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  1. #41
    Senior Member XTrekker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Hampton Roads, Virginia
    Hammock
    DIY - Canoe Hammock
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    DIY Hex Tarp
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    DIY TQ and UQ
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    DIY UCRs
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    Quote Originally Posted by Isheian View Post

    My bag must have weighed close to 65 lbs. The first 400-500 feet of the trail was fairly steep and still covered in ice........................
    Wow, that is pretty heavy. I remember when I got back into backpacking after a long break. My base pack weight was around 45lbs for my first trip. 2nd Trip it was 42lbs. 3rd got it down to 33lbs. I kept finding ways to reduce base-weight and more things got left behind until my pack weight hit the 25lb mark spring of 2012. Been fairly happy since then. Wasnt until recently that I decided I wanted to go light and get my base pack weight <20lb. Currently have quite a few items on order that will get me pretty close. Last thing I plan to change is my backpack. I have an External frame pack that is close to 5lbs after shaving weight off it. I have held onto it for so long mainly because I just really like external frames. Now I am in the design phase of my first MYOG backpack. Just waiting till I get the rest of my kit inline before I make the pack.

    It's wise to get the pack contents dialed in first so you know what size pack that you will need.

  2. #42
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Leveland
    Hammock
    Bonefire Whisper
    Tarp
    HG DCF Hex
    Insulation
    Sheltowee JRB SS
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    Bonefire
    Posts
    2,639
    Quote Originally Posted by Isheian View Post
    Sue me, I get into story telling. Tis a family trait. And nah its all me.
    No way! You're already way past Jack. He never went to any of those places or did any of the stuff he wrote about.

    He must of done some really good research. That's where you are now, and just like Jack, hooking up with the right sources to get where you want to go.

    Seriously, with the weight penalties at present on pack and hammock alone, as suggested, changing those first, will shave the pounds significantly and immediately.

    Look then towards insulation choices, and unless already buried in down goodness, be prepared to throw a little cash at better temp appropriate kit.(TQ, UQ). You'll be well on your way!
    Signature suspended

  3. #43
    TallPaul's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Hammock
    WBXLC, WBBB, LiteOwl
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    Superfly, MambaJam
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    HG Phoenix, WL Sum
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    Webbing, Whoopies
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    4,076
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    13
    I enjoyed the trip report, very vivid. I'm glad you are giving it another go - I think you can get this to a weight manageable for yourself.

  4. #44
    Senior Member Brute1100's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Texas
    Hammock
    WWM or tablecloth
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    SuperFly
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    shamu 40*
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    UCR whoopie
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    2,319
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    1

    Re: I give up, time to try this ultralight nonsense...

    For an alarm that's not on your phone... Have you thought about a digital watch... $20-$40 gets you something decent that will wake you up reliably...
    Live, Laugh, Love, if that doesn't work. Load, Aim and Fire, repeat as necessary...

    Buy, Try, Learn, Repeat

  5. #45
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    NC
    Hammock
    WL, WB, Clark stuff
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    Always call the ranger station that services the area where you hike before a trip, and ask detailed questions about the area you'll be in. That way you won't get nasty surprises (for instance, no water falls) when you get up there. I have found out the hard way myself that a big thick line of blue (creek) on a map could mean a dry, dusty ditch when I get up there on a hot summer day. Call the experts!

    When I call a station, the ranger that knows the area best is usually out, but they always call me back. These people like to recon the area they're responsible for, they are helpful and tell you what the conditions are. Probably partly because they are proud of their work and partly because if they educate me, it lessens the chance they'll have to gear up and rescue me.

  6. #46
    New Member Canned Heat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    SW Michigan
    Hammock
    WBBB 1.7
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    WL Tadpole camo
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    pending tewa a-f
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    Monroe shocks
    Posts
    20

    asthma

    I like UL and am a near convert at 12 lb pack wt. It will do wonders for you.

    But let's talk asthma - something that was nearly debilatated me for over a year. If you have good insurance, get to a decent pulmonologist. Ask your primary care for a referral.

    You will get an eval to include pulmonary function tests. They will attempt to narrow down your asthma triggers which you should avoid or take treatment for. In my case seasonal allergies and jogging in sub-freezing temps were both big triggers. I treat the allergies and no longer jog in winter.

    Finally, they may put you on a daily inhaled steroid. After six months of this regimen I took a huge turn for the better. Going on three years now. The steroids are something you and your pulmonlogist will watch closely. Initial doses may be higher but as you (hopefully) improve the dosages can be reduced. No side effects except for the control over asthma symptoms.

    And losing weight will help your asthma definitely. But that's a catch 22; if you can't breathe you aren't excersizing. Remember - asthma can be not only debilitating, but life threatening in extreme cases. I urge you to get on top of it.

    Best wishes

  7. #47
    Senior Member swankfly's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    South Louisiana
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    Sounds like you got a couple hundred bucks worth of gear you are carrying, but don't need. Sell it all and buy UL.

    Found it amusing you went Ti on your stove...

  8. #48
    fishbait's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jamesburg, NJ
    Hammock
    DIY by Raiffnuke
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    Modified WBMJ
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    I agree with Shug, start with your gear first, then the pack and hammock. Get a scale weigh everything. I entered everything into Gear Grams. From there I started pairing down the weight. I already had a light hammock so was all set in that area. I found that I was carrying more little items that I really didn't need, 3 flashlights, 3 knives, 100' extra rope and more cloths than I would need. After eliminating the redundant items I concentrated on clothing. My hiking boots were a total of 3 lbs. I swapped out my 4 lbs sleeping bag for a 31 oz Top Quilt. After reducing the gear weight, I picked up a used ULA Circuit to replace my 5 lbs pack and a Warbonnet Mamajamba replaced a 2 Lbs Harbor Freight Poly Tarp. My current pack weight is now 15 Lbs loaded without food and water compared to 30 lbs with out food and water. Lightning up the load can be done with out spending a whole lot of money, if you don't mind picking up second hand gear.

    "Any night in a hammock, is a good night."

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    My Current Base Pack Weight


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  9. #49
    Senior Member OldRagFreeze's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Maryland
    Hammock
    GT Double/Single
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    Wallyworld CCF Pad
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    I did the expensive gear thing for a while... But lately I've realized that most of the super light solutions for gear just require you to look around the house and think creatively. I carry much, much less than I did a year ago and what I do carry is super simple, cheap and serves as many purposes as possible.

    I've been doing one 'section' of my gear at a time. For instance look at my cook kit; I used to use a Optimus Crux Lite with a Terra Solo cook set. Total I think this weighed around 10 oz. Now I use a Foster's pot, a Fancy Feast stove with aluminum windscreen, and a cleaned out Velveeta Shells and Cheese (microwavable singles) bowl... Coming in under 5 oz with a lighter and 2 oz of fuel.

    For me it's a process; first I use what I have and see what I like, what I dislike, what could be added, what could be removed. Then I spend some time researching to see what other guys do to solve this problem, which this site is fantastic for. So then I start playing... Getting my hands on every cheap, simple solution I can and testing in my basement or backyard. As I'm testing I'm naturally starting to prefer one method, so eventually a winner will emerge. Then I take that winner out on a test trip and come back and repeat the process... I imagine it will be a life-long process, but so far the results have been huge (or tiny, I suppose. )
    Last edited by OldRagFreeze; 04-22-2013 at 08:08.
    "We're the Sultans of Swing."

  10. #50
    Senior Member Loki's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Western, NC
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    WB, JRB, WL
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    bigger is better;)
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    If it aint Dutch..
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    Quote Originally Posted by Isheian View Post
    Sue me, I get into story telling. Tis a family trait. And nah its all me.
    Isheian I hope you have, are, or will someday write a book or a few. You have a knack for it.

    Congrats on your trip and posting it for us all to learn from. I appreciate it.
    - Loki my videos
    "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
    Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
    The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,
    while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn." — John Muir


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