View Full Version : what is your cheat item?
titanium_hiker
06-13-2005, 16:59
after all that UL gear choices, is there an item you just can't live without?
I have heard of people taking cameras (profesional) after ULing everything else. What about food? clothing? sleep gear? other gear? stove? pack? shelter?
;)
titanium_hiker
slabfoot
06-13-2005, 17:16
a real flashlite (multi-cell w/bright beam) and a rapala fillet knife.
Bill
TakeABreak
06-13-2005, 17:32
Food, food and more food. Need i say anymore.
Footslogger
06-13-2005, 17:41
My flask ...
'Slogger
My tent. I don't really consider it a "cheat" as it is a two person tent weighing in at 4 lbs. with stakes and guylines and stuffsack included. I think it protects me from the elements better than anything else short of a hostel and I can keep all my gear inside with me within arms reach and dry. It is worth the "extra pound" to me.
Everything else is light but I still need to lighten my sleeping bag.
Food. I lighten my load so that I can take adequate food... (and water) An extra day of food. perhaps.
food my main wieght:cool: neo
littlelaurel59
06-13-2005, 19:33
I have to have my 2" Thermarest pad and inflatable pillow! Maybe I will once I go the hammock route.
Bolivershagnasty
06-13-2005, 20:14
My real toy I can't seem to give up is my Nikon SLR camra, but it's case fits well on the front of my belt which helps on June 21st national "hike nude day". I've got to get one of them "New fangled" digital camras that fits in my pocket,, I hate tan lines..LOL
Bob Baker
06-13-2005, 20:57
I will start carrying a Baby Taylor guitar as soon as I buy one. Its two pounds (the heaviest item in my pack).
fiddlehead
06-13-2005, 22:47
if you must call it "cheating," then i'm not sure .............. if you call it a "luxury item", i would say my guitar....................if you call it "libations", i would say the weed 1st, and booze i carry out of town second.................if you call it "what do you carry that is unique to you" i would say: no water (unless i'm in the desert or somewhere where it's scarce)
but cheating??? does that mean i don't hike like Backpacker mag tells me i'm supposed to? (first aid kit, water filter, gore tex, leatherman)
BlackCloud
06-14-2005, 15:17
I carry around a Hasselblad panoramic camera when doing the better stretches.
God it weighs.......
I carry more food than I should, espically sweet stuff. :-)
The Cheat
06-15-2005, 09:01
Cheat items? Why do you all have my stuff?
:bse
Lanthar Mandragoran
06-15-2005, 11:56
I love carrying e-books in my zire 21... course it weighs less than a paperback.... and I can carry all sorts of other stuff in it... and the batteries last forever... and you can get a blemished one dirt cheap... I should probably stop now...
after all that UL gear choices, is there an item you just can't live without? I have heard of people taking cameras (profesional) after ULing everything else. What about food? clothing? sleep gear? other gear? stove? pack? shelter? ;) titanium_hiker
YO Ti Hiker:
GOOD QUESTION!
whether we admit it or NOT...most of us hikers...have a "LUXURY" item we treat ourselves to...from time to time...
mine...is FOOD! i carry toooo much...carry too many POP-TARTS & too many SNICKERS bars (CAN U really have too many SNICKERS bars??????) & other MUNCHIES items...etc.,etc.,etc.
my friend & hikin' bud: "TeePee" is one of those that carries the 5 lb "PRO" camera...(& an IPOD, & a FULL SIZE pillow...& a blow up mattress..& a....well, u get the idea...hehehehehehehe!)
Bolivershagnasty
06-15-2005, 19:38
I've got an Osprey Aether 75 which carrys more stuff than I do and I have alot of "room" left over. My base weight is about 10lbs now. I've been concidering a full size pillow to take up some room and make up some comfort. Or try to swap for an Aether 60. Also concidering the Atmos, doe's anyone have any "real" info on the Atmos? K I'm an Osprey man. love it,,mean it...
MedicineMan
06-15-2005, 23:44
or the brunton pen scope
SGT Rock
06-20-2005, 21:00
Hennessy Hammock
Texas Dreamer
06-21-2005, 13:38
Town skirt and lipstick--after living in the woods with the stinky hiker guys, I like to get girled up in town.
writing from Pearisburg, VA---wearing town skirt but not lipstick!
SGT Rock
06-21-2005, 15:59
Town skirt and lipstick--after living in the woods with the stinky hiker guys, I like to get girled up in town.
writing from Pearisburg, VA---wearing town skirt but not lipstick!
I assume you are a woman:rolleyes:
I suspect so considering the occupations listed in her public profile.
On the other hand we all know male hikers that wear a skirt but they usually don't have a special "town" skirt just the one that they hike in.
The Cheat
06-21-2005, 17:08
I suspect so considering the occupations listed in her public profile.
On the other hand we all know male hikers that wear a skirt but they usually don't have a special "town" skirt just the one that they hike in.
And I imagine they skip the lipstick, except for those very special occassions. :banana
Bolivershagnasty
06-21-2005, 23:45
Don't know Sarg but the note did say somthing about being in Texas and thinking about Ga. while writting from Va. Hmm sounds like it could be a "confused" individual..Just kiddin dreamer.
lilmountaingirl
06-23-2005, 23:16
Also concidering the Atmos, doe's anyone have any "real" info on the Atmos? K I'm an Osprey man. love it,,mean it...
I have an Atmos 50 ~ what kind of "real" info are you looking for?
My cheat item is a 14 Oz PVC flute. That is the weight of the flute & 4 pages of music tablature (2 pieces of paper laminated) with about 40 songs on them. Probably if I commited the music to memory I could save 1/2 OZ, but I have learned that "commited to memory" at home isn't the same as remembering while on the trail :p
Everything else is: food, clothing & shelter. I'm down to less than 30 Lbs even with the flute. Need a new sleeping bag (or quilt), as the current one is a whopping 4.5 Lbs and is OLD.
Doctari.
cakeman21k
07-08-2005, 15:00
for me its my mp3 player/fm radio. Sometimes its nice to have a little music in my head when I am alone, and sometimes its useful to get a weather report.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-27-2005, 00:06
A big ol' tent (weighs nearly 5 fricking lbs). I'm recovering from a broken hip and femur and twisting up like a pretzel to get into a hammock, bivy or a small tent isn't possible. The male dino won't sleep under a trap alone.
My tent. Bet that thing weighs 11lbs! Room for all six of us though, plus gear!!
oliander
08-11-2005, 18:58
Foam roller. I use it nightly to roll my calves, IT band, etc. Helps to prevent tight muscles and injury. I took the full sized roller and sawed it in half with a bread knife. Bulky, but very light! I carry it outside my pack, so I get a lot of comments about it (and a lot of people wanting to borrow it!).
titanium_hiker
08-11-2005, 20:18
oooh... cool cheat item...
titanium_hiker
sierraDoug
08-12-2005, 03:10
I definitely haven't got all of my gear down-weighted to ultralite, but I'm replacing things one at a time to get there. Except... I recently bought a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress. 24 oz. I'm getting older (46) and don't sleep well on the hard ground on a thin pad. Not even that well on my old Thermarest 1.5 in. 3/4 pad. This new mattress ought to do the trick.
I love the idea of the Luxurylite Pillow but can't see spending the money for it. Yet.
Foam roller. I use it nightly to roll my calves, IT band, etc. Helps to prevent tight muscles and injury. I took the full sized roller and sawed it in half with a bread knife. Bulky, but very light! I carry it outside my pack, so I get a lot of comments about it (and a lot of people wanting to borrow it!).
Could you explain or post a pic? I have no clue what you're talking about but I am intruiged.
oliander
08-12-2005, 15:44
See this photo: http://store.yahoo.com/exertools/6x36.html
It's 36 inches long, which is unnecessary for a backpacking trip. You only need it to be as wide as your two thighs. In my case that is 14". (So, one alternative - buying the shorter 12" roller - would probably work only for people with skinny legs.)
The roller is to relieve tight muscles so that you are less likely to injure yourself by walking funny to compensate for the tightness. Each evening, after the hike, roll on your thighs if you have tight quads. Roll tight calves by sitting up on your wrists. Using the roller for those two purposes will be pretty intuitive.
However, in my case I had to use the roller to reduce tightness in my IT band (tendon that runs on the outside of your leg, from hipbone to knee). I had an IT band injury from running, a section hike 6 weeks away, and was worried I wouldn't be able to do the hike. My exercise physiologist made me get the roller, SHOWED ME the precise way to roll the IT band (you need someone to show you this so you don' t reinjure yourself), told me I needed to do it every day before the hike, and then saw off a 14" piece of the roller and take it with me! Over those weeks, the rolling sufficiently reduced tightness in my IT band such that it was almost healed when I started the hike. During the hike, I rolled on it every evening and most mornings. The less tight the IT band is, the less likely you are to aggravate or reinjure it. The roller got me through my hike without a problem.
So, for that first hike the roller was a necessity - and now it is more of a luxury item!
Oliander
SGT Rock
08-12-2005, 15:47
Seems like you could take one of those tube like swim floats and modify it to slip over a hiking pole to make one. I'd like to see how that technique works, sounds like a good way to work out some sore leg muscles.
jimmyjob
08-12-2005, 16:16
I will start carrying a Baby Taylor guitar as soon as I buy one. Its two pounds (the heaviest item in my pack).
that is awsome i have thought about buying one and bring it.....they sound great..much better than the backpacker from martin.....what are you going to do about keeping from the elements????????
oliander
08-12-2005, 16:22
Hmmm, maybe a swim float would work as a substitute for a foam roller from an exercise store. However, the pressure that the foam rollers put on your legs is perfect, so you would want something that has the very same texture and "give." If it gives too much, you won't achieve enough pressure. If it is too hard, it may have the effect of hurting rather than massaging the muscle.
alalskaman
08-15-2005, 04:03
My "cheat" item is a Kifaru Field Chair -- about 11 oz, but with my bum back it is so nice to actually sit, instead of hunkering or relying on logs and rocks. Can even use it in my Tarptent for a bit of reading/relaxing while it rains. Honestly, so much better than propped up on elbows. Worth it, for me. Bill
I second the chair sling - mine is 10 oz. but I want to make one from sil-nylon that should be about 5 oz. Also - a good digital camera - also 10 oz.
I definitely haven't got all of my gear down-weighted to ultralite, but I'm replacing things one at a time to get there. Except... I recently bought a Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mattress. 24 oz. I'm getting older (46) and don't sleep well on the hard ground on a thin pad. Not even that well on my old Thermarest 1.5 in. 3/4 pad. This new mattress ought to do the trick.
I love the idea of the Luxurylite Pillow but can't see spending the money for it. Yet.
i spent too many nights on a hard M-1 tank, sitting propped up in a corner, or sleeping with a bolt sticking me in the back or side... have a really hard time on the ground... i use a hammock now, and sleep better there than in my own bed.
my cheat items are mostly extra stuff for my hammock (bigger tarp-7 oz extra, tensioners-2 oz, and carabiners, 4 oz.) and for reading. a CMG Bonfire reading light, at 4 oz, is way heavier than it needs to be, but it's so nice to read by... and a paperback. still, it all comes to just over a pound.
justusryans
08-15-2005, 20:06
My cheat item is a Coglin Sportsman's hammock. 8oz you can set it up as a regular hammock, or as a chair hammock, can sleep in it when it's hot and muggy, use it to seine fish, (only in a emergency of course!) It is also good for a laugh if you happen to catch me trying to get in it. :o
beartrack1
08-23-2005, 14:43
Amateur Radio Station. I carry a complete set-up with antenna, tuner, transceiver, battery pack, morse code key and earphones. It all weighs less than one pound. I built it myself just for the trail and it has provided me with reliable communication with friends and family all over the United States. I can lie in my sleeping bag at night with the gear sitting next to me, my earbuds in my ears and the morse code key in my hand inside the sleeping bag. Other hikers hear nothing nor do they even know that I'm communicating with other radio operators hundreds of miles away. For all they know, I'm just sleeping. The transceiver is miniaturized into an Altoids tin. The antenna is a 56 foot peice of wire with a weight at one end and thrown up over a tree branch.
By the way...it was the grand prize winner this year in the homemade gear contest at Damscus.
Amateur Radio Station. I carry a complete set-up with antenna, tuner, transceiver, battery pack, morse code key and earphones. It all weighs less than one pound. I built it myself just for the trail and it has provided me with reliable communication with friends and family all over the United States. I can lie in my sleeping bag at night with the gear sitting next to me, my earbuds in my ears and the morse code key in my hand inside the sleeping bag. Other hikers hear nothing nor do they even know that I'm communicating with other radio operators hundreds of miles away. For all they know, I'm just sleeping. The transceiver is miniaturized into an Altoids tin. The antenna is a 56 foot peice of wire with a weight at one end and thrown up over a tree branch.
By the way...it was the grand prize winner this year in the homemade gear contest at Damscus.
That is about the coolest thing I ever heard. Wow!
titanium_hiker
08-24-2005, 17:18
cool beartack1 - sounds great!
Hey, I think I have found my new cheat item... a paraglider! 15 lbs. so, I can go XUL and sleep in my flying clothes (thus eliminating sleeping bag), what do you think? Hike up a mountain to jump off... FUN!
3500 dollars will get me fully liscensed and fully geared..
ok I'm excited.
titanium_
12hrsN2AT
08-25-2005, 15:41
Logitech Pocket Camera and Ipod Shuffle, both as small as can be. Since they are both made to be ultralight, I am not sure if that's cheating.