Forgot to add:
I went back to the ground to see how light I can get my weight. Currently I am ~8.7lb base weight (winter).
My name is Greg and I think I am becoming a gram weenie !
Good for you on making the decision to go ultralight - you'll be a much happier hiker carrying less. I started ultralight backpacking a couple of years ago and managed to get my base weight down to 10-11 lbs without sacrificing comfort or safety. I recently converted to a hammock (Hennessy Hyperlite Assymetrical) that has a built-in bug net. I bought the under insulation and plan on having a custom tarp made as I think the tarp it came with is lacking a bit. I sleep so much better in a hammock than I did on the ground as my 46-year-old bones don't do well lying flat.
Anyway, there are many resources online that you can use to learn how to "do-it-yourself" - check out YouTube and do a search for ultralight backpacking and you will find many videos available to help you. Also, a good website to visit that will help you make your own items is Thru-Hiker: http://thru-hiker.com/materials/index.php They have project instructions to get you going.
Good luck to you!
I'm the opposite. I've added these things in to my kit. In fact my 15" Sven folding saw is now one of my favorite pieces of gear. I can get awesome fires going so easily now that I can cut up the larger pieces of deadfall, and all for only one pound! I'm also looking to add a tea kettle, infuser, and mug. I tossed my titanium cook set while on the trail this year, and I replaced it with an MSR ~3/4 liter stowaway steel pot. I found that I prefer taking the time after hiking to make a fire and cook over that, instead of wasting fuel with my alcohol stove. So now the few ounces that go toward my stove and fuel are just for backup and emergency purposes when I can't, or won't, get a fire started. I found that it's very easy for me to carry the minor extra weight of these items when the rest of my kit is essentially "ultralight" as I still have a total pack weight of ~20lbs for one or two nights. Thirty five pounds was probably average on my hike earlier this year when I was carrying all of my food for five days or so between resupplies, and quite a few people envied Captain's and my own culinary exploits. I was still averaging 15 miles a day and setting up camp to cook over an open fire. I did not do so at the end of my 20 mile days, though.Originally Posted by Tom Murphy
I can do true ultralight for short trips of up to three nights, but after spending a month on the trail I was ready to add some weight back to get more comfortable and truly make the trail my "home."
Whoops forgot to talk re: OP's hammock vs tent.
When I got to Damascus I decided to switch to a hammock from my SMD Skyscape Trekker tarptent. That was probably the best decision I've made regarding my comfort on the trail. I currently have an ENO Doublenest. I'm going to give that a go for a while now and maybe next year look into getting a hammock that is longer, narrower, and lighter weight. I'm looking at the BiaS Weight Weenie as a possible frontrunner.
Maybe this will help you make up your mind...
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For me a good hammock setup is a long double layer MYOG hammock = more comfortable.
That can be cheap or expensive. I got 1 oz ripstop for $2 a yard.
Double layer to stuff in a pad etc. Pad is good if you get stuck on the ground too but does not breath in a hammock and is bulky.
Interested in checking out Nu-foam, but know nothing about it.
Made out of double layer M55 Momentum it would be fairly light, like a 5x10 would weigh 8 oz for just the hammock.
Add Whipped ends, amsteel woppie slings and tree huggers.
Large tarp like 10x12, not UL unless cuben. Still not too bad if sil at 20 oz. Add stakes and line etc.
A 10x12 is large enough that if you pitch it low then you can close the ends like a tent so no more wind problem.
MYOG bug net. Pretty easy project. Just get the net from Zpacks and it will weigh about 10-12 oz finished and come in handy if you end up on the ground.
Just make it with an elastic draw bottom, easy. There is a video of one like on youtube.
Climasheild M55 top quilt is the way to go. Easy to make.
Under insulation is a pretty big deal with a hammock.
You need under just as much as over really.
A 5oz XP UQ with a pad should be enough.
Recently saw a Reflectix copy of a Eno UQ which looked interesting. Read where people have taken it down pretty low like 20dF.
Have one I am playing around with.
It looks like a big silver boat - LOL
I have also been playing around with the idea of a tyvek peapod.
Weather protection, but it breaths, and if you have to go to the ground use it as a bivy.
Have the tyvek but have not built it yet.
I use an over/underquilt (also called a sleeping bag - see illustration at left).
#1 reason (for me) or hammocking is better sleep.
#2 reason - never a wet/muddy floor.
#3 reason - not having to stoop/crawl into 3'+ high tent - walk in, sit down, swing legs into hammock. Leg cramps are much easier to deal with (as would be sore knees, ankles, etc.)
#4 reason - fewer crawling things (which you can usually avoid while awake) - mostly ticks in my case.
I have to admit that I enjoy snow camping, though, when just enough of your body heat makes it through the pad, melting the snow exactly to the shape of your body. Better than memory foam (unless your pad is too thin).
As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
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I'd be floating down the river on my NeoAir!
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