We're back in Steinebach, and I'm catching up with the hiking log. In the meantime, here's a photo of what I schlepped from Sterzing to Feltre and beyond in my Deuter Speed Lite 28 SL backpack. This was a hut/hotel-to-hut/hotel trip, since it's (conveniently) illegal to "wild camp" in most of the Alps (although some people do it). And who am I kidding: it's super nice not to have to carry a sleeping bag or tent, and to have access to a shower most nights.
We try every time to pack lighter than the last time, and as always, I had more than I needed. Some of the extra weight, I'd carry again; some, I wouldn't.
Here's the inventory, starting from top left and sorta spiraling clockwise and inward:
* 2 liter Source water bladder. Love it. Vital. We meant to bring water purification drops, but forgot. (We didn't need them, but still...)
* Clothes: spare underwear & sports bra, spare REI pants with zip-off legs, spare wick-away T-shirt, and 2 spare pairs socks. (Not shown are the clothes I would have been wearing: another T-shirt, another pair of hiking pants with zip-off legs, another pair of socks, underwear, sports bra.) The only thing I would drop next time is the third pair of socks--although they made a handy set of epaulettes while I was getting used to the not-so-comfortable straps of a new backpack.
* Compact umbrella. Surprisingly handy.
* First-aid kit, mylar blanket, bivy sack, baggie with ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Europe is a pretty population-dense place, even in the Alps, so we took the blanket and sack for short-term someone-needs-to-go-for-help emergencies (vs. days of being stranded). We need to take a wilderness first-aid course to learn more about what we absolutely need and what we could skip.
* Laundry detergent sheets, sunglasses. Yes to the detergent, no to the sunglasses. I hate wearing sunglasses, but S thought this pair would change my mind. Didn't wear them once. When the sun is bright enough that I have to squint, I wear a brimmed hat.
* Spare hiking pole tip cover, plus Things that Stuff into Little Sacks: waterproof backpack cover, Airlite microfiber towel, Cocoon Egyptian cotton hut sack, rain pants. Yes to everything.
* Face mask, sun hat, nut bars, spork, pen, lip balm, sunscreen, rubberband. Never used the mask, but seems smart to have one on hand for crowded trains or buses that frame the hike. We took waaaaay too many nut bars with us, and they weighed a lot. S ended up giving some away to fellow travelers at one of the huts we stayed at, and we still had too many. Next time, we'll take fewer, and restock if we need to. Didn't use the spork, but I've found myself in situations on other trips when I've wished I'd had a spork but didn't, so keep. Yes to pen, lip balm, and sunscreen.
* Carly the Clay Travel Chicken, and Carly's deflated bubble pack & rubber band. Yes, of course, always.
* Hiking poles, hiking pole tip covers. Vital.
* Hiking boots, sneakers, spare boot insoles. Keep, keep, drop.
* Down jacket, fleece jacket, rain jacket. Rain jacket is vital. If we had been hiking in the Alps later in the summer, I would have skipped the down jacket but still brought the fleece. I never wore the down, but the Alps had an unusually late snowy season this year, with fresh snow falling in quantity along parts of our route just a few days before we departed. Seemed smarter to have the jacket and not need it than to need it and not have it.
* Battery, charger & cables, cyclops hat, mittens. Used the charging cables daily, and the battery every other day or so. Never wore the hat or mittens. Despite its immense fashionableness, I'd drop the cyclops hat: the sun hat plus rain jacket hood sufficed. Keep the mittens because icy fingers are no fun.
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