Gear Confessions

[Jim Colten]

I have never, ever, not even once failed to return home with at least 25% of the stove fuel I packed (alcohol).

And then there's my three boxes of matches, one being "stormproof", each box in it's own ziplock.

But regarding Eric's prolite … we need to create a kickstarter project to fund his purchase of a neoair.

[Jerry Adams]

"There was a question on an article this week asking about bear cans and SUL and Ryan's response was just add the two pounds"

Exactly – I was thinking the same thing

It's not whether you're less than some arbitrary number, there are a bunch of items and techniques which are applicable to different people in different situations

And a hatchet doesn't seem consistent with what most people would consider SUL, but if you enjoy taking a hatchet then you should do so.

[Rob E]

I took toilet paper on my last 7 day trip, and returned home with at least 1/4 roll remaining. For shame.

[Tom D.]

After carrying a laptop computer around in a backpack from my hotel room to a conference room (in "minimalist" casual shoes) for the last 3 days, my knees started hurting and I found myself looking for ways to go ultralight on that as well. By the way, my loaded computer backpack is significantly heavier than my backpacking base weight with a few days of food.

The UL mindset is leaching into my work life.

[robert van putten]

We’re doing gear confession, eh? OK, my turn.

Hi, I’m Bob and I’m a “heavy-holic”.

I’m trying to reform myself, really.
I’ve read Ray Jardines books and hung out here on BPL, and dropped so much coin on new lightweight gear last year that my wife thinks I’ve gone insane.
With our new lightweight shelters and sleeps systems my wife and I sleep so much poorer now while camping, but our backpacks are so much lighter!
Our new packs and rain gear do seem to work as well as our old stuff, but they certainly will not last anywhere near as long.
.
.
.
.
Seriously though, I doubt I’ll ever get to true ten pound base loads for anything but smiling summer trips, but I am now in the low teens and happy with that.
It would probably help if my favorite stove wasn’t made entirely of brass, ran on gasoline and came in a steel case.

[Gregory Stein]

Youp!

I've switched from a 3 kilo laptop to 1.5 kilo laptop.
I always carry running gear to work because my workplace is at beach and I run there in mornings. Sometimes I run in a gym at mid day. So I carry my running gear in my daily pack.
After switching from an old fashioned road runners to a zero drop Saucony Hattori, the weight of my pack became so light! I've mentioned it on the first day. Now I'm not sweating so much when I run to train station after work day.

I'm utilizing UL techniques also in daily life. This makes my life easier and I enjoy it better.

[Ken Thompson]

@spelt! Exactly!

[Joel Benford]

Rob Edwards wrote: "I took toilet paper on my last 7 day trip, and returned home with at least 1/4 roll remaining. For shame."

Did you take the cardboard tube, or did you refold the toliet paper into a more efficient cuboid shape to reduce volume and overall pack size/weight?

If you refolded it, it's ok.

[Tom D.]

"I’m trying to reform myself, really.
I’ve read Ray Jardines books and hung out here on BPL, and dropped so much coin on new lightweight gear last year that my wife thinks I’ve gone insane.
With our new lightweight shelters and sleeps systems my wife and I sleep so much poorer now while camping, but our backpacks are so much lighter!
Our new packs and rain gear do seem to work as well as our old stuff, but they certainly will not last anywhere near as long. "

---

Ray Jardine may have been a visionary back when he wrote his book, but many of his ideas have been passed up in favor of better ones or improvements on his that have come along since.

Your sleep issues need to be dealt with, regardless of the weight. I think the goal should be more like, "Whats the lightest system that I can get a comfortable nights sleep on" rather than just the lightest available. The whole idea of going UL is to make hiking more comfortable and enjoyable as a whole, which it certainly does overall. But any sleep that you lose to save weight goes directly against the over all goal.

As far as gear not lasting as long, that may be true with some things. But if taken care of, most ultralight gear is well built (albeit out of lighter materials) and will last a long time. I plan to use my down quilt, down jacket, stove system, shelter, etc for many years (at least until something newer and lighter comes along..he he he). I have yet to replace any of my major purchases just because of wear and tear, although I'm sure I eventually will.

I think we've all found many ways to save weight without sacrificing comfort, safety, or reliability. Sometimes there's a small sacrifice in convenience (Wood, Alcohol, or Esbit stoves as an example), but those drops in convenience are small and when put in the perspective of an overall ultralight goal, my knees and my back thank me at the end of a long day.

In the end, I would not be hiking today had I not discovered trekking poles and UL backpacking trends like the ones espoused in this forum. After an injury, my knees had said "no more" and I had to quit for years. But now I am back and having more fun than ever.

So I say "The lighter, the better" (unless there is good reason to go a tad heavier, like your sleep pad)

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