Best ounce you ever carried?

[Dean F.]

I just thought of an interesting question…

What was the best ounce you ever carried? By this what I actually mean is this:

What "nonessential" item did you bring on a trip despite the fact that it added a nontrivial amount of weight to your base pack, but later decided that it was the best idea you'd ever had and thus a good weight sacrifice?

I suppose you could include items that were essential, but heavier than an alternative that you could have carried. For example, if you think the extra 6 ounces of insulation in your sleeping bag is Worth It, you can write that.

I suppose that almost ANY safety item is hard to classify as "nonessential", but if you want to tell the story of how your GPS or spare firestarter saved your life, feel free.

[Jonathan Ryan]

Last Sept I hiked the Grand Canyon and took a BPL inflatable pillow. I think it weigh's close to an ounce but it was great having it on that rock solid ground.

[John S.]

nm

[Sven Klingemann]

The extra 5-10 oz (depending on the reference) for a Downmat.
Sleeping warm and comfy is a must!!

[Mark Verber]

The best thing has been an insulated air mattress. I have used therm-a-rest and foam pads, but never gotten a good night sleep on them, even after a week on the trail when I am complete exhausted. Getting a good night sleep is priceless and certainly worth the extra 10oz over a similar sized foam pad.

Runners up which were not so useful on the trip itself, but incredibly helpful in evolving my approach:

1) Brunton ADC Pro WeatherStation… which let me compare my sense of the conditions against objective measurements and helped me understand the limits of my comfort with various gear/clothing -vs- conditions.

2) Small digital voice recorder for making notes and recording ideas. It was was faster than writing things down and could be used while hiking.

[mark henley]

My 3/4 length Max Thermo inflatable mattress would be number one by far.

A mid weight Balaclava would be number two.

An esbit tab for emergency fire starting would be three …. I've started fires in rain soaked forests on the first try with this method.

[George Matthews]

Item: Prepaid phone card

Reason: It gave me the capability to contact my ride using a pay phone after I changed my pickup location due to bad conditions. I'd incorrectly assumed I'd have cell phone coverage where I ended up.

[Gail Lusk]

An extra 1.9 ounces for the ThinLight pad, the other 3 oz was a MP3 Player. Really helped on the climbs when I needed an extra boost of energy!

ThinLight Pad…used in front of my tent to crawl in and out on, wonderful for the knees, and keeping clean. Used for a sit pad at rest stops and eating lunch.
Also used under my air pad to ease the worry of a puncture.

[Elliott Wolin]

Credit card.

After five days on the trail came across a restaurant at a road crossing and ate stuff I never eat (bacon/cheeseburger and fries). Tasted so-oo good!

[Chris Chastain]

My luxury is a 6.7oz (w/li batteries) AM/FM/Weather radio with a built in speaker. No headphones.

That's a lot of weight, but I really love having it in the evenings sometimes, and when heavy weather brews.

I am VERY open to suggestions if anyone knows of a lighter one with these 3 bands and a speaker.

[John S.]

Christopher, the Sangean DT300VW Pocket Radio should be half that weight. It looks to be discontinued, but someone may have one they want to get rid of. Some, in the past, thought the weather radio band reception wasn't great.

[Michael Crosby]

An MP3 player for those hard pushes long after I want to quit!

[Chris Chastain]

Thanks John… been looking for one of those.
No luck so far!

[Lynn Tramper]

An couple of ounces of good quality whiskey can do wonders for moral in the right circumstances ;)

Warms you
Soothes you
Can be used to disinfect wounds
Can be shared to make new friends
Pain killer
Sleeping aid

My partner would think a good cigar was the best ounce ever carried, but I sturggle to see how it would ever be multi-use.

[Joe Kuster]

A wedding ring – for when I proposed to my wife.

(do I win anything?)

[Mike Barney]

-A wedding ring – for when I proposed to my wife.
– (do I win anything?)

Your Wife!
Congratulations!

[Jason Brinkman]

A single best ounce? Shot of Don Julio Tequila at Fossil Lake, Beartooths, MT.

[Roman Dial]

Well, I'll leave it to the imagination…..

[mark henley]

"My partner would think a good cigar was the best ounce ever carried, but I sturggle to see how it would ever be multi-use."

Bill Clinton figured it out.

[Nathan Moody]

If we're talking a single ounce: Scotch, coffee, and chocolate. If you mean gear, my Kestrel weather station (but WAY more than one ounce).

[Dave T]

.

[Chad Miller]

An emergency pack of GU.

While I carry food to treat low blood sugar (I'm a diabetic) their was one occasion where I had to use my emergency, oh my god I'm gonna die GU reserve.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Chad, as a Type 1 diabetic I know exactly where you're coming from. My emergency packet of instant, freeze-dried egg soup and one chocolate bar saved me once, too, when I ran out of food five hours before the end of the trail. I was lucky I found out about missing the food before I took my insulin!

[cat morris]

Best ounce I ever carried?

Maui-Wowie Kaulau trail circa 1980

[Brad Groves]

It seems I have several favorite ounces. Many of them have been memorialized by George Thoroughgood. A few others are Scottish. ;)

I use a mondo 2" thick thermarest (the new Women's Trail Pro is 66" long, R-value about 1/3 higher than mens, 1 ounce lighter-31oz). Being a side sleeper, I personally find the pad essential, and it kinda puts a smile on my face.

I absolutely adore my Easton tent pegs. I've had the 8" ones for about 12 years now, never broken one, and they go into anything and've never pulled out. I just switched over to the 6".

A mil-spec floppy-brimmed jungle hat has been on every trip the last 17 years and I feel naked without it.

The following items are a bit embarassing in the given company… I've found that a 13oz 8×10 tarp goes with me on every trip now–in addition to the tent! I once carried a (gulp) Gerber pack ax on an early season canoe trip, and it saved us significant discomfort on a very wet cold day.

Perhaps the oddest best few ounces was a Goretex dry top I took on a canoe trip. One particular day was about 36, pouring rain, big winds, big waves. I wore an expedition Capilene under the drytop and was perfectly warm & dry. My friend was soaked to the bone and hypothermic.

Um, right. Posted, THEN realized this thread was a couple months old. Oops.

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