Anyone can cut weight from their existing gear list, well maybe not the folks going barefoot with just some deet applied. This thread invites everyone to confess the "sins" of weight carried that they prefer to bring along regardless of the weight penalty.

My own UL "sins" include:
Hammock - HH Light Racer A-sym (with SilPoncho instead of the OEM tarp). I sleep so-o-o-o much better in a hammock than on the ground.
Water Filter - First Need Deluxe Water Purifier. My wife and I have never been sick during or after a trip. A full pound, but it's tough to beat it's track record.
Chair/Mattress - Thermarest 3/4 ultralight (no longer made) and the "lite" chair. Truly redundant comfort with the hammock along, but I have not left it behind since I bought it years ago. Each evening when sitting around the campfire I know why I bring it, portable comfort.

What gear do you bring that isn't on most people's UL gear list, and why?

My weakness -- an inflatable pillow (6 oz.). I've tried stuffing clothes, etc. but at the end, I NEED my pillow in order to sleep.

>>"confess the "sins" of weight carried that they prefer to bring along regardless of the weight penalty. "

i carry a small, light weight New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.

didn't know that it was a "sin"? - please, no offense, i'm just having a little fun at your expense, but i do carry the NT as stated - in my right rear pocket of my trail cargo pants, so...
it doesn't contribute to base pack wt.

[BTW, in case you're interested, there are ceramic cartridge filters (~0.2micron pore size - absolute or nominal??? i'm not sure) that literally weigh half the wt. of the filter you mentioned. cost ~$80 from campmor.com.]

Ben,
have you tried using your water bottle as a pillow, with your bandana or microfiber towel (or some other cloth mat'l) b/t it & your head? if you did, how comfortable did you find it?

Edited by pj on 07/28/2005 02:48:41 MDT.

Two things I carry regardless of weight are:
1. 15 oz. Deluxe Custom First Aid Kit - I choose to carry this so I can deal with almost any issue with our scouts, because it is inevitable the scouts will forget something in their own kit. It really is quite complete for any issue, including sutures and needle for gashes and nitro for heart attack.
2. Water Filter - I have migrated from an MSR Waterworks to the H2O Amigo, but I will always filter water before any other treatment.

>>an inflatable pillow (6 oz.)

Which one? I have yet to find a good pillow when I sleep on the ground (don't really need one when I sleep in my hammock). The biggest problem is when I sleep on my side. You need a firm pillow that is around 6"-8" tall, otherwise your neck is at a weird angle.

I might just have to break down and by the pillow from luxary lite.

inflatable pillow for me too. weighs in at 4 oz. i have had it for three years now and it it starting to leak!!!

Mike,

where did you get the med kit? how does it cp to a Marine Corpsman B-1?

I love my 8oz (rated, I think, it's awfully big) Pacific Outdoor Equipment inflatable pillow, lots of loft. Maybe even high enough for a side sleeper. My mother-in-law got it for me from tadgear.com.

It's actually more comfortable than the pillow in my bed... now that I think about it, that makes me really sad...

Paul:

I've tried stuffing with bandanna, clothes, even a fleece jacket. Either the stuffing isn't high enough -- or if I pack in more, then it becomes too hard! :(

Ditto for water bladder. If half filled with water, then resting on one part of the pillow will simply push the water over to the other half. If filled up fully to prevent this -- then the whole darn thing becomes too hard again. I guess I just can't rest my head right in the center and keep it there. :(

I needed something that I can inflate only part way (semi hard / semi soft) -- that will maintain its shape uniformly -- and not act like a water balloon.

Solution - inflatable pillow with "I-beam" construction (whatever that means). The pillow can be inflated "just so" and it maintain its shape and density uniformly.

Mine: Entex pillow - 6 oz. - REI - just $3.

Competition: Big Agnes pillow - 3.5 oz. - $22

Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching. (pocket edition,2.4 oz.) Something about being out in the natural world helps me "get" it.

PJ
I made the kit myself. Got items from EMT supply, Drugstore.com, Walgreens, local medical supply stores. Some items I had to buy bulk, so resupply is going to be easy. Use various aloksaks to organize, get creative in repackaging some items and keep it all in a small silnylon ditty bag.
Don't know what a Marine Corpman B-1 is like so I can't answer.

Mike,

thanks for the swift reply. good kit you've assembled.

Donald,

I understand what you mean by "get" it.

Never seen a pocket edition of the Dao de Qing/Tao te Ching. My favorite quote, not fr/Dao de Qing, also attributed in places (a small book of Chinese Wisdom my grandmother gave me many yrs ago) to Lao Tzu is "Do you need proof of God? Does one light a torch to see the sun!" If you spend enough time in the field, you start to understand what the "Old Sage/Master" meant. Dong bu dong?

Edited by pj on 07/29/2005 17:58:13 MDT.

I too, carry a pillow. Usually just in the Summer months when my extra clothing (virtually none) won't provide a nice enough stuffed stuff sack - pillow.

Design Salt makes one that weighs in under 3 Oz.
My old Thermarest Pillow weighs 6 Oz. Ouch!

I'll also oftern pack a book. I do look for "pocket sized" or just generallt shorter editions of things. The Gideons New Testament is always pack friendly, Kahlil Gibrhan's stories are available in small, short editions.

Of course, a PDA, for an overnight or weekend trip, at 4 Oz. weighs less (or not much more) than many books and can hold more than I can read in quite a long time.

Edited by Dynamo on 07/29/2005 08:27:33 MDT.

Ben,
Is this the pillow you have?
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=2841&parent_category_rn=4723203&vcat=REI_SEARCH

Yes, that's the one.

How do you UL? Not like this! Taking a small, light planisphere to Scotland in summer was a bit of a mistake as I never managed to be awake during hours of darkness with well over 16 hours of sunshine per day. After that, luxuries have been easier to leave behind.

I bring more than most...

-GPS (etrex legend)
-Camera (S400)
-Campmor microfleece tights for bedtime
-both full rain gear and a hooded wind shirt

As for the pillow, I've tried the luxurylite pillow and really don't care for it. (any potential buyers out there, feel free to email me at gdinero at hotmail). I love using my micropuff as a pillow though. It's the bomb!

And random question, has anyone played with wearing a rain skirt with a rain jacket? Probably would weigh half as much as full pants with nearly the same protection.

-G$

Pros and cons of your Luxurylite pillow?

You can post a "for sale" message on the Gear Swap branch. I'm sure there are takers...

not for off-trail or anything other than well defined trails. snag factor too high.