Gear
Talk
Shelter
Gear—The
lightest gear options are a tarp, poncho-tarp, or a bivy sack. Will uses a one-person (6’x9’) tarp that
has been modified so he can also use it as a poncho. The two of us use an
8’x10’ tarp, which gives us plenty of room. There are no problems
staying dry, it’s roomier
than a tent, and it’s easy to get up at night and pee. When the
weather forecast is favorable, Will likes to take a light bag cover or bivy.
It’s truly a joy to sleep under the stars, but there is no sense in
enduring an all-night rain in a bivy. If you are skeptical about using a
tarp, all we can say is give it a try, it will make you a believer. For
extra protection, you may want to use a lightweight bag cover.
Even though
it weighs more, many
people prefer a tent. There are very few double wall
tents that weigh less than 4 pounds (for two people). Our favorite
double wall tents are the Big Sky International
Evolution 2P (3 lb) and Convertible (3 lb 6 oz). However, during the
summer rainy season and when bugs are a
real problem, our real preference is a single wall tent like the Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo (39 oz).
All have two doors and two vestibules, which we really
like. When I backpack by myself I often take a really lightweight
single wall tent, like the Gossamer Gear One (17.5 ounces) or the
Tarptent Sublite (21.5 ounces). A single wall tent develops
condensation on the inside on a cool/damp/calm night or rainy night, but
its not hard to adjust to.
Weight Savings—Conventional 2-person
backpacking tents weigh 5-7 pounds. Going to a lighter tent saves 2-4
pounds; going to a tarp or a bivy sack saves 4-6 pounds.
Cost Savings—A tarp is much less expensive
than a tent, $50-$120 vs. $150-$450.
Groundsheet
Gear—We feel that it’s important to protect our
expensive lightweight sleeping bags, so we prefer Tyvek because it’s
tougher. There are several types of Tyvek. “Housewrap Tyvek” is super tough and adequately waterproof, but it is stiff
and takes a while to soften up. “soft
structure Tyvek” (Type 1443R) weighs half as much, it's softer, and is plenty durable and
waterproof, so it’s our preference.
Weight Savings—Using a piece of Tyvek
instead of a tent “footprint” saves .75 pound.
Cost Savings—Tyvek costs less than $5
while a tent footprint costs around $35.
Sleeping Bag
Gear—For backpacking in the mountains in
the summer (July and August), a 30-32° sleeping bag is all you need. Ultralight down bags
in this temperature range weigh 1.25-1.75 pounds. If you backpack in
spring (May and June) or fall (September and October) in the mountains, then you also need an ultralight 15-20
degree bag, which weighs about 2 pounds. A 35-40° bag is enough
in mid-summer and at lower elevations. If you want to purchase just one
bag, then get a 20 degree bag. A good ultralight bag should have 800 fill-power down or
greater (down provides the most warmth for the weight), and have a lightweight water-repellent
shell. Its important to get a bag that has enough shoulder girth
(60-63") to allow room to wear clothes inside to extend
the bag's warmth. It's easy to extend the warmth of a 30 degree bag down to
the low 20's using this method. As a minimum we wear our microfleece long johns in our bags
to serve as a bag liner. Wearing an insulated jacket in our sleeping bag
allows us to get by with a lighter bag, and is very versatile to adjust
the warmth level of our bags. It is also very convenient, our clothes are already on and warmed up in the
morning!
Weight Savings—Many backpackers have one
sleeping bag for all occasions, the ubiquitous 3-4 pound/10° bag.
Switching to an ultralight down bag saves 2.5 pounds. A 30°
lightweight synthetic bag will weigh about 1 pound more than an
ultralight down bag.
Cost Savings—An
ultralight down bag is
your most expensive gear item ($250-$350). If you take your time, you can
always find a good discount or a used one. If you want to save money, go
to a lightweight synthetic bag, which is about 1 pound heavier
($100-$200).
Sleeping Pad
Gear—For
summertime backpacking, all you need to
pad is your torso. Janet uses a 20”x40” closed cell foam pad that
weighs 3.8 oz., but she has more “natural padding” in the right
places. For his bony hips, Will uses a Gossamer Gear NightLight pad (4 oz.) for
overnight trips. But for longer trips and a good night's sleep, he
prefers the Big Agnes Clearview Air pad (11.5 oz) which is an inflatable
pad 2.5" thick and 60" long. Other lightweight inflatable pads
are the Therm-a-Rest Prolite 3 Short (13 oz) and Backpacking Light
TorsoLite (10 oz). The new MSR Neo Air pad (about 9 oz) due out in
spring 2009 promises to be the ultimate in ultralight comfort, but its
pricey at $120.
Weight Savings—switching
from a full-length Therm-a-Rest to a Therm-a-Rest Prolite Short saves 1 pound, or
Switching
from a full-length Therm-a-Rest to a closed cell foam pad saves 1.5
pounds.
Cost Savings—A
closed-cell foam pad costs less than $30, while the Therm-a-Rest Prolite
3 Short costs $70.
Stove
Gear—Since
the Trail Designs Caldera Cone (an alcohol stove) came out a couple of
years ago, it has become our stove of choice. It weighs much less than a
canister stove and is just as convenient and reliable. My
favorite solo cooking kit is the Trail Designs Caldera Keg. Many
hikers prefer a canister stove, and the lightest one around is the Snow
Peak Max Lite (1.9 oz). A canister stove is fast and dependable, but you
pay for that convenience. An 8 oz canister of fuel ($5) weighs about 14 oz and will last 7
days for 1 person and 3+ days for 2 people, using our “boil and set”
method. A windscreen is essential, and can be made of heavy-duty
aluminum foil.
For weekend
trips,
Will takes no-cook meals and leaves the stove
and cook pot at home (saves about 12
oz). All I need is
a 1 quart container to eat out of and a
plastic spoon. No-cook breakfasts are easy; there
are lots of good things to take for a good cold breakfast (see our
Food and Cooking page). However, dinners are more of a challenge. I
experimented a lot and found some good nutritional combinations, but
none of them are as good as a hot dinner. The lack of a hot tasty
dinner is a definite tradeoff, but I do like the simplicity and weight
savings. Nowadays I take an alcohol stove and enjoy hot
beverages and meals.
Weight Savings—Most backpackers carry a
liquid fuel stove that can weigh 2 pounds or more with fuel. Switching
from a liquid fuel stove to a canister stove saves 1 pound. Switching to
an alcohol stove saves even more weight because you can take only the
amount of fuel you need.
Cost Savings—A canister
or alcohol stove costs less
than a white gas stove, $30-$50 versus $100. A purchased alcohol stove costs
a little less than a canister stove, but its easy to make
your own alcohol stove.
Cooking Gear
Gear—For one person all you really need is
a 1-quart pot with lid and a spoon; for 2 people, a 2-quart pot with
lid, 2 cups, and 2 spoons. A good cheap lightweight one-person cook pot is the
WalMart grease strainer (3.8 oz. with lid). We remove the knob and
substitute a small piece of tape. For a 2-person cook pot, we like the
AntiGravityGear 2 qt pot (5.8 oz). One pint microwaveable containers
from the deli make great ultralight cups, and they're feee. We don’t take dish soap. A 1” square of pot scrubber is
sufficient.
Weight Savings—Switching from a full cook
set to one pot and spoon can save up to 1 pound.
Cost Savings—Purchase a “grease
strainer” from WalMart for $7 or a Mirro saucepan for $5 and save a
huge amount over a titanium pot, which is $50 and a bit heavier.
Food
Gear—
-
Carry
simple, nutritious meals. Forget the gourmet stuff. Take the right
amount. Plan on 1.25 to 1.5 pounds of dehydrated food/person/day,
depending on your body size and the anticipated temperatures and
exertion level. Low-fat meals are ok for short trips, but for
longer and more strenuous trips, increase the amount of fat and
increase the weight to 1.5 to 1.75 or even 2 pounds/day. We tend to
put more fat calories into our daytime trail food, and in our dinner
food if it will be cold at night.
-
Leave
all packaging at home and repackage food in lightweight plastic
bags. We weighed various plastic bags and the lightest/toughtest are
the thin ones that newspapers come in.
-
Take
meals that work with the “boil and set” method, which saves on
fuel weight.
-
For
short trips take foods that you don’t have to cook or that
rehydrate with cold water, such as: dried Pea or Lentil soup mix,
dried refried beans, dried mashed potatoes, powdered
cheese, and powdered meat.
-
Examples
of food we take:
Breakfast—Muesli (a homemade nutritious cooked cereal), EAS
Myoplex nutrition drinks, homemade granola
Lunch—jerky, fruit roll-ups, gorp, cheese, hummus, crackers,
sesame sticks, energy bars, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit
Dinner—packaged dinners from the grocery store, fortified with
extra noodles, rice or couscous and dried meat, vegetables and nuts
Cost Savings—Grocery
store foods are much cheaper than freeze-dried or dehydrated backpacker
meals.
Water
Bottles and Water Treatment
Gear—Water is heavy, so we don’t carry
any more of it than we have to. In the mountains, where water is usually
readily available and clean, we carry only 1 liter of water or less in a
1-liter soda bottle (1.6 oz),
which is 3.7 oz. lighter than a Nalgene water bottle. Note: this method requires good backcountry savvy; you
need to be aware of the availability of water where you are going. For
camp water we use a 2 qt Platypus flask (1.2 oz).
We prefer
chemical water treatment because it is much lighter and simpler than a
water filter. Our preference is Aqua Mira, and we carry the amount we
actually need in small dropper bottles. We bring cooking water
to a boil before adding food, so there is no need to treat it.
Weight Savings—Most backpackers carry a
pump-type water filter that weighs .75-1 pound. Carrying a soda bottle half full (1 pound) instead of a pump filter and 2 full Nalgene bottles
of water (6 pounds) saves 5 pounds.
Cost Savings—A one-liter soda
bottle is free compared to a $8 Nalgene bottle. Aqua Mira costs
about $12 for a season's supply, compared to a pump filter that costs
$75 to $100, and requires backflushing and filter replacment.
Rain Gear
We have tried a lot of different rainwear and
have gravitated away from the fragile Propore rainwear (like Frogg
Toggs and RainShield) toward more durable coated nylon rainwear. For several years
we used a Frogg
Toggs Pro Action suit for rainwear and as an outer shell layer
in camp. It simply is not durable enough. In camp we sit on logs and rocks, and the abrasion is
too much for the Frogg Togg pants. The jacket pills easily, and
its outside fuzzy surface absorbs moisture. We next tried the RainShield O2 Hooded Jacket (5.8 oz) which is just as
fragile as the
Frogg Toggs jacket, but the outer surface is smooth and water rolls
off. The RainShield jacket breathes better than Gore-Tex and is much
lighter and less expensive ($30), but durability is its main
limitation. It seems like we get a new hole in it with each use. In
its defense, its easily patched with duct tape, so you can squeeze
several years of use out of a jacket with reasonable care.
Our current preference on
normal ultralight trips is a very light nylon rain jacket and pants.
The North Face Triumph Anorak (6.2 ounces) is the lightest we know of,
but any rain jacket under 8 ounces is good. Some examples are the
GoLite Virga, TNF Diad, Sierra Designs Isotope, and Mountain Hardwear
Quark. We prefer nylon rainwear because its more durable. We also use
our rainwear for hiking in the wind and for an outer shell layer in camp
to stay dry and warm. For Will's super-ultralight backpacking (see our
gear
lists) he carries a Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape and silnylon rain
chaps. The Gatewood Cape serves as a poncho and pack cover in the
rain, and sets up as an excellent one-person shelter. However, he does
miss not having a rain jacket for hiking in wind or wearing in camp.
Gore-Tex and
eVENT rainwear are more breathable than polyurethane membranes, but its
heavier and much more expensive. eVENT is the most breathable, but the
lightest eVENT jacket (the Integral Designs eVENT Rain Jacket) weighs 10.5
ounces. Since we don't wear our rain gear that much, our preference is to
go with the lightest options.
Weight Savings—Switching from a
Gore-Tex
rain suit to a lightweight rain suit saves 1 pound.
Cost Savings—a lightweight rain suit or a
poncho is $40-$150 vs. $400+ for a Gore-Tex suit.
Clothes
Gear—There are many options here, and it
gets down to personal preference. Some guidelines:
-
Do
a lot of research on clothing items recommended for ultralight
backpacking.
-
Take
simple clothing with few zippers and pockets. Remove tags and extra
parts that you don’t need.
-
Take
only one set of hiking and camp clothes you WILL use every day.
-
No
cotton; lightweight synthetics only. Follow the standard layering
system, adding or removing layers as conditions change (base wicking layer, insulation, outer shell layer).
-
Go
on day hikes and short backpacks in different weather conditions to
test light clothes and layering systems. It was very useful in
showing us what we really needed.
-
For
a warm base layer in camp, we like microfleece. It provides the most
warmth for the weight.
Weight Savings—Switching from a heavy tech
jacket or parka to a lightweight down or synthetic jacket saves about 1
pound.
Cost Savings—Take the lightest/most
functional items you already own.
Insulated
Clothing
For summertime backpacking, a lightweight down jacket gives the most
warmth for the weight. Its a very important item in our gear kit
because it keeps us warm in camp and is also a part of our sleeping
system. In mid-summer Will can get by with a Backpacking Light Cocoon
Pullover (9 ounces), but he prefers a down jacket in early and late
summer. The Western Mountaineering Flash Jacket (10.5 oz, $260) is our
favorite, but the Montbell Alpine Light Down Jacket is also very nice
and costs $100 less. In early and late summer we take Backpacking Light
Cocoon Pants for leg warmth.
Stuff Sacks
Gear—
-
We
use silnylon stuff sacks which we made ourselves to the exact sizes
needed, and used thin cord with the smallest cord locks we could
find.
-
We take the least amount of stuff sacks possible. Will
takes 2: 1 for sleeping bag and 1
for misc. items. The sleeping bag stuff sack doubles as a bag
to hang food.
Weight Savings—Fewer/lighter stuff sacks
reduce weight.
Cost Savings—Purchase mesh “paint
strainers” from the paint department at Home Depot, or make your own
out of silnylon or mosquito netting material.
Miscellaneous
Gear
Gear—
-
Take
only the amount of sunscreen, insect repellent, and other toiletries
you need in small containers.
-
Use
a child’s toothbrush, or cut half the handle off an adult
toothbrush. We don’t use toothpaste. Take lengths of floss.
-
Take
only part of a comb
-
Use
a tiny flashlight like the Photon
Freedom.
-
Use
squares of paper towel instead of toilet paper, and take
only the amount needed.
Weight Savings—Minimize each item, it adds
up to significant weight savings.
Camera
Digital photography has made it so much easier to take photos while backpacking.
Most are very lightweight, and we can take all the pictures we want on our outings,
then conveniently upload them to our computer and store them. Extreme
lightweight was my main criterion when I made my first digital camera
purchase, and I ended up with a
Pentax Optio S5i (4.4 oz with battery, memory card, and lanyard).
However, its picture quality was not good, so the next time around I
used lightweight + picture quality as my criteria, and purchased a
Fujifilm FinePix F30 (6.9 ounces) and like it a lot better. It would
be nice to carry a digital SLR camera that takes beautiful photos, but
I don't want to carry the extra bulk and weight. For me, its
sufficient to take a lightweight compact camera that takes good
photos. We only view our photos on the computer, send them to friends
as an email attachment, and use them in gear and technique articles we
write.
Pack
Gear—Now that we have drastically reduced
the weight of our gear, we don't need a heavy frame pack
anymore to carry our gear; a simple rucksack that weighs as little as 14
oz, will do.
-
For
shorter 1-3 night ultralight trips we use a frameless backpack. It is most comfortable with < 15
pounds, 20 lb at the most.
-
For
longer trips or spring/fall trips where Will needs more volume
capacity, he
uses a lightweight pack with removable stays for loads up to 25 pounds.
-
For
extended trips and cold weather trips, where still more volume and
weight capacity are needed, we use an internal frame pack, for loads up
to 30
pounds.
-
For a pack cover we use a plastic trash compactor bag
or a silnylon cover of our own design
for larger packs. Our pack covers completely cover our
packs; we design them with cutouts for the shoulder straps and waist
belt.
Weight Savings—Most full-featured
backpacks weigh 6-8 pounds. Switching to a lightweight internal frame pack saves
3-5 pounds, or to a rucksack saves 5-7 pounds.
Cost Savings—A
frameless backpack is much less
expensive than a frame pack, <$150 vs. $250+. Using a plastic trash
compactor bag for a pack cover costs $.50 vs. $20.
Boots
Gear—Now that we have drastically reduced
the weight of our pack, we don’t need to wear heavy
leather backpacking boots anymore. Those boots were designed to carry a
heavy pack over rough trails. With a lighter pack, we can use lighter
trail running shoes. Subtracting 1 pound from your feet is equivalent to
subtracting 6.4 pounds from your pack. With a light pack and light
boots, you choose where you want to step between the rocks.
Alternatively, you may choose a low-cut or mid-cut lightweight hiking
boot, but you don’t need the heavy clunkers, unless you are hiking
off-trail in rough/steep terrain.
Weight Savings—Switch from heavy boots
(>4 pounds/pair) to light hikers (about 2.5 pounds/pair) or trail
runners (< 2 pounds/pair).
Cost Savings—Lightweight boots
and trail runners are cheaper
than heavy backpacking boots.
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