Where can I buy ultralight or lightweight gear in San Francisco?

You could prob find a nice rain shell at lobardi's or sports basement.

Most ultralite gear you need to get online or here on gearswap..

The only true 'ultralite' gear shop in the bay area is Down Works down in santa cruz.

I was going to mention Down Works too.
Stores that sell ultralight backpacking gear don't really exist.

This seems like an awesome market for an ultralight store. I'm surprised there isn't a hip, indie, solar powered store already.

Cost of real estate…'nuff said!

Cost of ultralight gear…'nuff said!

Aqua Mira can't be sold in California last I checked. Government regulations.

Zpacks gear is only sold direct.

REI carries some UL rain jackets, but not the store in SF. The REI in Berkeley has a better selection. Still, you aren't getting much from a SUL list at a big-name retailer.

Another vote for down works. They carry western mountaineering, big Agnes, granite gear, and even montbell!!

Aqua Mira can be sold in California.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/water_treatment_drops/california_hiking/prweb9266547.htm

@Eugene: Thanks for the news update.

There are many of us around the Bay Area, who could be coaxed into letting you check out our gear, especially if you know what you're looking for.

REI sometimes carries Aqua Mira, though they don't seem to have it right now. They do carry Katadyn Micropur tablets which are the same chemical. As others have indicated, Hexamid is mail order only, but if you want to see one in person, you would be welcome to take CalTrain down the Mountain View and take a look at mine before purchasing (an whatever other items I own that you would like to see in person).

As other have indicated, you best bet is to use zip car (or whatever you favorite rental car company is) is drop down to Santa Cruz. Nick has a good stock of ultralight gear at Down Works. Particularly unusual include packs from ULA, Montbell & Westcomb clothing, stove from Trail Designs, a really good sleeping bag selection. They have a very good selection, especially when you think about how small a store.

–Mark

Nor sure how much UL product is affected by Cal laws on flame retardant materials, but I remember a buddy not being able to get a black diamond hi light (I believe) shipped here direct from BD or any major retailer. That's been a few years but had to get it off eBay. Could be issues there. Also, prop 65 in Califormia requires a warning whenever any one or more of 800+ chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm is present, not doing so could prove costly (if you have less than 10 employees the law exempts you).

"This seems like an awesome market for an ultralight store. I'm surprised there isn't a hip, indie, solar powered store already."

I had this very thought of opening one for 3 straight days of solo hiking last year but concluded that most people would just come in and kick tires and then go order online

Attend a Bay Area BPL GGG and stick around for the swap meet.

Most of the cutting-edge lightweight gear is produced by small "cottage industry" manufacturers (often only one or two person firms) who sell only on the internet. Very few of their products are sold in retail stores. Most retail stores don't want to carry true lightweight gear because lighter weight gear has to be handled more carefully, so the stores who do unlimited warranties (like REI) only want to carry bomber-proof stuff. "Cottage Industry" gear is also not produced in sufficient quantities for selling at retail. The market is, after all, relatively limited.

I don't know how old this list of "cottage" industries is, or who compiled it (someone on BPL, I know), but this is good for a start:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p1BeDPszxH2no25mC7SLwCA

I suspect that this list is several years old because I don't see some key new firms on it. It also shows the BPL Gear Store as open, which it no longer is. There may be others that no longer exist. IMHO the best way to find new firms is to follow on the BPL forums. New firms will announce in the "Gear Deals" section.

Firms not on this (but should be) that I know about include: Elemental Horizons (packs), Goose Feet (marvelous down booties), Katabatic Gear (quilts and bivys), Hyperlite Mountain Gear (packs, shelters), Bear Paw Wilderness Designs (shelters), Lawson Equipment (lots of misc. items at excellent prices), QiWizUlGear (Rob Kelly's Ti potty trowels, saws, stoves), Ruta Locura (split from Titanium Goat). I'm sure there are others that I've missed.

You mentioned a UL shelter, such as the ZPacks Hexamid. ZPacks only sells direct on the internet. I have one but (due to a foot injury) haven't been able to use it in the field yet and probably won't until fall. So far, though, at least in the back yard, it appears to be exactly what I want! For ultralite shelters (under 20 oz. for a single shelter), John Abela's website has a really good summary: http://hikelighter.com/2011/12/29/sulxul-enclosed-shelter-comparisons/

As mentioned, going to the Bay Area "GGG" gatherings announced on this forum will let you see a bunch of excellent gear never found in stores.