What's your Ultralight?

[mttgilbert]

So, the generally accepted definition of "ultralight" is a backpacking rig that weighs less than 10 pounds, "lightweight" is usually considered 10-20 pounds. I'm not that interested in arbitrary definitions though; I'd like to know what the lightest rig you carry is. I know that loads change from trip to trip with circumstances dictating what equipment needs to be taken (or left behind). For clarities sake please post your baseweight (standard equipment minus food, water, and fuel) only (unless, of course, discussion dictates otherwise).

[joebartels]

hmmm...

why would anybody use ANYTHING else
not to mention even breath question into a measly $125

5000 (16 oz) uses, $40 to replace uv tube after that not bad
45 seconds for 16 oz - 6 minutes for a gallon, easier to stir then pump!
that's a whoppin' 625 gallons, should suffice for a small... ARMY
140 uses with a set of lithium

it doesn't look like this could be home made much cheaper and retain durability with the quartz involved
heck it's been around for three years too
water does need to be clear for the light to travel

anything else cool out there I haven't heard of...
maybe a self-assembling two man tent in a quarter ounce pill capsule

[nonot]

I have trouble trusting to anything battery powered. I suppose if you carried backup iodine or something. Of course I do that with my water filter anyways.

[joebartels]

ya that compass does wonders for you

1, 2, 3... duck

[mttgilbert]

I always have enough iodine in my first aid kit for a gallon of water. It also doubles as my antiseptic rinse if need be.

Joe, if you really want to go high-tech with the steripen, it has a case that doubles as a solar charger for an extra three or four ounces. And then you eliminate the battery concerns also.

[nonot]

Reynold's Trail beckons...

If I remember correctly, my low tech water filter and compass proved far more valuable than a high tech GPS that day...

[tkknc]

A trick to make the miox work better is to mix the salt brine solution in a small bottle and then pour the salt solution directly into the top of the miox. If you use a seperate small bottle to mix the salt brine solution then you do not have to worry about clogging the mesh screen. You can get rid of the top cap if you use the bottle trick. I was about ready to throw my miox in the trash, until I switched to mixing the brine solution in a bottle.

[Rays]

Being a tightwad all my life it was hard to fork out the dough for new ultra light equipment. However, I recently broke the bank and bought the lightest gear I could find. Now I am a fanatic studying all of Backpacker Magazines editors picks. I am a total "gear head". My sleeping bag weighs 1lb 3 oz, my down inner jacket is 7 oz and rain shell about 6 oz. If it's light, I have to have it! New paint for the living room?, I don't think so! Not when I can get a new tent for the same cost. Anniversary dinner, naw I can buy a new ultra light Big Agnes air mattress for that much. Yes I do cut my toothbrush in half. I think I am losing it but dam it's satisfying! See you out there.

[Hoffmaster]

Sounds like sarcasm to me.... :roll:

[te_wa]

Sounds like sarcasm to me.... :roll:

yeah, right. Insulated air core by Big agnes ultralight?
you havent see the gossamer gear nightlite pad.

[joebartels]

what they're trying to say is to the HAZ Forum

[Rays]

Joe, Hoffman and te-wa,
Thanks for the welcome. am definitely new at blogging. I think I fall between light and ultra light. I am a wuss when it comes to sleeping pads. Big Agnes makes the lightest air mattress I could find. This old body needs a little more than a thin pad. I also use a 3+lb two man tent vs a tarp. Everything else is ultra light, I promise. My base pack runs around 14 lbs. Check out the Zealot Jacket by Outdoor Research.

ps just made my second trail post, Bear Wallow Wilderness #63, let me know what you think.

[Davis2001r6]

Joe, Hoffman and te-wa,
Thanks for the welcome. am definitely new at blogging. I think I fall between light and ultra light. I am a wuss when it comes to sleeping pads. Big Agnes makes the lightest air mattress I could find. This old body needs a little more than a thin pad. I also use a 3+lb two man tent vs a tarp. Everything else is ultra light, I promise. My base pack runs around 14 lbs. Check out the Zealot Jacket by Outdoor Research.

Welcome Rays,

Don't worry I don't qualify for Ultralight either, I forgot to shave before my hike on Saturday. I sure love those Big Agnes or Insul Mat air mattresses. Talk about pure comfort, I'll never go back to a Thermarest again.

-TIM-

[fairweather8588]

Check out the Zealot Jacket by Outdoor Research.

Good looking jacket, just order one of TNF's Diad jackets that I found at a price I couldn't pass up. Now If I could only make it rain so I'd have a use for the dam thing...

[te_wa]

what they're trying to say is to the HAZ Forum

yeah, what he said. but you know, as ultralight hikers we have to give you a hard time. you should see how we treat the ultraheaviers

i think the ba air mat is a great item, I have one and use it far more than the others in my 'collection'
I dont have a rain jacket tho and the little rei brand thing i have has never been used. im looking at an umbrella like Joe's.

[Rays]

I guess I'm a little pumpkin port carring a rain jacket most of the time. I grew up in Ohio where it rains or snows every 5 minutes. The jacket I bought is also perfect as a wind breaker or outer layer since it breaths.

[Hoffmaster]

Ray,
Welcome! Hopefully I did not offend! Like te-wa said, sometimes we have to bust some chops around here...you know...to keep everyone in check. I don't qualify as ultra-light either, but I seem to be getting lighter with every trip. I've never weighed my pack and I'm too lazy to look up the weight of all my gear.
When I finally destroy my Thermarest Pro-Lite 4 (which is taking much longer to do than expected), I am going to strongly consider a Big Agnes pad. Te-wa will probably talk me out of it (just sleep on the ground, it's lighter that way), but I've heard nothing but good things about those pads.

matt

[Rays]

Matt,
No offense taken. However, I have come to the conclusion that I am a weenie when it comes to doing away with all creature comforts. The key is to keep some of the comforts but make em light as possible. When it comes to sleeping in the dirt with a poncho liner, "been there, done that" I'm also an old boy scout and believe in being prepared which may include a flask of some good hootch.

Hope to see you out there some day

Ray

[Hoffmaster]

I have come to the conclusion that I am a weenie when it comes to doing away with all creature comforts.

Hey man, I say, do whatever you're comfortable doing. So what if your pack isn't as light as the next guy's? Mine will never be, mostly cause I'm hard on gear. I've read the "strength" claims of some of the fabrics used by certain pack manufacturers. Pure crap and lies. I have a Gregory Z pack that I am tearing to shreds and a Granite Gear pack that I ripped holes in on the first use. Supposedly the Granite Gear pack was "heavy-duty" at about 4lbs for a 4800 cubic inch pack.
If I can't make a "heavy" pack last, then I'm certainly not going to waste my money on a skimpy pack like a Gossamer Gear or 6 Moon Designs (although they look nice).
It can seem sometimes like ultralighters (no one on this site) are looking down on regular backpackers because they have a 10lb baseweight vs a 40lb baseweight. Personally, I like to be on the light side, but if someone wants to carry 40 or 60 lbs, I say go for it. I'm not going to stop you. I draw the line when someone carrying 40 lbs starts complaining about it. We all have choices when it comes to gear purchases. I'm leaning towards to the light end of things...and trying to be more careful not to thrash it.

[Davis2001r6]

Matt I have a Z-pack as well, I love that thing. I've bought a few lightweight packs but they never did it for me, the Z-pack makes it with me all the time now. I just wish it had some side zipper pockets on the hipbelt for some bars/gels or a pocket camera.

[Hoffmaster]

Matt I have a Z-pack as well, I love that thing. I've bought a few lightweight packs but they never did it for me, the Z-pack makes it with me all the time now. I just wish it had some side zipper pockets on the hipbelt for some bars/gels or a pocket camera.

Dude, I love my Z-pack too, except for the "ripping holes in it" thing. It's very comfy and just the right size in my opinion. In fact, as my gear gets smaller, the pack is becoming almost too big! Just so you know, the 2007 model has hipbelt pockets. My girlfriend got the womens model earlier this year. She loves it! Especially after her last pack; an Osprey pack which was big enough to carry a school bus in.