1st post plus Tentative Gear List

[Kate Moody]

Ok, pictures speak louder than words. That last pic convinced me! That is the level of stability I was looking for! Rainbow for me then.
Also, yeah, I know, gotta stake out the rain flys on either, the concern was staking for the corners even with the freestanding mode. You convinced me tho.

[Marko Botsaris]

"That is the level of stability I was looking for!"

Just don't let it get away from you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mp1HJLHAEA&noredirect=1

Tremendously entertaining, so long at it isn't your own free standing tent. :-)

[Kate Moody]

So you are saying I shouldn't use my tent as a kite to have a "lighter than air" base pack weight? How traditional of you! ;)
I of course would attempt (ahem) to weight the thing down if I couldnt stake it. And wouldn't pitch in an unstakable area if there were high winds present.
Also, I have been keeping my posts to this thread as I am still a newb, but wanted to say that due to something you said in another thread about women feeling secure on the trail that any cape wearing squirrel is a good squirrel in my book!

[Kate Moody]

Any recommendations on a small lightweight (duh! ;) ) stove that can effectively do both esbit and alcohol? Also would like the esbit burning mode to not scorch the ground, keep the esbit melt in place, and be able to act as a pot stand. Oh, I want it to provide a genie when I rub it, too! I am not interested in wood burning as an aspect of this, so it doesn't need to have that option. Also, I would be primarily using it for esbit, but would use alcohol as a backup (everclear if I ran out of esbit, or heet if I couldn't get any right before a trip)

[Link .]

TRAIL DESIGNS TI TRI system burns esbit , alcohol and wood. They are very efficient and highly regarded.If you are not interested in the wood burning aspect they have the Caldera Alcohol/Esbit Systems , the wind screen is the pot stand and is made according to the pot you use.

[Bob Shaver]

Your gear list looks pretty good, and would no doubt work fine and be better than most. Some items I'll mention have already been mentioned:

the Caldera Cone Ti Tri is awesome. I've used it in all seasons and fuel types, and I love it. I also cook fish, bake with an outback oven, make pasta, scalloped potatoes, cornbread, and pizza in it, and not every stove/pot combination can do that.

I'd look at Tarp Tents also. I have a Squall 2, and use it mostly for solo hiking. It is less than 2 pounds, not counting hiking poles. I hike in the generally dry western mountains, and dispense with the Tyvex ground sheet. That saves a pound. My tents don't wear out on the bottom, and I don't set them up in water trapping depressions. Have never regretted not having a ground sheet.

Down vs synthetic: I use a 32 degree Western Mountaineering down bag for 3 seasons, and use a WM down coat to supplement when needed. My sleeping bag is almost as light as a quilt, and I don't get cold spots. I don't know if its so wet where you are that a synthetic bag works out better, but down stuffs way easier, and lasts till the zipper breaks, or the seams bust out.

I'd skip the space blanket.
I'd take a neoaire pad, so I can sleep on my side and not have my hips and shoulders bottom out.

my breakfasts are the first 4: bagels toasted in butter, plus Canadian bacon and cheese slice. after 4 days, cereal with dried milk.

lunch: no cook snack foods
dinner: pasta dishes, scalloped potatoes, rice dishes,
sturdy plastic spoon
fire starting: several bics, plus striker, and waterproof matches with vaseline soaked cotton balls, cotton lint in fire starting kit.

I have an MSR mini, and Aquamira if hiking where the water is dirty. In the desert I take a silt prefilter

rain gear: I usually skip the rain pants, but always bring a rain coat. I'll bring rain pants it ifs likely to rain hard and long.

clothes: long sleeve nylon
I don't take long johns except in winter.

a head net (for bugs) weighs nothing, is a lifesaver.

I make sure the light has new batteries, then don't take a spare.
I use braided dacron fishing line, 150 lb test, instead of paracord. Its way lighter and more compact.

I take a sturdy plastic cup and bowl. The bowl fits in the 1.9 L ti pot

small micro fiber face cloth

I take about 8 drugs (tylenol, motrin, pepto bismol, etc) like 10 tablets each, in tiny plastic zip locks. Doesn't take much weight, but gives some treatment options. I take 3" x 3" sterile pads, and a stretchy wrap in case pressure needs to be applied to stop bleeding. Once you do mountain rescue or ski patrol (I've done both) its hard to skimp on first aid.

food: 2 pounds a day.

Knife: you can't go wrong with a mora light my fire, with fire steel in the handle. wieghs 2.8 oz.

for trips up to 9 days, a 65 L pack works for me.

More ideas at http://www.backpackingtechnology.com

[Cesar Valdez]

Salutations and welcome! I have a soft spot for newbies to UL, seeing as not too long ago I was one. After being a more "traditional" and even "bushcraft" type backpacker for many years–which means my base weight was pretty heavy, not to mention less efficient and multi-use–I can tell you that going UL/SUL (and even a few XUL trips) has been a very rewarding experience. And in the end, my outdoor experience is simply leaps and bounds better than before.

We also share a few things in common, as we are both long winded and have similar diets, I would add. I don't have the time right now to read the entire thread, so I will reply to your OP directly. Anything I repeat that others have said may also be a good indication of good advice, perhaps.

"Shelter/Sleep System:
Marmot EOS 1
Tyvec ground sheet
Z-lite Pad (full length with last two folds cut off for seat/pack support/pillow filler)
30* Synthetic sleeping bag (No idea what brand)
Space Blanket (backup ground sheet/vapor barrier if the temp drops below expectations)"

I knew nothing about your tent, so did a quick google search. 1114g I'd say is pretty heavy. I gathered that you're not ready for a tarp system (yet), but there are tents out there that literally weigh half of this weight (but of course are expensive). My first UL shelter was a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1, and I was pretty happy with it. I now use it for car camping with my kids. Anyhow, Bit Agnes makes some not bad tents. The Scout Plus UL2 has a listed trail weight of 850g, and that's a two person tent. I would have bought this tent if it was around at the time of buying my FCUL1. Tarptent has some excellent tents too. The Rainbow is around 900g and a very roomy 1 person tent.

I prefer plastic ground sheets (e.g. garbage bag cut in half the long way, painter drop cloth, etc.) to Tyvek, though Tyvek is tougher. It's not 100% waterproof though like plastic sheets are, and it weighs more.

Foam pads are cool. I used them for years as my primary sleeping pads, and still use them on occasion and to supplement my air pads in cold weather. If it gets around freezing or below, you'll want to double up on foam pads or look into inflatable pad plus foam pad. Or a really warm inflatable pad.

There are plenty of indie/cottage sleeping bag people willing to make you a synth bag, don't worry about it. MLD Spirit quilt, for instance. Or you can make your own by buying the materials, like from Thruhiker.

Space blanket I would only take if it was really cold, and I personally have ditched them in place of other solutions for emergency warmth. For instance, you can make a vapor barrier out of a garbage bag, or put your rain gear on as your base layer and then put the rest of your clothing on top of it. It won't be very comfortable and will fit really "off" and bulky, but it will save your ass in a cold bind.

Cook kit and water kit seem fine. Cook kits seem to be something a lot of people (myself included) like to play with and modify. I wouldn't take a whole two bottle set of Aqua M. as a backup, just a few pills or tiny bottle of bleach.

Clothing can be a very tricky nut to crack to get your perfect combination for a particular season or conditions. You're just going to have to do trial and error and see what works, but of course take a little more clothing rather than too little as a newbie. Synth base layers will stink faster than other choices, as you probably already know by now, so be ready to either stink or wash them more. Shoes are also a very person-to-person choice, and on top of that, terrain can/should have a lot to do with your choice. I think about 90% of my trips for the past few years have been with barefoot shoes (e.g. Merrell Trail Gloves). But recently I began section hiking a long trail (Sweden's E1 trails) that has big patches of road/asphalt hiking, which generally sucks for your feet. For the first time in years I got big blisters due to road hiking, so I very recently bought a pair of light-ish weight, barefoot-esque boots for my next hike in a week. My point is adapt, learn, experiment, improve, and keep an open mind with backpacking in general–but especially clothing and shoes, if you ask me.

Tools/navigation/toiletries/first aid seems fine. I would add firestarting kit, even if it's a "just in case" thing, and they don't weigh much. A few Esbit tabs or a tea light candle plus an extra small pack of matches or mini-Bic should only be around 50g or so. If you plan on going off-trail, I'd also a fire-steel type striker and a GPS or cell phone.

Pack is another very tricky nut to crack. I never used any ULA packs. After trying many packs out (both trad and UL), my favorite packs are made by Zpacks. Buy your pack last after you gather all of your gear. Make sure you remember to include space for food and luxuries too in your estimate for a potential pack. I have a 33l and a 52l pack that suit me very well for all my UL/SUL backpacking needs.

Food and menu looks fine. I don't eat most dairy and only eggs and seafood as far as meat goes, and after some simple planning, it's easy for me to throw food in my pack for trips. If you're lazy, check out Outdoor Herbivore meals. I've had several of them before, and a lot of them were pretty good–though a few were not so good. Cos-Cous is good too, as are powdered beans, lentils, ramen, peanut butter, and a little bottle of hot sauce. And don't forget to eat luxury food your first night out and also on re-supply days! Nothing like fresh hot dog rolls with fire-grilled soy dogs followed by a fresh mango and strawberries and then a bottle of wine, for example.

The no wool/down/leather thing is going to present a challenge. Ethics aside, wool and down especially are very useful, efficient, and pragmatic. But of course it's perfectly possible not to use them. The idea of not having my down sleeping bags or clothing makes me cringe, though. Just sayin.

Anyhow, I hope this post is helpful, and I wish you luck on your journeys. Get out there and experience nature, even if you don't have the "best" gear or whatever. If you take a trip and you had fun and were safe, the trip was a success.

[Barry P]

“Any recommendations on a small lightweight (duh! ;) ) stove that can effectively do both esbit and alcohol? “

This guy makes excellent alcohol stoves http://www.ebay.com/itm/370554317255
He sells it with a pot stand and windscreen which all should fit in a pot and stay protected. The nice thing about the pepsi stove is you just turn it over and it becomes an Esbit stove.

-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

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