UL's moving goalposts

[Mags]

I carry a ziplock bag and a credit card only.

Then I hitch to a town for a meal and lodging.

[88BlueGT]

^^ This guy knows what hes doing

[WingedMonkey]

Another point along the same lines.. If you DO get injured it's a lot easier to keep moving with a light pack.

I hurt my leg a few weeks ago hiking and had to go to the hospital. If I had been carrying my former 25# pack I doubt I could have hobbled out of the woods with it. I barely managed with a 12# pack.

At 12 lbs I had everything I could possibly need to stay warm, dry and full - that's all I require.

Do you regret not carrying an Ace bandage?

[10-K]

Do you regret not carrying an Ace bandage?

No, not really.

You can't be prepared for every eventuality and have regrets in hindsight.

I know that going in.

[10-K]

+35646830167

It will never end, its the development of technology. If not a fabric, it will be something completely different, out of this world, kind of stuff. Just wait.......

I do think we've seen all the major advances in weight savings. New materials may come along but the weight reductions will have to be made in ounces and grams.

That's because all the way to save pounds have been achieved in most categories.

For instance, a tarp that used to weight 2 lbs can now be had at 6-7 oz. No matter what kind of super-space age material is invented you're not going to be able to make another 1.5 lb reduction - otherwise the tarp would have a negative weight.

[russb]

I carry a ziplock bag and a credit card only.

Then I hitch to a town for a meal and lodging.

Lose the ziploc and save an ounce.

[Chop]

I believe the next major advance will not be on the fabric front. Cuben is pretty stellar and will probably prove difficult to pass in a major way.

Food would be the area where I anticipate the next weight savings. Think 3oz bar with 1000 healthy calories. Other things may shave weight, but I believe this will be the next frontier that makes a real weight difference.

[Zeno Marx]

I believe the next major advance will not be on the fabric front.

Maybe they'll make an ultralight fabric that is actually durable and that can last 30 years of real use, handling desert sun etc, that isn't as ridiculously expensive as Cuben or Dyneema. That's where I'd truly like to see advancement: price. I don't carry much Gore-Tex, but it continues to baffle me that it costs as much as it does. I'd hate to see these fabrics follow the same path.

[1azarus]

If you drop another 2 or 6 or 12 ounces, I'm willing to throw down serious money that you won't enjoy your outdoor adventures anymore than you do now. If you would, maybe it isn't the hiking, backpacking, and being outdoors that you really enjoy.

I'm sure you're right, but for some of us there are two hobbies here...one is hiking, the other is monkeying around with gear. I love em both!

[frisbeefreek]

There is still progress to be made on gear we wear as well as hard goods--

How about UL hiking poles that are durable (6oz delicate gossemer gear vs. 16oz Leki's).

Tent poles that are lighter - My Tarptent Rainbow pole is 7oz.

Lightweight fabrics that last (I wore a 2.5oz longsleeve on the PCT that I loved - It lasted 2 months). Montbell makes their wind shirt/pant combo that weighs 6oz combined - Imagine it it were waterproof/breathable.

Shoes are heavy - I think Inov8 is on the right track, but light, comfortable, durable shoes would be great.

More exotically, lightweight crampons/microspikes (currently 14oz is the lower boundary). An ice axe that weighs less that the Camp Corsa (i.e.: ULA potty trowel), but has the UIAA rating.

[sbhikes]

More weight reduction can be had with better multi-use gear.

There was a guy at the PCT kickoff who demonstrated his new bear canister (it's been approved, too.) It was a clear plastic container like the Bear Vault, but the titanium lid doubled as a pan for cooking. So now you can leave your cook pot home and save some weight in bear country.

Here's a link. http://lighter1.com/

[smith29]

If you drop another 2 or 6 or 12 ounces, I'm willing to throw down serious money that you won't enjoy your outdoor adventures anymore than you do now. If you would, maybe it isn't the hiking, backpacking, and being outdoors that you really enjoy.

.

Well said. You drop big bucks to drop 3 pounds. I doubt I would even notice - there's better things to think about.

[tuswm]

I have noticed that several weight saving idea come when designing things for multiple use like hiking poles and tents that use them. And packs that use sleeping pads for frames.

But the lighter I get the less I want hiking poles. And now I use a neo air over my Z rest not for weight but for comfort. So what about a pack frame that comes out and can be used as a pole for a tent? That would save about a pound for most people.

[garlic08]

Another source for UL gear innovation is the adventure racing industry. I got my light weight ice axe from a site that caters to eco-challenge racers and the like. There's actual prize money there, so there's a push to develop gear that you don't get from dirt bag thru hikers (I mean that with all possible respect, Mags).

For myself, I agree that I can't visualize getting my pack much lighter, ever. But then again, remember that at the end of the 19th century, main-stream scientists thought that everything was pretty much already discovered, with just a few minor loose ends to tie up. Then Einstein came along with some pesky theories....

[Pixelgator]

Another point along the same lines.. If you DO get injured it's a lot easier to keep moving with a light pack.

I hurt my leg a few weeks ago hiking and had to go to the hospital. If I had been carrying my former 25# pack I doubt I could have hobbled out of the woods with it. I barely managed with a 12# pack.

At 12 lbs I had everything I could possibly need to stay warm, dry and full - that's all I require.

I'd be interested in seeing your pack list.

[Mags]

(I mean that with all possible respect, Mags).

No worries. The R&D-type folks always push the envelope; people like me find a way to put it to practical use. It's all good.

[Wolf - 23000]

I do think we've seen all the major advances in weight savings. New materials may come along but the weight reductions will have to be made in ounces and grams.

That's because all the way to save pounds have been achieved in most categories.

For instance, a tarp that used to weight 2 lbs can now be had at 6-7 oz. No matter what kind of super-space age material is invented you're not going to be able to make another 1.5 lb reduction - otherwise the tarp would have a negative weight.

10-K,

I agree with your point. The truth is the equipment has been out for years but there is a human factor of hikers wanting more toys. For example. When I first thru-hike back in 1989 when I wanted to call home I went into town and used a pay phone. Now many hikers carry cell phones with chargers. Cell phones are small and light these days but they also are another toy that is not really needed that is added in to hikers gear list. Hikers like their toys to carry. That where the weight really adds up.

Wolf

[Limeman]

Do you really think there is that much more juice left to squeeze?

Yes! The day "we" as a race decide to stop pushing into new paradigms is the day we should all just lay back and wallow in complacency. I agree with an above post that so many of the envelopes that have been pushed move to mainstream. This happens in every industry, not just recreation, and we all benefit. I look at it this way. Due to so many advancements in light weight materials and effective designs and uses for them, I can now take myself and my daughter (a 5-year old adventurer extraordinaire) on a weekend backpacking trip, with many of the "luxuries" that used to be considered unacceptable, have a great time, and carry no more weight than I used to for a solo overnight just a few year back. That is what I call progress! Imagine some day, being able to do the same, but for a family of 4! Yes... keep on advancing Industry!

[Leanthree]

There has to be someone out there who can replace down as the insulator of choice in sleeping bags and insulator vest/jacket.

Strikes me as the easiest "next advance" to drop significant weight from those hikers who already have their base weight in the 8-10 lb range.

Fabrics have come a long way in the last 20 years but insulators haven't.

[tuswm]

There has to be someone out there who can replace down as the insulator of choice in sleeping bags and insulator vest/jacket.

Ask and you shall receive, argon fill. adjust the gas fill and pressure to adjust level of insulation.

http://www.klymit.com/