Going lightweight

[MIZZTRIE]

BD - Another great post!

I NEVER even thought about the kid's tents! What a great idea!!! And cheap to boot!

Will also check into the Katadyn Exstream!


THANKS! And good luck on your ultralight pack!!!

[natchez]

I wonder if we should 'pack' all these great advisory threads of you into a special subsection (to be opened) called "tips & advise" ?

I ask this because I find the information you're posting timeless and it would be better visible for people seeking this advise.

What do you think, MIZZTRIE & others?

[bdavison]

When I was younger I went on quite a few hiking trips with my friends. Our first hiking trip was a disaster. We hiked the 21 mile Jackson Trail in Blackwater River State Forest in Florida. Each of us had old army surplus packs, that must have weighed 60-80 lbs because we didnt know how to pack them or what to take with us. Some of us had canned food in them along with rediculasly heavy equipment. One of my friends even had a coleman propane lantern in his pack. Our first night it got down to about 30 deg, and our bags werent rated for that low a temp. The coleman lantern blew up in the shelter sending glass everywhere. We failed to consider cooking the canned food, and when we tried to start a campfire, everything was wet. We also didnt take enough water, and ended up hiking nearly 5 miles on a blue blaze to get water. We ended up quitting after about 10 miles.

Once that trip was over we quickly realized it was time to do some research on "how" to hike. For our next hiking trip we got rid of the heavy stuff, and cut our packs down to what they should have been. We had quite a few other successful hiking adventures after that.

If my experiences help hikers, that makes me happy. I want to see everyone have a good time.

I will be in Vogel State Park camping with some friends the first weekend in November for our waterfall trip. If anyone is in the area and would like to stop by and chat, Ill leave info for you at the ranger station in Vogel so we can meet up.

[bdavison]

Well, Im working on my ultralight weight pack.
Ive got everything finished except for the sleeping bag. Im trying to figure out which route to go. Im thinking the Marmot Atom bag. The main thing is space it takes. Ive managed to fit 3 days of gear into a Camelbak Cloud Walker, but Im trying to figure out how to get a sleeping bag in there. The Atom compresses down to about the size of a water bottle, so that would be perfect.

Here is the gear list so far.
Timber Creek childs tent - 6x5ft dome tent
Coghlans Trek 1 First aid kit (added Excedrin Migrane,and some Benadryl)
1oz bottle of Repel
Small roll of duct tape
Compass
Magnesium firestarter
Bottle of alcohol for stove.
Pepsi Can stove
2 pairs of Columbia Wool Socks
1 Pair of Columbia Shorts
1 Pair of Remington long johns
1 Shakelight
1 Microtech knife
2 pairs of undies
MP3/Video player (audio books and Tv shows
6 packs of oatmeal
Mountain house seperated and individually packed.
3qt hydration bladder
Travel toothpaste
Cut down toothbrush
2 bandannas
Aluminum cup
Bic lighter
Joachim Nordwall Spork (www.light-my-fire.com - you guys gotta check out his products....lightest weight stuff out there. The spork is FANTASTIC! 9grams)

Gear on me would be some synthetic zip-off pants, columbia fleece and windbreaker/rainjacket. Merrill boots, and my two hiking poles.

Now I just gotta find a sleeping bag that will fit.

[natchez]

What's a 'Mountain house'? :blush:

[bdavison]

Mountain House is a brand of backpacking food. In perticular...lightweight backpacking food.
They make dehydrated packs of food for hikers.
Fairly good stuff.

You boil up a cup of water, mix it with the food and presto...a few minutes later you have Chicken Teriyaki or Lasagna or Cajun Beans and Rice or something.

They also have a good high calorie content to keep you going.

Mountain House bags normally come in serving sizes for 2 servings. If you open the bag, and split it into ziplocks you can have single serving sizes, that barely weigh more than about 30-40g per serving. VERY lightweight.<br><br>Post edited by: bdavison, at: 2007/08/19 01:56

[rollinbat]

I just saw your post about going lightweight and I wanted to tell you about a great website that carries lots of easy to pack lightweight camping and hiking supplies. http://www.rvcampstuff.com
I don't know the rules on this forum, so I hope it's OK to post a website. Happy Trails!

[whiteOak]

excellent advice, OP. its the only way to travel.

[The_Climb]

Ok.. My lightweight tip and it may not be suitable for all seasons... Is> Instead of buying an expensive lightweight tent (I had a Terra Nova and was dissapointed with it) buy a cheap tent (like the cheapest you can find) and literally only take the insides.. Poles, netting (not the water/windproof outside).. This drastically brings down the weight of the tent (to many lightweight packs) and if you find a sheltered place to sleep under it can really be just as good. Obviously not a technique for cold climates but I have hiked in many warm climates with this setup and its saved a lot of back pain..

[joepantaleo]

Great post! That definitely seems to have some great information for a lightweight hiking trip I want to do this summer. Going to do a week long trip on the Appalaican Trail.