Seek suggestions for L/W gear

[Phoenix7]

I've got the Granite Gear Virga, got a brasslite stove. Seeking suggestions for a lightweight bag and fleece jacket. Was looking at the North Face Fission for a 3-season bag. I'm hesitant to use down in case the bag gets wet. Was looking at jackets from Go-Lite but my oh my are they expensive. Also looking for a very lightweight tarp.
I used the Virga pack for the first time in May and I was about 10lbs. overweight. Shoulders were incredibly sore after the first day.
I'm dedicated to getting my load under 20lbs., but I will also be hiking 3 seasons in New England and in the Spring and Fall it can get pretty cold at night.

Thanks,

Dave

[SGT Rock]

How much do you want to spend?

Bags - WM makes great, very light down bags. Store them in a sil-nylon stuff sack and keep a pack liner around all that.

Tarps - Etwoah outfitters makes some good tarps that are not too much.

And fleece - well I don't care for fleece as much. I find it to be heavy for the warmth compared to a top with lofting insulation like the Puffball Jacket of the Kennebeck pullover.

[Blue Jay]

I used the Virga pack for the first time in May and I was about 10lbs. overweight. Shoulders were incredibly sore after the first day.

No matter what the weight of your pack your shoulders should never be able to get sore. The pack needs to be adjusted so that all of the weight rides on your hips through the hip belt. The only function of the shoulder straps is to transfer weight to the sternum strap that holds the top of the pack to your back.

[detho]

I just picked up a WM (western mountaineering) "Highlite". It's a 35f 16oz bag - 220$. I've used a 45f Lafuma synthetic bag down to 20f and been comfortable (winter hat, all my clothes on). So my new WM bag will be my 3 season bag. Depending on how you sleep, you can get away with a summer bag in the colder spring/fall months.

A bit of a warning for when you are risking warmth vs. weight... If you ever get so cold you can't sleep...you are pushing your luck. I had a night where I was forced to hike out during a snow storm.. just to keep warm. Hiked all night down 'Angels rest' to Pearisburg, Va. Zero'ed out the next day at the church hostel.

Sil-Nylon tarps from Campmor, i use a 7x9. To tie it off, I use 30lb-test Dacron Nylon fishing line, doubled up in a loop. I also carry a couple loops of "survey" tape (the kind used to mark property lines), to mark the Dacron out. The tape also doubles as an attention grabber during hunting season.

I'm leaving for a three week stint on the Long Trail soon, base pack weight including a jacket and 18oz weather radio is 8.6lbs.

Welcome to the lightweight looney bin! :banana

[Phoenix7]

Thanks for the replies all. And thanks for welcoming me to the U/L looney bin!
When I made my first attempt at U/L this past May my pack was overweight but I still enjoyed myself much more than if I had 35-40 lbs. If I do any trekking for more than a week I'll probably use a frame pack and carry about 35lb. But for anything less than a week I'm shooting for under 20lb.

[Tinker]

http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/supertarps.php

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html

http://www.gossamergear.com/

http://www.bigskyinternational.com/Warm-n-Cozy/Better-than-FleeceJacketdetails.htm

http://www.owareusa.com/

These should get you started.

[scope]

No matter what the weight of your pack your shoulders should never be able to get sore. The pack needs to be adjusted so that all of the weight rides on your hips through the hip belt. The only function of the shoulder straps is to transfer weight to the sternum strap that holds the top of the pack to your back.

Maybe someone else can back me up here, but isn't this statement mostly false for ultralight packs with little or no frame? (like the Virga)

[Tinker]

Maybe someone else can back me up here, but isn't this statement mostly false for ultralight packs with little or no frame? (like the Virga)

Some weight can be transferred to the hips through optimal loading procedures when using a frameless pack. A closed cell foam pad makes the best "frame" for these packs. Even if they don't have a pocket for them, you can roll them into a tube, insert them into your pack, then stuff all your gear inside the tube. This also protects your gear from abrasion, since the ul fabrics don't do as good a job as pack cloth and Cordura along these lines. (A pad used like this, even with an internal frame pack, makes a great "cooler" for that little bit of the half-gallon of ice cream you just couldn't finish :D ).

[SGT Rock]

Maybe someone else can back me up here, but isn't this statement mostly false for ultralight packs with little or no frame? (like the Virga)

Depends on which ultralight pack you have and what you are calling ultralight when you are talking about it. The Gossamer Gear (insanely light) pack I tested wouldn't have gained any help from a hip-belt in this area because it had no structure. I have been using Gearskins (Ultralight I would call them - 22.5oz) for a few years now and they have an excellent strap and support system when packed correctly.

I've never used a Granite Gear Virga, but it looks like it has the potential to do this if you have the right pad and pack it correctly - but it also looks like it has the potential to also do really poorly if you don't. Plus reading the descriptions this pack is made for people that have a total pack weight about 20 pounds or less. One common mistake I often see is people overloading ultralight packs beyond their recommended wights and then later complaining when they are not comfortable or fall apart. The pack is the last think you should go ultralight on IMO because you don't know what pack you need for the rest of your load until you have an idea what the rest of your load is going to be.