Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Lightest weight hiking gear

my latest UL purchase was this North Face Diez jacket - one of those Steep and Cheap impulse buys, but I am glad I did it (for $100, this was a steal, they want $279 for the 2011 model at backcountry.com)



DWR fabric, 800 fill, just 14 ounces. Fabric is so shiny, the thing looks wet all the time. Now I have three thermal layer jackets in the closet and need to decide which one to take this October for a late season JMT. Each jacket is a little different (but hey, that's how you justify buying all that fancy gear )

TNF Diez, super light, no hood, but with fleece and shell probably all I'll need for October.

Mammut Stratus hooded belay jacket, synthetic fill will stay warm no matter what, plus a nice hood and not too puffy, so it layers still very well. Weight not so good: about a pound more than the Diez, but then it's twice the jacket.

Or the super warm MHW Sub Zero which was great in April, but comes in at 1050 grams, or about 37 ounces. Overkill unless I end up sitting in my tent for 4 days during the first winter storm.

Currently, the Diez has the edge, thinking I'l crawl into the sleeping bag should things get really ugly.

and another recent purchase (on sate at Easter Mountain Sports, clearance priced), cutting 6 pounds off my winter shelter weight (a big 3-person MHW 4-season tent): The MSR Twin Sisters 4-season tarp-shelter



still need to get me some Tyvek ground sheet, but I'm definitely taking this on the JMT this October. 2 pounds and obviously winter tested. Let's me pack 6 pounds more camera gear than the other tent

Nice jacket, Fish.

But the tent... Looks like a waterproof single wall. In a storm, it looks like condensation would be pretty intense.

And that is when the conduit material on the sleeping bag pays off. Not concerned. The thing is big for one person, has a large vent on one end and you can just leave the door open on the other. The remaining condensation will run off the walls to the ground. You can also set it up a little higher off the ground and leave a gap on the bottom like with normal tarps, so there's that extra air flow if moisture is in the air.

Never seen a winter tent without condensation issues when not used in extreme winter temps. And my dual wall 3-season tents aren't much better - when it gets wet and drips from the fly, it eventually gets wet inside, especially where the poles connect to the fly. I now have 6 tents to choose from... none is perfect.

Dude, this tent look awesome, does it have the flaps around the perimeter to pile snow on?

absolutely

I'm a definite fan of cutting the strings off my tea bags - Who need all the weight of those extra strings

back in 1988, I decided to ditch the film canisters I had my 27 rolls of slide film in when starting the JMT. Kept the film in a zip lock, in a cooler... while traveling to the Sierras through Nevada, the film decided to drown in the cooler, and zip lock bags are anything but water proof. Saved about 1 ounce, destroyed $150 in film (on a student budget).

I think that experience has changed my approach to that final extreme last ounce saved mode. More often than not, I will pack an extra sweater or fuel canister into my pack just moments before departing on a hike "just in case." Every time I decided not to bring something I did regret it later on.

Too bad on the film, Fish!

Actually holes in the spoon would help identify it from everyone else's. I just went on a group trip, and I think most people returned with utensils that they didn't start with.



It IS a good idea to repackage those freeze-dried dinners. The packaging takes up way too much room in a canister.

Steve,
Where did you find that picture? I was looking for it!! Bill-e-g and I found that spoon near Ostrander I think. Obviously jettisoned for being too heavy by some ultralighter.

> Steve, Where did you find that picture?

It is from YOUR post on page 1 of this thread!

That was nearly two years ago. You expect me to remember that far back?? I don't have any idea where it's located. Seems like it's on filckr but I can't log in there anymore.

Yes, it is on flicker. The URL is   http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/4079359390_3910892318_m.jpg

> You expect me to remember that far back??

I feel your pain. My computer died two weeks ago and it has been a royal pain getting access to everything. Here's an EXCELLENT tool I use that has helped: Password Safe I have over 50 sites and passwords stored in it.

Bob, you mentioned that one of the ways you go UL, is you don't cook, but you also said that you keep your food down to 1 lb 8 oz per day. Your food weight per day is the same as mine except one of my meals (dinner) is freeze dried. So, what do you eat?

Brent N

Bob Rockwell sent me his latest, revised version of "The Ultralight Pack". This one is a bit heavier than the first. Base weight is just under 7 lbs.

The earlier one, can be seen on Page 1 of this thread. This one includes a heavier backpack, down sweater with hood, rain parka, and other differences. Bob notes that the new down sweater can be worn while sleeping, and get another 15 degrees of comfort from his sleeping bag.

Here's the text from the new document.

The Ultralight Pack
Updated October 4, 2013
By Bob Rockwell

Here is the list that guides me on Sierra Nevada climbing trips in the summer, and I have it handy every time I pack. I know that there are people who trim the edges off their map, drill holes in their spoon, and take the string off their tea bag; I applaud their philosophy but don't do such things myself.

Carry:                                               lb  oz
--------------------------------------------------   -- ----
Pack, Six Moon Designs Essence.                       0 14.5
                
Sleeping bag, Marmot Atom 40°, with stuffsack         1  3.4
   and pee bottle
Pad, Cascade Designs ProLite, small                   0 11.7
Emergency bivy bag, Heat Sheets                       0  3.6
Ground cloth:  black garbage sack with sides split    0  1.9
                
Down sweater with hood, M. H. Ghost Whisperer         0  8.5
Light polypro long underwear, top & bottom            1  0.0
Waterproof-breathable parka, Lowe Adrenaline          0 14.5
Light polypro balaclava                               0  2.0
Light fleece gloves                                   0  2.2
                
Headlamp (Petzl Tikka Plus), with extra batteries     0  3.9
First aid kit, Adventure Ultralite                    0   .5 
  with toothbrush & paste                             0  6.8
Toilet paper, 8 sheets per day; Wet Ones, one per day 0  0.9
Quart Gatorade canteen, carried empty                 0  1.8
Topo map, whistle, signal mirror, compass,            0  3.6
  in Ziplock sack
--------------------------------------------------   -- ----
Base weight:                                          6 15.3

Food (1 lb 8 oz per day) including                    4  0
  moisture & packaging:
--------------------------------------------------   -- ----
              Total for a two-day weekend trip:       10 15.3

Wear:
T-shirt
Fleece shirt
Hiking shorts
Briefs
Tilley hat
Bandanna
Sunglasses
Socks, and VBL
Lightweight Boots
Scree gaiters


Consider also:
Hiking poles
Sunscreen
Mosquito repellent
Ice ax, light
Crampons, aluminum

These weights are as measured on a regulation US Postal Service scale and differ a little from advertised. The things to wear in the right-hand column add another few pounds that your feet feel. Below them are other items that are sometimes needed.

There is no tent. And there is no provision for treating water, because virtually all High Sierra water is perfectly clean.

And no stove and cookset. If you absolutely have to have hot meals, there are plenty of lightweight options out there. For example, the Firelight Esbit Wing Stove weighs only 0.4 oz, and two 0.5 oz fuel tabs will boil a quart of water. Add an MSR titanium pot, some aluminum foil for windscreen, and your total system weighs in around 7 ounces.

If rain is likely, I take my Titanium Goat bivy (7.3 oz) instead of the Heat Sheets; base weight increases by 3.7 oz.

If I have to depend on snow for topping off my canteen now and then, I take a wide-mouth polyethylene canteen instead of the Gatorade jug. It adds 2.0 oz.

Unfortunately, I have my indulgences. Add an ounce or two of single malt per evening out.

Taking all of the above-cooking system, better bivy, canteen, scotch-and total weight is just over 11 pounds for a two-day trip.

Other substitutions are obviously possible, and I do it often. However, I always have the scale handy. I didn't invent the saying, but I do abide by it: Watch the ounces and the pounds will take care of themselves.

Finally, I'm not at all fanatical about this. But operating from a list like the above is useful for identifying what's truly essential for the trip, and realizing what's just "nice to have along."

The reason it's a little heavier is that I decided to make it more reasonable--a list others might emulate with little change. (A lot of the lightweight ideas out there seem to be driven to an extreme that holds little practical meaning for the average hiker.)

It's indeed pretty much what I take from about May through October. Solo, I use the Esbit stove, but usually I'm with friends who like hot meals; then it's sharing either a Simmerlite or Pocket Rocket. Oh, and I did forget to include light waterproof-breathable shell pants to be taken if a storm is likely. Mine are Mountain Hardwear, 11.7 oz.

Some might scoff at a 40 deg bag in the season's shoulders, but it's just fine on chillier nights if I wear some of my clothing. The Ghost Whisperer, worn to bed, adds at least 15 degrees warmth if I am in my bivy sack as well. I used it a couple of weeks ago when the temperature at camp was predicted to be about 20 deg. I was quite comfortable, and didn't have to get the bivy sack out.

With the current changes, it closely approaches my "Not-So-Ultralike-Pack," so I've removed that one.

What, no wag bag or bear canister