Well nothing weighs nothing. The only thing that you can put in your cave pack and have it weigh less is a hole.

One of the challenges that I struggle with, when packing for an expedition or packing my cave pack, is wanting to carry what is needed vs what might be needed. I often find myself saying it weighs practically nothing, when I should be asking do I really need 6 cable ties when 4 is enough.

Rather that guess at what I’ll need on the next trip, I keep spreadsheets for each type of cave or expedition. Each spreadsheet is filled with the gear that I will need, the weight of each item, and the number of times each item gets used. My spreadsheets are ever evolving. I am not terribly concerned how often I use my back up light source, since I will always bring it. I am interested if I should keep bringing the micro pair of pliers because they are relatively heavy.

Spreadsheets help prevent you from forgetting important items, under packing or over packing.

Talk to your caving partners to make sure you aren’t unintentionally bringing duplicate gear.

Do you have any tips to share?