Light equipment sometimes is really cheap…

[Paiolo Montanel]

One year ago I found in a supermarket this cheap aluminium mug (750ml, only 69 grams!) at… € 1,39 (less than 2$)

It is lighter than lots of equivalent titanium mugs and costs a fraction!

Ok, it surely doesn't have the same quality, and doesn't have a folding handle but… it does the job, and BTW is durable, and a lot sturder than an Heineken can pot

It has become an inseparable piece of my equipment (with a simple tealight alcool stove and a wire-potstand)

I'd like to know if some of you has ever been able to lighten their equipment with something…really, really cheap (and to share the satisfaction ;-) )

[Daryl and Daryl]

I agree.

For example I bought a 5 ounce Safeway windbreaker the other day for $5. I already own a couple others with the Safeway logo on the back. I prefer it/them over my other windbreakers (e.g. Patagonia Dragonfly). The fabric breathes very well and has a stiffness to it that reduces its cling when wet.

I think these were made about 40 years ago or more and were used by the baggers when they carried groceries out to the car.

[Dean F.]

It doesn't get much cheaper and lighter than a cat food stove, though that might be considered more MYOG than an excellent cheap gear find. Likewise, reused bottled-water bottles.

Can you tell that I'm all for gear shopping in dumpsters…

More like what you're asking, though- I found a wool hat with a brim and ear flaps that you could fold down in REI a few years ago. I haven't seen anything like it recently. The brim is key- it's hard to find a warm hat with a brim, like the old "Radar OReily" hats. I forget how much it cost but it was cheap enough that I bought it on a lark, thinking that it might fall apart in just a few seasons, but it has held up well.

[James holden]

i think a lot of the modern UL gear is absolutely overpriced … often they take something, slap a fancy logo, do a few "improvements", and give some fancy spiel about how much better and game changing it is … and some people lap it up

windbreakers have been around for decades, aluminum cups forever, simple light daypacks for a long time, tennis/running flats since some grandma hiked in em, etc …

if you look and are wiling to get past the logos … theres plenty of fully functional light gear to be had ;)

[Bob Gross]

"…and give some fancy spiel about how much better and game changing it is"

Hey, that is the name of the game in marketing. Lots and lots of people spend years in college studying how to do this effectively. You have to cut them some slack. They need to earn a living too.

–B.G.–

[michael levi]

There Are loads of people who don't like aluminum for various reasons, sometimes it's perfectly fine to spend an absurd amount of money on something like titanium that will last forever.

[mik matra]

Yeah definitely true….in most cases. I would not muck about with the big three though (shelter, pack and sleeping bag) but the rest of the gear is up for fiddling with. I find the reject shops and $2 shops are good places for cheap goods that can be eithe rused, converted, or McGyver-ed into cheap and very light gear!!

[Roger Caffin]

> and some people lap it up
I have to agree with Eric and Bob.

'You can fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, … which is about enough to become president of the United States.'

Sorry!

Cheers
PS: wait till you try drinking very hot coffee out of that aluminium mug. Then you will find out why I prefer Lexan.

[Aaron Sorensen]

Or governor of California

[mik matra]

or re-electing a fool (bush)

[Ben Smith]

I have the same scales!

[Max Dilthey]

A $7 piece of kite-making Tyvek weighs less than a lot of tarps and works great as a groundsheet or a windproofer for my hammock. One of my favorite new pieces of kit!

[Anonymous]

Generally, i'm a budget backpacker (except for some long term survival gear which is quite expensive, like a collapsible titanium wood stove but that's, i guess, a different category and for a different forum). But i find if you're willing to do the extra research, thinking, and/or shopping around, you can often find good deals. Then there is MYOG, a whole nother subject and one i'm still a newbie in, but so far really enjoy despite my limited skill set/experience.

The other day i was at Marshalls and was surprised to find a super light windshirt made by Nike that was going for 7 dollars in the clearance section. I weighed it at home, only 2.4 oz. Has some definite issues, like it doesn't have a hood, and doesn't seem all that durable and only has a partial zip, but hey for 7 dollars i'm sure i can manage and/or modify.

I will admit to sometimes wishing i could afford Cuber Fiber most everything, Titanium everything, Carbon fiber, etc, etc type stuff that is often so lauded here, but those are only during my rarish weak moments. Even things like Patagonia's Houdini is generally out of my price range and hard to justify (again, unless it's something for possible collapse/long term wilderness survival use).

Another example of cheap, though i suppose it's more a MYOG thing, i bought some bamboo poles to make into hiking poles. When i cut them down, i guesstimate they might weigh somewhere in between 9 to 12 oz for the pair, which is significantly lighter than a lot of aluminum poles, and similar to some carbon fiber ones.

Got my pack on clearance, a GoLite Jam, and while not SUL it's decently UL i would say.

[Anonymous]

Bob G. wrote in reference to companies over charging for slyly marketed gear, "Hey, that is the name of the game in marketing. Lots and lots of people spend years in college studying how to do this effectively. You have to cut them some slack. They need to earn a living too."

I'm not sure if this was tongue in cheek sarcasm, or completely serious, or a little of both, but i think the above is one of the major problems with America–there are too many people willing to gain material (or other) advantage at others expense. I see/feel/intuit an economic collapse happening sooner than later and mainly from this collective greed, materialism, and indifference to the suffering or screwing over of others whether fellow Americans or the World at large. Unfortunately, the collaspe of a country like America would adversely affect the rest of the world too, but i do think it will be toughest here and i don't see to many other countries being too sympathetic since we've been screwing with the rest of the world for so long.

p.s. i realize it's not just an American issue, but i feel it's more extreme here than most other places.

[Dale Caldwell]

this is getting deep. While I agree with you, I think Bob is just giving credit where credit is due and after reading many posts from Bob, I think that he too appreciates gear that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, which is what this thread is about.

I too am sticking with my Lexan but will take this time to pay homage to my 32 ounce "Lily of the desert Aloe Vera Juice" water bottle. Using "disposable" plastic water bottle over nalgenes is basically the norm in the UL world but this bottle isn't just any plastic bottle… :)

[Bob Gross]

"Using "disposable" plastic water bottle over nalgenes is basically the norm in the UL world but this bottle isn't just any plastic bottle…"

I do not use a disposable plastic water bottle.

It's a recycled Gatorade bottle.

My gear is an unusual mixture of high tech and recycled and MYOG.

–B.G.–

[ed hyatt]

'PS: wait till you try drinking very hot coffee out of that aluminium mug. Then you will find out why I prefer Lexan.'

One politely sips hot coffee – unless an Antipodean barbarian….

[David Thomas]

Actually a cast-off/MYOG, but I love the light weight, large size, chemical and heat resistance of the bottom third of a HDPE plastic gallon milk jug as a serving bowl and water scoop. Dumpster dive or use your own, cut to the desired height with scissors. Run it through the dishwasher to clean it up or just throw it away at the end of the trip before the flight home.

Super cheap and easy to pack snow shovel? Cut off the side of a 5-gallon bucket. Cut two hand holds into it. Not as convenient at an MSR or Black Diamond shovel with a handle (because you use it while on your knees) but 1/2 to 1/3 the weight and $40-$70 cheaper.

[Andy Jarman]

I've thrown away my Sawyer Squeeze syringe and replaced it with my $3 backwash converter made from two water bottle lids and a piece of plastic tubing. Simple, cheap and a superior piece of equipment.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=66712&skip_to_post=620694#620694

[Nelson Sherry]

Tent? Use one of those <$10 8×10 plastic flat tarps. ~1lb.
Sleeping bag? There isn't a lot of difference in synthetic fills. So ulta-cheep super light sleeping bags work fine for summer where a broken zipper just means you're stuck using a "quilt".
Backpack? Sorry, I've never found an ultra-cheep, light weight one of these I'd use.

[Author]

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