Going Ultralight.....who has

“Who has changed their backpacking gear from the heavy 30-40 lbs packs down to 10-15 lb packs?

I have a few tents and a couple of hammocks but looking to go lighter.

Not sure if I can go with just a tarp and a ground cloth. I would go with a tarp and a bug net tent (quite a few out there).

What have you done to lower your total pack weight?”

“I was an ultralite backpack until TT camping ruined me.”

“I've doen the tarp/groundcloth thing a few times. Of course, i'm not in the SE where the bugs rule the night.

and i hate ponchos.

i've done the ultralight alky stove and it works, but i found that i prefer the pocket-rocket style better.

biggest change i made was going with a lighter tent style - i like my MSR Twin Peaks a LOT.”

“I've never been too concerned with lightening my load. For a 7 day trip, with food & 1L of water, my pack is usually about 33 lbs. I have no idea if that is "good" or "bad" but it's comfortable so I don't care.

That said...I'd like to lighten some things up a bit - maybe my sleeping bag and a new UL tight. Having a toddler & an infant to consider means maximizing space and minimizing weight as much as possible!

Currently drooling over the Hogback Tarptent.”

“I've gone ultralight...Down to 55 lbs from 70 so far...man that's LIGHT!”

“I dropped from 75 to 40 and it works great.”

“I like twin peaks a LOT too. :)”

“anyone going stoveless?”

“Stoveless? I know Alameda Frank did that, something about a hot meal makes the trip. He didn't care for going stoveless and he has done the poncho for a shelter thing and that has some bad draw backs, like trying to pack up in the rain, nature calls so forth. I guess you gotta try things to see what the experience is like and if it works for you. My pack in the Sierra, for bear country, for a week to eight days is around 30-32 lbs., depending on goodies. That's using a upgraded Ursack when they were allowed and using Aqua Mira or nothing as I left the water filter at home and had a Pocket Rocket with the small MSR isobutane canister. Just can't get to the mid 20 lb. range for a week.”

“my pack weight for a summertime weekend (two nights) with food and water (two litres) - and i carry a PUR hiker filter - is about 30 lbs.”

“comfort is the goal....”

“I'm not ultralight - but I've certainly reduced my weight dramatically. My highest trip weight was probably 65 in 1999. My pack weight without food and water is usually around 20 pounds when backpacking - sometimes it is less.

Major changes:
From tent to hammock (or lighter tent when traveling with my wife and my dog)
Backpack from Lowe Alpine Contour IV (7 pounds?) to Mountainsmith Ghost (or Auspex when carrying extra stuff).
Change for various heavier 3 season bags to Western Mountaineering Caribou.
Make sure everything I take has a reason, try to avoid duplication of function and use things with multiple purposes.
Going stoveless when solo.
Dropping things I will never use and don't need for emergency [e.g. rain pants in warmer months]
Using foods that offer a lot of calories for the weight and calculating my calories and calorie needs more precisely.”

“my pack weight is usally around 25 lbs for a weekend. Not ultra light but comfortable and what I can afford.”

“I am ultra light now...from 50lbs down to 27-30 pounds. Anything lower is just not fun.”

“For my last weekend trip, my pack weighed about 18 pounds.

I could get it lighter if I packed a 3/4 sleeping pad and I ditched the filter for aqua mira. I also packed in a small memory pillow for the first time. That sucker was heavier than my tent!

Reason for the pillow is due to trouble with my neck; i need something like this to sleep.”

“like I said comfort....and is there anything better than hot coffee in the am?”

“on Rainy trips Ive come back 5 lbs heavier

No really weigh it sometime”

“Its funny, no matter what the weather, or time of year, my pack weight stays basically the same- even when I take two pads for winter--one quarter length blue foam and one self inflating pad.”

“Hey y'all are doing great! A week out at 30-35, pretty dang awesome. Last ultralight was 4 nights, 5 days. 24 lbs with 2 liter platypus full. But I do wear a fanny pack on the front side for snax and a few other stuff, digi camera. Guess that's about 2 lbs max, so about 25-26 total. I left the stoves behind, and liked the Esbit system for a while. But you gotta carry extra baby wipes tho for the black, and after Bear showed me the wonders of his alcy stoves, I prefer that now. Tent is a bivy sack, bag is a 2200 ci Mountainsmith Fury usually, for something up to about 4 nights and 3 seasons.

I needs to upgrade to a sweet sleeping bag tho, next and last big purchase (if there is such an animal).”

“yeah, like Div sez - i can't give up the stove coz then i wouldn't have coffee in the am.

In the winter time - lightweight takes on a new meaning. Comfort becomes survival and good sense to a large degree.

ultralight is a summer time concept.”

“I change out stoves and bags for the winter...my winter bag weights less then my summer bag LOL and its rated -5.
I use a whisperlite in winter, homemade stove for all other times.

Beign short helps save a lot of room, being short has it's advantages :) HA! I need a new pack though, thats my cheepest piece of gear that I bought new for 75 bucks...it might be my heviest piece of gear!”

“Was over 40, got it down to 18 about 5 years ago (no food/water). But I always take some luxuries like my slinglight & a magazine, add a 2 liter Platy filled plus food for a weekend and I'm up to 22-23. Maybe 25-26 for a winter weekend.”

“I'm not sure that I've ever gotten below a 30 pound pack”

“Not me.”