weekend ultralight list

[cary bertoncini]

i'm working on my ultralight kit for a weekender overnight – maybe 30's to 40's for the low temp & possible rain (might do a foothill trip in next couple weeks)

i'm guessing or working off a failing memory for most of the weights

so far i have the following:
blast 18 pack – very basic model with no extras (3.2 oz)
trash compactor bag liner (2 oz)
montbell alpine ss #5 [japanese version with no zipper] (18 oz)
MLD bivy [sil bottom, dwr top] (8 oz)
GG Nightlight (8 oz)
BPL Nano 0 tarp with spectra cord (4.8 oz)
BPL Coccoon pullover (8.5 oz)
BPL UL60 Balaclava (1.9 oz)
Wool gloves (1.5 oz)
OR Zealot Jacket (7.5 oz)
Redledge Thunderlight rainpants (7.5 oz)
12 titanium stakes [4 heavy, 8 light] (4.2 oz)
merino/alpaca socks (1.5 oz)
microfleece pants (5.5 oz)
fleece shirt (7 oz)
89.1
folding titanium spork
Bushbuddy & BPL nesting pot
plastic cup
1L Bottle
personal/essentials baggie
first aid/survival baggie

[Nia Schmald]

All good stuff Cary. I'm hoping we can get a break in the rains to get out soon as well.

You could save a few ounces by using the torsolite rather than the nightlight. (Note: I tried these and now use a full size aircore)

Are the rainpants your only pants worn or do you have something else. Normally in the kind of conditions you're talking about I take softshell (schoeller dynamic) pants only.

Am I correct that you only have a base layer for your legs. I would be cold with a 40F bag at 30 with only a base layer. At 25 I think I would be miserable. Not much margin for error in my view. I like the montbell inner down pants for this extra margin.

The bushbuddy is pretty heavy. You could save a couple ounces there as well with a hobo style stove.

Just a few thoughts.

[cary bertoncini]

i have the torsolight but can't get a good night's sleep using only that – most of the time i use my BMW insulated aircore & i'm actually considering swapping up (it also takes up a lot less space in the bag, where space is limited

i'd probably be wearing a lightweight supplex type pant. if really cold, i'd wear the baselayer fleece pants with the rainpants over them while in the bag. even still – if it dropped much below freezing, i'd have a long night, i think. i've been down to just below freezing in windy conditions, though, with the fleece pants, my arc ghost quilt and a bivy (no tarp) & i wasn't wearing my insulated jacket that night

i'm considering going with no stove & just cooking with a fire, using rocks for pot support

[Robert Blean]

"i'm considering going with no stove & just cooking with a fire, using rocks for pot support"

Depending on where you are going, fire scarring the rocks may not be a very good thing to do.

[cary bertoncini]

true 'dat – i'm mostly thinking of sierra foothills near me & i'm talking about 2" rocks

i just toss them in the stream after

certainly wouldn't do it anywhere above treeline or along a busy trail ;)

[Ali e]

Cary, I'm learning to camp w/o fire and it sucks. When I was a kid I couldnt do anything without a fire. When I moved to the PNW I was very surprised that you cant have fire anywhere. If you are on the beaten path you should be able to find fire rings even deep in the BC. I'm often surprised by how many I find. If you are in a more prestine area you can carry a pie tin and keep the fire tiny which is what I do. Its easy to find pencile size twigs and with a bit of practice you wont leave any sign you were ever there. Just a thought. Ali

[Nia Schmald]

If you are worried about scarring you could try this 1 oz stove.

[cary bertoncini]

i just burn everything all the way and disperse – i don't use rocks to make a fire ring, just a few small rocks for pot supports sometimes

if you have a small fire & clean up afterwards, there's no lasting signs of it

[Tad Englund]

>if you have a small fire & clean up afterwards, there's no lasting signs of it<

I guess killing all the organics and dirt where you had the fire is ok? If you kill the soil you WILL have lasting signs even if you clean up.

Maybe we should review the cause and effect of what a fire can do to the soils if not it is not protected.

[cary bertoncini]

or i could just stay home – not going into the wilderness at all would certainly have less impact on it

a responsible small fire has no appreciable impact – driving to the trailhead impacts the environment more

eating beef has much more impact, which i don't do, so i guess i'm balanced on impact credits, or probably ahead of the game with regards to my couple of fires per year

then again, any one of us has used up more than our relative share of negative earth impacts just with the gear we own, just by being american consumers, no matter how green we are in our daily living

we eat a mostly vegan diet, growing some of our own in a backyard garden & getting a biweekly delivery of fruits & vegetables from a local organic co-op. the only meat we eat is fish, much of that caught wild by me or my dad. i drive about 3000 miles per year, and feel bad about every mile of it. but even with that, i am sadly aware that my impact is grossly over and above my relative share of what the earth can afford – the half dozen or so small fires i build responsibly each year are a tiny pinhead of the impacts i make, even in an average week, even trying to be a lightfooted american

[Tad Englund]

Cary, my comment was because your statement
"there's no lasting signs of it" just isn't true.
A fire is a fire and it does have an effect-

I too have a small fire when allowed. I’m trying to figure out how to replace the enjoyment of the fire- if you come up with anything please let me know.

[Joe Clement]

Nevermind. Edited to prevent a philosophical war.

[Denis Hazlewood]

"I’m trying to figure out how to replace the enjoyment of the fire- if you come up with anything please let me know."

Single Malt Scotch?

[cary bertoncini]

single malt scotch is nice sometimes

i think there are absolutely no absolutes on things like this – you have to look at where you are and deal with each situation according to what is reasonable

where i go in the foothills, my fires are generally within the flood plain of the river or sometimes stream, i keep them small, i don't hack off any living material, and i disperse everything afterwards – usually i build the fire in sand or gravel within the floodplain. i don't build fires if there is an extreme fire hazard – usually i don't build them at all in the hot, dry months. usually, it is winter or spring.

i think at opposite extremes: very low use areas and very high use areas *that have established fire pits* are where a fire is most reasonable – between these extremes it is less and less reasonable and becomes unreasonable at some point, but there are other variables, like supply of fuel, fire danger, etc. and they all must be weighed.

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