here is my slightly heavy 3 season, 5 day base pack weight. i can not go 5 days in the same clothes. i just can't do it. i could save weight by leaving the fleece at home and switch to Klearwater instead of using the MSR filter. this drops 36.60 ounces and gets me close to the 300 ounce mark.

cool gloves 2.25
Hat - knit 2.50
Jacket - Fleece 18.85
Rain/Wind shell 13.30
Pants - Zipoff 14.35
Pants - Rain 8.75
Socks - Liner 1.30
Socks - Wool 3.00
Long Sleeve T 11.10
Short Sleeve T 9.35
Underwear- Long 5.45
Underwear - Reg 4.35
Lexan Spoon 0.30
700mL Ti Pot 4.70
Swiss Army 2.00
Sani-wipes 0.50
Toilet Paper 1.00
Toothbrush 1.00
Toothpaste 1.00
Headlamp 2.75
Pocket light 0.25
Misc Bandana 0.80
Misc Compass 1.00
First-Aid Kit 2.25
Insect Juice 2.85
Lip balm 0.30
Misc Matches 0.75
Pack towel 2.55
5000 ci pack 88.50
SarvisSL1 eVENT 52.00
55 degree bag 26.25
Sleeping pad 26.35
Canister stove 3.75
Water bladder 5.30
Water cantene 2.00
Water filter 17.75

base weight - 339 ounces (21.19 lbs)

-steve

Put you list in a spreadsheet and make a chart-- pie or bar works well. You'll see where to begin work.

My impressions:

I would want a warmer bag-- I guess the question is: 3 seasons where? A 37F bag is just two ounces more and can be found on sale for $50. Many bags in the 40F ranges are under $100. I'm looking for the ultimate 25-30F synthetic bag myself.

Pack is way too heavy. You could drop 3-4 pounds for under $150.

Beautiful tent, but it's a stone. Look at Six Moons Designs or Henry Shires for a bug-free, light, three season tent.

Sleeping pad is heavy too. A the shorter closed cell pads run 11oz and under and a lot of the inflatables are are around 16oz.

Decant liquids into smaller bottles.

Water filters are heavy. I think they are weight and convience effective for small groups, but are terrible for solo UL. Why they can't turn out a good light filter is beyond me-- the market is there with the dollars in hand. Some anodized aluminum or Ti housings and fittings could drop the weight in half or better.

If the bag does not need to be synthetic...you can get a 17 oz. Montbell that is good to low 40's for $150.

the pad stays - if you want my old evazote RidgeRest, you can have it - my bones are much happier in the morning now.

the Aether 75 will be for winter trips once i find something i like to replace it. the Atmos looks interesting...

the stone of a tent is lighter by 2.5 pounds than my previous tent and was only $149.00. it fit the budget, saved a significant amount and allows me to save for a lighter pack.

i decant whenever i can, esp from the whiskey bottle ;)

the filter is a bear. i'll try Klearwater - it's easily 16 ounces lighter! if there was a UL filter, i'd buy one for sure.

-steve

Edited by asciibaron on 03/27/2006 16:24:22 MST.

Quick Question: Do you want to spend any money at all to reduce the weight of your gear or no??

i don't have much money to spend right now. i have a ton of heavy gear to dump on eBay that i hope to use to buy a light pack and bag.

anyone want my old pack? only weighs 106.80 ounces :)

-steve

>> “the pad stays - if you want my old evazote RidgeRest, you can have it - my bones are much happier in the morning now.” <<
LOL… I know where you are coming from. Which pad are you using? I use the Thermarest Prolite 3 Short and it weighs 13 ounces, half what you are carrying.

>> “if there was a UL filter, i'd buy one for sure.” <<
Under the Food, Hydration and Nutrition section I started a thread about “Hydration and Water Sources” which may offer some ideas. The H2O Amigo is one as is the platypus gravity filter I mentioned at the beginning of the thread.

Dale mentioned SMD or HS for bug-free lighter weight shelters. Both are good suggestions. Have you thought about a tarp? Not as great when bugs are an issue, but offers so much versatility in setup and superb ventilation.

Hey keep the pad. Mine weighs in at 18oz. and my back and sleep are better for it. That to me is my one luxury item. I would look at ULA, Six Moon Designs, Gossamer Gear or Granite Gear for affordable packs. Try Aqua Mira and change the bottles into smaller bottles. Two micro drops can last a week and you can get these at BPL. If you don't want to use a tarp, Henry Shires, Big Sky, and a few others make great affordable light weight options. I too would loose the long underwear top and bottom. Maybe use your short sleeve shirt as something to sleep in. You could end up saving 12-16 oz. right there. After yer done hiking maybe rinse out your shirt and let it dry. If it is a good synthetic or Smartwool it should dry rather quickly. Also maybe wear a soft shell pant. These could double as something to keep you warm at night, and provide good sun protection. Leave the rain pants at home. Either use the softshell, and seek cover soon or possibly when money permits buy Gossamer Gear rain chaps that weigh 2 oz. or so. Keep the list coming. Oh and try selling your gear on The Lightweight Backpacker or on BPL, get a paypal account and you get your money faster and then you can purchase other stuff quicker. Good luck

If you use 3.0 kg, the 106.8 oz looks less. If you use "less than 0.5 stones", it looks tiney <;->