View Full Version : Craziest weight-dropping technique
What's the most extreme/bizarre/coolest thing you've done to drop the weight of a piece of equipment or your pack in general? I'm thinking along the lines of drilling holes in the handle of a toothbrush. Another example, and my own personal initiative: cutting the plastic pieces off of the band of my headlamp and sewing it back together to perfectly fit my head.
sparky2000
02-08-2006, 15:56
While boot packing, I deceided to let Neel's Gap outfitter give me a total work over. I took all of their advice, droped about 11 pounds and a lot of money.
mostly it was small changes in ALL my equipment...
-synthetic to down sleeping bag saved a couple pounds.
-gas stove to alcohol saved about a pound.
-tent/thermarest to hammock/underquilt/tarp saved about a pound, but would have made no difference had i been using a lighter tent to begin with.
-2 nalgene water bottles to 2 aqua fina water bottles saved over a half pound.
-changing from an MSR Microworks filter to Aqua Mira drops saved almost a whole pound.
-as a result of the savings, i was able to use a lighter backpack, which saved 2 to 3 lbs.
so, sorry, nothing earth-shattering... just planning, thinking, and learning to use new stuff...
Cut away all of my maps except for the parts that actually have Trail, reducing them to thin ribbons instead of big sheets.
Lone Wolf
02-08-2006, 19:40
Liposuction
DUDE! I knew it!:D
crazy ??? well maybe
- sandwich bags instead of freezer bags for zip lock cooking
- chopped off 24 ounce beer can instead of a pot for boiling water
- unmodified tea light candle tin for alcohol burner
fiddlehead
02-09-2006, 01:52
aluminum spoon, styrofoam cup, floorless tent, don't carry water on the AT except in July & August, nylon sox, no underwear, switched from a full size guitar to a backpacker, i could go on and on.
Wolf - 23000
02-09-2006, 02:22
I don't do anything crazy to save weight. I just leave out the unimportant stuff such as sleeping bag, tent, a few time the backpack, etc. Why carry it if you don't need it?
Wolf
peter_pan
02-09-2006, 09:41
What's the most extreme/bizarre/coolest thing you've done to drop the weight of a piece of equipment or your pack in general? I'm thinking along the lines of drilling holes in the handle of a toothbrush. Another example, and my own personal initiative: cutting the plastic pieces off of the band of my headlamp and sewing it back together to perfectly fit my head.
Recommend that you not do this.... the elastic will stretct over time and require adjustments from time to time....plus you will want to wear it over different hats in different seasons.
My $0.02
Pan
Pan,
Thanks for the advice. You make a good point. I'm not sure I was ever going to take the initiative to get it done anyway, but now I won't even put in the effort. Solid.
TN_Hiker
02-09-2006, 10:37
I knew a hiker who would cut the strings off his tea bags to save weight. Personally, I feel like the string is nice to have -- luxury item perhaps?
Well, there has been trips I slept in a 45* bag while freezing.....the trips where I have the clothes on my back, and nothing more than a extra pair of socks and a long sleeve t.
The trips where I didn't bring rain gear back in the day.
The trip where I only wore sock liners.
Oh yeah...best trip of all? The one I slept in my son's sleeping bag to save weight..lol! That was b-a-d. Buying down was a worthy buy :p
Yeah, even better? The one where I ate ramen for every meal to save weight for days. Not!
Kerosene
02-09-2006, 17:13
About 5 years ago I re-vamped my equipment to try to get the weight down from the 40 pounds I carried in my Dana Designs Teraplane on my 2000 section hike. I started with the big four, shaving 5 pounds on the pack alone, then started to look at all the other stuff. After recognizing that I didn't need as many wool socks and a heavier fleece, I started replacing stuff whenever I could save a quarter-pound.
Now I'm down to 1-ounce increments, but I'm pretty much all set. At this point my biggest savings comes from more frequent food re-supply combined with trusting that my appetite really does diminish the first week I'm out in the woods.
The Will
02-09-2006, 18:41
Now I'm down to 1-ounce increments, but I'm pretty much all set. At this point my biggest savings comes from more frequent food re-supply combined with trusting that my appetite really does diminish the first week I'm out in the woods.
Interesting. That has never been my experience.
Kerosene
02-09-2006, 19:10
It's happened so consistently over the past 6 years that I'm finally learning to take advantage of it by bringing less food. It even happened when I did the Long Trail in '79, but my appetite came back within a few weeks and literally doubled by the third week of hiking.
mweinstone
02-11-2006, 00:32
stopped packing oj and milk. when i was young i didnt know water came from springs and brought orange juice and milk and when it was gone i new i must go home.once i tied my bottle of oj to a belt loop and it dropped off . i walked back miles to get it never thinking there was any other way to drink in the mountains. this is cause i went alone and noone ever ever came with. my folks were just that weird that they let me hike alone with a note in my pocket exsplaining i was allowed to be on the AT alone at 14.
SavageLlama
02-11-2006, 10:30
I dropped my girlfriend. Saved me over 120 lbs.
Wolf - 23000
02-11-2006, 10:36
I dropped my girlfriend. Saved me over 120 lbs.
What's crazy about that?
Wolf