SUL Gear list

Considering your base weight you're carrying an awful lot of water. And food, though maybe you're a big guy!

No sleeping mat at all?

An 8×10 piece of plastic weighs only 6oz?
Nice. How fragile is it and do you have to replace it often?
How do you attach the lines? Do you do it like described in "Beyond Backpacking"? -tied to the bunched up corners.

Dude, you're XUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a typo I think of your worn clothing, third column reading "function". It should read "example"?

No- not XUL. That usually means under 5 pounds skin out weight meaning clothing and trekking poles too.

My question is about your shelter and sleep system. Have you used that plastic sheet in the field? I'd be concerned about durability and wind stability. You also might want to add a pad- that insulation is very important.

Great list- have you used it yet? Have a trip in mind?

My SUL list might be helpful to see some other ideas…

Right on!
Doug

Doug you can pick whichever definition you chose. I chose to think of XUL as it was first described by Glen Van Peski years ago, a sub 4 base pack weight.

http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Photos_Sub_4_2005

What are you sleeping on Even just a ground cloth? Very Spartan!! You will be very uncomfortable in the nights-trust me. A mid-weight even a heavy sleeping pad can make all the difference in the world. You get a good nights rest and you will hike better the next day.

-Jay

Not to sound harsh, but your gear list looks good in theory but lacks a few key elements. Of particular note are two pieces of missing gear, a sleeping mat and tights. Atop the list you mention the limits of the list as being 32 deg F. A gear list without a sleeping mat or a baselayer for the legs could realistically push temperatures down to 50 deg F perhaps.

I know this is a bit of a hijack, but…

>Doug you can pick whichever definition you chose. I chose to think of XUL as it was first described by Glen Van Peski years ago, a sub 4 base pack weight.

As had been discussed ad nauseam in other thread, there is only so much value in a name, but I agree with Doug here. Glen may have used the phrase first, but applying it to the kind of hiking that Alan did (<5 lbs skin out) is more meaningful. We could create a new designation for every pound fluctuation in our packs, but then we really are creating names for their own sake.

As we go down the grades – Light to UL to SUL – each designation represents a different paradigm of gear choices. Even though the difference between 4 and 5 pounds in one's pack is different than the difference between 9 and 10, you're still in the same ballpark. It's not that hard to dump many ounces, even pounds by simply carrying more and putting less in your pack. Glen's skin-out weight during that trip was 7.78 lbs, and his list looks like a nice, low SUL gear list. But Alan's <5lbs skin-out trip was of a different kind – his gear list was far more simplified, as was the character of the hike that resulted. It was a different kind of hike, and one where a new name – XUL – may have some meaning.

I actually have used kits similar to this, except the gear was alot heavier.

I have confidence in the plastic sheet as shelter, using the Boy Scout way of doing it by putting a rock in it then tying string around it. I actually have used this system (not as shelter but gear storage) with good success in windy weather, as long as it wasn't pitched more than about 4ft. high.
Mine weighs 6oz with the ridgeline and guylines,
the durability is good, for a couple nights, as long as you are gentle. C'mon guys! knowledge and care can be traded to carry less weight.

yeah, that Clothing worn error was a typo.

And yes, I am a big guy, and I don't want to go too hard-core, since this wil be my first SUL trip, and there isn't too much margin for error.

What I meant about the temps was NOT below freezing.
If you think that temps down to 33F with summer clothing worn to bed is litle extreme, maybe for you, but not me! I am a toasty oven sleeper.

I have gone without a sleeping pad before, even without building a bed of pine needles and boughs, (in summer).

I plan to use this on a car-camping trip the first couple times.

Godspeed and go light,
Evan

I corrected the error in Clothing worn,
and replaced the mug with a yogurt cup.

changes made, and Full Skin out weight is now available.

-Evan

Who am I kidding, no sleeping pad on my first SUL trip?
Sleeping pad is now on the list, but my base weight is still under 4lbs.!