Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 7:32:09 GMT -8
Hello! One of my goals in the long run is to get my backpack under 10 pounds! I think that would be awesome. I imagine myself just jogging along the trail enjoying all the nature that much more because my back doesn't ache. Does anybody have any amazing pieces of gear they just love that are ultralight? I'm struggling to find some cookware. I'm thinking the Sea to Summit Specialist Duo for the tent, and then the Sea to Summit Spark Spl for the sleeping bag. Does anybody have experiences with these pieces of gear? Good, or bad, I don't care, I just want to know what everyone thinks.
|
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Jan 2, 2016 8:57:58 GMT -8
The bag you are looking at is comfort rated to 54F. My only caution would be - Is that really warm enough for you? That said, it is comfort rated and a down bag - legit
Tent-wise, You could shave weight by getting the solo shelter, assuming it's just you. I would be hesitant on that design in regards to dealing with "real" weather but with some babying, I'm sure it would function just fine for you.
Stove - Whitebox stove 1 oz. If Denatured Alcohol stoves are allowed where you hike, this would be a good one. An ounce...is hard to beat.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 9:15:43 GMT -8
With the addtion of new rain gear my solo gear weight is down to 11.15 pounds. The Zpacks Duplex tent was our big weight reduction purchase for 2015, a 2 person tent weighing in at 1.31 pounds(tent, tent stakes, guy lines, and carry bag). Our next gear purchase will be new rain gear for the wife. Then I will look into getting a new sleeping bag and after that a new, lighter weight, backpack for myself. I have been enjoying the lighter weight on my back or being able to pack for those 7 day / 6 night trips with out feeling as if I am dragging 1/2 the world around on my back.
As for cookware, I use a single pot (4.25 ounces) with lid, a stove with case (3.95 ounces), a fuel canister (5.9 ounces when full), a piezo ignighter (.45 ounces), a spork (.3 ounces), and a bag for the cook items (.9 ounces). I eat out of the freezer bag that I prep my dinner meals in. I then use the freezer bag for the next days garbage. I make coffee at the 10AM stops in my 16 Oz Nalgene bottle (3 ounces) and eat no cook breakfast and lunches.
I started off, several years ago, with a pack weighing in around 50 pounds for a 5 day trip. My goal has been to stick to keeping in line with what I learned about backpacking through the Sierra Club WTC program on what gear to bring for self-reliance and safety and yet loose that weight off my back.
I have enjoyed the journey of lightening the load, good luck to you.
|
|
reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,154
|
Post by reuben on Jan 2, 2016 9:33:16 GMT -8
Getting down to 10lbs implies $$$.
Light = expensive. Cuben fiber tent, titanium cookware, titanium tent stakes, etc. I use the silnylon version of the MLD Solomid, which is considerably lighter (18oz w/o floor or net) than the tent you're considering (29oz all in). Adding a full floor and net gets me to about the same weight, but I have the option of not taking one or the other depending on conditions. For instance, when bugs aren't a concern I leave the net at home. And if I had the cuben version I'd definitely be lighter (but poorer). Note that the Solomid is a true one person tent, but if you're a small person, or can tolerate confined quarters like me, it's a good deal.
As others will mention, if you can figure out what you're most likely to use early in your adventures you can save money in the long run by buying top notch gear, notably things like sleeping bags. Sure, my Marmot bag is good, but my Feathered Friends is better.
As our favorite woods pouncer, aka tigger, noted, you'll need to either sleep quite warm or forgo winter if you get a 54 degree bag. Maybe I found a slightly different version that tigger, but the one I see at the S2S site is EN rated to 46. Still a bit high for cold weather unless you have a couple of high R value pads and wear a lot inside the bag (can get confining). Tigger could use a bag like that in winter, but he wears a bunch of extra stuff and is a freak on top of that.
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,884
|
Post by zeke on Jan 2, 2016 9:42:08 GMT -8
Shire's tarp tents make some really good tents for about 2#s. Several quilt makers can make a good quilt that weighs near 1 # and is rated to 40*. Add a couple of ounces, and it can be good to 30* Let's add up some basic gear. Tent- 2 #s. Pad 1#. Sleeping bag 1.25# White Box stove and tea pot .5 # (with small bic) A good pack will weigh near 2.5#s, so the total would be 7.25 just for these items. Toss in things like a first aid kit, food, water, map, compass, etc.. and 10 #s for 1-2 overnights seems a bit light. To me anyway. Have fun while you are out there, and report back to us with what you discover in the way of gear.
|
|
reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,154
|
Post by reuben on Jan 2, 2016 9:59:25 GMT -8
To echo one of zeke's points, I also have a TT Double Rainbow and love it. Bigger/heavier than my Solomid, but it has two vestibules and plenty of room. markskor has a Rainbow (smaller) and uses it a lot, and franco can provide tons of info on them. Tarptent makes good stuff. Typically base weight is considered to be pack + shelter + sleep system + kitchen. Obviously longer or winter trips may require a larger/heavier pack - more food, heavier clothes. Add to that a FAK, spare clothes (maybe), and other items.
|
|
gabby
Trail Wise!
Posts: 4,539
|
Post by gabby on Jan 2, 2016 10:37:14 GMT -8
That tent goes for $500? That kind of freaked me out - it's not cuben. Does Tarptent have anything that expensive?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 13:37:38 GMT -8
I believe the Specialist was featured on Backpacker's website. They said it held up really nicely in big gusts of wind, and other severe weather conditions.
Ohm, how much did you invest in getting your pack down to that weight? Just a ballpark is fine. Thanks so much everyone for your answers!
|
|
|
Post by dirthurts on Jan 2, 2016 18:43:06 GMT -8
In my experience, the opinions here and much more reliable than that of backpacker. I've found backpacker's "reviews" more than generous and lacking of vital details. Here, you'll gain valuable first hand experience that's not tied to any financial obligations that professional companies like backpacker may or may not be tied to. In other words, don't trust backpacker...
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 2, 2016 21:35:23 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Jan 2, 2016 23:29:53 GMT -8
That tent goes for $500? That kind of freaked me out - it's not cuben. Does Tarptent have anything that expensive? And there's this caution in the description: "Not designed to be used in heavy rain or in humid conditions" Ooookay. Oh and to that I'd add that big flat section looks designed to catch and hold snow until it collapses the entire structure. Otoh I do like my Sea to Summit collapsible bucket. It makes taking water back to my campsite away from the riparian zone with its insects and humidity for later filtering very convenient. A good investment of 2 oz. imho.
|
|
franco
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,297
|
Post by franco on Jan 3, 2016 2:39:51 GMT -8
Does that look anything like a Sierra Designs tent to anyone else? Do you think that SD copied the S2S design ? The S2S version was announced in 2011, 3 years before the SD...
|
|
|
Post by dirthurts on Jan 3, 2016 5:14:44 GMT -8
I do have experience with the Sierra Designs Tensegrity Elite, and that's an UL that I can certainly recommend. Strong, stable, and very light weight. Certainly one to consider. Especially if you want something that won't collapse in a storm. www.sierradesigns.com/product/tensegrity-1-elite
|
|
almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696
|
Post by almostthere on Jan 3, 2016 9:42:14 GMT -8
You might have a look at Backpacking Light's forums. There lie the ultra-lightiest of the ultra light backpackers.
What you are discussing is reasonable for perhaps the base weight in the summer - then you will add food and water, which will bring the overall weight up - how much, is depending on distance, availability of water where you are going, and length of the trip. Also, you may or may not need special food storage - there are places where a bear canister is mandatory, and others where something like the Ratsack is needed for creatures other than bears, to make sure you are not feeding animals your food. There are certain needs that must be met to keep you from being hypothermic, dehydrated, or just so exhausted that you can't function. If you can meet those needs with your pack weight under 10 lbs and still be comfortable in the outdoors, more power to you.
I have been a forum member at Backpacking Light for some years now and a search and rescue volunteer - and I can tell you that I have seen many, many backpackers go down the path of ultralight and slowly make their way back again as they discover how miserable it can be sleeping on 1/4" of open cell foam with nothing but your jacket.... eating cold food, trying to stay dry under poncho tarps and solve the mystery of how to use their rain gear as a shelter and still be able to get up, go pee, and return to dry gear, living on the most calorie-dense and monotonous food item for a week without going insane for lack of variety... not an easy way to go.
I find it much more reasonable to have a base weight (gear only, before consumables - fuel, food, water) of 12-15 lbs, and add luxury items to it as the trip demands - fishing gear, camera gear, or base camp gear such as a light seat or book - than to plan as light as possible. If you prefer trail running you might check out Leor Pantilat (google is your friend) who is an ultramarathoner, not a backpacker, and runs distances and elevations that most backpackers would find daunting - in a single day. The best way IMO to be ultra light is not to backpack at all. Be a day tripper.
The trick to being light is to prioritize function and weight over budget -- for the kitchen, cheap is your friend - a two dollar aluminum grease pot, a cat food can stove, some foil for a windscreen and ground sheet under the stove, and you can boil water with an ounce of denatured alcohol while the kit weighs less than five ounces total. All those hard anodized pots and expensive stoves are completely unnecessary if you prioritize function over speed of boil, cooking, etc. and use the methods described at trailcooking.com. Visit zenstoves.net for a complete rundown of stoves and fuel.
Ultralighters use tarps or shaped tarps like those at zpacks.com. Nylon or cuben fiber, tarps are hands down lighter than any mass market tent. However -- tarps require some practice and more line and stakes to pitch than a tent. In the shelter category, most backpackers go with easy to set up and bombproof, figuring that they don't want to be fiddling around with a tarp in a rainstorm. In practice, I have found the shelter least likely to get you wet when setting up in the rain to be a single wall tent, such as a Tarptent. Double wall tents require you to set up the inner first then throw the fly over, except for my Lightheart Gear Solo tent - I can set that up from the inside after dragging my pack in with me, minimizing the drowning.
Sleeping gear for me must include an inflatable mattress, these days. No sleep means I am a zombie during the day. No energy can lead to a bad case of "trail stupid" which can lead to potentially fatal bad decisions. Therefore, the priority for sleeping gear should be 'can I sleep enough to be functional' -- not 'how light is it'. I cut weight in other areas to bring a sleeping pad of appropriate thickness. That includes getting a quilt instead of a bag, but some people (again, this is a subjective and personal matter) cannot figure out quilts - they require a willingness to re-tuck yourself often instead of getting in and curling up. I find quilts freeing, as they don't have the hood which I hated on mummy bags, and they tuck in closer than any mummy ever did for me, resulting in nice, warm nights on a comfy pad. Or in my hammock, which I prefer.
You should borrow and rent until you have a better idea of what YOU need. It's not about weight in the end. It's about what YOU need. If you can do that safely (note that I am no longer talking of comfort, here) and keep the pack weight very low, then great. If you are cutting corners and increasing risks to get down to a six pound pack, you are not ultralight-ing correctly.
|
|
|
Post by geophagous on Jan 3, 2016 13:16:27 GMT -8
Lots of great advice here and some wisdom as well. As many have said knowing where you are going is truly the key. Some places lend themselves well to UL while others are just very challenging. Are you a fair weather backpacker? This lends itself to UL with warm weather, little chance of rain, and hence minimal gear.
I have a Gatewood cape that I use as my tent and a 8 square foot piece of bug netting. On fair weather trips no rain gear but the cape. When expecting rain I will bring rain gear as well.....
This setup along with a Montbell SuperStretch 32 degree bag and a XL original nemo air pad gets me very light. I always look at my actual carry with including water....because all the stuff I carry has to be carried....I understand about base weight but find total carried more useful.
Take the time with learning, BE SAFE!!!!!!!!
I also carry a PLB as I solo hike always. It is there for when I break my leg 20 miles from the trailhead and don't feel like crawling back to car.....That said I would never use it as a way to take risks.
So really think about what you are trying to accomplish....as you look around you will some really crazy people out there.....
Hell some idiot just goes out with bread in his pocket and a book.....John Muir.
|
|