lows for the area near near where we'll be camping.

I am planing to join with a Sierra Club group from Tampa, who will be camping in the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract in the Richloam Tract.  The camping site is just northeast of the Withlacoochee River, but we will not be camping on the river.  The idea is to hike into the back country and camp overnight at a primitive campsite.  We'll hike out the next day and head home.  An easy, simple, one-overnight weekend trip with a short hike on either end.  It is about a 2 hour highway drive from Orlando.
My friend, Robert, says these good people we are going with are mostly traditional backpackers, so we will be the ultralight travelers in the group.  Robert backpacks with this group often.

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve West Tract.

For camping in the Green Swamp area, northeast of Dade City, FL we are looking at an average high temperature this month of 81 degrees, a low of 56 degrees and a possibility of rain.  Looking at the week-long-range weather forecast for that time, the area is expected to have a high temperature of 77 degrees with a low of 48 and partly cloudy, with 81 degrees and sunny skies the next day.  We will be camping northeast of town in sand hill and pines.  In Florida, this month has always come in like a lion and gone out like a lamb, so I expect the weather report may change.
My low weight "goal", while keeping me warm and safe, was to reach 10 pounds, and I'm close enough to that.  I have read that the ultralight base weight both starts at 10 pounds, and at 12 pounds.  With just a two pound difference, why really care?  Over time, the loaded backpack weight will fluctuate some, and that is OK.  I'm not "gram crazy", at least not yet!
My packing list adds up to a base weight of 11.36 pounds.  Rounding, that's 11 pounds before water, food and fuel are added in.  We will not have to carry water for the overnight, as there is a pond nearby. With about 2 pounds of food (1.5 pounds per day plus snacks), 4.8 pounds of water (2 liters) and a couple ounces of Esbit fuel tabs added, that would put me near 18 pounds for the fully loaded backpack.  Nice!
By category, I am at just over 1 pound for my backpack system, 2.5 lbs for the sleeping system (less clothing), 4.27 lbs for the tent system (double what it should be).  The cooking system is at 1 pound, the repair & backup kit is at 1/3 of a pound, the health kit is under 1/2 pound, and my clothing is at 1 and 1/2 pound, most of which I will be wearing for sleeping.
Now that 11.4 pounds above includes my 4.27 pound Alps Mountaineering Mystique 1.5 tent.  It seems the tent weight had suddenly increased from when I weighed it before, until I found that I didn't previously weigh all the tent stakes or add in the footprint (oops).  This is a nice tent and it is well made and built heavy-duty to survive Boy Scout-aged users.  It is very waterproof and lightweight in the older sense, but it is now considered a heavy tent in the ultralight backpacking world.  My long term goal is to reduce my tent weight by at least 50% by purchasing a new tent, and I will do that at the first opportunity.  Then I would be closer to 9 pounds base weight, which will be really cool!
Another way I can reduce weight is to repackage some of my health items into smaller containers, like the Hydropel and the Wilderness soap.  We're only talking about reducing a couple of ounces here.  I don't feel that I will need the full package of either one for a single overnight trip, and will make that change soon.
For heavy weather, I may also have to add in rain pants and some of the warm clothing listed above.  My Kumo is good to carry a total of 25 pounds, so at a few pounds under that weight I should be just fine.  Much, much better than the 60 pounds that I used to carry in the "old" days.  For much longer duration trips I will need a larger backpack to carry my gear, like the REI Flash 45 I am looking into now.
My gear is packed with the sleeping pad folded into quarters in the back outside pocket of the Kumo backpack, next to my back.  The tent stores vertically, in the outside front pocket.  The sleeping quilt is inside the pack at the right bottom with the clothing and repair kit beside and on top of the sleeping bag.  Then the cooking gear, health kit and food are in a Granite Gear air zip bag, laying sideways on top.  Outside and on top of the trash compactor liner is the rain jacket.  Two soft 1 liter water bottles are in each side pocket with the tent poles on the left side.  Tent stakes and footprint are in the front pocket along with the water filter and tent.  Snacks, camera and my "pocket items" are on me.
So here's my packing list for you backpackers, with the food and water weight included.  The Gossamer Gear Kumo pack weight includes the hip belt, but no belt pockets.  My apologies, the columns may not line up on your screens.


Lite Packer Ultralight Gear Backpacking Packing List, Spring 2013

System          Name                                             Ounces     Grams Roll-Up Pounds
Backpack Backpack  Gossamer Gear Kumo  L 15.1       428
        Liner    Trash Compactor Bag                               2.3        40
Sub Total                                                                                            17.4 1.08
Sleep Quilt     Thermarest Alpine Quilt 35 Degree          24.1    686
         Pad      Thermarest Ridgerest                                8.5     242
 Sleep Socks Smartwool                                               3.0       86
 Headlamp   Petzl LED Headlamp                                 2.8       78
         Storage Bag 1 For Sleeping Quilt                          0.7       20
Sub Total                                                                                             40.3 2.51
Shelter Tent     Alps Mountaineering Mystique 1.5          47.3    1340
        Poles     For Mystique                                           10.4 296
        Stakes     6 Blue, 4 Regular Aluminum, Bag              5.3 150
        Footprint     3.5 Mil Plastic w/ Bag                           5.4 152
Sub Total                                                                                              68.4 4.27
Cooking Pot        Snow Peak 70                                        3.2 90
        Lid             Snow Peak Lid                                       1.1 32
        Stove      Esbit with MYOG Wind Screen                 3.0 86
        Spoon     Titanium, Long Handle                               0.6 16
        Knife      GSI                                                            0.4 12
        Cup        GSI w/ Lid                                                2.8 80
        Pot Holder    Cloth                                                    0.1 4
        Lighter      Mini Bic                                                    0.2      6
        Cozy      Cozy w/ Clip                                               1.4 40
        Mesh Storage Bag Mesh Bag                                     0.3 8
        Food Bags    Ops Sak   (1.5 oz 42g each)                  1.5 42
        Storage Bag Granite Gear Air Zip Sack  Medium       1.6 44
Sub Total                                                                                            16.2 1.01
Repair & Backup Kit
          2 Velcro double sided 4-inch strips                            0.1 4
        Mini flashlight                                                              0.5 12
        P-38 military-style folding can opener                          0.1 4
        10 Micropur water purification tablets                         0.3 8
         Waterproof matches in case                                       0.5 14
         45 feet of 2 mm reflective EZC2 line                           1.3 38
         Paper Matches                                                          0.1 2
         3 Clothes Pins                                                            0.4 12
         2 foot Duct Tape Roll                                                0.1 4
         Rest of Repair kit items in bag                                     0.3 8
         Sewing kit, Dryer Lint, 2 Lens Cloths,   0 0
          Eagle Creek Small Zipper Bag                                   1.0 26
Sub Total                                                                                              4.7 0.29
Health  Health Kit     Toothbrush - Full Length                        0.5 14
                     Toothpaste Tube Mini                                     0.9 26
                     Floss                                                                 0 0
                     Comb                                                             0.1 6
                     Body Glide                                                      1.1 32
                     Ear Plugs                                                            0 0
                     Kit Bag                                                           0.5 14
                     Ultra-Towel - Small                                        1.4 40
                     Wilderness Wash Soap                                   1.7 48
                     Wet Ones in Zip-Lock Bag (3)                        0.4 12
Sub Total                                                                                              6.6 0.41
Day Clothing          Shirt                                                        4.7 134
                             Underwear                                              2.2 62
                             Socks                                                      1.9 54
Raincoat                Marmot Rain Jacket                                12.6 358
                             Storage Bag                                             0.9 26
Sub Total                                                                                              22.3         1.39

Hydration       Platypus 1 Litre, Foldable, Empty                       1.3 36
                    Platypus 1 Litre, Foldable, Empty                       1.3 36
      Water Purifier  Sawyer Squeeze                                        2.4 68
                     Sawyer Squeeze 2 Litre Bag, Empty                  0.9 26
Sub Total                                                                                                 5.9         0.36
Water 2 - 1 Litre Bottles  Water Weight Plus Bottle                   36.2 1026
                                      Water Weight Plus Bottle  36.2 1026
       1 - 2 Litre Bottle  Water Weight Plus Bottle (when used)
Sub Total                                                                                                   144.8     4.4
Fuel 3.5 Esbit Tabs      Tab Weight Only (0.4 oz 12g each) 1.9 54
Sub Total                                                                                                        1.9 0.12
Food  (1.5 pounds per day)                              32       2
2
Base Weight                                                                            181.8 5136            11.36 lbs.
Pack Weight                                                                            322.6 9388            17.88 lbs.

Tent Footprint Surprise

I don't quite remember how I got a footprint for my Alps Mountaineering Mystique 1.5 tent, but I have one and have used it in the past.  With the plan to further reduce weight, I decided to make my own footprint out of some 3.5 mil plastic that I have on hand for painting and home projects.  I expected to save a few ounces using the plastic.  The Mystique nylon footprint weighs 6.7 ounces including the stuff sack.

Mystique nylon footprint with ties with the used plastic sheet below.

I laid out the Mystique footprint on top of the plastic sheet, held it in place with scraps of used blue painter tape, and cut the matching plastic footprint out with scissors.  A razor blade would have been the better tool to cut with, but I wanted to not cut the carpet (very bad) or the footprint (just plain bad).  My five minutes of work, plus cleanup was over and done fairly quickly.  I folded both footprints up and weighed them.

Mystique footprint plus bag = 6.7 ounces.

Remember, the nylon Mystique footprint weighed 6.7 ounces or 190 grams with the stuff sack.  Well, I was surprised that the 3.5 mil cut-to-fit plastic footprint sheet in a gallon zip-lock bag weighed 5.4 ounces or 152 grams.  By making a new footprint from plastic, I had saved a whopping total of 1.3 ounces.  Or 38 grams.

3.5 mil plastic sheet, cut to fit plus zip-lock bag = 5.4 ounces.

Well, the plastic sheet was paid for over seven years ago and I only used a small part of it.  The sheet was already used 3 or 4 times, so it is really "recycling" the plastic.  And the 1.3 ounces saved is still 1.3 ounces.  I had expected to save over 3 ounces (about half of the weight), which is why I felt stupid, as in stupid light.  I still have the nylon footprint, and will sell that along with the Mystique tent in the future.  In using the plastic footprint on a campout, it worked just fine.
I guess using this plastic footprint instead of the nylon one will make up for the weight of some of the health kit items that I have not yet repackaged.  And I still have the 4.27 pound Mystique tent, hoping to change that to a 1.5 or 2 pound tent at the next retail opportunity.  Otherwise, my packed Kumo backpack is ultra-lightweight.
I'll work on the packing list for an upcoming weekend camping trip so we can see just how "ultra-lightweight" I have become.
I think you'll see that I have been reducing the backpacking system parts weight by half or more while not getting "gram crazy".