Sub 1oz SUL Essentials – Flashlight, Knife, Wipes

Alrighty another good tip from Link!

the usability is no doubt worth the few grams over that titanium lapel knife

About 25 years and a couple of operations ago I split my right fore-finger from the tip of the nail to about an inch inside the palm all the way to the bone. Looked like a butterfly shrimp or like I was trying to filet it. Luckily I never saw the wound until I was in the doctors office flat on my back on the gurney with a nurse holding my hand or I’m sure I’d have fainted. Dr. said it was the worst wound he’d seen on a conscious person.

Be careful with razor blades or anything that plays like a razor blade, and never pull it towards any part of your body feasibly within reach! Ask your GP if they ever see any accidental razor wounds.

Yikes. Good reminder!

Re: bidets – the hygienna design does look nice, but for what they are both that and the culoclean look overbuilt. I realized I can do the same thing with a right angle hydration tube adapter for water bottles, such as the one included with this kit . I had to make my own cap since the included one didn’t fit on my befree filter, but that’s as simple as cutting a hole in a cap. Might be even better if you have some tubing you can extend a few inches and then bend at a right angle (though that might choke the flow too much).. definitely an easy MYOG project.

So it’s 0.13oz on my scale, and it has a heavier flow than the culoclean so I might need to make an orifice reducer. I suppose it could be dual usage if you’re using a befree/hydration tube filtration setup, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea due to the risk of contamination :)

Nevermind. temporary visualization failure

Oh, I didn’t mean I’d be using the befree for the bidet, I just meant I was borrowing an adapter from a hydration tube setup I use for my befree. That adapter fits on a plain water bottle (same threads as the outflow of the befree). But I’ll try it in case anyone’s curious or wants to use this kind of adapter for a bidet on a befree setup.

Opinel # 4: Closed

Open:

Feels good in hand.

And the best (maybe) for last: Wescott 2.5″scissors. 7 grams. can cut small spectra but the opinal does better. Great on leucotape for ex.

17 grams for the pair

Say anyone have a tip on packaging leucotape. Stuff sticks to itself so well it’s hard to unroll. I tried laying it on a strip of waxed paper but it sticks to that as well. Ideas? I’ve put it in snow and cold water to try and help  release the glue. There’s got to be a way.

A few years back I asked a supermarket worker who was placing clearance stickers on the soon-to-expire bread if I could have the sticker backing paper when they finished. They were confused but agreed.

I put strips of leukotape on the sticker paper and cut circles of various sizes out of them – basically precut blister patches. Around the same time I found shoes that work for me and have only had a few blisters since, despite taking them all over the world in my stuff sack from -10c to 45c. I did need to use some recently, and they’d gotten a bit gummy, but still worked fine.

I cut them in circles as the corners don’t catch and unpeel themselves, nor do the corners catch and peel off your feet while in socks. THat does make the backing slightly fiddly to peel off.

Thanks. Sounds like that would work. Or something like this

Good tip on the Westcott scissors! I’d been using a crappy pair that came in a hotel gift travel sewing/repair kit. Really light but prone to fall apart. The westcotts are nice.

BTW you can get all sorts of pretty serviceable and really light items from the front desk at hotels. My favorite ultralight backpacking toothbrush comes from the front desk at Hampton Inns. Really light and also insubstantial but it works and some of those sewing/repair kits are just right for a possible emergency sewing job.

I just ordered an Opinel No. 4 – I was surprised how inexpensive it is (just $11 with Amazon Prime).  My previous blade, which I love, is the discontinued Schrade Biner Knife (25 grams).  Thanks for the thread – I’m looking forward to the new knife!

I know this is an SUL/XUL thread but I prefer the Opinel #5 because it locks both closed and open. I can dig mine out and weigh it if anyone is interested.

My gear list says my Opinel 5 weighs 16 grams. At the moment I can’t find the darn thing to reweigh it to verify, but my guess is it’s close if not right on. I know it’s carbon steel not stainless but I don’t remember if it locks???

I have vague memories of feeling I had to decide between the 4 and the 6, as the 4 felt like the shortest functional blade for some foods and the 6 had a locking blade. So therefore I believed the 5 didn’t lock.

and then I discovered the slimline 8, which is longer and around the same weight as the 6

Do you have an older one that does lock? Or was I just wrong?

My “best practices” on Leukotape include, yes, putting it on non-stick backing so I can easily cut exactly the shape needed and round the corners nicely with scissors.  Then write the date on it in Sharpie.  Do the same thing on the inside edge of the roll itself.  There’ll come a time after X years, that you just need to toss it and start anew.

“from the front desk at hotels” – especially Chinese hotels.  I loved the super-tiny toothpaste tubes that were in rooms.  I managed to refill each one a few times.  And wooden combs!  Since you can burn it on your last night, it’s a consumable and not part of your base weight.

And wooden combs!  Since you can burn it on your last night, it’s a consumable and not part of your base weight.

And what’s the point of having a low baseweight if you don’t look good doing it ;)

I once took a comb along for legit reasons.  I was hitchhiking back from the end of the trail so I stuck my head in a creek, toweled off, and combed my hair.  I did that because:

A friend floated the Merced River and it took him FOREVER to hitch a ride back to his car until some really scruffy guy finally picked him up.  Back in his car, in the rearview mirror,  he realized he looked like hell, very disheveled, with sticks and leaves in his hair.

I’ve not had any trouble with appearance for getting lifts (though I try to look tidier when hitching). I have however been asked to leave a car due to my smell after a 10 day trip. I’ve found looking like a hiker often helps, as opposed to when I’ve been hitchhiking for general travel purposes.

‘d even taken what I thought was a fairly thorough wash in the river than morning! It’s the only time the stench of synthetic clothing has caused a legitimate problem (but I’m sure the smell has been bad other times)..

I just weighed my Opinel No 8 slimline and got approx 32g. If my math is right that puts it just over your 1oz mark.

Less of a UL thing, but my biggest recommendation to hitch hikers is to carry the most foreign flag you’re entitled to wave (or can fake it) and pin it to your pack.  It elevates you from local bum to a more interesting tourist.  Wouldn’t I look a little more interesting with my Alaskan flag than some other old guy by the side of the road?  While someone with a Finnish flag would be even more interesting.

Here is my favorite SUL tool I carry. It’s the best splinter/sticker remover & blister buster. Super sharp and a tiny cutting edge. Easy to safely carry in FAK. You want one that is ridged, not flexible. Way better than a needle. I think this is a 22 gauge. Ask you pharmacist, she may charge a quarter. Doesn’t register on my gram scale.

Opo, you are correct. The Opinel #6 is the smallest one that locks and that’s what I have. Sorry if my post about the #5 locking was confusing to anyone.

@ouzel-701 Rob: What is that thing called? A splinter/stick remover/blister buster? Just picturing asking the pharmacist… Looks like a handy tool!

What is that thing called?
It is called a hypodermic needle. It is of course hollow, and the pharmacist might want to know why you want them.

You can also get little things like ‘Lancets’ which are not hollow, but are just as sharp. They come in boxes of 100, at prices down to $8/100. They are really meant for getting drops of blood from your fingers for blood tests (eg diabetes), but they are also good for getting splinters out. One sort is called ‘Soft Touch’ because you don’t feel the point going in – really sharp! We carry one or two in our pharm kit.

Cheers

“so I might need to make an orifice reducer”

Gosh I wish my mind didn’t revert to its 7-year-old self when I read things like this….

@idester – Doug:  This might be the perfect time for one of your epic poems, perhaps titled “Ode to the Oriface”…

I carry the Opinel 6 Carbone (27g).

For flashlights, the small rechargeable Olight i1R2 tips my scale at 13g