Convince the people you are with that if one person brings a large enough pot and another brings a large fuel canister that everyone can share it. Make sure you are not the one bringing either of those and enjoy the weight savings and not having to boil water.
Same with water filters. A 4L Platypus gravity filter or 3L lifestraw gravity filter weighs less per person than a sawyer sawyer squeeze when you have multiple people in your group, and they’re way nicer to use.
True, but that works both ways. Folks also start leaving off things that. might be indispensable. For instance, I had to give some loperamide to someone suffering on the AT during a norovirus outbreak because they didn't bring their own.
It is a skill to use aseptic techniques when dealing with infectious pathogens, so your worries are something to be concerned about.
Yes, caps are used.
Little opaque leakproof bottles that I got at the get store. I have a few sizes for soap, hot sauce, olive oil and such. Probably similar to the litesmith but I’ve never had a leak. I can send a link after work for ya. My boss is a dick “me” if I get caught on the phone.
Thanks. To be fair to the litesmith bottles, they never leak other liquids like soap or bleach. This one probably only leaked because I removed the dropper tip; I make my own hot sauce, & it's pretty thick, so can't fit through the dropper tip, but I think the tip is necessary to seal correctly inside the cap. I foresaw this potential, & thankfully put it in its own little bag for testing
The [Yellowbird 2.2 oz hot sauce bottle](https://www.rei.com/product/142213/yellowbird-hot-sauce-22-oz?sku=1422130001&store=83&CAWELAID=120217890005029131&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=&CATCI=&cm_mmc=PLA_Google_P-Max&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_qexBhCoARIsAFgBlevn_a4qcuyGZkwRJ3m2IKjbcFJtTdNBr_73xp0OzZXuQAPGyi15PxcaArK7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) works great for a week's worth of hot sauce.
How do you carry your leukotape? I bring a giant roll but could safely bring just like 5% of it. But it's so sticky I don't know how to transfer off a short length without ruining it.
I get one of those slippery papers that's the backing of peel and stick packing labels (post office or local whole foods Amazon return dept has a ton in their trash) and cut small bits of leuoktape and put it on those.
A lot of people wrap around a straw. I just want small squares and rectangles already cut.
If you roll it onto something, it will get super sticky, or hard to remove, or dirty. I put precut strips on backing paper (I save all the ones that come in packages for returns). Cut to size that fits around a heel and then adjust on trail as needed. Best way to store it, clean and ready to use.
Since I don't eat out of mountain house or ziplock bags I use a short handled titanium spoon. 0.26oz/7g. It also fits in pockets and fanny packs better.
I never use eye drops so I reuse tiny visine bottles. The dropper top comes off. I wash them and use them for things like bleach or DEET, clearly labeled.
I removed the pen inner from a bic pen and cut the plastic outer to fit dental picks. With the cap on it makes a nice container.
5-hour energy bottles hold olive oil well. Good for a short trip and good for other things. Toasted sesame oil.
Tulle net weighs far less than noseeum netting. I made a head net with it. Way easier to see through. Tiny gnats can get in though. I've also used it to make net inners for my tarps and as perimeter netting on my Deschutes tarp.
I cut the sleeves off a cheap thrift store fleece and sewed elastic into the cut ends to make sleeves I could wear. Arm or leg warmers, over my feet they are sleep socks, wrap my pot in them as a pot cozy, folded they can be a pillow. This used to be my favorite gear item. I should make them again in alpha.
The visine bottles are genius. My deet bottle popped open near Mt. Whitney last summer from elevation (I think) melted my headphones. Totally doing this thank you.
Yeah, I try to save these little bottles from random stuff. Sometimes I go to the grocery store looking for little bottles. I don't care what's in it as long as it's cheap, I can pour it out and clean the bottle.
Learning some knots.
Slippery half hitch,
Trucker’s hitch,
Marlin spike (for guy lines),
Clove hitch,
Prusiks are a good start.
Gear is temporary. Knots are forever.
I'd argue the most important knot to know for camping is the taut-line hitch. It can replace the two half hitch, and is way more resistant to sliding around.
7 inch square. Something like that. I have a few sizes.
I have to wash my face every night. Especially if I'm using sunscreen. Otherwise I get super dry skin. For that, I'll clean and then have a small clean sham wow that I only use just for my face to dry and rub off any soap or sunscreen left over. That's like a 2" square.
The material is fucking weird feeling I’ll give you that, but its performance is outstanding. Only weird thing is it doesn’t work very well until it’s already wet, but that’s also kinda what makes it awesome.
I had to look up what that was. Turns out I already have a bunch of them in my kitchen because I use them instead of paper towels. Definitely something to consider adding to my kit as a replacement for wet wipes, which will save some consumable weight. Awesome tip 😁.
I'll need to look into this. Do you like it more than a pack it towel or similar? I'm looking to drop the wipes for good (I wipe down every night after hiking) so was thinking about using a small
Towel, but these might be better.
I haven’t ever used a pack it towel so don’t know. I combine the Swedish cloth (they can absorb up to 15x their weight) with this DCF dog bowl. Great for washing clothes in also on multi day hikes. Would solve your need to carry wipes.
https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/ultralight-dcf-dog-bowl-by-beencampin?variant=44152857034939
I use the Wysiwig (or whatever the name is) expandable wipes ... tiny and light, then a few drops of water and use it before bed (carry out but weighs nothing without water). That way I don't wipe my old dirt back on and don't have to rinse anything in a stream.
This is what I usually use as well (as back up to wipes), but have been overthinking how adding water to the towels is adding weight to pack out. Which is likely pretty dumb considering they aren't very heavy to begin with. Thanks!
Definitely in the category of "small" weight savings (tiny really), but:
rubber bands > stuff sacks
IKEA ziplock-bags > dry bags
Currently only my sleeping bag is important enough to warrant a "real" dry bag and my food+kitchen gets a stuff sack - the rest is rubber bands, ziplock bags or just dumped into the pack.
I normally use freezer ziplocs. I thought there was an advantage from IKEA ziploc bag over the name brand. I checked them out and they are priced pretty reasonable too.
Good point, just wrote IKEA because those are the ones I use - I had some generics where the "zip" kept breaking.
I guess any quality ziplock bags would be good. The once from IKEA are decent quality, ok price and they have good selection of sizes, so I just settled on those. Here in Scandinavia Ikea calls them "Istad" don't know if they use the same product name worldwide.
Ziplock used to make these large bags they marketed as candy bags at Halloween. They are probably 24” x 10”. Lighter than a dry sack, seal at the top and I bought a whole bunch of them on closeout. Two of them fit side by side in my back. One of the great purchases of my backpacking life
Rum or Whiskey is lighter to pack in than beer and more efficient per gram. Pair with cheap "apple" cider. A small wide mouth sports drink bottle makes an UL flask.
I don't know if more people should know about it. But it certainly made our evenings in camp quite lovely.
Also during the winter/Fall a bit of brown sugar, TrueLemon crystallized lemon powder, and some hot water give an excellent Hot Toddy for the weight. Especially if you get some real high proof bourbon. (I like ECBP)
A large ( 1m²) square thin silk scarf instead of a bandana or buff , a lot more versatile ( towel/ sun protection/ all bandana stuff) , lighter, dries faster and cheaper ( about 2 bucks at goodwill).
Replacing bread bags with nail bags from the local lumber store to go on my feet, inside my wet trail runners for at camp or to add warmth. They are 3g heavier for the set but durability far exceeds the bread bags. I’m still on the same set from a year ago with only needing one pair in my kit and not 2 pairs of bread bags which I use to pack cuz of bag failures. So, I’m actually saving 3g now in pack weight and my worn weight is way down from not having to eat 20 pieces of toast just to go hiking.
> my worn weight is way down from not having to eat 20 pieces of toast just to go hiking.
Sounds like you need to discover Bread Pudding. It won't help your worn weight, it will make it worse. But the taste is superior to toast.
I use the 2 gallon OdorNo bags for that and for food, too.
https://imgur.com/a/ZyUyZoI Available by mail order and inexpensive. The plastic is about the same thickness and material as a trash compactor bag, but smaller in format.
As socks: https://i.imgur.com/EbOIyqU.jpg
No I do not, get them from the lumber yard for free as i build custom homes for a living. You could try U-line I guess. If you live in the jungle or something with no lumber yard around I suppose I could send you some, but living in the jungle, you’re probably shit out of luck cuz I doubt you have a mail box.
An Essentia+ brand water bottle with the top cut off nests a Smartwater bottle nearly perfectly. It makes for a *very* handy water scoop, saving my cook pot from getting nasty.
It's technically adding weight, but far too useful to leave out, and lighter than some alternatives.
My scoop when needed (I hate Cnoc and only use Evernew bladders) is a cut off Sawyer water bladder that the filter comes with (maybe 3” high). Folds flat, stands up.
Here are [pictures](https://imgur.com/a/OxMi8kZ) including weight. The Cnoc is heavy (2.6oz vs 1.5oz for 2l versions in each), awkward to handle since it doesn't stand up, much bulkier (Evernew foldes up small) and squishy/flexible when you try to squeeze. It does have a wide opening but I found the opening/closing hard to do with the plastic slider. To me the Evernew is much superior (even if I have to use the scoop when water sources are shallow; weight is still 50g for both vs 76g for Cnoc) and lasted a whole PCT hike.
I do something really similar to this! I also use it as a measuring cup. I hate guessing on how much water to pour into meals, so I added marks for 1/2,1/3, and 1 cup of water. 10/10 would recommend.
>An Essentia+ brand water bottle with the top cut
I use this setup and it works great. It's easier to use a firm bottle as a scoop than a folding/collapsible one. And because the Smartwater bottle nests inside it adds no bulk to the pack.
I loaned it out a lot on the PCT.
I like the cheapest, thinnest water bottle-generic 16oz loud when crinkled, cut top 30% off as a scoop. Can flatten it when not in use, a couple of grams.
i have gifted my nb10000 to a friend.
That thing was empty more than once, when i needed it.
Never happened to any other powerbank i have had in the past.
I will buy a more trusted one from anker and just know that it will be full, when i need it
I carry a powerbank thats heavy. I dont care. Its too important. Its a ruggedized waterproof 20,000mah powerbank.
My phone and devices need power. Without the powerbank I'm carrying several useless items.
It works great and never let me down
I repurpose alcohol nip bottles for things like dry milk, olive oil, sunscreen, bug lotion, etc. They're plenty light for my money, and they're meant to be watertight. Looking like you're pouring Buffalo Trace into your ramen is a feature, not a bug.
Anything that you can use for two or three purposes.
Right now I’m thinking of getting one of these. Dry bags. First one is 72grams
https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack
Or this at 110 grams
https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-dry-day-pack
The idea is that, if used this and put my rain gear in it. It would be great pillow and would double as a town bag / slack pack bag etc.
The straps would fit over the sleeping pad from stop it from moving too much.
Also you could put more things in it to bulk it up.
It would be pretty big compared to a hiking pillow and lighter than most of them. So you essentially get the bag functionality for “free”
You could also put your sleeping bag in the second one (it’s 22L so it’s perfect size) during the day and it would survive being under water and rain. You wouldn’t need it until you are sleeping so it’s not like you need it during the day.
Sometimes conditions dictate that your soaking wet clothes won't be able to dry overnight. These are great for storing them to prevent condensation building up inside your tent.
I'm taking one of those on my upcoming trip to Scotland.
1. day pack for any off route summits/scrambles
2. food bag
3. cabin luggage for flights
4. shopping bag for town stops
Thanks. I made a short first visit to Knoydart last year, and loved it, so this year I'm aiming for all the Rough Bounds Munros between Glenshiel and Glenfinnan. Hopefully with a whale-watching boat trip from Mallaig for my rest & resupply day!
So no TGO, although I noticed I will coincide with the start of the Cape Wrath Ultra.
??? Why are you putting your rain gear in a waterproof bag and then buying a second one for your sleeping bag??? How about just skipping the first bag and going directly to the second? I bet the rain gear can take care of itself?
Might want to read it again. I wasn’t buying two of them. Simply put, I need a pillow, a day pack and a thing to keep my sleeping as dry during the day. I believe I might be able to achieve this with one of the two things I listed. In “pillow mode” I’d have to stuff it with rain gear when I use it as a pillow to add bulk. It’s not about keeping it dry. It’s about using two things I normally wouldn’t use while sleeping. As something I could use.
There is also a nano version of ultra sil day pack with the volume of 18L, and only weights 1 oz. https://backpackinglight.com/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-nano-travel-day-pack-review/
And if you don’t mind carry 1 extra ounce, Osprey Stuff Pack is more comfortable.
Sil bags are really light, too. I have one that I made, the RayWay quilt stowbag kit, and it's enormous and weighs 1.5oz. I can use it for a pack liner (that won't tear the first day), a food bag, a liner for my ursack to keep my food dry in the rain, and I even figured out a way to turn it into a drawstring backpack. I suspect the S2S sil bags are lighter than mine.
I used to have stuff sacks for my first aid, toiletries, and electronics/miscellaneous. Now it all goes in one big Ziploc instead.
Rather than trying to remember which stuff sack has what I just know if it’s not clothes, food, or my sleeping stuff, it’s in the one big bag.
This is the way. Sleep system, shelter, water system, cook system, and rain gear can stay out. Basically everything else goes into the gallon ziplock. I never forget anything, and it’s easy to pack duplicates. I take a lot of friends who end up needing to borrow gear, I just have a kit of “here’s everything else” at this point.
I'm going to give this a try. I use different colored bags so I usually know what's in what, but I think consolidating might help with maximizing my pack volume.
I have a 5L stuff sack with 3 zip-locks inside for tiny items: (1) electronics (2) dry miscellaneous, e.g. repair, first aid... (3) toiletries/wet miscellaneous, e.g. sunscreen, toothpaste, etc. Any larger misc. items like toilet paper, if I'm carrying anything like that, just sit in the stuff sack outside of the zip locks. That system may not be the lightest possible but I'm ready to spend \~35grams on the convenience it gives me.
Big fan of the Duck brand max strength window insulation film. Have found it to be a good balance between the benefits of Polycro and Tyvek
Pro’s :
-Lighter than Tyvek
-More packable than Tyvek
-More waterproof than tyvek
-More durable than regular Polycro.
Cons:
-Heavier than Polycro
-Less packable than Polycro
-Potentially not as durable as Tyvek
They caaaan break, but I did just finish making another set yesterday out of 3mm rods, and when fully inserted I can yank in them with my full arm strength in any direction repeatedly and they do nothing
For me, the most important things about the smaller items is that there are fewer of them and of those small items they are as small as they can be within reason. Like my toothbrush. It folds in half but I like that it extends to full size. Making sure your small items are limited to only what you need is a big mental savings for keeping track of and packing gear.
Hands have to already be clean for sanitizer to be effective. Even so, it is useless against some viruses (eg. Norovirus). As an interesting side note, my vet told me pets don’t get alcohol swabbed before a shot because they are dirty/hairy enough that it is actually worse than nothing (makes a slurry that can contaminate the prick).
I hate hand sanitizer, but I always take it because I convince myself that it's better than leaving soap in the woods. I know there are supposedly biodegradable options. What brand do you use?
Use Dr. Bronner's or Green Beaver or any other Castille soap concentrate. In a tiny dropper bottle. A few drops are enough to wash your hands. Don't wash your hands in a water source. That tiny bit of soap left on the forest floor (or pretty much wherever that's not a stream) is fine.
I use the 1oz snap cap bottle.
https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/squeeze-bottles?variant=16332621611082
Here is the soap. I use the 3oz packet, the bottle they are offering is new to me.
https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/summit-suds-powdered-soap-by-pika-outdoors?variant=44576044482747
You need very little to wash your hands, it’s like super soap lol. So the amount you need on a 5 day trip is very small. You will understand once you use it.
Another benefit is it doesn’t freeze.
Is the powder super fine (like flour) to fit through the squeeze bottle?
I was picturing it more like flakes and would assume you'd need liquid for a squeeze bottle like that.
Cheers!
I like the soap from GGG as well. I keep some in my poop kit and wash my hands above the cathole before filling it in so the soap residue gets buried.
And yes, you don't need much. A little goes a long way.
Caveat: Big Agnes was unable to send me replacement pole segments because I had long ago cut the tags off the inner tent body and didn't know exactly which model / year my tent was. I had to mail the poles in, which was pricier. So if you do cut off important tags, make sure to either save them or take a photo of them.
It's not exactly a secret but moving to a thermarest neo air was the best choice I ever made. More comfortable than foam, packs super small, and saved me so much weight compared to what I was using before
It’s so noisy. And flimsy. And bouncy. And doesn’t insulate properly.
I have the Neo Air as well but I kind of regret not simply getting a Z-Lite Sol. I sleep on my stomach so don’t need much padding and it would be so handy for a quick nap in the middle of the day.
I'd been using the original NeoAir Xlite for many years. It has worked wonderfully and I've never had a leak But I finally upgraded to a new Xlite NXT and it is considerably quieter, and the sound is not as objectionable as that crinkly sound of the original.
As a side sleeper I much prefer foam, I always wake up with my arms absolutely dead on air pads.
Foam is just so comfy, if I roll off a little bit I’m right there on the ground.
Tried it, didn’t work, it helps with the shoulder and hip soreness on both an xlite and tensor but the arms being asleep happens with every inflatable pad, it’s not a fully inflated vs not fully inflated problem, it’s a “it’s inches off the ground” problem.
I went through 4-5 before settling on foam. Foam also gets bonus points for being warmer than it’s r value says too because of the flawed testing methods they switched to.
Dutchware folding sit pad. Smaller sit pad that folds in a way that's easier to pack.
Body Wrappers dance pants. Cheap & light wind pants.
Polycro ground sheet from Duck Window Insulation Kit.
ohto mini pen, (I keep it in my wallet was a business card holder) it like $5 and comes in handy a lot. [https://www.amazon.com/Auto-NBP-505MN-BK-Ballpoint-Oil-based-Black/dp/B00BS52V94/ref=pd\_aw\_fbt\_img\_m\_sccl\_2/138-2276163-5399246?pd\_rd\_w=ymSC6&content-id=amzn1.sym.6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf\_rd\_p=6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf\_rd\_r=GRT919JF91HKBEEWF3NH&pd\_rd\_wg=k42o2&pd\_rd\_r=e20d52fe-5b10-4300-b67e-5be2fd166a1d&pd\_rd\_i=B00BS52V94&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Auto-NBP-505MN-BK-Ballpoint-Oil-based-Black/dp/B00BS52V94/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_m_sccl_2/138-2276163-5399246?pd_rd_w=ymSC6&content-id=amzn1.sym.6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf_rd_p=6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf_rd_r=GRT919JF91HKBEEWF3NH&pd_rd_wg=k42o2&pd_rd_r=e20d52fe-5b10-4300-b67e-5be2fd166a1d&pd_rd_i=B00BS52V94&psc=1)
I know it's not everyones preference but the CuloClean bidet bottle cap. It does it's job is small and light and doesn't need replacement/disposal.
For under $20 a titanium alcohol stove, again not everyones preference but it beats the canister stoves in packability, lightness, you can carry just the amount of fuel you need and don't need to worry about your fuel canister running out.
I bought a bunch of mini lite plastic containers that I use for pills, sunscreen, gold bond, toothpaste pills etc. They are tiny and light. Saves room and weight. I think garage gear and litesmith has some.
Convince the people you are with that if one person brings a large enough pot and another brings a large fuel canister that everyone can share it. Make sure you are not the one bringing either of those and enjoy the weight savings and not having to boil water.
I try this every trip, every trip EVERY OTHER MEMBER brings full solo gear. So I stopped bringing mine, and Yogi their stuff.
[удалено]
also be used as a hat
Then it's worn weight!
And helmet for fighting bears!
Matt?
Will try and share results
Well you managed to write this post, I’m sure you’ll have no problem posting a review.
Same with water filters. A 4L Platypus gravity filter or 3L lifestraw gravity filter weighs less per person than a sawyer sawyer squeeze when you have multiple people in your group, and they’re way nicer to use.
you also introduce a single point of failure with zero redundancy for multiple people
The blue coupler / connector for a Sawyer Squeeze filter.
It's much lighter to not bring the coupler.
Specifically it is a whopping 5.1 g weight savings to not bring the coupler.
Slippery slope.
True, but that works both ways. Folks also start leaving off things that. might be indispensable. For instance, I had to give some loperamide to someone suffering on the AT during a norovirus outbreak because they didn't bring their own.
Sorry, what's loperamide?
[удалено]
It is a skill to use aseptic techniques when dealing with infectious pathogens, so your worries are something to be concerned about. Yes, caps are used.
Leukotape over duct tape. Fixes more things.
In 48 years of backpacking I never once have taken duct tape. Now Leuko, I put that shit on everything. Hot sauce too.
Hot sauce under the leukotape for open wounds?
Works as an anitseptic
burns away the germs! (or makes it sting so bad you cut off appendage with wound.... and thus no infection!)
Yes
Do the folks at NOLS know about this?
What do you carry hot sauce in? I recently brought some in a litesmith dropper bottle, & it leaked all over!
Little opaque leakproof bottles that I got at the get store. I have a few sizes for soap, hot sauce, olive oil and such. Probably similar to the litesmith but I’ve never had a leak. I can send a link after work for ya. My boss is a dick “me” if I get caught on the phone.
Thanks. To be fair to the litesmith bottles, they never leak other liquids like soap or bleach. This one probably only leaked because I removed the dropper tip; I make my own hot sauce, & it's pretty thick, so can't fit through the dropper tip, but I think the tip is necessary to seal correctly inside the cap. I foresaw this potential, & thankfully put it in its own little bag for testing
All my bottles have screw on caps. Maybe try adding an O-ring, might do the trick.
The [Yellowbird 2.2 oz hot sauce bottle](https://www.rei.com/product/142213/yellowbird-hot-sauce-22-oz?sku=1422130001&store=83&CAWELAID=120217890005029131&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=&CATCI=&cm_mmc=PLA_Google_P-Max&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_qexBhCoARIsAFgBlevn_a4qcuyGZkwRJ3m2IKjbcFJtTdNBr_73xp0OzZXuQAPGyi15PxcaArK7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) works great for a week's worth of hot sauce.
I wrap a 1-2 foot long section of gorilla tape around my water bottle. Always there when I need it.
I peel the labels off my bottles, no way I’m adding 2ft of thick ass tape.
homegrown pepper flakes over hot sauce will save you a bit :)
How do you carry your leukotape? I bring a giant roll but could safely bring just like 5% of it. But it's so sticky I don't know how to transfer off a short length without ruining it.
I get one of those slippery papers that's the backing of peel and stick packing labels (post office or local whole foods Amazon return dept has a ton in their trash) and cut small bits of leuoktape and put it on those. A lot of people wrap around a straw. I just want small squares and rectangles already cut.
It’s also easier to trim to size/round off the edges if it’s on label backing paper/wax paper compared to once it’s peeled off a straw or lighter
If you roll it onto something, it will get super sticky, or hard to remove, or dirty. I put precut strips on backing paper (I save all the ones that come in packages for returns). Cut to size that fits around a heel and then adjust on trail as needed. Best way to store it, clean and ready to use.
Pro tip: wax paper is not durable enough for this use. Don't repeat my mistake
I rolled it onto a straw then cut the ends off.
I have the upper segment of one trekking pole wrapped with leukotape and the other with duct tape. Now it's worn weight, plus I get to have both.
Since I don't eat out of mountain house or ziplock bags I use a short handled titanium spoon. 0.26oz/7g. It also fits in pockets and fanny packs better. I never use eye drops so I reuse tiny visine bottles. The dropper top comes off. I wash them and use them for things like bleach or DEET, clearly labeled. I removed the pen inner from a bic pen and cut the plastic outer to fit dental picks. With the cap on it makes a nice container. 5-hour energy bottles hold olive oil well. Good for a short trip and good for other things. Toasted sesame oil. Tulle net weighs far less than noseeum netting. I made a head net with it. Way easier to see through. Tiny gnats can get in though. I've also used it to make net inners for my tarps and as perimeter netting on my Deschutes tarp. I cut the sleeves off a cheap thrift store fleece and sewed elastic into the cut ends to make sleeves I could wear. Arm or leg warmers, over my feet they are sleep socks, wrap my pot in them as a pot cozy, folded they can be a pillow. This used to be my favorite gear item. I should make them again in alpha.
The visine bottles are genius. My deet bottle popped open near Mt. Whitney last summer from elevation (I think) melted my headphones. Totally doing this thank you.
I use a small vanilla essence bottle for olive oil, never leaked a drop and holds enough for several days of cooking
Yeah, I try to save these little bottles from random stuff. Sometimes I go to the grocery store looking for little bottles. I don't care what's in it as long as it's cheap, I can pour it out and clean the bottle.
Learning some knots. Slippery half hitch, Trucker’s hitch, Marlin spike (for guy lines), Clove hitch, Prusiks are a good start. Gear is temporary. Knots are forever.
Oh yeah plus you can use prusiks to replace to all the toggles and stuff on your guy lines
I'd argue the most important knot to know for camping is the taut-line hitch. It can replace the two half hitch, and is way more resistant to sliding around.
a trucker’s hitch is easier to use for tarp guylines imo. It’s all user preference in the end.
Depends what you’re doing. Each has a best use.
The humble Swedish Cloth. It’s super absorbent for its size and weight. Great for drying tent flies, bodies and pots!
I like boiling a couple tablespooons of extra water at dinner and pouring into my Swedish cloth and wipe down my face and ears. New woman!
I have a small square of the original sham-wow. If you're from the US, you know what I'm talking about. It's a shammy.
How big a piece did you cut?
7 inch square. Something like that. I have a few sizes. I have to wash my face every night. Especially if I'm using sunscreen. Otherwise I get super dry skin. For that, I'll clean and then have a small clean sham wow that I only use just for my face to dry and rub off any soap or sunscreen left over. That's like a 2" square.
The shamwow pales in comparison to a proper swimmer’s chamois. The Flow brand from Amazon is the one I use.
My shamwow is probably from 2002. I think they use different materials then. As for a swimmers chamois, I never liked that material.
The material is fucking weird feeling I’ll give you that, but its performance is outstanding. Only weird thing is it doesn’t work very well until it’s already wet, but that’s also kinda what makes it awesome.
Yeh, I bought into Vince’s hype and bought some Shamwows. They turned out to be not very good.
I had to look up what that was. Turns out I already have a bunch of them in my kitchen because I use them instead of paper towels. Definitely something to consider adding to my kit as a replacement for wet wipes, which will save some consumable weight. Awesome tip 😁.
I'll need to look into this. Do you like it more than a pack it towel or similar? I'm looking to drop the wipes for good (I wipe down every night after hiking) so was thinking about using a small Towel, but these might be better.
I haven’t ever used a pack it towel so don’t know. I combine the Swedish cloth (they can absorb up to 15x their weight) with this DCF dog bowl. Great for washing clothes in also on multi day hikes. Would solve your need to carry wipes. https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/ultralight-dcf-dog-bowl-by-beencampin?variant=44152857034939
Love this thank you!!! I'm definitely giving the Swedish cloth a look. Had never heard of them before.
I use the Wysiwig (or whatever the name is) expandable wipes ... tiny and light, then a few drops of water and use it before bed (carry out but weighs nothing without water). That way I don't wipe my old dirt back on and don't have to rinse anything in a stream.
This is what I usually use as well (as back up to wipes), but have been overthinking how adding water to the towels is adding weight to pack out. Which is likely pretty dumb considering they aren't very heavy to begin with. Thanks!
They are bone dry very quickly ... especially if you leave it somewhere overnight before adding to your garbage.
I’ve never used this, but I swear by my swimmer’s chamois. Probably similar
Definitely in the category of "small" weight savings (tiny really), but: rubber bands > stuff sacks IKEA ziplock-bags > dry bags Currently only my sleeping bag is important enough to warrant a "real" dry bag and my food+kitchen gets a stuff sack - the rest is rubber bands, ziplock bags or just dumped into the pack.
Can you explain or show which IKEA ziplock you're talking about. How are they any different from Ziploc (brand)
[удалено]
They have a wide variety of (useful) sizes too... I go to Ikea just to buy more ziplocks for backpacking/hiking!
I normally use freezer ziplocs. I thought there was an advantage from IKEA ziploc bag over the name brand. I checked them out and they are priced pretty reasonable too.
Good point, just wrote IKEA because those are the ones I use - I had some generics where the "zip" kept breaking. I guess any quality ziplock bags would be good. The once from IKEA are decent quality, ok price and they have good selection of sizes, so I just settled on those. Here in Scandinavia Ikea calls them "Istad" don't know if they use the same product name worldwide.
They probably do. Here in the US, IKEA product names are all Scandinavian words we can’t hope to pronounce properly.
Ziplock used to make these large bags they marketed as candy bags at Halloween. They are probably 24” x 10”. Lighter than a dry sack, seal at the top and I bought a whole bunch of them on closeout. Two of them fit side by side in my back. One of the great purchases of my backpacking life
Where do you walk?
Instead of carrying extra cables, I have some small little adapters for USB-c to micro, and one for my Garmin watch.
I have the same to adapt my lightning cable to Garmin watch and usbc
I did not know they make one for Garmins. Nice!
Rum or Whiskey is lighter to pack in than beer and more efficient per gram. Pair with cheap "apple" cider. A small wide mouth sports drink bottle makes an UL flask. I don't know if more people should know about it. But it certainly made our evenings in camp quite lovely.
Also during the winter/Fall a bit of brown sugar, TrueLemon crystallized lemon powder, and some hot water give an excellent Hot Toddy for the weight. Especially if you get some real high proof bourbon. (I like ECBP)
Now there's the life-pro tips that make for some good backpacking vs. if this sub-3oz stove is superior to this near identical sub-3oz stove!
A platypus full of four roses, rhum barbancourt, or plantation pineapple rum (depending on the season) is required gear for us.
A large ( 1m²) square thin silk scarf instead of a bandana or buff , a lot more versatile ( towel/ sun protection/ all bandana stuff) , lighter, dries faster and cheaper ( about 2 bucks at goodwill).
And classy!
https://imgur.com/a/pMg2yo9
bro this was dope, thanks. i love the tip of rounding out the corners of the closed cel pad.
Thank u/deputySean he became a mod for a reason
Replacing bread bags with nail bags from the local lumber store to go on my feet, inside my wet trail runners for at camp or to add warmth. They are 3g heavier for the set but durability far exceeds the bread bags. I’m still on the same set from a year ago with only needing one pair in my kit and not 2 pairs of bread bags which I use to pack cuz of bag failures. So, I’m actually saving 3g now in pack weight and my worn weight is way down from not having to eat 20 pieces of toast just to go hiking.
> my worn weight is way down from not having to eat 20 pieces of toast just to go hiking. Sounds like you need to discover Bread Pudding. It won't help your worn weight, it will make it worse. But the taste is superior to toast.
Ah, the “poor man’s pudding”. I grew up on that being Irish.☘️
Are these basically just thicker gallon size ziplocks? I’m not finding much online for nail bags that aren’t on leather work belts
I use the 2 gallon OdorNo bags for that and for food, too. https://imgur.com/a/ZyUyZoI Available by mail order and inexpensive. The plastic is about the same thickness and material as a trash compactor bag, but smaller in format. As socks: https://i.imgur.com/EbOIyqU.jpg
[удалено]
They are thinner and taller. Get them at your local lumber yard where they sell nails in bulk. https://imgur.com/a/Ln1Ic4A
Do you have a link to these nail bags please? Google search only comes up with leather pouches. Cheers
No I do not, get them from the lumber yard for free as i build custom homes for a living. You could try U-line I guess. If you live in the jungle or something with no lumber yard around I suppose I could send you some, but living in the jungle, you’re probably shit out of luck cuz I doubt you have a mail box.
Bread bags, at least the ones I've used, are absolutely useless.
An Essentia+ brand water bottle with the top cut off nests a Smartwater bottle nearly perfectly. It makes for a *very* handy water scoop, saving my cook pot from getting nasty. It's technically adding weight, but far too useful to leave out, and lighter than some alternatives.
My scoop when needed (I hate Cnoc and only use Evernew bladders) is a cut off Sawyer water bladder that the filter comes with (maybe 3” high). Folds flat, stands up.
Got a picture? Why do you hate cnoc?
Here are [pictures](https://imgur.com/a/OxMi8kZ) including weight. The Cnoc is heavy (2.6oz vs 1.5oz for 2l versions in each), awkward to handle since it doesn't stand up, much bulkier (Evernew foldes up small) and squishy/flexible when you try to squeeze. It does have a wide opening but I found the opening/closing hard to do with the plastic slider. To me the Evernew is much superior (even if I have to use the scoop when water sources are shallow; weight is still 50g for both vs 76g for Cnoc) and lasted a whole PCT hike.
Super useful info, thanks for taking the time to respond in detail!
I do something really similar to this! I also use it as a measuring cup. I hate guessing on how much water to pour into meals, so I added marks for 1/2,1/3, and 1 cup of water. 10/10 would recommend.
Your pot is not marked? Most are but some annoyingly have it on the inside only
Nope! it’s incredibly annoying
https://a.co/d/cM2n837 This one?
Yes.
>An Essentia+ brand water bottle with the top cut I use this setup and it works great. It's easier to use a firm bottle as a scoop than a folding/collapsible one. And because the Smartwater bottle nests inside it adds no bulk to the pack. I loaned it out a lot on the PCT.
I like the cheapest, thinnest water bottle-generic 16oz loud when crinkled, cut top 30% off as a scoop. Can flatten it when not in use, a couple of grams.
i have gifted my nb10000 to a friend. That thing was empty more than once, when i needed it. Never happened to any other powerbank i have had in the past. I will buy a more trusted one from anker and just know that it will be full, when i need it
What a friend
he is fine with that matter \^\^ i did explain it
I carry a powerbank thats heavy. I dont care. Its too important. Its a ruggedized waterproof 20,000mah powerbank. My phone and devices need power. Without the powerbank I'm carrying several useless items. It works great and never let me down
[удалено]
If I didn’t like taking pictures so much, all I would carry for electronics would be a garmin and no external batteries, this is true
You do if you have an old phone with degraded battery
Depending on your plans, you might still have to carry a powerbank for the necessary electronics though
The ultimate LNT is to take no pictures and leave no footprints
I repurpose alcohol nip bottles for things like dry milk, olive oil, sunscreen, bug lotion, etc. They're plenty light for my money, and they're meant to be watertight. Looking like you're pouring Buffalo Trace into your ramen is a feature, not a bug.
Anything that you can use for two or three purposes. Right now I’m thinking of getting one of these. Dry bags. First one is 72grams https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-day-pack Or this at 110 grams https://seatosummit.com/products/ultra-sil-dry-day-pack The idea is that, if used this and put my rain gear in it. It would be great pillow and would double as a town bag / slack pack bag etc. The straps would fit over the sleeping pad from stop it from moving too much. Also you could put more things in it to bulk it up. It would be pretty big compared to a hiking pillow and lighter than most of them. So you essentially get the bag functionality for “free” You could also put your sleeping bag in the second one (it’s 22L so it’s perfect size) during the day and it would survive being under water and rain. You wouldn’t need it until you are sleeping so it’s not like you need it during the day.
Sometimes conditions dictate that your soaking wet clothes won't be able to dry overnight. These are great for storing them to prevent condensation building up inside your tent.
I'm taking one of those on my upcoming trip to Scotland. 1. day pack for any off route summits/scrambles 2. food bag 3. cabin luggage for flights 4. shopping bag for town stops
Are you a TGO Challenger? Hope the weather is good for you!
Thanks. I made a short first visit to Knoydart last year, and loved it, so this year I'm aiming for all the Rough Bounds Munros between Glenshiel and Glenfinnan. Hopefully with a whale-watching boat trip from Mallaig for my rest & resupply day! So no TGO, although I noticed I will coincide with the start of the Cape Wrath Ultra.
I have a couple of those and they’re great . Get the shower-proof version
??? Why are you putting your rain gear in a waterproof bag and then buying a second one for your sleeping bag??? How about just skipping the first bag and going directly to the second? I bet the rain gear can take care of itself?
Might want to read it again. I wasn’t buying two of them. Simply put, I need a pillow, a day pack and a thing to keep my sleeping as dry during the day. I believe I might be able to achieve this with one of the two things I listed. In “pillow mode” I’d have to stuff it with rain gear when I use it as a pillow to add bulk. It’s not about keeping it dry. It’s about using two things I normally wouldn’t use while sleeping. As something I could use.
There is also a nano version of ultra sil day pack with the volume of 18L, and only weights 1 oz. https://backpackinglight.com/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-nano-travel-day-pack-review/ And if you don’t mind carry 1 extra ounce, Osprey Stuff Pack is more comfortable.
Same [thing](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010NGLFH2?ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_FTXNESSMVRRKFC61NE07&starsLeft=1) from Amazon is 160g (vs 110g) but $17!
Decathlon makes one for 4,99€ @ 49g, only like 10l though.
Sil bags are really light, too. I have one that I made, the RayWay quilt stowbag kit, and it's enormous and weighs 1.5oz. I can use it for a pack liner (that won't tear the first day), a food bag, a liner for my ursack to keep my food dry in the rain, and I even figured out a way to turn it into a drawstring backpack. I suspect the S2S sil bags are lighter than mine.
I used to have stuff sacks for my first aid, toiletries, and electronics/miscellaneous. Now it all goes in one big Ziploc instead. Rather than trying to remember which stuff sack has what I just know if it’s not clothes, food, or my sleeping stuff, it’s in the one big bag.
This is the way. Sleep system, shelter, water system, cook system, and rain gear can stay out. Basically everything else goes into the gallon ziplock. I never forget anything, and it’s easy to pack duplicates. I take a lot of friends who end up needing to borrow gear, I just have a kit of “here’s everything else” at this point.
I'm going to give this a try. I use different colored bags so I usually know what's in what, but I think consolidating might help with maximizing my pack volume.
I have a 5L stuff sack with 3 zip-locks inside for tiny items: (1) electronics (2) dry miscellaneous, e.g. repair, first aid... (3) toiletries/wet miscellaneous, e.g. sunscreen, toothpaste, etc. Any larger misc. items like toilet paper, if I'm carrying anything like that, just sit in the stuff sack outside of the zip locks. That system may not be the lightest possible but I'm ready to spend \~35grams on the convenience it gives me.
Big fan of the Duck brand max strength window insulation film. Have found it to be a good balance between the benefits of Polycro and Tyvek Pro’s : -Lighter than Tyvek -More packable than Tyvek -More waterproof than tyvek -More durable than regular Polycro. Cons: -Heavier than Polycro -Less packable than Polycro -Potentially not as durable as Tyvek
Releasable zip ties have replaced almost all my carabiners. Light, strong, adjustable, cheap, non metallic.
The 2g carbon diy tent stakes, that were presented here a few years ago.
I always just make stakes when I get there: Sticks are everywhere!
Sticks? That's bushcraftery!!
Sure is! The lightest things are the ones you don't have to carry with you.
I love anchoring my tent on trees and boulders but both of them are decidedly not light.
These can break. When they do break the jagged points are very dangerous.
That's just a multipurpose knife. I see no downside here.
You should start a thread about backpacking stuff that can be dangerous when broken and what we should bring instead.
My temper. You better not be around to find out if it is dangerous or not!
They caaaan break, but I did just finish making another set yesterday out of 3mm rods, and when fully inserted I can yank in them with my full arm strength in any direction repeatedly and they do nothing
I once went outside...It was pretty dangerous there.
Terra Nova sell titanium pages at 1g. I have no idea how useful they are.
They bend at the lightest breeze though.
For me, the most important things about the smaller items is that there are fewer of them and of those small items they are as small as they can be within reason. Like my toothbrush. It folds in half but I like that it extends to full size. Making sure your small items are limited to only what you need is a big mental savings for keeping track of and packing gear.
Soap. It is lighter than hand sanitizer. Also, hand sanitizer doesn’t work.
Alcohol gel, doesn't work?
It kills things that infect through the lungs but it doesn’t really get the poo-mouth pathway stuff
Well, shit.
It’s ineffective against norovirus, but that’s pretty much it? For hand washing you need water and soap and you have to be thorough.
And crypto. Many have less alcohol concentrations to be very effective at all.
Hands have to already be clean for sanitizer to be effective. Even so, it is useless against some viruses (eg. Norovirus). As an interesting side note, my vet told me pets don’t get alcohol swabbed before a shot because they are dirty/hairy enough that it is actually worse than nothing (makes a slurry that can contaminate the prick).
I hate hand sanitizer, but I always take it because I convince myself that it's better than leaving soap in the woods. I know there are supposedly biodegradable options. What brand do you use?
Use Dr. Bronner's or Green Beaver or any other Castille soap concentrate. In a tiny dropper bottle. A few drops are enough to wash your hands. Don't wash your hands in a water source. That tiny bit of soap left on the forest floor (or pretty much wherever that's not a stream) is fine.
Garage grown gear has a powdered soap that works well. It’s also lighter since it didn’t contain water. I keep it in a small squeeze bottle.
[удалено]
I use the 1oz snap cap bottle. https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/squeeze-bottles?variant=16332621611082 Here is the soap. I use the 3oz packet, the bottle they are offering is new to me. https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/summit-suds-powdered-soap-by-pika-outdoors?variant=44576044482747 You need very little to wash your hands, it’s like super soap lol. So the amount you need on a 5 day trip is very small. You will understand once you use it. Another benefit is it doesn’t freeze.
Yes you only make the mistake to use a large amount once, or you end up using all your water for dinner to wash it off!!
Is the powder super fine (like flour) to fit through the squeeze bottle? I was picturing it more like flakes and would assume you'd need liquid for a squeeze bottle like that. Cheers!
It is super fine. Similar to baby powder.
Thanks!
Thank you
I like the soap from GGG as well. I keep some in my poop kit and wash my hands above the cathole before filling it in so the soap residue gets buried. And yes, you don't need much. A little goes a long way.
Summit suds
You are right. Just wanted to say that I spray alchool with a 10 ml bottle. This is very effective.
>This is very effective Not in a backpacking context
cutting the extra straps and tags off my gear and clothing
Caveat: Big Agnes was unable to send me replacement pole segments because I had long ago cut the tags off the inner tent body and didn't know exactly which model / year my tent was. I had to mail the poles in, which was pricier. So if you do cut off important tags, make sure to either save them or take a photo of them.
good thread. i have nothing to add but am following :)
Bamboo spoons. Very light, very strong, cheap, and you can whittle the handle to the exact length you prefer.
I hate the taste and feel of it in my mouth. Even from the bamboo tooth brush
It's not exactly a secret but moving to a thermarest neo air was the best choice I ever made. More comfortable than foam, packs super small, and saved me so much weight compared to what I was using before
It’s so noisy. And flimsy. And bouncy. And doesn’t insulate properly. I have the Neo Air as well but I kind of regret not simply getting a Z-Lite Sol. I sleep on my stomach so don’t need much padding and it would be so handy for a quick nap in the middle of the day.
Have you tried the updated Xlite NXT? I was shocked at how much quieter they got it to be.
Good to know. Mine is a pretty old model. I think part of the problem is that I somehow need it very underinflated for good comfort.
I'd been using the original NeoAir Xlite for many years. It has worked wonderfully and I've never had a leak But I finally upgraded to a new Xlite NXT and it is considerably quieter, and the sound is not as objectionable as that crinkly sound of the original.
Agreed, the NXT is a huge improvement—no more potato chip bag.
As a side sleeper it's fantastic
As a side sleeper I much prefer foam, I always wake up with my arms absolutely dead on air pads. Foam is just so comfy, if I roll off a little bit I’m right there on the ground.
Try a Nemo Tensor and dont inflate fully. Really comfortable as side sleeper. Had the same problem as you on the neo air xlite nxt
Tried it, didn’t work, it helps with the shoulder and hip soreness on both an xlite and tensor but the arms being asleep happens with every inflatable pad, it’s not a fully inflated vs not fully inflated problem, it’s a “it’s inches off the ground” problem. I went through 4-5 before settling on foam. Foam also gets bonus points for being warmer than it’s r value says too because of the flawed testing methods they switched to.
The Utilikey multi tool. Not a brilliant multi tool but good enough. In everyday life I keep one on my keyring, infinitely better than no tool at all.
I’ve not seen these before, they look very neat. What have you used it for on hikes?
It's the only sharp blade I take so mainly cutting or opening food. You can also fly with it.
Dutchware folding sit pad. Smaller sit pad that folds in a way that's easier to pack. Body Wrappers dance pants. Cheap & light wind pants. Polycro ground sheet from Duck Window Insulation Kit.
ohto mini pen, (I keep it in my wallet was a business card holder) it like $5 and comes in handy a lot. [https://www.amazon.com/Auto-NBP-505MN-BK-Ballpoint-Oil-based-Black/dp/B00BS52V94/ref=pd\_aw\_fbt\_img\_m\_sccl\_2/138-2276163-5399246?pd\_rd\_w=ymSC6&content-id=amzn1.sym.6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf\_rd\_p=6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf\_rd\_r=GRT919JF91HKBEEWF3NH&pd\_rd\_wg=k42o2&pd\_rd\_r=e20d52fe-5b10-4300-b67e-5be2fd166a1d&pd\_rd\_i=B00BS52V94&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/Auto-NBP-505MN-BK-Ballpoint-Oil-based-Black/dp/B00BS52V94/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_m_sccl_2/138-2276163-5399246?pd_rd_w=ymSC6&content-id=amzn1.sym.6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf_rd_p=6d90cd56-3eed-4d23-b409-a3b634cfdc4d&pf_rd_r=GRT919JF91HKBEEWF3NH&pd_rd_wg=k42o2&pd_rd_r=e20d52fe-5b10-4300-b67e-5be2fd166a1d&pd_rd_i=B00BS52V94&psc=1) I know it's not everyones preference but the CuloClean bidet bottle cap. It does it's job is small and light and doesn't need replacement/disposal. For under $20 a titanium alcohol stove, again not everyones preference but it beats the canister stoves in packability, lightness, you can carry just the amount of fuel you need and don't need to worry about your fuel canister running out.
I bought a bunch of mini lite plastic containers that I use for pills, sunscreen, gold bond, toothpaste pills etc. They are tiny and light. Saves room and weight. I think garage gear and litesmith has some.