Going ultralight, or trying to...

[sasha]

Im very much intrested in knowing how much weight you are saving at the end.. If you dont mind also posting pic and info on how it works out for you.. After seeing what our man Reuben carried.. I want to lose some of the weight as well.. Maybe i could get down to 25-30lb everything included..

sasha

 

[gaj999]

I got a Neo air mattress this spring. 2" thick by 20" by 48". Nine ounces. No compromise, in fact it's better than my old pad.

I cut my bag down to one pound with a nice Marmot 30 degree down bag. Add some long johns and it's toasty at 30 degrees.

Ground cloth is a piece of mylar from GG. Something like 2 oz.

They pack down to very low volume, which allows you to carry one of those little packs.

I got a winter bivy from Black Diamond. Nine more ounces. I haven't tested it in a good rain ... the jury is still out. My old bivy weighs almost 2 pounds but has been tested in heavy rain.

Rain gear is Dri Ducks. Super light. Tested.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Took a bag, steel cup, flint, 1 liter bottle of water and a knife.

Not sure what it weighed, but throw in some Ramen and jerkey and it has to be under 15 lbs

 

[bearthedog]

Im very much intrested in knowing how much weight you are saving at the end.. If you dont mind also posting pic and info on how it works out for you.. After seeing what our man Reuben carried.. I want to lose some of the weight as well.. Maybe i could get down to 25-30lb everything included..

sasha

Sasha,
Maybe you can share some of your ideas since you are also at the point of trying to cut pack weight. I think the best thing is to take a few trips and take note of what you don't use, and what you can do without. It took me about ten years of figuring out that I don't need about half the stuff I was carrying.
-RB
The only difference in my gear is that I take different stuff when in the Jungle than I do when hiking in the desert, and mountains. Still comfortably under 5 pounds base weight!

Jungle Gear

Inside plastic zip

In Pocket around neck

 

[schlotskey]

"I need to get some light, fast drying pants for the trail, any suggestions?"

Plenty of good ideas/destinations already... but RailRiders makes pants AND shirts you might be interested in... no need to pack a spare, they're tough for scrambling, etc.

(I prefer the heavier nylon canvas because it doesn't look like nylon, and I prefer "bomb-proof" gear rather than maximum weight savings... but their regular weight models would serve just fine (I do have them as well).)

 

[stingray4540]

Ditch the sharpening stone, you won't do so much cutting that you need to sharpen it. I agree with the other poster, if you absolutely have to have one, get a small keychain dmt diamond sharpener.

KEEP the fishing gear!!!!! That's not even a question.

Get a pair of nylon convertible pants. I found some on sale at an outdoors store for $20.

I don't know what you use for a sleeping pad, but if it is adding weight you might want to switch to a z-light, if you don't have any medical or sleeping need for a big pad.


6lb backpack?! Yikes! The pack I use I consider to be on the heavy side, but it makes a heavy load feel much lighter than the ultralight packs. I tried on all the light weight packs with the same 35lbs in them in the store. REI Flash, Gregory Z65, Osprey Atmos 65, etc. All around 3lb.

Then I tried on the Deuter! Wow, what a difference.:thumbup: I thought the other ones were comfortable, but this pack made the 35lb. feel 10lb. lighter! It is a 4lb pack, but in my mind, I would rather feel like I'm carrying less, than actually carrying less, if that makes sense. And it was the cheapest one! http://www.rei.com/product/765140

Cheapest, most comfortable, lightest feeling, what's not to like. I'd recommend looking into it, and at least trying it on with weights, in fact do that with any pack you are looking to buy.
You may not like it as much as I do, but it will save you 2lb. plus make your load feel lighter on your back.

I also went on just an overnighter with a borrowed 1lb backpack, and my shoulders were sore by lunch on the first day! Don't sacrifice weight for comfort, IMO.


I don't know what my base weight is, but on my last trip, the whole pack was 35lb. ready to go, that includes water, and fishing gear. I'm wanting to cut it a little more, but I thought that was reasonable, and comfortable.


P.S. What are you using for a tent? If your willing to spend the money, the tarptent rainbow is only 2lb. and I think they have one that is even lighter.

 

[PayetteRucker]

I got to keep my load outs under 15lbs, I've dislocated both of my shoulders multiple times and had lower back damage in the past....... heavy loads are brutal for me, so i pack less and learn to do more with it. . The injuries also kept me from applying to the CDN Forces

I hear ya, wrecked my career as well. Thankfully with Mobic I can still do what I like to do on a fairly regular basis. IE hike and bike, but I had a good buddy that messed up both his shoulders in the service too and went from being in rockstar shape to a cripple. It's so sad to see someone whose livelihood has been destroyed by physical disability.

 

[peripatew]

Woohoo! I've got the ultralight bug too, and I'm loving the minimalisticness of it.

I swapped my knife to a RAT Izula at 3 ounces it's awesome.

I have a cheapy REI daypack that I've stripped and gutted to around 2 lbs, but what's helped me the most is a small pack size. I have to choose small stuff to fit in and cut extras that won't fit.

Im all for comfort and durable gear. My tarp is a Cooke Custom and it's amazing, and my sleeping pad is a Big Agnes Clearview.

My bag is a NF Cats Meow at a little over 3lbs, I'd love to get a single pounder, but I'm going to use this one till it dies.

You should get a membership at backpackinglight.com

 

[Fallbrook Forge]

alot of really good suggestions already, so I'll be brief.
Sleeping bags, and the pack itself is where most people carry waaaaaaay too much weight IME.

You want to get to 15 lbs? Go buy a pack that wont carry more than 20.

I'd like to see what your load out is. If you're carrying "extra" clothing, chances are you can ditch it(depending on location/weather)

 

[Bushman5]

I hear ya, wrecked my career as well. Thankfully with Mobic I can still do what I like to do on a fairly regular basis. IE hike and bike, but I had a good buddy that messed up both his shoulders in the service too and went from being in rockstar shape to a cripple. It's so sad to see someone whose livelihood has been destroyed by physical disability.

ayup! ^ that is sad.

my body got wrecked before i was able to even join, so at least i was able to keep the spirits up and try something else.

--------------

as for ultralight, if you must pack a shelter pack a tyvek tarp, their ultralight and tough, some even make bags and clothing out of them .

another way to backback light is to CACHE stuff at strategic points.......

 

[mcjhrobinson]

+1 on gossamergear i got the mariposa plus...sleeping pad doubles as backpad for the pack, carbon fiber rods, also you can swap the pads for shoulder and waist with socks, bandanas or any other smaller clothing. and i dont work for them

if youre worried about waterproofness just throw the garbage bag in the pack then everything is waterproof...

usually the big three is:

pack
sleeping gear
shelter

if you can get those three down then the rest is gravy!

 

[Ankar Sheng]

Anyone use a GOLITE pack? This one caught my eye
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80697

Just wondering if theyre comfy to wear

 

[mcjhrobinson]

i tried that pack once, i liked it! i was eyeing it but decided to go even lighter with the pack. the material is nice, felt a bit more rugged than silnylon. they guy whos pack it was said he used it on his travel from MD to Kauai...he was about 5'8 and im 6' still felt decent under approx 40lbs load....my packs (GG mariposa) suggested max is 35lbs

 

[Ravaillac]

I would rather feel like I'm carrying less, than actually carrying less, if that makes sense.

Agreed.
Regarding backpacks, at some point I aimed for extreme lightness, but after some experience I realized it was a better option to get a slightly heavier pack with better back system.
Right now I've settled with an Osprey Talon 44 which is a good compromise (about 2lbs - although it has plenty of gadgets that I could live without) notably in terms of ventilation.

 

[Ankar Sheng]

I'm down to about 16lb, with a big thanks to bearthedog

removed top pocket/hood from pack, I'll just pull the draw cord, roll it up then clip the buckle over top
switched sleeping bags to the wiggys bag cover (lighter, 2lb)
switched silk long johns for thermal longjohns to compensate
ditched cook set (for short trips)
ditched the nalgeen all together for a cheap plastic water bottle
ditched the stuff sack for the sleeping pad
removed extra packaging from odds and ends

 

[j williams]

We park our cars in the same garage Ankar. Ive been doing the exact same thing over the summer. I can now fit all supplies for a 3day in my Camelback Havoc. I love the UL thing. I also am working on a gear list for a bike trip me and a friend are doing in Alaska next year. Trying to get by with only rear panniers is a real headache, but thats my overall goal.

Thats the bag im looking at getting..... What do you think Ruben? You like?

[/QUOTE]

 

[tenkara]

+1 on the tenkara rod (hence the illustrious name I chose for this forum). I've been using the tenkara rod for about 4 years. My uncle in Japan sent my first one to me. My current pack rod is the yamame rod that weighs a few scant ounces, allows you to stay stealthy, and can handle pretty much anything you would throw at a 6 weight rod.

Western Mountaineering sleeping bag. I use the Alpinlite. It weighs 1 lb 14 oz and is good down to a very comfortable 20 degrees F.

Ditch the long pants and stick with some running shorts with the built in briefs. You can always layer your long underwear underneath them and, besides, what fashion statement are you trying to make out there

 

[JB in SC]

+1 on the shorts with long underwear (polypro excels in this instance).

 

[Ramm9]

If you do not have one buy a digital kitchen/postage scale. Mine is a weighmax 75. It gets a lot of use.

It's all about ounces. I shaved a lot of weight by being able to compare individual items by weight and choosing between the two or three possibles. Deciding between three knives to take? Comparing them on the scale might cut 3 or 4 ounces. Do that four times and you have an extra pound for something else.

I have a Golite Infinity, I think they have a new name on it now, and it has worked well with up to about 40lbs. I used it in the desert and starting out at just under 50lbs (with a full load of water) the straps cut into the shoulders a bit.

 

[Darkshadow]

You have a CND surplus Sleeping bag but not the compression bag to got with it??? It is ultra light and totally waterproof say's right on it "can be used as an emergency water bucket" it is not overly covered in straps just a crisscross of cord. Stuffed with spare shirt or jacket and its your pillow.

Look to surplus for the coolmax, long johns and such, I pay 20$ a piece, a Big and tall outdoor shop about 45min from me sells the Stanfield's military contract seconds for 12.95, you can wring them dry and it pulls all the moisture off your skin and are warm as hell