Where would you spend your money?

[Einstein X]

I'm ready to make the step from ultra light to SUL. Here's the shortlist of my current gear:

Bivy-Bag-Pack (HM): 21 oz
Poncho: 18 oz
Sleepingbag: 36 oz
TAR: 9 oz
Kitchen: 13 oz (to be replaced with Daves 50g Kitche set-up)
Poles: 15 oz (can be lighter but am happy with these)
Shoes: 29 oz
Remaining: 28 oz

Now I want to replace some of my gear with lighter items before my next big hike next fall. I can buy a whisper and save about 17 oz on the BP, but by doing so I'll loose the bivy. Adding a bivy to my gear will add about 5 oz, but that'll still be 12 oz lighter than my curent bivy-bag-pack. In addition I'll also be about $200 to $300 lighter for the whisper and a MLD bivy.

I can also buy a Nunatak SB and save 18 oz, but that'll cost me a whopping $350.

The poncho could be lighter and even the shoes could be lighter. Or maybe the TAR, that will be a cheap weight reduction, but also a small weight saver or maybe the misc. items or or???

So where would you spend your money??

Eins

[Drowned Lemming]

On the sleeping bag. (Well, I just have, anyway!).
Not only a major weight saving, but it will last for a long time, so the high initial cost is spread over a long period.
And the exchange rate is quite favourable at the moment.

[David Wills]

Personally, I would go with an inexpensive silny poncho and save about 10 oz (+or-). Instead of nunatak, go with a JRB quilt if you insist on down to save $.

[Jeroen Wesselman]

Hi Eins,

i would go for the bag/bivy combo. But getting a MLD bivy on short term could be difficult, they have a ten week backlog.

On august 15 I will get my MLD Soul Bivy from the states, a relative is coming over and bringing it for me. Exciting

If you are interested I have a Whisper G6 i am willing to sell, the seams are sealed and it is used only once and ….it's in Amsterdam , so if you're interested just let me know.

Groeten
Jeroen

[Steven Evans]

Money would be well spent on a bag or tarp. Not sure what temps you are trying to hit, but a 36 oz bag seems rather heavy considering the options out there. You can pick up a cheap poncho/tarp and cut that 18 oz in half. What type of cash flow do you have available?
I just tried a new sleep setup posted in the Multi-use section. Might be of interest to you.

[Einstein X]

@ Jeroen: I would be definitely be interested in your whisper, if only to just have it in my hands for once and have an up and close look at it. For how much would you be selling it?

@ Stephan: Those 36oz for my SB are a lot, though it's a normal sleeping bag and in it's category it's pretty light. This SB is rated at about 30F, but when going SUL I want to use my clothes and SB into one sleeping system. I expect nights to be a bit above freezing (0 to 10 deg C) on most of the nights. So I guess the temp rate should be (considering loft lost over some years of use) around 32F.

My cash flow sucks at the moment: just got a nice letter from the tax company telling me I should pay quit a bit, maybe that'll even mean my planned fall hike is off :(

To all: so how cheap are those Silnyl ponchos you're talking about and who makes them?

Eins

[Jim Colten]

To all: so how cheap are those Silnylon ponchos you're talking about and who makes them?

here's one: http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=9996340&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1

Or, if you can get the use of a sewing machine, about $25 of fabric and sundries from Thru-Hiker would get you what you need to make one.

[Jeroen Wesselman]

Hi Eins,

als je nog geinteresseerd bent of gewoon de Whisper even wilt zien (en voelen) stuur een mail via mijn profiel (PM)

Jeroen

[Einstein X]

I think I decided what to do. Due to the nice people at the tax company I won't have the money to buy a sleepingbag, so I decided to take the stuff I already have on my next fall hike. This will teach me more about my equipment and how I like to use it, what works and what doesn't.

Than for the next hike (spring next year) I want to make my own gear. I'll make my own backpack, bivi and probably the poncho as well and who knows maybe I'll even make a windshirt. This will give me gear which are exactly the way (I think) I want it to be. The main disadvantage of the whisper and the MLD revelation is that they don't have pockets on shoulderstraps and hipbelts, which I think is mandetory.

I will probably buy Jeroens Whisper and take that as a food stuffbag on my fall hike. Than when I have eaten enough food and thus am sufficiently light I'll carry my stuff in the whisper instead of my homemade bivi-bag-pack to see what I like/don't like about hiking with such a small bag, so I know what and what not to make in a MYOG BP project.

All I have to save money for now is the Nunatak. Hope the dollar stays at this low course or gets even lower in the next couple of months.

Eins

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Eins,

I used a Nunatak Arc Ghost for years but have recently switched to a Bozeman Mountain Works setup including a Cocoon jacket, hood, and pants mated with their lightest Cocoon quilt. Slip this into a UL bivy and you've got a great setup- very versatile (see my gear list for details).

Another choice is the new Golite quilt that will be coming out. A great way to save a lot of cash if you really want down.

A lot of people love the Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape. The Integral Designs Sil Poncho is $75 and the Golite Poncho Tarp is just $50. Good weight savings there.

Have fun!
Doug

[Steven Bergeron]

Eins,

As far as a bivy goes, I intend to make one for the same reason you posted ("… will give me gear which are exactly the way (I think) I want it to be.") but I can't see doing it unless I can work out a design that is no more than 4 oz and about $40 US. Otherwise I'll buy a Titanum Goat Basic Bivy (the regular size will work for me). It's not what I'd design but if I can't beat the weight for the same cost, I'll get theirs. And at $40 I won't be reluctant to customize it. Just a thought.

ZPacks sells shoulder strap and waist belt pouches. I bought a shoulder pouch when I bought my Zilch it works great on the Zilch and my Gregory Z Pack. Joe was great to work with (very patient, quick to respond to emails, and delivered a very custom Zilch when promised) and he will custom make the pouches too (not just my experience, it's offered on his web site). You'll just have to wait until he gets back from through hiking the PCT (the bum – yes, I'm jealous) to place an order.

Steve

[Einstein X]

Steve,

great tip about the ti goat bivi. I really don't have lots of demands yet for a bivi cause I haven't done a lot of bivi-ing yet. The main reason I wanted to MMO was for the fun of it and to be able to impress people with hiking with home made gear, but at $40, which at the moment is like only €1 :P there's little point in making one. I'll definitly keep ti goat bivi's in mind. For my bivi's bottom I planned on cutting a tent footprint (Nylon PU coating) into a bivi floor shape than cutting some Momentum90 in the same shape, sew together except for the head area and up to about my elbow on one side, add a zip or velcro et voila a bivi, but I guess I'll get a nicer product from ti goat and after a while of using and knowing what I want in a bivi I can still MMO.

As for the ZPack pockets they look ok, but I still wanna make my own pack. Thanx for the link though, didn't know ZPacks yet.

Eins

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