dollars per ounce?

**weaver2469** · 08-11-2012, 12:40

Thanks for the great responses. I understand the logic of cutting items out, multipurposing, etc... I am not really obsessed with weight cutting, I just love researching new stuff. After a couple of suggestions by Demostix, I searched cost per ounce threads on BPL. There are some interesting discussions over there. It seems like most people spend about 5 to 7 dollars per ounce to lighten up. This is only for buying new replacement items, not figuring out new ways to go without an item.

I looked at some of my recent purchases or ones that I am toying with right now and seem to be pretty much in line with those numbers. For example, I just got a Sawyer squeeze and an Evernew 1.5 liter bag to replace my MSR Sweetwater filter. I got them on sale. I saved 8 oz and spent about $50, which works out to $6.25 for every oz saved. I am looking to go smaller on a solo cookpot also. The system I am thinking about comes up to about $5.10 per oz saved.

Just for fun, I looked at what it would cost to replace my Osprey pack with a ULA Circuit (which looks like the perfect pack for me). It would save 2.1 lbs off of my kit, for a per ounce cost of $6.60. On the other extreme, replacing my OES silnylon tarp with a similar cuben tarp would cost a whopping $39 per oz saved. Seems a bit much to me.

Of course, you have to consider the fact that I have already spent money on the original versions of these items. You would have to try to sell or repurpose them to try and not ending up spending for both. That is the biggest problem for me right now. It isn't the $225 for the new pack, it is the $200 I spent on my old pack.

This is an interesting way to spend time while watching golf on the couch.

**swankfly** · 08-11-2012, 13:26

So, I recently got very obsessive about weight after a 4 day trip with a 60# pack. I took all my gear out, culled everything I did not use or was carrying for the benefit of someone else. I only carry gear for me including first aid, so that means 3 band aids instead of 8, smaller roll of tape, etc, etc. I put all my remaining gear on a scale. Weighed it all and put it on an excel spreadsheet by ounces. For each line item I researched if I could do better And identified those specific products(lighter) what the weight savings would be and how much that savings was per ounce. After completing the spreadsheet I then went thru and color coded the lines by which line items I could improve(yellow) and which line items I was okay for now(blue) or the best I could do(green). The goal was to get to all green. I have ended up with 3 blues and all the rest are greens. I have one 20 oz luxury item crazy creek chair, and I regularly review my items after each trip. I have managed to get down to 29# with food and water for 3 days. What really helped was I stopped wandering around gear shops buying the latest gear. If it was not on my spreadsheet, I was not going to put it in my pack. I was only interested in those replacement products to get me to green. Saved weight and countless dollars of gear I don't use sitting in the closet. So thats my latest OCD episode. My son thinks I am crazy....maybe.

**floorman** · 08-11-2012, 14:09

Originally Posted by XSrcing

I hike around the local trails with 80-100lbs strapped to me so when I get to the trail I hardly notice the 30 lbs strapped to my back. So saving an extra lb is worth squat to me.

Edit: But I'm 28 with good knees and lower back.

30 lbs will weight a lot more in 20 years. Trust me I know.

**XSrcing** · 08-11-2012, 18:14

Originally Posted by floorman

30 lbs will weight a lot more in 20 years. Trust me I know.

Well aware, hence the edit. But in 20 years, hopefully I will know enough to be able to carry hardly anything with me and be comfortable.

If there are still places to go in 20 years.

**1camper** · 08-11-2012, 19:25

Weight savings alone isn't the goal for me. Comfort and enjoyment are. Camping/backpacking for me is about making yourself comfortable in remote places. If you beat yourself down getting there then you won't be comfortable, so light is good. I made the mistake of going with an ultralight pack and finding it uncomfortable for me in the long runs. For me, the pack isn't a place to save weight or money.
I try to always buy quality gear first and lightweight second, used if possible. If you buy quality you will get the most use out of it and it will cost you the least per use. I think that cost per use is a better way to look at what you carry than cost per oz. So get out there and use that gear!

**weaver2469** · 08-11-2012, 21:48

Originally Posted by Jcavenagh

Another way to look at it...I often compare the money I will spend on a piece of gear to the price of a fine dinner and/or a movie, concert, play, whatever. When you start comparing the costs of other diversions, the cost of gear, even expensive stuff like down jackets and cuben gear, starts to look pretty reasonable.

Great responses. I think this one is my favorite. It is the same philosophy I use for all of my hobbies. This summer my wife and I took my brother and his wife out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Steaks, wine and all the fixins. The bill was $260 and my wife didn't even blink. I love my brother and his family, but I couldn't help thinking about what kind of top quilt that would have purchased. Similarly, if you spend a couple of nights in a nice hotel, you are luck to get out for under $300. A WBBB and nice tarp are less than $300 and I hope to get many more comfortable nights out of them than just a couple.

I also tell my wife that my hobbies are relatively inexpensive. I don't have a desire for a $40,000 boat, a Harley or a sports car. In the grand scheme of things, hiking and hammocking are pretty cheap hobbies. Once you buy your setup, they are essentially free. Enjoy the piney woods.

**SnrMoment** · 08-12-2012, 09:55

Things got better immediately when I quit carrying 3 oil cans of Fosters and replaced them with green tea bags.

**DENMONKEY** · 08-13-2012, 02:46

I have a friend that I took up road cycling with a few years back and he was always looking at the weight of his bike and spent several thousand dollars in getting and keeping his bikes weight to a minimum.
He still weighed over 110kgs though as he hardly ever rode the thing.

All I'm saying is, some pounds are easier to shave than others with a little effort

it still counts hauling it up the mountain if it's in your pack or on your a$$

**Cranky Bear** · 08-13-2012, 08:41

Originally Posted by DemostiX

You're not getting much help, OP, are you? A number of "meh?" and another bunch of "whatever it takes...."

You might want to re-read the OP's original post again, as it was answered several times, even by you....

**Jcavenagh** · 08-13-2012, 13:03

Originally Posted by weaver2469

Great responses. I think this one is my favorite. It is the same philosophy I use for all of my hobbies. This summer my wife and I took my brother and his wife out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Steaks, wine and all the fixins. The bill was $260 and my wife didn't even blink. I love my brother and his family, but I couldn't help thinking about what kind of top quilt that would have purchased. Similarly, if you spend a couple of nights in a nice hotel, you are luck to get out for under $300. A WBBB and nice tarp are less than $300 and I hope to get many more comfortable nights out of them than just a couple.

I also tell my wife that my hobbies are relatively inexpensive. I don't have a desire for a $40,000 boat, a Harley or a sports car. In the grand scheme of things, hiking and hammocking are pretty cheap hobbies. Once you buy your setup, they are essentially free. Enjoy the piney woods.

AND...has anyone played 18 holes of golf on a reasonably nice course lately? Minimum: $100 just for green fees and cart. Then there is the 19th hole...