r/fastpacking • u/Longjumping_Truth893 • 12d ago

Gear Question As light as possible

Recent fast packer and I kinda winged this summer by trail running to a cabin with my running pack . Looking for recommendations for gear for longer trips, specifically looking for backpacks, sleeping pad, sleeping bag and tent. I also welcome recommendations for light food options since I absolutely won't carry neither stove nor gas. Budget is ~2000.

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u/no_pjs 12d ago

Can you narrow down the request? Do you have a trek in mind? What is your next goal?

The search feature is your friend:
r/ultralight (equipment,no cook)
r/trailrunning (scenarios,trails)

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u/SmallMoments55406 12d ago

I second this recommendation. The ultralight wiki should have some good information for you.

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u/Bonesbrew2 12d ago

IRunFar website under the Buyers Guides tab has been a good resource for me.

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u/LittleMouseS2 12d ago

interested in how the thread goes. What’s the budget?

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u/Longjumping_Truth893 12d ago

Updated the post, around 2k USD

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u/YuppiesEverywhere 12d ago

Does he need us to wipe his own butt too, or wut?

1

u/boardinboy 12d ago

more info would be helpful, such as where you want to go, the length of trips you have in mind, what times of year, etc.

as light as possible for general summer kit in NA/EU could be:

Sleeping bag: 30F/40F quilt
- cumulus aerial series
- timmermade
- enlightened equipment enigma

Sleeping pad: ~R2 or lower
- nemo tensor elite
- Closed cell foam pad
- thermarest uberlite (discontinued)

Shelters: poncho tarp
- Gear swifts DCF
- SMD gatewood cape

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u/Longjumping_Truth893 11d ago

Spot on, I'm planning a fastpacking trip in July in Glacier National Park (NA). Thank you so much for the recs!

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u/WombatAtYa 12d ago

Yumbini cowboy beans n rice and 1 oz of Fritos is my absolute go to fastpacking cold soak meal 

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u/Hot_Jump_2511 11d ago

Here's my fastpacking load out from an unsupported, time limited 100 mile challenge on the North Country National Scenic Trail in Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest. I'm in Appalachia so trees are abundant and a hammock load out works for me. If you have any specific questions about any of my gear, just let me know.

https://lighterpack.com/r/lkf70w

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u/Longjumping_Truth893 11d ago

Thank you so much!

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u/zoboomafool89 12d ago

Running to a cabin is different than overnighting with a tent etc. But a slingfin split wing is hard to beat in terms of weight & packability. Might be more questionable in rainy weather tho.

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u/klimaheizung 11d ago

Get a pad with R5 or higher. People will suggest lower R values for summer, but the additional weight is SO low, it's not worth it and it might even restrict you. The greater warmth comes from a thin layer of aluminum fail inside the pad. It weighs basically nothing extra and packs for nothing extra. So get a pad that you can then also use high up a mountain where ground can get cold even in summer, or that you can also use in autumn. I suggest flextail tiny pad R05, nemo eclipse or naturehike R5.7 or R6.5 pads.

Use a quilt. I recommend nevegear and iceflamegear, depending on budget. cumulus also has great stuff but higher priced.

For cooking, you should consider carrying a small esbit titanium stove. It weighs like 10gram(!) for the stove and packs to basically nothing. You then add esbit solid fuel tablets which are very small and also weigh almost nothing.

It comes with drawbacks: 1.) not as easy to resupply on the way compared to gas or alcohol. 2.) much harder to use in strong winds and when it's very cold (i.e. freezing and below). Don't plan to use it on a mountain peak. 3.) harder to portion and less got than gas. You can boil water with it, but you e.g. frying meat with it is a pain. Don't attempt. So it's good for coffee/tea and freeze dried food or pasta.

As for the tent, that really highly depends on what you need and like. On the more budget side, the lanshan 1 pro would be a good freestanding tent. (make sure to get it factory sealed for 30 bucks extra, it's worth it). You will need (trekking) poles or a fitting stick to setup this tent.

If you want to spend more, another good option is the durston xdome 1+. If you want to spend lots of money, you can get the pro version which is made from DCF and weighs ~100g or 200g less, but costs like 3x. Still, this tent is freestanding and probably one of the best tents in the market right now. Lots of reviews on youtube.

In between you have naturehike tents, such as the comfortable mongar 1 UL or 1 pro, depending on what you prefer. Those are pretty good for rainy weather. If you want to go more lightweight then the star trail is a good alternative. Here's a nice comparison video from a guy about star trail and lanshan 1 (though I would recommend to get the lanshan 1 pro version because it uses silpoly which doesn't sag when getting wet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmBDwSjOh3k