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First <15 lb. Base Weight
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Feb 22, 2013 at 6:28 am #1957334
Michael, could you use the Exped pillow for a sit pad as well?
Some of these small inflatables are beefy enough, some aren't.
Feb 22, 2013 at 6:47 am #1957340filter water through coffee filters then treat with Aqua M.
Feb 22, 2013 at 6:48 am #1957341I would not use the exped as a sit pad. i think the small chunk of Z-rest is fine if you need such a thing. in not winter a 12×12 piece of tyvek to keep your pants dry would probably be enough.
Feb 22, 2013 at 1:32 pm #1957465Got a reply from Exped. Here's what they had to say about using the UL pillow as a camp seat:
"Thank you for your email and for thinking Exped! The AirPillow UL can certainly be used as a sit pad, but there are a couple things to take into consideration when doing so:
-The shell fabric of this pillow is an ultralight 20 denier. As with our UL mats, I would definitely not suggest placing it directly on the ground or slab of rock during use. Any thorns or abrasion against gritty rocks or rough ground has the potential to cause harm to the fabric, and you'd be much better off wrapping a shirt around the pillow or sitting on some sort of ground cloth.
-Our UL products have a 250 lb weight limit. Even if you are well below this level, sudden instances of increased pressure has the ability to cause damage to the internal welds of the pillow. For example, when you first drop down onto the pillow after a long day on the trail, you want to be careful to lower yourself onto the pillow lightly. Collapsing onto it, as you would you couch at home, can certainly cause an instant of high strain, and potential weld damage.
-The pillow is contoured to fit any number or sleeping positions, both on your side and on your back. Because of this, the surface of the pillow is not completely flat, as our sit pad is. For increased comfort while using the pillow as a seat, I would suggest releasing about 1/4 of the pressure, thus allowing the surface to flatten out a bit."
Feb 22, 2013 at 7:16 pm #1957578The scnozzle pumpbag is also a pack liner save 2.3 oz
or use nylofume and save 1.2 ozditch the pillow save 2.6
lighter spoon, save 0.2
ditch pot grabber, use bandana or such – 0.4
neckwarmer 1.2
one pr spare socks, 1.3
use photon freedom, extra batteries = 0.5 oz, save 1.7 oz
much less toothpaste, save 1.5ozeasy 11.2 oz or so. About 3/4 lb.
Feb 22, 2013 at 7:39 pm #1957583I'm traveling right now but plan on posting an updated list once I get home and have a chance to weigh a few pieces and cut a few things down.
This is good stuff.
Realistically, I'll probably keep the pillow so I can sleep better. That's worth the 2-3 oz for me. But most of the other suggestions given will probably be used.
Feb 23, 2013 at 10:59 pm #1957974The only thing I EVER use to brush with (at home as well as on trail) is Dr Bronners soap, BUT……get the Unscented Baby stuff. The others I've tried definitely have a funky taste, but the unscented has hardly any taste at all. Bear researchers in Alaska found that Grizzlies LOVE the peppermint Bronners, so other bears might as well. That's another reason I love the unscented stuff. I can use it for washing my body, mouth, pots, whatever. So I like the multipurpose nature of it.
Feb 25, 2013 at 7:48 am #1958452I'll have to check out the baby bronner's soap…might be the ticket.
Question on bear bag/rope:
I have 40' of 1.9mm Tech Line (Dynema, 480 lb. breaking strength @ 0.018 oz/ft.). It's pretty slick, so I figure it will slide well across a branch, but is it still too thin (will it cut into branches)? My other option is 50' of PMI Utility Cord (3 oz. total). It's definitely thick enough, but too heavy IMO.
And would 0.9 oz/yd(sq) noseeum mesh be strong enough to make a bag that could hold 6-7 lbs? Or should I just stick to 1.4 oz silnylon?
I know there are other fabrics that might be stronger/lighter than these, but I'd like to work with what I already own for the time being.
Feb 25, 2013 at 10:32 am #1958502"Or should I just stick to 1.4 oz silnylon?"
I think the silnylon would be best. For one thing, it is more rainproof. I recommend using a dark color since that is harder for the animal to see at night.
–B.G.–
Feb 25, 2013 at 4:15 pm #1958638"I think the silnylon would be best. For one thing, it is more rainproof. I recommend using a dark color since that is harder for the animal to see at night."
Thanks!
Any suggestion on a lightweight headlamp? All of the ones carried at major retailers are 2.75 oz or more. A keychain light isn't going to cut it for me.
Here's a 73 lumen light that weighs 0.9 oz. http://www.rei.com/product/821450/fenix-mini-ld01-flashlight
How inconvenient would it be to use a handheld light instead of a headlamp? I'm not hiking at night, but I like being hands-free for cooking dinner and putting a bear bag up past sunset.Feb 25, 2013 at 4:51 pm #1958652There is a lot of discussion about flashlights versus headlamps, but it is difficult to search for here. Most of us purchase a headlamp, but then we use it half as a headlamp and half in hand as a flashlight. For you Brits and Aussies, that would be a hand torch.
You can purchase a flashlight but then stick it into an elastic headband, but it is a bit easier to just purchase a headlamp in the first place since it already has some sort of headband with it. On the other hand, many headlamp bands are too heavy, so some of us replace the factory headband with something lighter in weight. Personally, I took an old Croakies neoprene band to my headlamp and saved some weight.
Before you try to purchase a headlamp or a flashlight, you need to establish your priorities. It might mean getting the lowest weight, or the lowest cost, or the brightest light, or something else. You might start by establishing the lumens of light power that you require, like 73 or 100 lumens or whatever. Basically, for camp chores, you only need 25 or 50 at most. For night trail hiking, you might want 50 or more. For spotting wildlife at night, you might want 100 or more. You also want to establish whether you want more of a flood light pattern or a spot/beam. You want to establish your requirement for battery life. For example, you might need it to go 10 hours at 50 lumens, or whatever. You want to establish which battery type you want to use, like 2xAAA, or 1xAA, or 123, primary or rechargeable. Often that decision is made to be like the other electrical devices use so that you can swap batteries or spares as necessary, but it doesn't have to be. Nearly everything needs to be LED, not incandescent.
I've been very happy with my Zebralight. I can click the button to get a low light power and long battery life, or I can click it to get medium power and medium life, or I can click it to get high power and shorter life. That seems to appeal to lots of backpackers, but it costs a few bucks more money. Mine ended up below 2 ounces with strap and battery.
–B.G.–
Feb 25, 2013 at 4:54 pm #1958654I personally like my ~3oz headlamp, great beam and we sometimes hike at night. If you are only doing camp chores, then a photon may be all that you need. They weigh 7 grams and come in all kinds of beam colors. They work pretty well overall and spare batteries weigh very little.
http://www.photonlight.com/led-flashlights/photon-micro-light-ii-pro-led-keychain-flashlight/
Feb 25, 2013 at 5:53 pm #1958682Thanks for the details Bob!
I took the elastic headband off my headlamp and replaced it with some shock cord. I also replaced the rechargeable batteries with Lithium batteries. It went from 2.6 oz to 1.8 oz.
I'm not sure how many lumens it has. There are three modes – bright, solid red, and flashing red. It works great around camp, but I could use something brighter if I were to hike at night. However, that's not in my plans any time soon, so this will suffice.
Feb 25, 2013 at 6:15 pm #1958690"I took the elastic headband off my headlamp and replaced it with some shock cord. I also replaced the rechargeable batteries with Lithium batteries. It went from 2.6 oz to 1.8 oz."
Yes, that is the right idea.
If you use ordinary shock cord, you might find it to be uncomfortable after a while since it might dig into your skin. There are some flatter elastic cords and straps that work pretty good. Most of the time we don't need all of those fancy buckles and slides.
Yes, lithium primary batteries are a good choice for many people. They have three to four times the energy density as an ordinary alkaline battery, but they are lighter in weight, have much better shelf life, and operate at much colder temperatures. The bad news is that they are pricey, and when they finally run low on power, they tend to go completely dead in a hurry.
–B.G.–
Feb 25, 2013 at 6:48 pm #1958706Okay, one more check before I buy my pack – which won't be for another month or so. As it is, I feel like I've trimmed as much as I can without sacrificing too much comfort.
A few notes:
-This doesn't include water bottles. I'll grab some gatorades from a gas station, or something like that.
-I plan on trimming my Flash 45: maybe remove the lid (if not needed), the bladder sleeve, and maybe trim a few of the straps.
-I plan on trimming up my bivy to take off a ~1-2 ounces.
-My tarp isn't finished, so this is an estimate.
-I don't have rain pants yet…still not sure if I need them.
-I'm sticking with the Sawyer Squeeze for now until I can get more comfortable on the trail. The time and fiddle factor of Aquamira are keeping me from switching…for now.
-Another option for water: I have some iodine tablets w/ taste neutralizer tablets, weighing 2.2 oz stock.I'm content with this for a winter pack, but does anyone see anything else I could do to drop a little more weight? I need it to be either free or cheap.
Feb 26, 2013 at 8:02 am #1958826I used to take my favorite car camping headlamp along (Petzl Tikka XP) but decided that at around four ounces it was too heavy. I bought the Petzl e-Lite (just under an ounce with battery) and found it's perfect for all of my camp chores. It's lacking, though, if you want any kind of spot that will show you more than a pair of eyes gleaming back at you.
So – I added a Fenix LD01 (.8 ounce with battery) to my kit. I keep the Fenix in my pocket while I sleep and use it to spot those things in the dark that I care to see. It's also a lot easier to turn on to the correct mode than the e-Lite if I want light in a hurry.
My total light weight is right at 1.8 ounces with both of my needs met nicely.
Feb 26, 2013 at 9:19 am #1958861Dr Bronners is nasty for toothpaste. I carry the gel stuff in a small squeeze bottle.
You don't want to use the Sawyer filter in sub freezing weather. Use tablets or boil— you may be using snow anyway.
I like redundant lighting, especially in Winter. I'm not a fan of the coin cell lights for primary lighting , butci woul concede to having one for tent/backup use. I've gone to single AA flashlight and headlamp to simplify battery issues. The flashlight is carried in my pocket on my "survival" keyring. Fenix makes a headband for their LD and PD model flashlights if you want a dual-use flashlight:
http://www.fenixtactical.com/fenix-headband.htmlDon't cut back too far on clothing. If you are expecting weather in the 20's, you need some cushion for colder than expected plus windchill. Check to see if you can wear ALL your layers together if needed. Consider what you can sleep in too.
I always carry a sit pad (a z-seat) and use it to extend my sleep pad.
Feb 26, 2013 at 9:53 am #1958873Kevin – great insight there. Thanks for the suggestion!
Dale – A few thoughts on what you said:
I bought the unscented Dr. Bronners to give it a shot. I'll probably try it at home soon to see what I think. If not, I'll go with real toothpaste + hand sanitizer.
My trips will be 2-3 nights every 1-3 months, so I can pick and chose time and location to avoid major snow and rain storms. I will indeed keep in mind what precautions I need to take for clothing, hydration, etc should the weather turn for the worst. Thanks for the heads up. This list is assuming favorable conditions for the southeast: 20-30 F at night, 40-50 F during the day, rain being very possible.
Mar 2, 2013 at 9:15 am #1960491.
Mar 2, 2013 at 9:17 am #1960494I bought AM and a Lightwater Kit from Anitgravity gear, and a bottlestove/windscreen combo from QiWiz. This will be my first alcohol stove, so I plan on testing it out on dayhikes and car camping.
I'll measure exact weights once I get them, but if I am right in my estimated weight, I'm sitting around 10.9lbs/4.94kg. However, this still doesn't include a bottle for alcohol (fuel) and water bottles.
I figure once I add water bottles and a fuel bottle I'll be back above 11 lbs…but honestly I don't really care about the number. I'm just stoked to have a light base weight because I almost blew my knee out on my last trip in December where I didn't care about weight. Trail running has me back to 100%, and now I'm stoked to plan my next trip! I'll probably do one somewhere in western NC in the next month or two.
Next step – finish my tarp and cut down my bivy (if needed).
Thanks for all the help so far.
Mar 9, 2013 at 2:09 pm #1963550I have used the mint Dr.Bronners for teeth for years. It tastes strange, but not bad.
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