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Have you ever had to improvise with gear to make a backpacking trip work? I’ve found that sometimes one has to make do with what they have, even if it’s not what they’d like to take with them.
Some friends came down to visit us in Bolivia and decided they’d like to go down the Choro Trail. We sorted through my collection of gear as well as what they brought down and we decided to make it work. The result of the gear distribution (we’re taking two girls and they got first pick of gear) was that I ended up with a funny mishmash of gear to handle the rainy season.
Before I go on, I’d like to know what funny things you’ve seen or used on the trail to improvise and make an adventure work.
Check out the video below and gear list to see what I’ll be taking on the trail (we left at 6 am this morning).
Oh, and stay tuned to see how our recipes turned out.
| Packing | 5 lbs, 1.2 oz | |||
| Backpack | Vaude Astra II | 79 | oz | |
| Stuff Sack (Clothing) | Sea to Summit Ultra-sil view | 1.45 | oz | |
| Stuff Sack (Ditties) | ultrasil | 1.15 | oz | |
| Stuff Sack (electronics) | Walmart W/R | 0.75 | oz | |
| Shelter | 0 lbs, 10.9 oz | |||
| Shelter | Bivvy | 14.5 | oz | |
| Ground Cloth | tyvek | 7 | oz | |
| Stakes | 4x | 2.3 | oz | |
| Mylar blanket | Emergency Blanket | 1.6 | oz | |
| Sleeping | 3 lbs, 7.3 oz | |||
| Sleeping Bag | Doite Valais – Customized | 48 | oz | |
| Sleeping Pad | Klymit X-lite | 7.3 | oz | |
| Clothing Packed | 2 lbs, 4.1 oz | |||
| Thermal Top | Polarmax Double Base Layer | 7.4 | oz | |
| Thermal Bottoms | Polarmax Double Base Layer | 7.25 | oz | |
| Rain Jacket/Poncho | Mountain Hardwear Versteeg | 13 | oz | |
| Hiking Socks | Lorpen merino wool low socks | 2.25 | oz | |
| Sleeping Socks | Wigwam socks | 3.3 | oz | |
| Warm Hat | Wool Toque | 2.85 | oz | |
| Cooking & Drinking | 2 lbs, 7 oz | |||
| Cooking Stove | Jetboil Helios | 10.3 | oz | |
| Cook Pot | Helios 2.1L Pot | 15.4 | oz | |
| windscreen | Helios Windscreen | 2.9 | oz | |
| Mug | Plastic Cup | 1 | oz | |
| Spoon | GSI | 0.5 | oz | |
| Ignition | Lighter | 0.5 | oz | |
| Water Bladder | 3L Platypus | 5.7 | oz | |
| Water Treatment | Pristine CH drops | 2.65 | oz | |
| Survival | 1 lbs, 13.9 oz | |||
| Light | Princeton Tec | 3.4 | oz | |
| First Aid Kit | Custom First Aid Kit | 6.75 | oz | |
| Fire Starter | flint and magnes | 1.6 | oz | |
| Rope/Cord | 50 feet Paracord | 3.4 | oz | |
| paracord bracelet | Survival Straps | 1.1 | oz | |
| Survival Kit | AMK SOL | 4.4 | oz | |
| Multi Tool | Leatherman Supertool | 10.85 | oz | |
| Hygiene | 1 lbs, 2.5 oz | |||
| Toilet Paper | 4 | oz | ||
| Hand Sanitizer | 1 | oz | ||
| Toothbrush | 1 | oz | ||
| Toothpaste | 1 | oz | ||
| Camp Towel | discovery trekking | 10 | oz | |
| deoderant | Mini Axe spray | 1.5 | oz | |
| Gadgets | 3 lbs, 12.7 oz | |||
| Cell Phone | Samsung | 3 | oz | |
| Camcorder | Sony PJ580V | 12 | oz | |
| GPS Receiver | Spot | 6 | oz | |
| POV Camera | Sony Action Cam with WP Case | 9.6 | oz | |
| Spare Batteries | camera | 7.4 | oz | |
| pelican case | cards | 3.8 | oz | |
| tripod | Giotto Collapsible | 18.85 | oz | |
| Worn/Carried | 5 lbs, 14.3 oz | |||
| Underwear | Synthetic | 3 | oz | |
| Shirt | Icebreaker 150 | 6.4 | oz | |
| Shorts/Pants | Quimsa trekking pants | 10.3 | oz | |
| Socks | Point 6 Merino Socks | 2.7 | oz | |
| Shoes/Boots | Treksta Assault GTX | 45 | oz | |
| Sun Hat | Tilley Nylantium | 4 | oz | |
| Trekking Poles | Cascade Mountain Carbon Fiber | 16.4 | oz | |
| sport science | Sports Science T | 6.5 | oz | |
| Consumables | 0 lbs, 12.7 oz | |||
| Fuel | 8oz | 12.7 | oz |
