Photo: @spmartin
You never know when the urge might be too much to bear–you gotta spend a night outside! Even if it’s just a quick one, the restorative power of an overnight can work wonders. Go solo, bring a few friends, email your boss and tell them you might be a wee bit later than usual in the morning. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that allows you to pop out the front door and hike, pedal, paddle, or make a short drive to a spot, take advantage of the situation!
Known in some circles as a S24O– “Sub 24 Hour Overnight” –these little trips can simply provide a quick outdoor fix, a time to break up a long week, or a chance to catch up with a pal. But they’re also excellent ways to try new gear or streamline a kit to experiment with what you actually need to have a great time in some fresh air.
Photo: @tina
So, what do you bring? The location dictates a lot of the “how much” or “how little.”
Let’s set a scene: clear skies, 50’s/60’s for low temps, average summer bugs. Your spot for the night is wooded and flat, not super close to water, but not super far away if you need it. You still have a Good-To-Go dinner that didn’t get snarfed on your last trip, and a couple of Pop Tarts and an instant coffee should provide enough fuel to get you packed up and on your way to work or wherever you gotta be.
We’d go with:
PACK – 40L
All the volume you need - Something like the Windrider, Southwest, Junction, or Unbound 40. May or may not bring a Versa for phones or snacks–heck, you may already be wearing one.
SHELTER
Mid 1, Unbound 2P, or a Ground Cloth if you’re goin’ for it, Cowboy.
SLEEP SYSTEM
40-degree Quilt, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad, Stuff Sack Pillow
KITCHEN
Mini Bic Lighter
Vargo Titanium Long-Handle Spoon
HYDRATION
Platypus Platy 2.0L Water Bottle – two liters should be enough for dinner, coffee, and in-between gulps.
Sawyer Squeeze Filtration System – just in case.
ORGANIZATION
Side Entry Pod – (Quilt)
Small Pod (Kitchen/Cookware/Food)
Large Pod (Clothing/Ditty)
CLOTHING
Rain Jacket/Shell
Fleece Hoodie
Fleece Beanie
Camp/Work Socks
Undies
Quick-dry Tuxedo T-shirt or clip-on tie (for work)
MISCELLANEOUS
Trekking Poles
Pack Towel
Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD
NiteCore NU25 UL Headlamp
Toothbrush
TP
Extra Misc (License / Credit Card / Advil / lil' bit o' Soap)
So! What's your in your drop everything and go setup? Give us the where and the why, and pics if you got 'em! Better yet, put a kit together and show and tell us how it went! Get out there!
PACK – 40L
ZPacks Scout (not made anymore) which I use for day hikes and overnighters
SHELTER
Zpacks Duplex - even though I'm usually solo, I like the room to spread out my stuff and if I have wet gear that needs to be kept separate.
Flex Kit to make Duplex freestanding for pitching on rock, sand, or anywhere
SLEEP SYSTEM
Unightie - the bag liner with benefits; Unightie pillowcase to stuff with puffy; Thermarest NXT pad with maybe a TinyPump; Thermarest 0c down sleeping bag
KITCHEN
MSR PockerRocket / fuel cannister
Mini Bic Lighter
Toaks long handle spoon + lexan mug
Food in odourproof bag
Hyperlite RePack for rehydrating
HYDRATION
2 .6L Smart Bottles + .6L Platypus filter reservoir
Platypus QuickDraw
ORGANIZATION
Zpacks Multipack "lid" for pack - for quick access like rainjacket and lunch
.5L titanium pot + .25 titanium frying pan; MSR grabber
Zpacks dry bags: 4L for sleeping bag; 4L for clothes; 4L tall and slim for mattress; 10L for food
CLOTHING
Keen waterproof hiking boots - mini gaitors if scree-running
Zero sandals for camp
Rain Jacket
Patagonia Houdini Wind jacket 2.5 oz
Convertible pants
Buff maybe
Puffy down hoodie - always
Hiking Socks / camp socks / gortex socks
Panties
T-shirt maybe
ZipT
Rainpants maybe
Overmitts maybe
Sunhat maybe
Gloves / scrambling gloves (also for gathering wood)
MISCELLANEOUS
Trekking Pole - for crossings and stabilizing tent
Fire starter + tiny paper
12" x 12" Pack Towel; 2 tiny hankies
Toothbrush and tooth tabs
Trowel + Toilet paper - counted out in ziploc
Powdered soap / Leukotape maybe
Bear hang kit
Tiny customized waterproof map maybe
PermitsBug net + oil maybe
InReach Mini maybe
iPhone with offline maps
A few pins
Some items may differ in the photo below depending on conditions:
For a summer overnight, I've got this set up coming in at an 8.5lb base weight.
PACK - ELEVATE 22
SHELTER - HMG FLAT TARP with MSR ground sheet, Big Agnes tent stakes & Dutchwear Continuous Ridgeline. I'd add my MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 2p if the bugs will be nasty (adds a pound to the base weight)
SLEEP SYSTEM - Big Agnes Zoom UL, Sea to Summit Traveller quilt, Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow.
KITCHEN - MSR Titan kettle & Pocket Rocket, GSI pot scraper, Handmade Recycled pearwood spoon, self made bear hanging kit, mini BIC, Platypus collapsible water bottles, Sawyer Mini.
CLOTHING/SHOES - Patagonia Capilene graphic tee as a sleep shirt. Extra Injinji socks & Exofficio underwear. Worn weight shown, including Capilene hoody & Topo Mnt Racer 2s. I would pack a midlayer or shell depending on the weather.
- General toiletries, electronics, small self made first aid kit. And a small emergency kit that is optional depending on the trip and skill level.
Full list here. https://lighterpack.com/r/wlyuow
@HeatherW SUPER buttoned up! All of us here at HMG are curious to see how many people find ways to live out of an Elevate 22 - your setup is lookin' good!
