hi, this Is my lighter pack: https://lighterpack.com/r/j5elmk
i will be walking the trail from 13th March and I expect freezing, windy and damp weather. Call me crazy but I like when the weather is a little big challenging. My quilt and down jacket have solid DWR finish so moisture shouldn't be that much an issue.

Things where I could shave some weight:

• lighter stakes > I am not sure if its wise in such a windy climate with not much protection from nature
• omitting dry sleep clothes > I will be wet whole day and omitting those in freezing temperatures is a little bit stupid to me
• ditching the stove/fuel canister for alcohol stove - perhaps that is the way?
• buying lighter puffy jacket - I just bough montane anti-freeze xt that is super super warm (6,7 oz of 750fp) and it cost me like 130gbp. I don't want to buy super expensive down jacket ...
• ditching the R1 for something like alpha direct: perhaps? I am happy with my R1 and I don't like having too many clothes ..
• ditching the inner net and bringing just polycro sheet ???

Things I might add: Snowline Chainsen Light Spikes, down socks, merino beanie (but I think hood from R1 should be enough), bigger battery pack

thanks in advance

I got a 3f UL Qidian in and I'm trying to figure out the best pad to use for it. My nemo switchback fits perfectly, but I don't want to cut mine down. I also have a standard blue flat closed cell foam pad that fits perfectly if cut and I was debating on using that, but I worry it would lack airflow and my back would get all sweaty.

What would you guys recommend for this case?

I have a background in adventure racing which often requires a specific first aid kit. I've created my own but it's a bit heavy because it contains stuff like a full blister kit, a space blanket, small about of meds, tenacious tape, extra batteries, etc.

I carry it because all of it seems practical, but I want to reduce it and stock it for 5-6 days of backpacking. All recommendations appreciated! What are you non negotiables? What do you absolutely not take?

I'm moving into winter backpacking and having a hell of a time.

I'm tall, slim, and get cold easily. It's not a problem when I'm moving but when I stop for the day I get cold - really cold. I'm fine in the sleeping bag but spending the dark evening hours in camp is rough. Looking for gear tips.

Bought this mainly for sleeping. Overall it fills bill ok, but is at least an inch too short around neck. I'm six feet (183 cm). Probably non-issue for shorter folks

An idea that makers haven't much accomodated, is to dispense totally with slepingbag hood & rely instead on an independent garment. This is more versatile & saves weight/ bulk/ expense on bag.

I've used them a lot, only becsuse my main winter bag is slightly too short & has crappy hood anyway.

Cinches around face pretty completely, but if used for non-sleeping, might imepede vision more than "necessary."

Loft is middling--probably inadequate by itself for super-frigid polar-type weather, but ok for garden-variety winter.

Hey, Looking to lock in my clothing for the summer portion of my 25 flip-flop.

Plan is to start at Pawling, NY early June heading NOBO to Katahdin, then head SOBO from Pawling early August.

I'm happy to switch out my clothing for fall, hoping to travel lighter for summer.

What would be the optimal worn and packed clothing setup to keep weight as low as possible and still be comfortable?

Hi,

My quilt has been in storage for a couple of years and I've pulled it out to find dark patches in the down when I hold it up to the light.

The exterior seems absolutely fine so I'm not sure if this is mould, or if the down they use simply has dark and light variation? I can't remember what it looked like new!

I can't seem to add a pic to my post unfortunately, sorry!

Hello, I'm Andrew from Switzerland, I usually lurk here but this time I must ask for help.

I'm looking for a new backpack, and this is my lighterpack.

My backpack is too big for my gear, even on the first day with food for a week. It is too... wide? deep? Sorry, english is not my first language.
Basically the stuff is too far from my spine, and the bag itself is half full. I feel like the main compartment should be 25 liters, right now I think it's 35, or at least thats what it feels like. I keep my shelter system, spare clothing, and food in it.

I usually rely on a big bag on my waist (I have a MYOG and it broke the last time, and it's small anyway, I think the AtomPacks "Roo" is a great option) and I would love to use wider side pockets on my backpack, a Palante style bottom stretch pocket, and shoulder pockets.
Right now I keep water on my shoulder straps by hanging the bottles with some simple string, but they flop around and it's messy, and I would like additional space there for energy bars and such.
I need better shoulder straps to keep everything close to my body as I walk or run on the Alps.

I think something similar to the Palante Joey could work, with wider side pockets maybe.
Do you have any advice for a European buyer?
I need a reliable brand who is available for custom jobs.
I can send them my actual backpack, discuss with them, shit, I will even travel there to discuss and finalize the product, I'm not kidding, but please, don't make me go to the US do to so...

Thank you all, thanks for everything you do, I went ultralight in 2007 and I hiked the Alps and the Kungslader thanks to your advice.

I know this sounds really backwards, but I'm looking to move off of inflatable pads and onto a 1/8 pad for comfort. I straight up just sleep on the carpet at my house, and it's the best thing to ever happen to my back. I just want to know your guys experience with how much padding the 1/8 pads feel like they provide. (First post, sorry if I broke some unwritten rule)

UPDATE: (is this where this goes?) After reading all your guys stuff, I think I'm gonna go for a 3/8th mat. I'll see if I can pick some up at the hardware store, if not I'll get the GG one. Thanks for all the tips, didn't know reddit was this quick.

Just got my Nunatak JMT in the mail a few weeks ago. I haven't seen many if any reviews / videos about it, so I figured I'd share some thoughts in a video https://youtu.be/sO48SGKlxiA?si=gpnq4QJ6wcYFbwYA

I am a huge fan of this jacket + the EE Torrid. They fit well, they are simple, and they keep you warm

Hello everybody.

I may have made a mistake while buying a rain jacket a few months ago,and need your help to really understand waterproof fabrics .

So,i bought a montbell rain trekker jacket,expecting it to be waterproof,and to never let water trough ,or at least,after heavy rains lasting hours and hours. Turns out,it's not waterproof at all. It's merely water resistant,meaning it sheds water at the beginning of the rain,but very quickly lets water trough and i get wet. And i'm sure that it was not that wet from sweat and condensation alone,as i've researched what wetting out actually means. It seems that the rain trekker barely has time to wet out before it just straight up lets water trough.

I may have made a dumb mistake by assuming all goretex jackets are waterproof,and so i discovered that the fabric my jacket uses is goretex infinium (rebranded windstopper it seems) which is listed on the goretex website as being non waterproof, but water resistant,meaning it's made for light rain that does not last long. What's weird is that i've seen a lot of reports of the versalite being waterproof and protecting people for long hours of rain,but it's the same fabric as the rain trekker... so it should not protect them that much.

So,1st question: it seems that some people are very well protected from rain with goretex infinium/windstopper(even tho it's not waterproof as stated by goretex themselves!) while others are not protected at all,or slightly..? I'm starting to wonder if waterproofness vary from jacket to jacket of the same model. mine can withstand a little rain,but considering the price ,it's water resistance is awful. So,is QC done correctly for most brands..?

More so,the montbell website does not use the word waterproof on the description of their rain trekker and versalite jackets, but states that they withstand 20,000mm water column,so i tought it was waterproof. This number made me confident about the capabilities of the jacket. So ,2nd question,a high schmerber score like 20,000 is still not waterproof...? That would be insane.even in torrential downpour,i don't think (could be wrong) that super heavy rain comes close to the "power" of a 20,000 MM column of water .

Also,on other models of montbell jackets made of super dry tec,or regular gore tex,they do state that the jackets are waterproof . Which makes sense this time.

However, some state one jacket lets water trough super easily,while it should be waterproof,while others state that the same jacket protects them perfectly,while it should not be waterproof.

What's really weird is that the versalite seems tried and true. People use it for entire thru hikes and seem happy with it,people state that they've never had their versalite wet out ever ,etc... 3rd question ,how come a jacket that's marketed as non waterproof,is in fact waterproof for some people..? And how come some jackets that are stated as waterproof,don't work for some people,but work for others.. ?

I know that a lot of people will assume i got wet from my own sweat,wich is not the case here. I get way less wet on my arms when sweating a lot,compared to the wetness of my arms after being under rain with the jacket.

It sucks spending that much money and being wet so fast. I'm wondering If it has to do with the jacket being so light. Does a 500g jacket inherently protects better due to the higher denier fabric..? Again this shouldnt be the case ,because as everybody knows,the versalite is praised everywhere,and is clearly ultralight.it's even the most famous ultralight rain jacket... yet it uses the same fabric as my jacket ,which is absolutely not waterproof.

Any experience shared about your own rain jackets usage and capabilities will be appreciated. I'm just really trying to gather as much info about waterproofness of different brands/models and user experience,how certain jackets worked for you,and how some didn't work.

I am looking for any recommendations for trekking poles for tall people. I am looking for adjustable poles to be used with an X-MID 2P which is on the way, so cant test heights in person, and that will also fit me. On flat ground about 132cm is what I need for length and ideally a little bit more length for downhills. So looking for around 140cm. From what I have read on the xmid 2, I want a minimum height of nor more than 120cm.

Looking around, I have found roughly two options:

1. Zpack Ultralight poles - the lightest option for a taller size at 14.5 oz. Extends to 137mm, perfect world would be a little bit longer. Also bigger folded than ideal at 62cm.

2. MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon Backcountry - Heavier at 17 oz. Extends to 140mm and folds smaller at 44.5cm. Alternatively there are a few other cheap brands that have similar weight but much larger compacted size that are 1/3 the price.

I looked at the Andesite Trekking poles, which are the lightest at 11.2 oz, but the biggest compacted size at 81cm, which seems like it would be problematic to pack. Black Diamond poles that go to 140cm have a minimum size of 125cm which seem like it would be too tall for the XMid 2, however I have not had the opportunity to test first hand.

Any thoughts/experience with these two poles and any others that I missed?

I've been curious about the super puff 1000 ever since it came out. It is currently on sale and I was wondering if there were any thoughts you guys might have or red flags I'm not seeing.

Link: https://www.aritzia.com/en/product/the-super-puff-1000%E2%84%A2/102328001.html Yes, I know its not a particularly outdoorsy brand but the specks seem to be quite good.

Here's a quick summary

• 1000 fp goose down (all down, no synthetic)
• Appears to have a decent amount of fill, I emailed asking about fill weight and am still waiting to hear back.
• Pockets: one interior chest pocket and 2 outer pockets
• Cinchable hood & cinches at the bottom to tighten against any draft
• Weight: I weighed the size xs today (yes, i brought a scale into the store lol) and got 550g. I know this isn't the lightest, let alone ultralight, but I'm hoping most of the weight comes from down fill.
• Only one front zipper unfortunately, so not compatible with harnesses.

More context: I am looking for a big ultrawarm puffy for when I'm in the mountains. I currently have some things that work for shoulder seasons, and would wear this alongside a heavyweight merino baselayer, fleece, and maybe even a smaller mid season puffy if needed. I have a synthetic layer that i like, and am specifically looking for down. I would only wear it when still, and maybe even overnight as I get cold at night. I am in Canada (some things are harder to get here) I run very cold & currently don't have the need for a 2 way zipper.

Other down puffys with high fill power I have been considering include

• Arcteryx- New Cerium SV: https://arcteryx.com/ca/en/shop/womens/cerium-sv-hoody-8536
• La Sportiva- Supercoloir 1000: https://www.lasportivausa.com/supercouloir-1000-down-jkt-w.html
• Rab - Mythic ultra jacket: https://rab.equipment/ca/women-s-mythic-ultra-jacket?queryID=9293822a18ddfe6200fd7b91127de940&objectID=43716&indexName=rab_live_ca_products

As the title says! I'm looking to lighten the load of my sleeping syste and I want to buy a new sleeping bag or quilt. I've been a bag user but tried a quilt and didn't hate it so I'm willing to switch if it fits the criteria.

I'm a 165-167 cm woman (5'6?), average to cold sleeper and will be spending a lot of time in summer alpine conditions with nights around freezing and with light frost (and don't expect any nights below -8/-10c).

I've been looking around within my budget (200-250 euros) and am finding bags around or slightly under 1 kilo, and a few quilts lighter than that but not many.

I feel like there have to be more options than I'm finding and I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion (shippable to the EU?) for a bag or quilt they love and I might have missed! I don't care about brands and both synthetic and down would work for me. I'd love it if it comes in a women's or short version because I'm sick of carrying around a lot of fabric I don't need :)

Hi everyone, I lost one of my pad straps for my Enlightened Equipment quilt. Getting a replacement in the UK is a bit mind boggling - they're $5 on the EE website - and then $40 shipping and $9 tax! I found one Swedish outdoor store that sells them but charges a similarly eye watering shipping. Are there any alternatives anyone could suggest? Planning on a couple of winter hikes in January and so need the straps to not freeze my ass off.

Hey all, been struggling to find a reliable, lightweight glove system for backpacking in sub-freezing temperatures.

I've been using my BD Guide ski gloves a couple times now and apart from being heavy, I'm having some issues with them eventually freezing overnight if they get wet, and not having the dexterity to do camp tasks, so I end up taking them off, which makes things worse.

Open to suggestions of either a glove/shell system or anything that people have had success with for this.

Thanks!

Edit: Since people are asking for more info, I typically hike with spikes/snowshoes with trekking poles in the PNW. Temp-wise I'm usually in around 10-25 degrees F

Second edit: Ended up ordering a pair of merino glove liners and the Showa 282-02 to give that system a try, thanks for all the suggestions!

Hi everyone,

Anyone have experience with Ultra 200 vs Technoforce Steel? Or are the differences negligible? Technoforce Steel claims to be lighter with higher tensile strength compared to Ultra 200 but not sure about how it actually works in the field. Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Looking for a pair of rain pants that are very light and packable. Use case is mainly for day hikes during cold/wet/windy weather this time of year, where I'd want something covering my legs.

Highly packable because my kit is stored in a Salomon AdvSkin 12 so I'm trying to keep things compact.

I appreciate the rain skirt recommendations but I'd like to stick with pants. Also avoiding a poncho because of wind

Has anyone had a chance to compare the Vertice and Versalite pants? These seem like the top contenders so far. Is there another offering that I should pay attention to?

Thanks

Update: Decided to order the Montbell Versalite pants with ankle zips as they checked my boxes and were available to order. Thanks all for your suggestions

Anyone here own a down JMT pullover? Seems like the perfect down jacket for what I’m looking for. Kangaroo pocket, ultralight, a good amount of fill, a hood and a half zip. Just want to know everyone’s thoughts on it as I’ve never purchased anything from nunatak before but have only heard good things.

Hi All,

Struggling to slim down a choice of active insulation softshells for winter hiking in the Scottish highlands/lakes, so generally sub 5°C. I tend to run above average warmth and well above average sweatiness, which is what I'm trying to mitigate.

I'm thinking just a merino/synthetic base layer underneath in higher output cases, adding a mid layer during lower output (Rab Alpha flash, norrona falketind, Patagonia R1, or a lighter alpha 60/90 etc, yet to purchase).

This is my list, budget is ~£250 but I'll wait till post Xmas sales ideally. Some have a half decent amount of information about them online, some very little, but I'd love some feedback of real use cases from you guys and gals if possible:)

• Rab Vapour Rise Alpine Light/Summit
• Mammut Aenergy SO Hybrid Hooded Jacket
• Mammut Eiger Nordwand ML Hybrid Hooded
• Jottnar asger
• Norrona senja alpha90 Hood
• Norrona lyngen alpha100 Zip Hood

5'9" 88kg solid build

TIA🌝

/Edit: Realising there's a difference between true soft shells (essentially light weight, more breathable, non insulated wind jackets) and "active insulation" (most of my list) which incorporate a mid layer type insulation with a more weather resistant outer shell but less breathability.

Seems I'm now in the market for softshells/windbreakers for increased versatility

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-c4xo1vdfX/?hl=en&img_index=1

"We finished a new adventure in Tianshan today. Just receive Internet signal now. This expedition reached the peak over 4000m altitude and encountered all kinds of weather along the way😂. We tested the new backpacks and tents in this adventure and we are happy with the new gear, but we think it could be better so we will improve. We also came up with a new tool to protect the sleeping bag from condensation.😉

Even though we took a lot of mountaineering tools this time, we still kept our backpacks at about 10 kilograms (including food for 7 days). This is made possible by a lighter backpack and a lighter Lanshan tent (only 630 grams).

btw, the new pack will be named 'Tianshan'."

In the comments they mention it will be 15d Silpoly

In the comments of a more recent post (1 week ago) they said at least 3 months out

https://lighterpack.com/r/ri7zu1

Yo! I want to buy a frameless bag for loads <20lbs that is smaller and lighter than my Kakwa 40. I find that at ~2 days of food I have a lot of space. I want to try a frameless with no (or removeable) hipbelt for the 1 to 3 day hiking trip. I also want to work toward lightening my gear to use the pack for more days.

I'm 6'0 and thinking of getting a Cutaway in 18" or 20". https://nashvillepack.com/pages/mto-cutaway-20-30-40-specs

• What is the volume "to the collar", is this max volume with the collar snapped and rolled, but extended?
• Do you think my gear would fit in a 30 or 40 better?
• Do you have a 30L and can post a lighterpack and a loaded up pic of the pack?

Thanks

The Sunblesa H11 is a headlamp that is very similar to the original Nitecore NU25.

The main differences are:

• larger battery (700 mAh)
• no low red mode
• has a low CRI mode
• has a memory (when you turn it on, it is going back to the last mode you had when turning it off)
• the plastic casing seems less qualitative
• the flaps and buttons are bright green and shine in the dark

It also comes with a micro-USB port, same as the original NU25.

The headlamp weighs 30 grams, and the headband 20 grams, and is available for ~15 €.

I did a runtime test in medium mode, you can see it here, in case anyone is interested: https://i.kd2.org/i/6a/8knQvzrli.screenshot-LN9bEtCjJZ.png

(100% = the maximum output of medium mode, should be 38 lumens according to spec)

It is different from the NU25 which is very stable: https://s1.gifyu.com/images/2018-04-08_142126.png

Edit: the stepdown is based on a timer + battery status, when you turn the light off, it can start again at the previous level. So in practical use you might not really see the stepdown.

The headlamp is available directly from Sunblesa on ebay.

Edit: make sure you get the Gen2, the Gen1 has a green auxiliary light instead of high CRI and doesn't step down but shuts off without warning.

I’ve obviously got quite a bit experience, but never before with my kids. My daughters 4 - so I figure there will be plenty of ‘dad in tired, put me on your shoulders’. I’ll be keeping it pretty small, 10-12 lm days (6ish miles) and the weathers looking promising- we’re in Australia.

I’ve currently got a brilliant 1 and a bit person UL tent (https://lighterpack.com/r/plqyaq). She’s pretty small and always happy to snuggle. I was thinking going in this, but not sure if I’m crazy. I’m doing it last minute and her in Aus there aren’t many places you can just drive to and buy a tent.

Any tips from here about making it an awesome experience for her?

(Edit, I know this isn’t a shakedown, but reddit made me pick a catehory)

Have something you want to discuss but don't think it warrants a whole post? Please use this thread to discuss recent purchases or quick questions for the community at large. Shakedowns and lengthy/involved questions likely warrant their own post.

When I'm not sleeping outside, I'm always using a rectangular body pillow (reference picture from Wikipedia) to keep my legs straight and a bit distanced. This helps to prevent lower back and hip pain for me by so much that I seriously can't live without it anymore.

It would be a crazy game changer for me if I could have something similar when I'm out on the trail.

However,so far I haven't found something like this off the shelf. Does anyone know if it exists?

When I get into something I tend to look to read up on what the "pros" are doing, I got my tent (x-mid) from researching and seeing Dan on all the sub reddits giving great responses and even answering my newbie questions and it seemed to be the best value. I loved reading Andrew Skurka's The Ultimate Hiker's Gearguide. That book lead me to Mike Clelland and I started reading his book Ultralight Backpackin Tips. I have enjoyed that book and the "mindset" it lays out to how to approach lowering pack weight, but there were some things in the book that seemed pretty extreme. And maybe kind of dangerous for someone starting out with backcountry hiking in general? . I was wondering if this sub could give some inputs on some questions these books have raised.

1. Mike talks about how much water to carry, he mentions one of his favorite quotes. "If you arrive at a water source with water still on your back, you have made a mistake" he also mentions how we need to drink atleast 4 L of water minimum per day, but also says in the same paragraph. " I drink as much as I can continually throughout the day. At the same time I try to never carry more than half a L on my back" I got Dan durstons email gear list and he list 3 L total in his " Ultralight 3 season gear list". I know water carries are all dependent on terrain, climate, distance between water sources etc, but never carrying more than a half L seems risky? Wondering how many people here adhere to that logic?

2. Also, this is a rough summation of Mike Clellands take but he basically mentions how he sleeps in every single layer he has, that way he doesn't have to bring as warm of a sleep system. This kind of sums up the the other question I had, how many people bring an extra set of sleep clothes? The idea of trying to sleep in a baselayer, possibly midlayer and puffer jacket seems horrible. He also mentions that if it is raining the ambient temperature is therefore warmer when it's raining which makes sense, so he says he will wear everything to bed unless it's wet. Somewhere else in the book he mentions it's okay to have to do situps in your sleep to stay warm once during a 7 day trip, but if you have to do them every night you underpacked for warmth

3. How many of you use a tent stake as a trowel? I bought the BoglerCo trowel and at 0.46oz it seems like a good trade off, as I can't imagine tearing my hands up trying to dig a cathole with a tent stake. Clelland also mentions how he basically only uses a half length pad, as he uses his pack for the lower half of his body? Is this actually comfortable?

Anyway just wondering opinions on the above

I'm looking at the EE revelation long/wide but can't decide if I should get the 20° or 30°. I'm looking to only get one quilt for year round, I do live in Australia so the lowest I'd possibly be using it in is -1c (30f). But itd probably be around the 10-15c (50-60f). Will the 20° be to warm even in blanket form, and with a base layer and a puffy will the 30° be able to comfortably go to -1c?

I’m looking for an ultralight down hooded sweater. Preferably made by a cottage company as they tend to be lighter and made with better materials. The one I have in mind is the timmermade sul 1.5 down sweater which comes out at around 210 grams. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Hi! Does a bivy bag improve the temperature rating of a sleeping bag? I got a 0C comfort down sleeping bag (-6 comfort limit) and I would like to try a winter trip during "mild" temperatures no colder than -10 during the night. Could a bivy bag in addition to my sleeping bag and the tent increase the overall temp. rating of my setup? Sleeping pad is R5.8