Glock 43 9mm with (1) magazine for 7 rounds total. CYA carbon holster. 23 oz. It was a PITA flying with this.
A high-end Tenkara rod my dad gave me prior to the trip, with a very small tackle kit comprised of several Panther Martin spinners and some flies;
$5 el-cheapo (but very light because they are crapola, haha) camp sandals patterned after the original Teva’s. I’m wearing them in the pic up above, somewhere, where I’m sitting down.
A cork ball about the size of a tennis ball, for rolling knots out of tissues. This thing saved my butt on the JMT a few years ago when I was still battling plantar fasciitis in one foot and a fibular plateau injury in my calf that was horking my knee. However I never used it on this trip because frankly, my “grandpa” body felt great! We mailed some stuff home from I think Silver City. This was among that.
My sleeping pad system. This is a whole story in itself, a tale of woe and despair and futility and redemption, haha. I’m going to resurrect an old thread I started years ago to talk about this. Anyway, started out with a Big Agnes inflatable that definitely qualified as a luxury item.
A thin beanie cap I wore at night while sleeping. It froze many times on this trip. I was glad for the beanie.
A few joints and a tiny plastic bottle of highly concentrated tincture I made.
I think that’s about it unless one counts a spare pair of underwear as a luxury item. My clothes in general were very limited. I had hiking shorts, the blue capilene leggings, and Kuhl running pants for my lower half. That’s it. I figured I lived my first 22 years in NM without rain pants so why change now. Up top I had the sun shirt, a very thin black fleece, the REI down puffy in the pic above somewhere, and a Frogg Toggs ultralight jacket. And a canvas Carhartt hat. In the storm and snow at 10k+ feet going over San Pedro Parks I was wishing I had a) my trusty old midweight capilene shirt and b) a more sturdy (and thus dependable) jacket. I think I’m going to go with an Anti-Gravity Gear jacket, which is NOT breathable but IS waterproof and much tougher.
We got really stinky at times but we’ve been together since 1988 so, y’know.
