Hi there, my name is michael i've been backpacking for 4 years.
I speak french so i am sorry for my crappy writing !
I,ve been reading this forum for a long time now(1-2 year).I just decided today to finaly subscribe and see all the article the site had to offer , also i wanted to share my setup whit you guyz to help me adapt it even more.
What i like about this setup is that it contain :
1.Fully enclosed shelter :
i know i could go alot lighter by using a Poncho-tarp setup and i have done it a couple of time , but what i dont like about it is bug protection.I also like the feeling of having a little home and having some privacy while i'm whit friends .
2.Air matress :
For a living i got a furniture moving compagny and my back is really important to me,In fact it is the first reason that got me into lighweight backpacking , also i dont seem to have good night of sleep on Closed cell foam mats.
3.Water filter :
Whit the weight of the Sawer filter i only see advantage , it is fast, it filter alot better than a bandana it alow me 1 more liter of water carrying capacity, i also really like not having to put chemicals in it , i still have some micro pur tabs in case of failure.
4.Rain protection top whitout puncho :
why whitout puncho ? because did you ever had to go to the toilet in the middle of the night , just to realise its raining real bad and you cant get your rain gear unless you plan on undoing all your sleep system ? well i hope you wont have to :)
I shall make picture on my next trip for you guyz
So for the weight ?
Disclamer: the Zero backpackweight is guesstimated as it is currently being made i used the 52 arc blast before that but had alot of free space.Please see question #6
i actualy split it in 3
First : on june and july when its at the warmest im at the lightest 4.94 lbs
Second : to allow me to hike from may to september i add the Mt bell x light jacket :5.2 lbs
Third : this one is heavy but it allowed me to go as low as -10C i will try to push it next winter :8.48 lbs
3 season pack :
http://lighterpack.com/r/6ii17
Winter pack :
http://lighterpack.com/r/cauh01
So what do you think of it ? all critic good or bad are welcome it will help me improve !
i am ready to try almost anything as long as it keep the advange i posted above.
Now for the question i had :
1. What would be the lightest 550 ml Pot wich is durable /no foster pot
2.On the net i saw the xlite for female had 10g less, was a little shorter but had an higher R rating meaning it could handle lower temp whas is behind it ? would it be worth the switch
3.I was thinking about asking joe at Zpack if he could make me a custom Challenger shorts , instead of pants to hike in instead of my swimming shorts , figured it could go at 50-60 grams i really like the material , but i only put it on some ocasion , do you think it would be a good idea as main short ? it seem durable to me but again i dunno i guess i just want some opinion on it, im thinking that a short would ave that much problem breathing since the fabric is already breathable .
4. Would you trust a plastic -disposable spoon for a week long hike instead of a Ti one ? mine is at 18 G and im thinking i could do sometime about it
5.i guess not really Sul but i am thinking of a trip were i would just go bush wacking off trail for a week whit a friend for the trill of it and i was thinking of buying the Delorm explorer whit a member ship , have any one tryed it ? is it worth its money , and would it require a battery bank/solar charger to make it last 7 days ?
6. if anyone could give me the exact weight of a zero hybrid cuber fiber/large pack from zpack ,also do you think i should have chosen the normal 1.43 cuben instead ? i know my arc blast is in the hybrid cuben and it is so durable even after 2 years it got no sign of wear, all i want for this pack is to stay alive 3 years , afther that i would not mind buying another.
I am sorry if some question have already been answered on the forum i just subscribed and though i would post them at the same time.
Thanks for reading this have a good one ,
Mike.


