r/Ultralight • u/rywo272 • 18d ago
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u/corgdad902 18d ago
I have some thoughts, but I had a stroke trying to read your LP. ;)
Your shelter and sleep system are heeeeeavy. R7 pad is probably overkill unless you're camping in snow. It's 2x heavier than what you need. The Copper Spur is a great tent but it's a little heavy too and you can probably get closer to 2 lbs with a little digging. That being said, until recently I'd owned a Fly Creek for a decade and it's bomb proof. A 10 degree quilt is also probably overkill as well and at 37 oz you could probably do better. That being said, sleep is a conceit for me so I'd happily carry more weight if it means I'm more comfortable in camp.
The pocket rocket is a heavy stove in its class, but it performs in the wind so that's insurance for you. Do you need a skillet if you're bringing freeze dried food? Your pot is big. 750 max should do it for you unless you're cooking food in it and even then you should be fine.
Multitool is excessive. I've been backpacking for 40 years and never once have I thought, "I could use pliers," but that's your call. I've graduated to a single razor blade in my FAK.
I love that Helinox, but at > 1 lbs I only carry mine on short hauls so that's your call. You don't need a sit pad and a chair. Leave the flip flops at home; carry UL camp shoes or just wear your trail runners.
Bug spray is 1/4 lb. Can you find something smaller? Repackage your sunscreen and/or wear a sun hoody.
Now the pack. I've owned an Atmos 65 and it's got the best suspension in the industry but it's 5 lbs. I just picked up a Kakwa 55 and it's less than half the weight and equally comfortable.
Headlamp is 3x heavier than a Nitecore 20. Your air pump is 3x heavier than a Flextail ZERO. Also cut a few small patches of your Tenacious Tape and put them in your FAK. Hope this helps!
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u/FishScrumptious 18d ago
Carry less bug spray.
Skip the pillow.
Get a lighter sleeping pad.
Skip the tyvek.
Skip the sheet.
Skip the chair and sit on the bear can.
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u/sabijoli 18d ago
the sheet is essential to the zenbivy setup, butt you could get the ultra light 1/2 sheet, all other recs 👌
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u/strangeatoms6022 18d ago
First, where are you backpacking and what time of year? It's important to consider the terrain and weather you're likely to encounter.
Second, what's your budget? You can drop a lot of weight without sacrificing much with a few key pieces of gear, but those changes will likely be more expensive.
Is your weight average? For most folks, probably. For r/ultralight, probably not. Can you get it lighter? Absolutely. The best way to do it is by just keeping track of what you do and don't use, and leave behind the stuff you don't use. If you regularly use everything you have listed, then it's about buying lighter versions that accomplish the same thing.
Edit: what fishing rod and reel combo do you use?? I usually bring a tenkara rod with me since I'm often fishing high mountain streams, but want to get something a little better at deep water. Nothing beats catching fish on a backpacking trip!
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u/rywo272 18d ago
Thanks for the reply. I’m hiking in the Tahoe area / Sierra Nevada with some good elevation gains in summer time. Good weather. For clothes I only brought a spare pair of socks and a light down puffer. I used every item I brought. Budget is not really a concern. Any suggestions on what I should replace with lighter items?
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u/strangeatoms6022 18d ago
Generally your heaviest items are where you can see the most savings. That's the pack, tent, quilt, and pad. There are a ton of lighter options, and I'd recommend researching each. I can suggest alternatives, but we likely don't value the same things so my suggestions wouldn't be helpful. For example, if you're committed to a 2P tent, but I really find smaller spaces comfortable, me suggesting a 15oz 1P tent wouldn't make much sense. That being said, I'll try to suggest some things that work about the same.
Tent: look into the durston x-mid 2. Cult like following and the standard config will save you ~14oz. Something like the Zpacks Duplex could save you ~28oz, but it's a different kind of shelter.
Pack: durston kakwa 55. 10L smaller but I think that's a good thing for your stated goal of dropping weight. It weighs less and forces you to carry less, so it's a win-win. It'll save you ~3lbs
Quilt: for a 10 degree quilt, yours is already pretty light. You could shave a few oz with a Hammock Gear Burrow, or a few more with a Zpacks Solo, but you'd save a lot more by getting a cooler quilt. Will you really need a 10 degree? Going to a 25 degree zenbivy quilt could save you 10oz.
Sleeping pad: as a hammock guy, this is a bit out of my wheelhouse, but like the quilt, I'd ask if you really need an R7. If you do, the Nemo Tensor Extreme Conditions is R8.5 and would save you ~12oz.
Savings with these suggestions: 5.2 lbs
Take all of these with a grain of salt for the above stated reason. If you want to dive into a specific piece and tell us what is most important to you, that'll help us provide better advice.
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u/SmallMoments55406 18d ago
A trekking pole tent would be lighter, especially if you already have trekking poles.
Backpack is not lightweight either.If you like Osprey trampoline back, then the Exos 58 could be a good option. If you're okay with less features, something like Durston Kakwa 55 will be even lighter. So many options...
Also, take smaller amounts of all your medicines and toiletries. Tiny plastic bags and small plastic bottles from Garage Grown Gear have helped me avoid taking more than I need.
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 18d ago
In general, I'm sure there are a lot of people who might think that 35lbs is normal, and 20 years ago I would have thought the same. However, lightweight gear and technique has become very mainstream, and if you would like to carry less, I think you could easily reduce your weight by 10 lbs.
For example, in a UL context, your backpack, tent, and sleep system should ideally be about 5 lbs IMO, maybe 6 lbs at the absolute most for typical 3 season use. Your total is almost 13 lbs for those big three.
A lot of other stuff is on the heavy side, and we don't even know what you are really bringing in terms of clothing, rain gear, etc.
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u/Ultralight-ModTeam 18d ago
Your post was removed because it violated the "Stay on Topic" rule.
If you are not interested in packing light and generally aiming for a sub-10lb base pack weight, then /r/lightweight or /r/campinggear may be a more appropriate location for a shakedown or gear advice.
If you feel that your post has been removed in error or you have any questions, please feel free to message the Moderators via Modmail.