View Full Version : Big 3 Advice?
I'm looking for some advice on my choices for my tent, backpack, and sleeping bag for a few 2-3 night trips I am going to be going on this Spring. I want to try to go the ultralight route, but I also am not looking to spend a great deal of money. Here is what I have come up with for my big 3:
Golite Jam 2 Backpack - 21oz
Eureka Spitfire Tent - 52oz
Slumbarjack Sonora 30 Degree Sleeping Bag - 44.8oz
Total weight: 117.8oz or 7.36lbs
With the rest of my gear, not counting consumables, I will probably be around 12lbs. Is this a decent selection for 2-3 night trips? If anyone has any suggestions for how I could save even more weight or cut the cost of anything, I'm open for that too. Thanks.
Jim Adams
01-16-2007, 23:16
I think that if you shop around enough, you can get the same weight or less, with higher quality for the same money spent!
geek
DrewNC2005
01-16-2007, 23:34
the Golite pack will probably turn out to be a good choice. I'd keep your eyes open for a steal on ebay for something lighter on both the tent and bag.
I don't think you can beat the pack weight by all that much... but you can improve a bit on both the tent and bag. For the tent, check out Tarptent, and in bags, any of the top brands -- Marmot, Western Mountaineering, Mountain Hardwear, Feathered Friends, etc. etc. (Eg. check for hot deals on Marmot and MH at campsaver.com)
Tarptent Rainbow is 32 oz and MH "Phantom 32" is 21 oz -- you've saved 44 oz., almost 3 lbs.
Kerosene
01-17-2007, 09:13
Take a look at a Gearskin from Moonbow: 16 ounces in silnylon.
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo: 24 ounces with silnyl floor.
A Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends 30F bag: 20 ounces conservatively.
That comes to 60 ounces, or about half of your choices. Of course, you'll want to make sure that you can live with the trade-offs of this type of gear, as well as the cost. I've got a lot of experience with the tent and bag manufacturers, and I'm considering the Gearskin given the great reviews on this site, but there are drawbacks to offset the weight advantages.
SalParadise
01-17-2007, 11:25
if you can hold out, wait until late April then check back on this site and Trailjournals. There's so many people who buy a ton of great gear then leave the Trail early, and there's a good number of For Sale gear postings, and you can get some good stuff, barely used, for a decent price.
can you sew, or do you know someone who can and is willing to teach you? My wife taught me how to sew this summer. So far I have made 3 quilts, a tarp, amd a backpack. I only go out for a few days at a ime, and am very satisfied with my homemade gear.
Back-pack 9.5 oz
Tarp 15 oz
Quilt 25 oz
For spring you will need a net tent to take care of the bugs; another 9oz?
3 lbs. 11 oz all for under $250
http://www.ray-way.com (http://www.ray-way.com/)
bigcranky
01-17-2007, 11:59
The pack is an ultralight frameless ruck, while the bag and tent are more traditional, heavier gear (6 pounds between the two of them -- not bad, but not UL). In my very humble opinion, if you want to go ultralight, don't start with the pack -- that's a recipe for some discomfort. Get everything else ultralight first, then go buy the pack that works with your gear. That means a tarp or maybe a tarptent and a very light sleeping bag or quilt.
Keep your eyes on the WB For Sale area, as I will post my Mountain Hardwear Phantom there next week for a decent price.
The Spitfire is actually only 43 oz. for tent, fly and poles.
Excellent tent for $89. Use the mesh tent body only for sleeping under the stars, protected from bugs. Tarptents can't do that.
Johnny Swank
01-17-2007, 15:40
I'm with you Big Cranky. Trying to carry too much in a pack made to carry 20-25 lbs is a recipe for discomfort.
I'd check out tarptents.com and pick any one of Harry's designs - they're all well made and lighter than Eureka by at least 2.5 lbs.
They've got a tarptent that weighs 3 oz? Nice.
First: Have enough time.
Second: Have enough money.
Third: Have enough will power.
Ops..Posted in the wrong spot.:o