Transitioning to ultra light

[evan_rolltide]

By changing around some of my gear choices I am getting pretty close to a sub 10 lb pack.
Here is my current gear list: http://lighterpack.com/r/drxp5z
I don't have any cold weather clothing or rain stuff on here but it has everything else I carry.

Last weekend I was hiking near mt thielsen in Oregon and was wishing I had a lighter pack still, to make climbing the summit more comfortable with my full pack.

I think I am ready to make the change over to ultralight... I know you should buy your pack last typically, but since I stand to gain the most ground there I was thinking about getting one of those Zpack Arcblasts...

After that I'd need to upgrade my bag....

And the last thing I might do is go to a tarp set up... I am doing a lot of hiking in Oregon now and there are plenty of mosquitoes so I like having the bug net.


This gear is going to be used for weekend warrior stuff for now, some AT section hikes next year, and a future thru hike.


Just wanted to get y'alls advice about what order to get the new gear in, as well as other packs I should consider.

[B.j. Clark]

Order of replacement for me: bag, shelter, pack. You can easily decrease weight by at least 2 lbs. with the first 2 items. But the other issue is pack volume. Until you know what the volume you need is, it would be easy to over or undersize your pack decision. You could always do some mods on the pack, getting rid of things on the pack you don't need or use to cut off a little weight. And as you said, no rain gear in the base weight. From experience I would lower my in pack weight before changing out the pack, especially since it isn't a beast by any means.

[RockDoc]

Yo, concentrate on the big 3. You can go sub-kilo on pack, bag, and tent at least for mild conditions and good luck in terms of weather. There's always a trade off of comfort/safety and weight. Be aware that the lighter you go, the more likely you will suffer in bad weather and unexpected emergencies. It's not for everyone, or everyplace. The Cascades get some nasty storms, as you should know, and it can rain for weeks on the AT.

[evan_rolltide]

In order to lose much in the shelter area I'm gonna have to go to a tarp and bivy set up, I would think...?
Upgrading the bag would not be cheap..... but neither is the arc blast!

[jimmyjam]

You have a few things missing: first aid kit, toilet paper, no jacket, no rain gear, no base layer, etc

[evan_rolltide]

I don't carry a first aid kit... I stated in my first post that not all my gear was listed (cold/rain gear).

i was mostly looking for specific advice about packs, shelters, and bags I should consider.

[nastynate]

Switch out your pack. The ULA Ohm is nice, GG Gorillla maybe, Zpacks seems nice too. Get a nice 30* quilt. There is 2 lbs lost. You'll have to go cuben fiber or tarp and bivy to drop much weight on your shelter.

[squeezebox]

You don't carry a 1st aid kit ?? What? you expect to use someone else's ??

[Traveler]

Yo, concentrate on the big 3. You can go sub-kilo on pack, bag, and tent at least for mild conditions and good luck in terms of weather. There's always a trade off of comfort/safety and weight. Be aware that the lighter you go, the more likely you will suffer in bad weather and unexpected emergencies. It's not for everyone, or everyplace. The Cascades get some nasty storms, as you should know, and it can rain for weeks on the AT.

Good observation. I find as I get older I take more with me, some for comfort but most for contingency. Perhaps its because I now move at a very predictable pace and a pound or three doesn't affects the pace much if anything. When I was in my 20s I was always trying to move faster and lighter to get to the end sooner. Now its more about the journey and minor comforts of small things along the way.

As an aside, a first aid kit should be standard fare in most packs as a means of self responsibility. They can be a spartan collection of bandaids, compresses, and Neosporen, but something to tend to minor injury is a necessity in my view. Minor injuries can turn life threatening quickly in the right circumstances, at that point you put your health at risk, along with those who now have to help you out.

[colorado_rob]

By changing around some of my gear choices I am getting pretty close to a sub 10 lb pack.
Here is my current gear list: http://lighterpack.com/r/drxp5z
I don't have any cold weather clothing or rain stuff on here but it has everything else I carry.

Last weekend I was hiking near mt thielsen in Oregon and was wishing I had a lighter pack still, to make climbing the summit more comfortable with my full pack.

I think I am ready to make the change over to ultralight... I know you should buy your pack last typically, but since I stand to gain the most ground there I was thinking about getting one of those Zpack Arcblasts...

After that I'd need to upgrade my bag....

And the last thing I might do is go to a tarp set up... I am doing a lot of hiking in Oregon now and there are plenty of mosquitoes so I like having the bug net.


This gear is going to be used for weekend warrior stuff for now, some AT section hikes next year, and a future thru hike.


Just wanted to get y'alls advice about what order to get the new gear in, as well as other packs I should consider.

Congratulations on getting to near 10! It is absolutely amazing how much difference it makes for long-distance hiking to be lightweight. I recently "graduated" myself to just under 10 for a summer kit.

Just FWIW, in some places, folks can get by w/o rain protection and some insulation, but I always carry both a Dri-duck rain suit (11 ounces total) and a down vest (4 oz) or "sweater" (7.5 oz) for anyplace except, say, the AT in the summer.

Please don't let "heavy thinkers" convince you that to be UL you also have to sacrifice either safety or comfort. I'll stack up my <10 lb kit with anyone in terms of safety (compass, map, rain wear, insulation, first aid kit, stove, small knife, fire starting stuff. I even carry a 1.5 oz GPS for some out of the way places).

And I think I hike just as comfortably as nearly anyone. No extra crocs/shoes though. Don't need 'em, my trail runners are comfy, I just take out the foot beds around camp and they feel like "new" shoes. A three person tent for just myself? Why? Pots/pans/skillets... again, why??? Machette/hunting knife, or god forbid, a GUN???? Yikes.

Basically it comes down to mostly this: Lightweight, Cheap and Functional: Choose two. Hard to get all three at once. So if you're willing to spend the $$$, you can be UL and totally functional (safe and plenty comfortable).

Last weekend I tried an experiment on a two-nighter in Colorado. We were climbing my wife's 100th peak of the CO high-100, with a mere 4-mile backpack in to base camp. Just for grins, I carried my 85 liter Expedition pack (usually only necessary for climbing really big mountains, like Denali) loaded with all sorts of extra stuff, like a 12-pack of beer and real food PLUS a bottle of Champagne for the summit celebration. Instead of a "normal" 20 lb Colorado 2-night pack, I was carrying ~38 pounds. Even though it was only 4 miles in I was miserable climbing the mere 1800 vertical feet to camp! The only thing that kept my going and happy was the knowledge that I could enjoy a couple beers at camp, and when we completed her high-100 goal, we could enjoy Champagne on the summit and some nice beverages the next night. Was it worth it? In this case yes, given the celebratory aspect involved, but it sure reminded me of my "heavier" days that I would never consider going back to in any way.

[kayak karl]

You don't carry a 1st aid kit ?? What? you expect to use someone else's ??

i've never carried one and never used anyone's? i do have duct tape and ibuprofen.

[Wülfgang]

Not carrying a basic first-aid kit for field-treatable injuries is foolish.

Obviously the UL world is very opinionated, but I think every UL hiker has to brand into their mind that there are some items in your pack with are sacrosanct and should NEVER be removed.

1. Sleeping bag
2. Shelter
3. Fist aid/basic survival items

The AT corridor is more tame in terms of weather than the high rockies, but contingencies do occur and most wilderness emergencies are a reult of insufficient preparation and/or poor field decision-making.

All that aside, I agree with the others that the big 3 should be your first 3 to optimize. Biggest weight savings.

[Astro]

i've never carried one and never used anyone's? i do have duct tape and ibuprofen.

The more I hike, it seems the smaller mine gets.

[Malto]

In order to lose much in the shelter area I'm gonna have to go to a tarp and bivy set up, I would think...?
Upgrading the bag would not be cheap..... but neither is the arc blast!

I would go bag, shelter, pad pack in that order. One of the tenets of UL is understanding how all fit in the system. A much smaller bag will impact your pack.

i would think long and hard before going to a traditional tarp bivy. I went that direction for a couple of years. Works great out west but that setup is not ideal in buggy hot weather. My current setup is three piece, a mid style tarp, bivy and bug inner. I only setup mid if its going to rain. I use the net inner from May to about October and switch over to the bivy in the colder weather. Average weight is about 18 oz. in either setup. (I made my inner and mid but itis similar to a cuben solomid and an MLD bug inner.)

[garlic08]

...Please don't let "heavy thinkers" convince you that to be UL you also have to sacrifice either safety or comfort....

The real fun is in loaning or giving something to someone who's carrying a 40 pound-plus pack. It's usually something tiny like nail clippers or tweezers, a spare AAA battery, Neosporin, or a razor blade to remove a splinter. But it sure feels good.

[rocketsocks]

Hearing this now, I would never ask for anything from an uber lighter...just on general principal.

[RodentWhisperer]

Another +1 on "concentrate on the big 3 first." I think that's the most efficient strategy. Just remember, it's not all about the numbers (ounces/grams), it's also about the comfort/usefulness. Make your kit as light as possible without sacrificing those two things, and don't fret the details.

[Kraken Skullz]

I just got my pack to the 10lb mark before food and water by switching to a hammock system and getting a six moon designs pack vs my rei pack.

It can be done relatively cheaply as well. Here is my list:

1. Six moon designs (older model) starlite
2. Yukon outfitters hammock with built in bug net
3. Homemade 4 mil tarp with gorilla tape tie outs
4. Outdoor products 40° bag (thinking of splitting it in half top make a top quilt and under quilt)
5. Full length thermarest (switching to z-lite within the week)
6. GSI microduelist with alcohol stove set
7. Miscellaneous items (spork, 50ft of paracord, headlamp, first aid kit, empty water bladder, backup fire making equipment, etc.)

All of that was had for less than $250.

[tammons]

By changing around some of my gear choices I am getting pretty close to a sub 10 lb pack.
Here is my current gear list: http://lighterpack.com/r/drxp5z
I don't have any cold weather clothing or rain stuff on here but it has everything else I carry.

Last weekend I was hiking near mt thielsen in Oregon and was wishing I had a lighter pack still, to make climbing the summit more comfortable with my full pack.

I think I am ready to make the change over to ultralight... I know you should buy your pack last typically, but since I stand to gain the most ground there I was thinking about getting one of those Zpack Arcblasts...

After that I'd need to upgrade my bag....

And the last thing I might do is go to a tarp set up... I am doing a lot of hiking in Oregon now and there are plenty of mosquitoes so I like having the bug net.


This gear is going to be used for weekend warrior stuff for now, some AT section hikes next year, and a future thru hike.


Just wanted to get y'alls advice about what order to get the new gear in, as well as other packs I should consider.

I disagree with buy your pack last. I say buy it first then buy everything to fit or leave it home.
I think most people buy too much stuff then they are forced to buy a pack that is too big and heavy for UL then sell everything etc.

Looks pretty light so far but you need more essentials and med etc.

Sell your pack and buy lighter.

Maybe start off with a used Golite Jam II 50L and remove the bladder pocket and foam pad. That will end up at about 18.5 oz an cost between $50-$75 or you could buy a Zpacks Zero for about $120-200 depending on size and what you want on it and it weighs 10-12oz for the hybrid cuben but you need to keep the overall weight down.

You will lose 2-2.5# just with that one change.

The arc blast is also nice.

Buy a lighter pot. You can do an entire bag cookset in less than 4 oz. I watched a youtube a while back that I can not find now where the hikers entire cook kit was about 2 oz.

There are lighter tents than the moment but more expensive. The Big Sky wisp weighs 11.4oz in the Supersil version and cost $340. The cuben version is more and weighs like 10.6 oz. I have not tried this one yet, but there are quite a few tents in the 16 - 24oz range.

Depending on how you sleep, you could swap to a quilt part of the year and that would save you another pound.

There was a guy over at BPL that did an AT thru with a 9.5# pack or there abouts and used a climashield spirit quilt and said it was great. All very minimal Eq.

If you go tarp, go cuben.
You can get a decent cuben tarp that weighs 6oz and a bug tent at 10oz. On the AT use the bug tent alone in shelters.

[quasarr]

I think it is ok to get the pack first. Looks like your gear list, even adding the extras you left off, would fit in a 50L pack just fine. I really believe zpacks makes the best UL gear on the market, and you are supporting a product made in the USA. So if you can afford those cuben prices, I say go for it! (although for $280, the Arc Blast is competitively priced with some heavy weight packs out there.)

As for your other gear, I see the biggest possible weight savings in the sleeping bag and tent. Although to replace either one you will need to go DIY or shell out a lot of cash for cuben. If you are willing to try DIY, consider the Ray-Way tarp, which has the option of a net tent for bugs.

I agree you can go lighter on the pot. Have you considered can pots? I also think you don't need to bring a sponge, they just end up getting nasty. You can wipe the pot with pine needles, grass, or your fingers. Who cares about germs, the next thing you will do with the pot is boil water in it so it should be safe!