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I was going to do this second. But it's easiest, so I'll throw it up here first. I've divided it into two parts, so you can see exactly what I carried ("The List"), and what I think of it and what I'll change next time ("The Skinny").

I. The List

Here's a quick rundown of everything I carried on my back for the last two weeks. I was extremely happy: the only superfluous item was the mosquito head net, which weighed all of four grams or something, and there was nothing I really missed. NOLS does an amazing job of advising students on what to carry, and what to leave behind.

Clothes:

• 1 baseball cap (go Sox!)
• 1 wool beanie
• capiline t-shirt
• capiline 2 long underwear top
• fleece jacket
• wind jacket
• rain jacket
• running shorts w/ boxer brief-style liner
• capiline 2 long underwear bottom
• wind pants
• hiking boots (Vasque Wasatch GTX)
• camp shoes
• 3 pair Smartwool hiking socks (2 to hike, 1 "sacrosanct" pair for sleeping)

Personal Gear (in vaguely bottom-to-top pack order):

• pack (Deuter NOLS pack)
• 2 large heavy duty trash bags
• compression/day pack (Lowe Alpine Summit)
• 15° synthetic sleeping bag (Mountain Hardwear 15° synthetic)
• sleeping pad (a cushy Thermarest Basecamp)
• 2 1l water bottles
• 2 stuff sacks (at least one big enough to use as a pillow)
• bowl, 500ml Nalgine, spoon
• 1 pair BD trekking poles
• compass
• Aqua Mira water treatment drops
• headlamp

Misc. Utilities:

• sunglasses
• spare contact lenses
• eyeglasses (final emergency backup)
• salene solution
• contact lense case
• sunscreen (Aloe Gator SPF 40, 3 oz. tube)
• lip balm
• Swiss Army knife (later confiscated by TSA, dammit)
• 2 buffs
• pen
• journal/notepad
• camera w/ case & extra battery
• toothpaste
• toothbrush
• nail clippers
• allergy medicine
• Tylenol PM (six pills, never needed)
• mosquito head net

II. The Skinny

Okay, so how did everything fare? It fared really, really well. The only dud was the compression/day pack. It didn't compress, and if you weigh more than 130 lbs, it won't fit you as a day pack either. Get a real compression sack, and a really light day pack, and you'll be better off.

Once again, my sleeping back kicked ass. It's been through warm summer mornings and frozen desert nights, and stays comfy. Gotta love it. However, I'll probably upgrade to a down model when my REI dividend comes in next spring. On colder nights (below 50°), I did have to layer my long johns over my shorts and tee to stay toasty, and below 40°, I wore wind pants and a wool cap too. I guess I just get cold easily. (I sleep under a heavy down comforter, even in the summer, so this really is no surprise.)

The heavy duty trash bags were great for keeping everything dry (I used one to wrap my sleeping bag inside the compression sack, and a second to protect my clothing), but were too easily punctured. Next time I'll either get heavier bags, or invest in a real stay-dry bag for my clothes and use a garbage back for my sleeping bag only.

The buffs were surprise hits. They were incredibly useful. I learned to keep at least one handy at all times.

And my Swiss Army knife, which I initially thought to be a tragic indication of my newbie status, was a star. The serrated blade sliced cheese, sausage, and wrappers with aplomb, and the can opener was in constant demand. The toothpick was actually used, and while I can't say that the corkscrew was much in demand, the whole package was slim enough that I didn't mind carrying the extra couple grams. Of course, I left this star performer in my carry-on bag on the way home, and it was confiscated by the TSA. And I don't think they make that model any more. So I'm once again in the market for a pocket knife. (I'll be looking for one that's just a blade and a can opener.)

The 500ml Nalgine was awesome. Very, handy, and way, way lighter than a mug. With a buff wrapped around it, it was insulated, and without, it warmed my hands beautifully. It was nice on cold mornings to pour in boiling water, drop in a tea bag, then close it up and put it inside my jacket to warm me up while the tea steaped. I will be on the lookout, however, for a spoon/bowl/mug set that will nest well inside each other. I didn't like the bulkiness of having empty plastic containers in my pack.

My boots did great. Small blisters on my heels quickly hardened, and no more appeared. Not even hotspots. However, they didn't breathe especially well, being Gore-Tex. For my next pair, I may go non-waterproof, and instead treat them with some kind of waterproofing if I expect stream crossings.

My Smartwool socks were excellent, but got noticably stiff and crusty after a week or so. Washing in lakes revived them temporarily, but then they'd harden and never recover. I either need heavier versions, or I need to find a brand that will stay fluffier over time.

NOLS provided wind pants, which were great, but which I only ever wore in camp, where rain pants are a better option. (No clamminess from sweating in them, plus they're waterproof.) So despite their generally excellent utility, I'll be taking real rain pants on my next trip in place of these.

Capiline kicks ass. It's expensive, but worth every penny. My Capiline tee and long johns kept me cool in the sun, and warm in the shade, and never, ever, ever got crusty. I wore the tee all day and all night for nearly twelve days straight, and was comfortable the whole time. I'm in awe.

(But I'm still trying a wool tee next time, just for comparison's sake.)

My fleece jacket was really toasty, but was overkill. Once I had it on, I didn't need the long underwear. So I'll be looking for a much thinner fleece, or even a wool top that will work better with my other layers.

I got my wool beanie on sale for like 70% off at Wild Iris the day we left for the trailhead. It was awesome. And it even has a nice black/green color scheme that I like. Nothing more to say there. I'll never go camping without it.

I liked having a wind jacket to breathe well in cold, breezy weather, and a rain jacket for wetter stuff, but I'm not sure it was really worth having both. I think I'll opt for a super-light wind shirt next time, in stead of the heavier anorak that NOLS provided. No regrets here, just tweaking. (And I also kind of feel that the price of a wrong decision here is minimal: I wasn't too uncomfortable hiking in my rain jacket, even out of the rain.)

And my camera came through with flying colors. It's a Cannon PowerShot SD600, which takes great snapshots, and has a battery that lasted through 9 days of frequent use. I took an extra battery, but never needed it.

My contact lenses were far less hassle than I thought they would be. I wore a single pair 24 hours a day (even to sleep) for 10 days, and experienced no discomfort or deterioration of vision. So, the system for my next trip will be: put in a fresh pair at the start of the trip, and take enough spare sets to switch sets every 7-10 days. This will let me carry minimal saline solution for emergency cleaning, and skip the little overnight lens case entirely. (Laser surgery is also pretty tempting.)

So, the shopping list:

• wool tee
• beefier socks
• more space-efficient cup/bowl/spoon setup
• thin fleece or wool pullover

That's a really microscopic list considering how long we were out and how inexperienced I was going in. NOLS does an incredible job putting together an initial gear list, and the instructors (you'll hear more about them in the next couple of installments) did a fantastic job advising us on what we'd need.

The last couple of camping trips, I spent a lot of time juggling layers, overpacking, and generally monkeying with gear. I really feel like I can skip all that next time and concentrate on just having fun.

Next up: The Trip!