My gear list

Where, when do you hike? What are your goals for this gear list? What's your budget?

I'll just pick at what I see to be the easy stuff and assuming 3 season extended weekend type stuff in the lower 48…

* You should be able to lose about 16oz on a new pack suitable for roughly a 10 pound base weight. Think SMD, ULA, or GoLite.

* 3/4 length air mattress will save ~ 4oz or a CCF pad saves more if your so inclined

* Drop the pillow or get a Kookabay pillow and save 8oz to 9oz

* Down booties? Is this a 3 season list?

* Get 2 cuben fiber stuff sacks save 2oz

* Switch the pack cover to a plastic liner and save 3.5oz

* Switch camelback bladder for Platypus and save several ounces

* There are several 3 season warm hats available at 1.5oz

* mummy liner? Nix and save 4oz

I do most of my hiking in Georgia in the fall/spring, but sometimes late fall or early spring, thats why i have a mummy liner, down booties, warm hat etc. As for a budget, its pretty tight right now so i will look for the cheaper things first. Thanks for the Ideas though.

Luke

First off for cheap you can get a lexan spoon or spork and save some weight. Mine weighs 0.35oz and cost me $0.75 in 2005.

I don’t think a 4oz mummy liner will add any significant warmth although with only a 35* rated bag I can see why you need all you can get. You already are sleeping in long underwear for some warmth and to keep your bag clean.

For where you and I hike, I wouldn’t ditch the pack cover, but I would replace that one to save a few ounces. If you can sew you can make your own for cheap, but also check out the ones from Mountain Laurel Designs, Gossamer Gear and Z-Packs, they would more than cut that weight in half. Personally I use a pack liner and cover because it rains so much here.

Replace the Camelback with a platypus or Gatoraide bottles. What kind of water treatment are you using?

That is super heavy for a pillow. If you can’t rig one up with your sleeping bag stuff sack, raingear, etc, then I’d get the KookaBay one.

You could trade in your canister stove and canister for a Caldera Cone.

For some more expensive options you could replace your rain jacket with a Marmot Essence (6.4oz in M) that is on clearance at REI or for the cheap route you could go with a Dri Ducks jacket (5.1oz) if you only use it for on trail use.

You could replace your pack with a Gossamer Gear Gorilla or Mariposa Plus, or a ULA Circuit or Ohm and save some weight.

Items missing:

Do you not wear rain pants at all? It rains a lot in Georgia/Tennessee/North Carolina

Gloves?

Also I bet you could save some weight with the Misc Small Items. You would be surprised how much weight is in the little stuff.

Ditch the pack cover for a liner. You can get cheap ones here or at Gossamer Gear. You can also use trash compactor bags.

I've never worn a pair of rain pants. Over half of the year I don't carry a rain jacket either.

What do you do when it is like this weekend when I am going backpacking? I will have snow at the upper elevations but for the first few miles the forecast is 37* and rain. I did a trip last year over New Years when it was in the 30's and raining for 4 days straight.

Also – I use a pack cover as part of my Blaze Orange in the fall. I wish we didn't have to do that, but unfortunately we do.

When it's below 40 during the day (like today) I wear a softshell pant and definitely bring out the hard shell jacket. I usually bring a jacket when it gets to 50 or so. Above that I sweat too much under it for it to be worth wearing when I'm moving.

Disclaimer: You can get hypothermia being wet at these temps and what works for me may not work for you. Be smart about your gear.

Sorry to sidetrack things, but I'd like to know more about your homemade down booties, if you don't mind.

Thanks!

Thanks for the ideas guy! I am ordering some gloves, and i have water resistant pants, but no water proof ones.

About the down booties, we made 2 pairs of them out of 2 ounces of down and some ripstop nylon. They are only for sleeping in though, as they have the same ripstop nylon on the bottom of the bootie as well. I tried them out the other day in my back yard, in a 35 degree bag, it got down to about 39 i think and my feet stayed warm. See the pic below. We were thinking about selling a few pairs, but im not sure how many.

also, they now have elastic on the tops and come with stuff sack also made out of ripstop nylon.

Nice! I might be interested if you sell a few pairs. I have a very similar set of "Down Socks" made by Sierra Designs that I use for winter trips (below 20* for me) I only paid $7 at a REI sale but they weigh 6.3oz and I would love to get a lighter option.

As for gloves I really like the Mountain Hardwear Powerstretch gloves (1.4oz) but also like a pair of light gloves from Lands End of all places, they are the Thermacheck 100 Gloves (100 wt fleece) and they only weigh an ounce even.

I use a ULA Rain Wrap (3.1oz) in the summer but use Golite Reed Rainpants (5.6oz) in cooler weather. Since Golite discontinued the Reeds, I don't know what rainpants to recommend to people. I know Montane has a light pair.

I believe the easiest way to shave some weight would be to get a lighter pack. I think you can find something in the 1 1/2 lb. range for under $100. The Golite Jam or Granite Gear Virga for example. The GG Virga will shave nearly a pound from your weight. BTW I got my Granite Gear Virga for $60 shipped from Backcountry.com outlet a year or so ago. Plus it has a lifetime warranty!

If you have a 35 degree bag there isnt going to be any true winter trips so I see no need in having such a warm pad like the Prolite 4. You could save 1/2 lb. by switching to a 3/4 CCF pad.

I think a sleeping bag liner is nothing but an annoyance for the little bit of insulation it provides. 4 ounces of clothing would do more to keep you warm.

The pillows awfully heavy! Use what you allready have, a stuff sack full of clothing for example. I use my shoes under my sleeping pad as a pillow.

Your hydration bladder could be replaced by two Platypus 1L bottle and you could save a few oz.. Or you couls go with a few plastic water or gatorade bottles which costs only a few dollars.

Your stove, canister and pot are over a pound. You could cut a few oz. off of that by switching to a alcohol stove. This will cost very little as you can make the stove and windscreen yourself.

My Snowpeak Ti spork is only 0.6 oz. and I feel it is kinda heavy. What are you using?

If you list what your misc. items are and the weight we might be able to save you a few more oz..

Joseph

Thanks for the help. I have a plastic spork (light my fire) and didnt really know where it was, so i guessed the weight, maybe i guessed to much…

Luke