Best Lightweight Somethin, Somethin?

[tuswm]

TT DR. Its free standing and we go places you need that. and put together the GF and i are < 300 LBS. so thats plenty of room.

GSI full sized dualist paired with snow peek giga. The snow peak has a flame with larger area when its turned down. The temp control at low temps is not nearly as good as my PR but it cooks delicate things better. Also this pot has the best non stick I have ever seen in or out of a kitchen also it has the ceramic coating for even heat distrabution. The combination of these two will let you cook anything you want and everything fits inside, it takes up little room in your pack. People complain about its weight when full but you have to remember it has fuel, stove, pot, lid, sink, 2 cups, 2 bowls, 2 foons, and a lighter. That is everytihng you need to feed 2 to 4 people. its not much of a weight penelty when you consider what else you no longer have to carry. I lead trips and this never stays home unless I am solo. I have a dozen alky stoves, MSR PR, MSR wisper international, MSR simmerlight, MSR reactor, 3 different styles of jet boil......And atleast 20 pots. They all have advantages, weight, speeed, cold weather, cooking ability. The snow peak giga + GSI dualist is light ish, KISS, and has the ability to cook anything you can cook at home on a stove. /rant

Kershaw chill - long blade, keeps and edge, full metal skeleton frame for strength, about 1 OZ. no other knife is as light with a blade that long, and a frame.


I would love to see a thread called what is your worst piece of gear that you keep brining.. mine would be my REI sub kilo 20* down sleeping bag. nice and light and pakc small but its cut WAY to slim and its maybe a 35* bag. The zipper is in the wrong place to mate bags, leaks feathers, rips all the time, cant return it cuz its got an X. my only other bag is a marmot 650 fill 0* bag that is too big too heavy and to warm for anything other than winter camping(great bag). there for I allways carry and allways hate my REI bag.

[R00K]

My Zpacks Exo is my favorite.
Next? Next week I'm ordering a MontBell EX vest.

[TRAUMAhead]

Favorite piece is either my windshirt (Patagucci Houdini) or my trailrunners (Inov-8 Roclite 295s). Never had any problems with my boots (Asolo Fugitive GTX), but I just love the weight (or lack of) and huge toebox of the 295s. I keep the Asolos for trail maintenance duty.

My next major purchase is probably going to be a quilt to replace my Rab bag. The 1/2 (more like a 1/3 zip) is a pain in a Tarptent Moment.

[Transient Being]

My recent splurge has netted me some awesome gear. Today I received a mont.bell ul down jacket 800 fill. Weighed it right after I got it.....8 whole ounces. I should be getting my summerlite bag in soon, that I just know is gonna be awesome as well, 32 deg. bag that weighs 19 ounces, double dancing bannas! And ordered a light heart gear tent that's 27.5 ounces, a little more than a contrail, but much larger.....I may never want to come back home. With all these weight savings, I'll have to find some useless junk to carry now.

[dandandan]

My favorite pieces of gear are the ones that are as cheap as they are lightweight. So my favorites would have to be my alcohol stove which weighs 0.4 oz and was free, and my k-mart grease pot that came in at an insurmountable $6 and weighs 3.25 oz.

[STICK]

I gotta throw in my NeoAir as one of my favorite lightweight pieces. As well, I have really been enjoying my DIY Mini Atomic Knock off stove. 0.3 oz and works like a champ! I am sure that once my Zpacks Blast 30 pack arrives it will quickly become one of my favorite pieces of lightweight gear too...

Next, will be a ZPacks Cuben Fiber Hexamid Solo Plus with the Cuben Solo Plus ground sheet. Should order that pretty soon and have it in a matter of weeks... And why? I will drop 10+ oz from my current solo shelter, and this can be used for 2 in a pinch which will work great when my son or wife comes along. Highly waterproof material, and NO STRETCH material!

[BrianLe]

The latest new gear is often the favorite, as we're hopefully appreciating the new benefits while taking for granted all the great things about gear that we've had for a while.
This year I quite liked my Montbell EX Light down jacket, and OR Helium rain jacket --- to the point that I bought one each for my wife for Christmas. Lightheart Solo tent was also a great purchase. And I'd count my Black Diamond whippet as something "light" because even though it's ugly heavy for a trekking pole, it meant that I didn't carry an ice axe.

And as I've so often said before, "I'm done now, I have all the gear that I need".

[CrumbSnatcher]

i'm switching from a bic lighter to a mini-bic lighter
should save about .02 oz.

[STICK]

i'm switching from a bic lighter to a mini-bic lighter
should save about .02 oz.

(Clears throat)

It would actually be 0.2 oz, NOT 0.02 oz. So, the weight savings is substantial.

Also, FWIW, you will save even more if you will find one that is only half full...

[CrumbSnatcher]

(Clears throat)

It would actually be 0.2 oz, NOT 0.02 oz. So, the weight savings is substantial.

Also, FWIW, you will save even more if you will find one that is only half full...

the extra zero was part of the joke :-)
thanks for the correction, sorry just being a smartass
happy new year everyone :-)

[STICK]

the extra zero was part of the joke :-)

As was my response...

[mkmangold]

Best move: Zelph's Venom alcohol stove. Sent a bunch of them to Haiti in hopes of preventing the spread of cholera and other water-borne diseases.My next dream? I'm thinking of a waterproof pack from Cabelas. Not sure yet since there are no side pockets to house the usual ring of suspects.

[Bat321]

Cuben tarp and my carbon fiber trekking poles from GG.

[msupple]

I'm getting a lighter hammock.
Switching to a cuben tarp.
Ditching my pump for Aquamira.
Carrying an Emberlit woodstove to eliminate carrying fuel of any kind.

[atmilkman]

During my last trip a funny, yet interesting topic occurred. I am sure the topic of gear has never happened on the trail before.

What is your one favorite piece of lightweight gear you bring?

What do you plan on buying next and why?

My favorite piece of gear I bring now is my air-guitar because I'm really learning to wail and jam on that thing. The next thing I'm gonna bring is my new air-fiddle cause I'm a gonna start some heavy duty boot-scootin'.

[garlic08]

My favorite gear is the stuff I leave at home and don't have to carry anymore. Probably the best thing I don't use anymore is my stove. Since going stoveless, hiking has gotten much more enjoyable. And leaving the stove home enabled me to finally break the 10 pound barrier and start using UL frameless silnylon packs that weigh less than 10 ounces.


Seriously though, my favorite UL stuff is a probably my Gossamer Gear G5 pack, which is discontinued and I don't know what I'll do when I need to replace it--probably take it apart and try to reverse-engineer it. Next is probably my Tarptent Contrail, which has yet to let me down in 6000 trail miles.

[Mike2012]

My LL Bean Ultralight 850 Down Jacket will have me hoping for cold nights so I can wear it. It's a pound and .6 oz but worth it for the warmth and I could afford it since it was on sale. I'm not an ultralighter but I appreciate the options to lighten my load.

[Miner]

My favorite gear still reamins my solo sized cuben fiber tarp that I got back in 2008. Still one of the lightest shelters for something I so rarely used (I normally cowboy camp).

Out west, water weight can be a significant portion of the weight you carry. So, I've been thinking about trying out that dehydrated water that a guy I met so raved about.

[prain4u]

Favorite current light gear: Trail runners, sleeping quilt, and an alcohol "stove" made from an Altoids "smalls" box (2 3/8" X 1 5/8" X 1/2").

Next Purchases: I am usually a hammock hanger. However, I also want to have a "light" (but somewhat "bomb-proof") tent and a "light" (but warm) sleeping bag option for use in colder and wet weather. Yes, I know that I can make my hammock "four season" with the right quilts and such. However, if I am going to carry a hammock AND multiple "winter weight" quilts AND/or sleeping pads--I would rather just "go to the ground" for winter camping and snowstorms.

Any suggestions?

[Sarcasm the elf]

I've been too lazy to go on any actual overnights lately and have just done a few day hikes. Really helped me cut down my base weight.