What's the weight of your BIG FOUR?

[hikingshoes]

Not what is too heavy and what is too light.
Thats too singular and depends on the volume you need and total weight you carry.

If you are going UL for 3 season then try to set a goal of.....

6# for a big 4 weight
6# for everything else
12-14# for 5 days of food and 2 qts of h2o

and you are at 24-26# total.

A gossemer gear mariposa plus is about as good as it will get at that size and 24 oz and can handle that weight. Actually it can handle up to 30-35# comfortably.

If you get to 40# and over you will need more volume and a better suspension, IE heavier pack.

Id love to get down to 24-26lbs.

[hikingshoes]

take-a-knee,and friend on HF turn me on to this pack and web site.Ive got my eye on that pack too.Is there a ULA store in Gatlinburg,Tn.?

ULA Circuit, 2#4oz.

[JohnnyB]

well,before food/water the pack weight is 35lbs.I havent weight it after fully loaded.I would say around 40-45lbs fully loaded.lol,its like i tols my hiking friends,im use to the Army way,but not the hiking way.Id like to get my pack down to 25-30lbs fully loaded.Lord that would feel so good.

If you want, make a new thread and post your entire gear list and their weights and we can go through it and make suggestions.

Also note the following: What you're typical trip length is between resupply and your typical nighttime low tempatures for the region and season you hike? Are you willing to use a tarp or are you strictly tent only? On a related note, do you use trecking poles?

Oh yeah, your budget for new gear purchases would be helpful. If you're willing to sell some of your current gear that can go a long way since often UL gear is cheaper than traditional gear.

It's very easy to get to a 15 pound base weight (weight carried before food and water) and not too hard at all to reach 10 pounds.

Whatever you do, do not buy a new pack yet. A new pack should be one of your last purchases AFTER you make the other changes to your kit. Trust me on this one.

[hikingshoes]

ok,just goive me alittle time as im unpacking my gear now and cleaning it.Im getting ready for a 3day hiking trip starting at Cosby Campground,hope this turns out better than the last time i was going to hiking in the smokies.now that im lost 14lbs and feel great now.

If you want, make a new thread and post your entire gear list and their weights and we can go through it and make suggestions.

Also note the following: What you're typical trip length is between resupply and your typical nighttime low tempatures for the region and season you hike? Are you willing to use a tarp or are you strictly tent only? On a related note, do you use trecking poles?

Oh yeah, your budget for new gear purchases would be helpful. If you're willing to sell some of your current gear that can go a long way since often UL gear is cheaper than traditional gear.

It's very easy to get to a 15 pound base weight (weight carried before food and water) and not too hard at all to reach 10 pounds.

Whatever you do, do not buy a new pack yet. A new pack should be one of your last purchases AFTER you make the other changes to your kit. Trust me on this one.

[tammons]

Good Lord. If you have a 35# base weight you better just keep your 5# pack.

Your at 45-50# fully loaded. God Bless you.

I would say go through your pack and get rid of or replaceall the stuff thats either heavy or you think you really need but rarely use.
Actually I never had a base weight over 30# even back in the 70's.

Buy a good scale.

I would suggest to go slowly because its expensive, start off with the big four and go from there, probably a new tent, Tarptent moment or a tarp and bivy.

You might as well get the pack last since you have to reduce your volume and weight first.

A Eureka spitfire is 46 oz if you replace the stakes and that might be a good intermedite step for $100 if you have a heavy tent.

Use frostking window film for a ground cloth. 1.5 oz and its cheap.

Depending on how you camp, a gatewood cape and a bug tent saves a ton of weight since it is also raingear.
Thats about 18 oz total.

Also the one tent, tarptent moment, rainbow etc.
The tarptent moment is 28oz and $220

You can pick up subsil tents for pretty cheap used like $100.

You can get a campmor silnylon 8x10 tarp for cheap and thats very light.
Cost $70 and is 13oz.
You can get a 5x8 poly tarp that might do for a while from lowes for like $5. That weighs a little less than a pound I think.

You can make a bivy out of tyvek. Glue that together with a variety of waterproof glues.

Get a campmor 20dF down bag. About 36oz
$120

Save up and get a neoair pad and sleep in comfort.
14oz.

Also you could just use a couple of blue pads instead from walmart for $14 and 10 oz

Get a mariposa plus or build a G4 pack.
24oz for the mariposa. G4 about 18 oz I think and $34 in kit form.

With the moment tent, bag, pad, and mariposa, that puts your big 4 at 6.4#.

Downsize everything else 3 season to get that down to 6-7# packed including extra clothes.

First, down size your cook gear to an alcohol freezer bag setup. Mine weighs 4 oz total less the fuel bottle.

Next would be all the everyday stuff, hygene, emer, medical. You can do with a lot less than you think. All of that together should weigh less than 16oz. I dont count things I carry in my pocket like my knife etc.

Next is water. Just 2-3 platys, and a simple gravity filter and or tablets or drops.

Clothing and raingear is another big number.

Raingear, gatewood cape as above and 0 oz for raingear.
Driducks rainsuit 10 oz and about $14. Serves as raingear and wind gear

One change of superlight cloths, like from the salvation army. Mine weighs 10 oz and costs about $6.
Nylon running pants with the liner removed and a silk shirt.

A thermawrap and a minima vest is probably about as good as it will get for UL upper body, but expensive.
You can usually find some great stuff at the salvation army. I found a brand new down vest there the other day for $5.

You can get army jacket liners on ebay for $5. They make a decent thin vest. All you have to do is rip the seams on the sleeves off and button it up or sew on a zipper. The medium liner is more like a large. I weigh 235 and it is a very snug fit buttoned. With a zipper it would be just right.
XL is way too big unless you are a gorrilla.

The insul pant liners go for 5# too. The legs are short.

[tammons]

Id love to get down to 24-26lbs.

Its not that hard, and not that expensive if you shop and buy used gear, shop salvation army, MYOG etc.

I just built a nice hammock for $18 out of ripstop form walmart. Not SUL though.

[hikingshoes]

Its not that hard, and not that expensive if you shop and buy used gear, shop salvation army, MYOG etc.

I just built a nice hammock for $18 out of ripstop form walmart. Not SUL though.

I have my hammock/tarp and all my camping gear.Ill make a list later this week(if the honey do list are done).I met a hiker on my hiking trip and his pack w/food&water was 18lbs for3days.

[tammons]

18# is pretty freekin light.

You can do that with a Zpack, gatewood cape, bivy, Ultra 20 quilt and like a small neoair. That big 4 would weigh like 3#2oz.
Add 6# for everything else for a base of about 9#

Add 5# food 4# water = 18#

If you want to copy my gear list to use as a starting point
go for it. Right now its set up for hammock camping since that is
my latest direction.

12# 3 season base, 14# winter.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?k...ZSHE0WHc&hl=en

[hikingshoes]

Yeah,tell me about.Thanks for the spreadsheet,that will help.Charles

18# is pretty freekin light.

You can do that with a Zpack, gatewood cape, bivy, Ultra 20 quilt and like a small neoair. That big 4 would weigh like 3#2oz.
Add 6# for everything else for a base of about 9#

Add 5# food 4# water = 18#

If you want to copy my gear list to use as a starting point
go for it. Right now its set up for hammock camping since that is
my latest direction.

12# 3 season base, 14# winter.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?k...ZSHE0WHc&hl=en

[Skidsteer]

well,before food/water the pack weight is 35lbs.I havent weight it after fully loaded.I would say around 40-45lbs fully loaded.lol,its like i tols my hiking friends,im use to the Army way,but not the hiking way.Id like to get my pack down to 25-30lbs fully loaded.Lord that would feel so good.

Good news!

All it takes is money.

[JohnnyB]

It's too bad so many people purchase traditional style gear first. The cost of starting out UL is actually cheaper than starting with traditonal gear but it seems really expensive because you already blew a wad of money on the traditional stuff.

For instance:

* many UL packs are 1/3 cost of traditional packs
* UL stove is free
* CCF pad is 1/5 cost of air mattress
* tarp + bivy combo is 1/2 cost of decent tent
* trail runners are 1/3 cost of hiking boots (although you replace then more often)

[BrianLe]

Skidsteer said: "Good news! All it takes is money."

I agree with JohnnyB, and would add that while of course it takes money, it needn't take a ton of money. I've not gone through this long thread to review it, but I'm sure there are already references to making your own gear and buying at a discount --- I'll post a few if not. A good thing to look at along this line is the "$300 challenge", perhaps not exactly the same prices listed there as you would fine looking now, but a good approach to keep in mind for a person trying to lighten up on a budget.

[JohnnyB]

Just for a quick example:

A good fairly light traditional backpack weighs about 3 pounds and cost about $250.

A good traditional tent weighs about 4 pounds and costs between $250 and $300.

Total for tent and pack only is 7 pounds and $500 to $550.

You can get the entire big 4 in UL for less than 5 pounds and $529 with some common sales.

* Golite Ultra 20 quilt (good to +30 degrees), 20 ounces, $180 on sale
* Full size ridge rest, 14 ounces, ~ $24
* Polycryo groundsheet, (get at hardware store), 1.5 ounces, $5
* 8' x 10' siltarp, 14 ounces, $100
* tiGoat bivy with full net hood option, 7 ounces, $120
* GoLite Jam, 22 ounces, $100

[Jaybird]

I guess i consider myself a LITE hiker (no jokes abt my personal weight, please!)

i trashed my Kelty bivy after this years section hike...(threw it in the garbage can @ Albany,NY Airport)...it leaked & seems were un-raveling.
had it for 8 years...got my moneys worth, fer sure!

as of now the weight of my BIG 4 come next spring on my 2 week section hike
(Clarks Valley,PA-NJ/NY state line) is:

backpack: Granite Gear 2lbs
tent: TexSport bivy 3lbs
sleep bag 2lbs 6oz
sleep pad 12oz
total: 8lbs 2oz

w/ gear & (7days) food & water: approx 30lbs

GOOD LUCK w/ yer hikes!

[alphawolfe]

Big 4 -

Pack: ULA Conduit 17 oz
Shelter: Oware 8x10 Tarp 14 oz; DIY bivy (tyvek/noseeum) 5 oz; stakes/cords 3 oz
Bag: WM 20 deg. (colder weather) 28 oz
Pad: 3/4 Thermarest 11 oz
Total: 78 oz / 4.9 lbs

[Yahtzee]

Here is a fairly cheap and fairly light big 4: All found on hilton's tent city. not pumping the site but it does have great deals and great customer service.

Golite Jam - $70 22oz
Sierra Designs Lullaby (35degrees) - $75 46oz
Eureka Spitfire - $99 36oz
Prolite 4 pad - $76 13oz
Total $320 7pds 3oz

With that start one could easily stay under 25pds fully loaded. I am sure you could find better deals on some gear elsewhere. This was just to give an idea that one can carry a reasonable weight on the cheap.

[toenail]

OK, I decided to lighten up my pack over the winter. This growing old stuff is for the birds. Here is my "big 4", as of today.

10X12 equinox silnylon tarp 19 oz
Granite Gear Vapor trail pack 30 oz
ridgerest pad 15 oz
Marmot pinnacle sleeping bag 40oz

Total weight: 6.5 lbs

Thanks to everyone on this thread, my old Big 4 weight was 9.0lbs! I've even convinced my wife that we can leave the MSR simmerlite at home and take a pepsi can stove. We are even leaving the paperback each of us carry, and taking a deck of cards instead for entertainment. So there it is,my 30lb weeklong pack is now a 25lb pack!

[iamscottym]

After selling some old gear I have myself a new BIG FOUR!

Granite Gear Virga16oz

[iamscottym]

Oops!

Granite Gear Virga 16oz
GG Nightlight 3.5oz
GG the One 16oz
WM Badger MF 20oz

Total: 3lb 7.5oz

[WalkSoftly33]

SleepingBivyMYOGMYOG6.50??QuiltThru Hiker.comQuilt Kit 15.4 oz 800+ fill20.00187.00ownedInflatable MattressTherma-RestNeo-Air Regular9.00149.95ownedInsulation PadGossamer Gear1/8 Thinlight2.0015.00owned37.50351.952.34375ShelterTarp-TentGossamer GearThe One17.00235.00ownedGround ClothGossamer GearPolycro1.505.00ownedStakesEaston6 - 6 '' Aluminum1.6015.00owned20.10255.001.25625PackFrameless Mountain Laurel Designs2010 Prophet14.00180.00ownedPadGossamer GearNightlite Torso Length3.5020.00ownedBelt PocketsMountain Laurel Designs2 Dynemxa2.0030.00ownedShoulder PocketMountain Laurel Designs2, 1 Water 1 Storage1.5015.00ownedRain CoverZ packCuben Fiber0.7530.0021.75275.001.35938Big Three +1.579.35881.954.96