New to Weightwatching

[That_Asian_Bloke]

I've never really considered weight to be too much of a problem when doing overnighters or multi's but now that I'm starting to do more solo adventures (I no longer have to carry food and gear for 2...well not until the missus gets back from Nepal and Bhutan), I'm starting to see the light in lightweight gear. What I'm looking for is recommendations in shaving some weight.

My normal pack weight including food and water is around 15kg to 20kg but this is when I'm normally walking with the missus and I usually carry all our food, jetboil sumo with fuel canisters, mine and her tent (she has a MSR Hubba Hubba) and the good stuff (wine and whisky).

I'm not a warm weather walker. I like the colder and wet climate so it generally does mean more weight but I would also like to shave off more when walking from hut-to-hut when I'm in NZ and when I do 3 Capes in October this year.

My current gear list as it stands:
Sea To Summit Duo - it's light but terrible in wet weather conditions. Including UL tarp it totals 1681g with the groundsheet
Mountain Designs Travelite 330 - not good but I've had it for quite a few years when I got it on special. Never weighed it but MD website says 920g
Lowe Alpine TFX Cerro Torre 65:85 Backpack -2720g
The North Face Aconcagua down jacket - 513g
Sea To Summit Poncho - It doesn't breathe but it does the job. 230g
Mountain Designs Sleeping Mat - 680g

Ideally...what I want to do is cram as much as I can into my Osprey Manta daypack but I'd be missing out on a lot of creature comforts and then some. So I've been considering the following for future purchase (or already have...well my wife owns - she's a fricken gear junkie).

Tent: I'll keep the Duo for now but so tempted to borrow my wifes Hubba Hubba or buy a Hilleberg Soulo 4 season when I'm not going hut-to-hut
Sleeping Bag: Looking at the Sea To Summit Spark SPIII or Exped Comfort 800. TBH...I hate mummy-shaped bags but we're talking weight here. I do like this bag though http://www.paddypallin.com.au/nemo-noct ... 29718.html
BackPack: Osprey Exos 58
Jacket For Warmth: I'm a little torn here. Toss-up between Outdoor Research Floodlight (waterproof with 800+ fill goose down) 600g or The North Face Thermoball 375g
Rain Jacket: Outdoor Research Floodlight (waterproof with 800+ fill goose down) 600g or Arc'teryx Theta AR 485g
Mat: Exped Downmat UL 7 LW 810g

Any recommendations? Just remember, I rarely walk during the warmer climate and do most of my walks during the cooler climate. My normal walking boots are quite heavy too. I mix it up between my Scarpa Kailash or my old SL M3's

[wayno]

dont use a down jacket as a rain jacket, you'll sweat heavily in it and the down will get sodden. the floodlight is made for very cold conditions.

[Giddy_up]

Just at a glance your best weight savers could be backpack, sleeping bag, jacket, tent.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear and Zpacks both make really good lightweight packs, probably going to save yourself 2kgs on this item alone.

Sleeping bag......look at a quilt as it will save you weight and if you hate mummy bags then these are the bomb. Undercling Mike makes them on here and they really are superb from what I have seen of his craftsmanship. You might be saving yourself .500gms or more here.

Mats, exped or thermarest make the best although there are some new Sea to Summit one which might be worth a look. These are all good and will save you weight but more importantly room in your pack.

Tent, Zpacks, HMG, Tarptent, Yamma Mountain Gear, Mountain Laurel Designs. Any of these makers will save you kilograms in your tent weight and worth a look.

On your jacket, if you get the thermoball as your insulation which is a great jacket you just need a shell then. I would recommend the Zpacks jacket only because I have one and it's incredible but there are other light weight shells out there. This might save you .5-600 grams depending on how you go.

All up, if you can stomach the pricing on some of this gear you might shave over 5kgs off your current pack weight.

I should add that there are other options, I've just given you probably the lightest ones

Also if your in snow some of this gear changes to suit super cold.

Best
G_U


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Hi there!

I too would look at undercling mike's quilts
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=21674
If I hadn't already bought one, I'd have gone to him for sure. Haven't seen one in the flesh, but they look excellent on the above thread, and starting to get a lot of good reviews from others on this site.

Pack - many lightweight options. I have a ULA Circuit. While not ultra lightweight, it is insanely comfortable at just over 1kg.

Tent - there's heap of options. Tarptents appear a good balance between weight and liveability, but with postage from the states and the low Aussie dollar, you can be looking at a fairly major outlay of cash.

[Giddy_up]

I should also add that there are guys here in Oz that make really good cottage tents and goods like the ones I've already mentioned. Try Tier gear, terra rosa gear and we have mentioned Mike with the quilts. Be nice to see someone put together a light or ultralight set up together using our good Aussie manufacturers. That's not a challenge by the way

Cheers

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Giddy_Up - that's a fantastic idea.

As the Aussie dollar tanks, I think it's a good time to be an Aussie manufacturer. Sure, supply costs will go up - but overall, Aussie made gear will become much more affordable compared to importing US gear.

A big 4 gear list from local cottage manufacturers would be awesome.

[keithy]

I'm definitely not an ultralighter like some of the others here, but have moved to some lighter weight kit.

You can definitely shave a couple of kgs off with a new pack. I moved from my old 75/80L pack to an Osprey Exos 58. I didn't try the Aarn packs as they were a bit more than I had budgeted for, but they are well recommended here as well. My Osprey 58 was intended for 4-5 day trips, but I've taken it for longer trips now, and have carried up to 22kgs in it (had to carry around 5kg of water at one point). It was still comfortable at that end of the scale, although I tend to keep it under 16kgs now. I liked the mesh back of the Osprey as I tend to get a hot back, and on 30km days it was nice to have the mesh on the back rather than having a pack pressed against the spine.

I would listen to wayno and not use the down as your main waterproof, even if it is hydro down. For cold weather I'd still take an outer rainshell and save the down as an insulating layer, or to save weight look at a down vest instead.

Also the quilt suggestion is a good one - I think it gives you more flexibility. One of the guys I walked with in Jan had the Enlightened Equipment 20F quilt, and it is a nice bit of kit.

If I hadn't already bought a Cumulus liteline 300 I would have gone for the quilt instead. The Cumulus I got was from globewalker (Kasia posts on the forums as well), and she stocks the Malachowski which has a light, reasonably priced bag if you are considering bags. My previous bag was a heavy 1.5kg down bag, and I moved to the Cumulus which is about 650g.

[jakeyarwood]

Add Dan @ Wilderness Threadworks to the mix and you have the big 4 down via an all Australian team! Although his packs are frameless so I think you gotta be a dedicated UL cat before making the jump.

[That_Asian_Bloke]

Thanks for the tips team.

I'm doing a lot more research into my gear now as well as saving up for items that I need/want. Pricing at this stage isn't too much of a factor but I'm still on the lookout for bargains/sales as it stands.

Plus ORA (Outdoor Retailers Association) is coming up and I scored a few freebies last year with my visitor pass. Anybody based in Sydney, check out https://edi.eventsair.com/ora2016/rego/Site/Register. Heaps of retailers and giveaways at some booths.

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Agree with most said above re alternative packs, tents etc. I have a ULA pack which I'd recommend but the Exos you mentioned would be a good option too. Regarding recommendations on the various jackets you're looking at, I have both a thermoball and a Theta AR shell and can recommend both thoroughly if that helps. The downmat you're looking at seems on the heavy side and if you are gearing up to do NZ/3CW you'll have mattresses in the huts anyway, so can probably de-prioritise that one for now.

[earthairfire]

I agree with all of the above. The backpack looks like the most obvious bang for buck if looking at new gear to shed a few kilos.

I have another suggestion for you that is free.

Weigh everything and put it in a spreadsheet. Challenge yourself to only take what you need. I reckon that I halved the weight of my kit by doing this without buying anything else.

i.e. tent stuffsack likely weighs 100g+. You don't need it. Full set of tent pegs? Do you need / use them all? Mess kit. Do you need more than one pan? Do you need a 1l bottle of fuel or is 200ml enough? etc etc Think about what you can use for multiple purposes too (tshirt as sun-hat. walking poles as tent poles)

I found it really eye-opening to account for the weight of all the 'little extras' that i used to carry without realising it. You'll be derided by your family and friends who are not into lightweight / UL camping, but that's part of the fun

Tim

[jakeyarwood]

Further to Tim's comment I'd suggest using www.lighterpack.com or www.geargrams.com as a place to input and store your gear lists. They make it super easy and are an alternative to standard spreadsheets. However, if you're into serious spreadsheets then you ought to check this BPL article for templates and inspiration >
https://backpackinglight.com/2005_trip_ ... t_winners/

[Aushiker]

Further to Tim's comment I'd suggest using http://www.lighterpack.com or http://www.geargrams.com as a place to input and store your gear lists. They make it super easy and are an alternative to standard spreadsheets. However, if you're into serious spreadsheets then you ought to check this BPL article for templates and inspiration >
https://backpackinglight.com/2005_trip_ ... t_winners/

Thanks for the information. I was aware of Gear Grams but not the other website or the spreadsheets.

[jakeyarwood]

Thanks for the information. I was aware of Gear Grams but not the other website or the spreadsheets.

No problem sir!

[stephen_h]

Hi,

Several years ago I decided to set up my own spreadsheet to work out where my weight was and have since shed close to 4kg by updating my tent, pack, sleeping bag and cooking gear, and of course emptying my bank a/c in the process. I no longer really use the spreadsheet but it was instrumental in helping get my weight down.

In regards to the pack I can vouch for the Osprey Exos 58. Have taken this pack on many walks including two 11 day hike in Tassie and NZ. Despite the initial weight (22-24kg) it was still very comfortable, far more comfortable than my 3kg MacPac pack. With a smaller sleeping bag and paring back other gear one can fit a surprising amount in it. In times of desperation I have strapped my tent to the outside till i clear some room on the inside (food). For shorter walks it is perfect.

For the sleeping bag I bought the Sea to Summit MicroIII. I feel mixed about this sleeping bag. Not as warm as I was hoping for though i do easily get cold. With all my clothing and a down jacket it has gotten me through some very chilli nights including a few night above the snowline in the Andes. It is very light and small however and for most of my walking feel safe that I will be warm enough (down to few degrees below zero).

Tent wise I am now using the Tarp Tent Moment. Absolutely love this tent for it's light weight, ease of of use (very quick and easy to set up) and capacity to stand up to some pretty strong wind (best it set up facing into the wind and with all tents). Some issues with condensation and does not offer a lot of room, but for the weight and ease of use this is a very small compromise. Not sure how long it will last but has survived some challenging conditions so far.

Having lost all that weight I have unfortunately noticed I am adding it back on with few luxury items (extra food, camera gear), so one must be mindful of this.

Good luck, shedding weight will serve you well