Well according to my recent purchase from zpacks its worth about 457 bucks a lb
Well according to my recent purchase from zpacks its worth about 457 bucks a lb
Trail Miles: 5,125.9
AT Map 1: Completed 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: Completed 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: Completed 23-24'
GSMNP900: 134.7(16.8%)
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
CDT: 210.9
BMT: 52.7
To be clear, I'm ranting for UL.
I agree the tarp scenario upgrading described could be part of the situation. But, from the OP's opening statements there is a larger goal(multiple goals)...hauling less wt at some personally defined palpable financial cost. I'm, as well as others, suggesting accomplishing these goals not solely from a buying new gear to save wt approach. That's relevant to the OP's question. It's a wider UL attaining perspective that conceivably might cost no money.
I am not advocating one should entirely ignore gear wt and bulk either. Let there be considered a more comprehensive strategy to achieving a lighter wt haul.
Not to arse kiss this is a good pt no one else mentioned. When one can repurpose or scale up gear paring down bulk and wt while selling their old gear or donating it - perhaps to those more needy - which I'd personally like to witness more, it offsets or possibly justifies the costs of new gear purchases...especially if you're trying to justify that eyeballed $600 DCF tent to the SO. How often do individuals buy gear for others in greater need or donate good condition usable excess gear(NOT left over trashed gear!)?
$10-15 ounce. I'm pretty well dialed in though and I look at it similarly to Malto. If something needs to be replaced, look at replacement cost and lighter alternatives for the price difference. Consider also you may have value left in your item that you can sell used (you can sell it here for free.) Further, you may continue to use the heavier item sometimes, either for hiking or other outdoor activity. You might lend it to a family member or hiking companion. Then it may eventually wear out and you can rationalize a new item as first stated (a very good strategy if you have a significant other).
I wore out two pairs of boots gardening, doing yardwork, & construction for instance. I use old sleeping bags car camping, canoeing, or let the dogs have them. Headlamps are great for home and car repairs or working outside. My nice stuff gets saved for hiking.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
I have tried to sell a very good pack and bag to no avail. It’s frustrating. I believe the prices are fair, but people want to buy used gear that is dirt cheap. I need to sell the bag to afford an upgrade, otherwise, I’ll have to go with layering, and increasing my pack weight.
(sorry to thread jack)
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
I'm all-in UL but bought a cheap hammock tarp from Amazon for about $20 for car camping, and I've even used it a couple of times for just this purpose. Better in a multi-day, base camp/car camp situation that it gets all the UV exposure, sap & crap etc rather than my $375 DCF tarp.
The Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter ~ Cam "Swami" Honan of OZ
Buy what you like, that you can afford. No one can decide this but you. Consider how often you expect to use the item, how long it will last. Some folks will spend $100 for a hat, and discard it at the next hiker box because they don't like the color. For other folks $100 is their hiking budget for the season.
Quite right. After I got all the bases covered with budget frugal items, now I plan on spending one Benjamin ($100US) on some upgrade each time I go out (3x/yr), and usually spend a bit more. It's justified many worthwhile improvements. It also gives me enough time between trips to think about what I need versus want and research the heck outta it before purchasing. Eventually I'll have a collection that someone with more disposable income might be able to aquire in one trip to REI, but it's all part of the learning curve that I enjoy figuring out.
Better question might be, given all the possible consequences, what's a pound worth (in all aspects) to you?
My feet and my sleep are the two things that cannot be skimped on. Period. I'll shortchange myself on just about anything else, but not those two.
Another thing to consider when purchasing good/lightweight, popular gear (oft times cottage made) is reselling what you don't end up liking or ends up not fitting your needs. I can't tell you how much different gear I swap in and out over the years and I generally come out 'ahead' on my purchases. I also buy used quite often.
1 pound is the weight savings I'd get from upgrading my bag to a WM Alpinlite, but those damn things never go on sale and I have yet to pull the trigger. So I'd say 1 pound is worth less than $560, but more than $450 at this point. WM, WHY YOU NO ON SALE!!
It is what it is.
My car camping gear is my former backpacking gear. Makes me feel less guilty about upgrading....
Long-distance aspirations with short-distance feet.... :jump
I just sent 70 dollars and increased my base weight by 2 lbs.
With regard to tents, a pound or two comes at a pretty steep price- at least to me. For my one person tent, I got a relatively cheap Marmot tent. It was about half the price of a MSR or Big Agnes, but weighs 3lbs. The high-end tents weigh under 2lbs. For me it came down to durability. I wanted a lighter tent, but couldn't justify the price. Yes, they are lighter, but I don't think they're as durable as the Marmot. While I love the Marmot, in addition to being heavy, it takes up a lot of room in my bag. If I were doing a long distance hike, I would probably need another tent. Most of my trips are just a couple days, so I can get away with the tent taking up a lot of room in my bag.
Turns out $100/lb works both ways for me - either to reduce from existing, or build from scratch. My old 20lb LW rig was completely redone to a 10lb UL rig that cost me ~$1000 in total.