Ultralight Gear List (southeast, summer, hot & humid)

[jacob thompson]

Pretty good choices there. There are just the few general things that many people use to get the weight down.

Swap the 700 pot for either a MSR 850 kettle or 600 pot. take the lid off and replace with foil.

Swap the canister stove to an alcohol one. Gossamer gear sells good ones as well as http://www.minibulldesign.com

swap water treatment over to aquamira, safer and easier

swap spork for a plastic disposable one.

good choice on the umbrella I think. Sun and rain protection, though i dont see any lower leg protection. I don’t usually take it but a lot of people worry about that kind of thing.

For a synth bag try a ray way quilt. One layer of each thickness of fill should go down to 32 easily. http://www.rayjardine.com
I also notice your using a compression sack. This will cause your bag to lose loft and will not insulate as well.

breeze pack is good but you could get away with a pack less than half the weight like an GVP überlight, or a sew up a ray way pack kit.

just as a general wondering how do you pitch the tarp. I stand to save myself another 4oz if I use an MLD tarp. Are you using poles or debris found. Have you experienced heavy rain in this tarp yet? How was it?

I hope the comments help.

The bag change alone will get you into SUL. Lose the rest and you might join some of us in sub 4lb.

[jacob thompson]

Im just about to purchase and sew up one of the quilts. I’m really unsure of the volume of Jardines quilt. Though in saying this I could make a rough estimate. Given that Ray would use his packs for through hikes and he and Jenny carry half of a two person alpine quilt. One would expect that the quilt would fill about half of the volume. Of course you can compress but you risk losing loft.

Once I have got my quilt and made it (living in Australia permits me to use a bag that only has to go down to the low 60’s, and then layer from there). Thus my quilt will be about 12-15oz. Once I have the weight I can post up a gear list. Or I may even post with the estimated figures later this evening.

just a thought on your rain protection check gossamer gear for their new driducks suit. Glens been using them for a while and swears by the material. I have mine on the way over here and I’ll let people know how they go with cold winter exertion.

[Matthew L.]

If you don’t want to sew your own, you can check out Fanatic Fringe’s synthetic quilts. The one I really like is the 30 degree quilt made from Polarguard Delta which weighs 22 ounces. Seems like it would be a good fit for you if you aren’t interested in sewing your own. I have a FF Thompson Peak and really love it. In fact if you wanted to go a lighter than your pack yet stick with a similar style with slightly less weight, you could go for a FF Thompson Peak or the new Alpine Pack. They would both be more durable than the Gossamer Gear packs. The Thompson Peak (3600 cu. in.) weighs 11 ounces with a hipbelt while the Alpine can weigh as little as 6 (2400 cu. in.). Give them a look. You could also check out Rainshield O2 if you wanted any rain apparel. It is quite similar to the new DriDucks being five ounces for the jacket, waterproof and quite breathable, plus it is really cheap. Obviously the downside would be durability that you would have to be careful with. I don’t carry rain pants, and that doesn’t bother me. Just something else to keep you thinking. I also agree with the utensil, water treatment, kettle and other changes stated earlier. Hope it helped.

[Matthew L.]

Great list; it looks very impressive. The Golite Breeze and FF Thompson Peak are probably more different than you think. First of all the FF is smaller and can include a hipbelt. It is made from a different fabric which I still find to be robust. While it looks quite similar, I feel that it carries quite a bit better. People I have talked with seem to agree. I am very interested in the Alpine pack; please provide feedback if you get it. I am tempted by it myself. It is still very light (6 oz.), but I would sleep easier knowing that it would not be torn up by one mistake like the GG G6 Whisper. Either way you will have a winner.
I have the WM Highlite myself and love it. Warm down to the rating, compressible and obviously very light. The half zipper has given me no problems, and the fabric is not too flimsy. Well, if feels gossamer as can be but it is certainly not cheap feeling. Just be careful not to snag it. Great bag!
With your list being so light, I would certainly look into an alcohol stove (especially if your cooking tasks are simple; eg. boiling water). There are tons for sale online or you can make your own. Research and experimentation will provide you with a great stove that is extremely simple and reliable, plus lets you have quiet and not have to carry especially heavy and hazardous fuel tanks or canisters with you. Check them out at: http://www.minibulldesigns.com
http://www.antigravitygear.com
http://www.trailquest.net
http://www.gossamergear.com

and many more.

If you ever need more stuff sacks/ditty bags, check out the ones at Dancing Light Gear. http://www.trailquest.net The ditty bags I ordered (a grab bag of 5 for $5) weigh between .25 and .30 ounces each and feel more durable than the BMW ones. They are about the size of the 6″x9″ BMW bags and the weights about the same. They come in a bunch of sizes. Plus, they cost a FRACTION of the price. They are very well made for the price and save you money for other purchases in the future.

P.S. Are there any bears to worry about? What are you using for your smellables if there are?

P.P.S. Perhaps you could drop the shoes for around the campsite. I simply unlace my Montrail Masais until they are very loose and wear them around like slippers. Works great for me and saves weight. I have also been known to wear a plastic bags or DLG ditty bags/sluff sacks for my feet. Just be careful where you step (I usually wear the Masais). Works well. Something to think about.

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