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  1. #51
    Senior Member Isheian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Colorado Spring, CO
    Hammock
    Camo Clark NX 250
    Tarp
    Custom Smokehouse
    Posts
    270
    Honestly my watches alarm will not wake me.
    I know to call the local ranger station, I just forgot and trust me I feel stupid for it.
    As for Asthma, I have a daily regime of medications I take and I am also on Xolair which is to asthma as an allergy shot is to allergies. Medication is taken care of, and it helps except for when exercise (a trigger) is a must. Still aint going to stop me. This is my third year with asthma and it sucks.
    Well its a shelter stove, not a cooking stove. Not something I would carry for a multiday trip.
    Im working on measuring the weight of everything and working on make it all as light as possible. I had three cooking stoves with me, one due to the class being held the next day and the teachers odd restrictions on fire when none exist. I had my Jet boil sol, a heiny pot in a diy cozy and a alky stove, and the ti emberlit. I like the Sol for speed (wouldnt have brought it) , the DIY setups lighter and the emberlit rocks.
    As for me writing a book: not a chance. I am not a writer, I am an Orator. My youngest brother is the writer, he would have told the story with great imagery all throughout and spell checked it before he posted it. Not to mention useing proper english and punctuation. I tell and live stories, he writes them.
    I dont mind putting my foolishness and newbishness on display for other to learn from.
    Last edited by Isheian; 04-22-2013 at 14:54.
    Rules to live by:The Wizards Rules
    Anything can be solved by the proper application of High Explosives. Or a shot of whiskey...
    Meaning of the EOD Badge
    Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) is a science of vague assumptions based on debatable figures derived from inconclusive experiments, performed by persons of doubtful mental capability with instruments of problematic accuracy.

  2. #52
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Rescue, CA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet BlackBird
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    MacCat Deluxe
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    Down top & bottom
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    Strap and buckle
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    I have a spread sheet with my gear and weights in it.

    I copied that and then added some stuff, like columns with gear I'd like to have instead that would be lighter. I also entered the weights and prices of the desired gear.

    I did some figuring, and started replacing gear that would give me the most weight savings for the least amount of money, working my way up to the expensive stuff.

    My first hammock trip was about 40 pounds, now I'm around 18. Would like to make it to 15 but am happy where I am.
    -Liz -

  3. #53
    Banned
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Rosenberg, TX
    Hammock
    DIY 12' Channel end
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    HH Hex w/doors
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    Underwoobie T/UQ
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    RacerLoops w/Cinch
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    +1 on Gear Grams and wieghing each piece.

    For me UL is not a goal, not does it need to be. Its a means to an end: being able to travel further in one day than you could before.

    So, evaluate what you will be doing, then set your packweight to that. If you are planning and AT or PCT through hike, then UL is definetly the way to go and well worht the expense and trouble. If, OTOH, you aren't looking at anything like that, pick what you think will be the most comfortable wieght you want to carry (65 pounds usually isn't it for anything other than three or four weeks without resupply in a remote camp), then tailor the contents of you pack to that. If you think you need more stuff than what you're able to carry, then get a pack that is lighter and put more stuff in it.

    I've evaluated my options based on my age, geographic location, available funds, lost wages while gone (I'm work on a 1099, no paid vacations for the old guy) and have decided that the most I should plan on is a week long hike of 90-100 miles. I've thumbnailed a weight of 30 pounds to achieve that without resupply.

    Every trip I take now, whether an overnight, day hike or three day trip, has a pack weight of around 30 pounds. That means on an overnight where I only need to pack three meals and clothing to match the evening 24 hour weather forecast I can carry my camp chair, biggest hammock and tarp, bake set and the makins for biscuits or muffins, and other camp and comfort gear. For the week long trip most of the weight will be in emergency water, 21 meals, and weather gear such as a poncho just in case the long range weather forecast is wrong---and it usually is. The lightest hammock and most minimal tarp is used and nearly every other piece of gear is substituted for something lighter. I could probably do it with less weight, and if I can I will.

  4. #54
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Lynchburg, VA
    Hammock
    DIY 1.1 single-layer
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    DIY Silnylon Hex
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    DIY Whoopie slings
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    For the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone would choose to carry heavier gear, when lighter gear will serve just as much comfort and safety. I figure the lighter my base gear list weighs, the easier it is to get where I want to be. Not to mention, it leaves room for luxury items. Sure, you have to think a little more about what you're carrying and how you're using it, but that's part of the fun.

  5. #55
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Leveland
    Hammock
    Bonefire Whisper
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    HG DCF Hex
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    Sheltowee JRB SS
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    Bonefire
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    2,639
    I must not have been able to get past the initial Hammock and Pack weights. Didn't notice you had three stoves OK i can pass those as the luxury items you don't really need but want to test. That's probably even doable for an overnighter, once everything else has undergone a good trimming. HYOH.

    You never get it right all at once. This is always a work in progress. Some get to a point where, trailrunners, or the lightest of light cat stoves are just too insubstantial for their use, saftey, or hiking style.

    All however pack according to our fears. Too cold? Bring the heavier insulation and extra clothes. Too Thirsty? Filter and Aquamira tabs, bigger or more bottles. Contact with outside world(safety net)? Iphone, Ipod, Nook, Fire, Radio, GPS, Flare Gun. Most the time, if you really think it out, most, if not a majority of that stuff you don't use, don't need, and oftentimes, like suture kits, do you have enough skill to actually use them?
    Signature suspended

  6. #56
    Senior Member FLRider's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Gainesville, FL
    Hammock
    DIY Gathered End
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    DIY Asym
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    DIY Modular Quilt
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    Whoopies/MSH
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    65 lbs is way too much to be comfortable on long days in rough terrain for anyone but a gorilla in good shape. You said that you're 6'3" and 230.

    Assuming that Sgt. Rock's figure of 25% of lean body mass being the most that you can carry efficiently, you should probably be shooting for ~45 to 55 lbs at most. This assumes that your lean (in shape) body mass runs about 180 to 220 lbs. Since you're already fighting asthma and extra weight from your first responder kit, figure somewhere about half that for a comfortable pack weight on longer days in rough terrain. That's ~22.5 to 27.5 lbs, about what a comfortable borderline ultralight/lightweight loadout for three to five days with 2L of water can be. Not impossible (or even truly difficult) to hit, but it does require some effort.

    Let's take a look at your Big Three: your shelter, your pack, and your insulation.

    You've mentioned using a Clark NX 250. That's a great hammock, a wonderful shelter. But...it's heavy. You're up in the Colorado mountains from your profile. Do the bugs get bad up there (I've never been)? If not, would it be worth looking at a non-integrated bug net hammock? Something like the Warbonnet Traveler or the BIAS Camper (both, off of the top of my head, being ones that would support your weight)? For the warm months, you could add a bug net that would take care of you when you need less insulation--for colder months, you can remove the net to offset the additional weight of more insulation.

    You have a custom smokehouse tarp. That's a wonderful tarp for deep winter camping; it keeps you warm when things are an howling blizzard outside. I don't know just how heavy it is, but looking at the rest of SmokeHouse's work, I'm going to eyeball it at somewhere around two and an half pounds. If you're not intending on camping in howling blizzards, it might be worth looking at a lighter tarp. Personally, I can get away with a postage stamp of a tarp, but I would think that Colorado offers some challenges in weather that Florida doesn't. So, assuming that you want a full winter tarp, you can look at something in the ~8.5 oz range (for Cuben fiber at high price) or the ~19 oz range (for sil at moderate price). Note that you won't be able to use these with your TiGoat stove, though. But, if you're taking the stove, I'm going to assume that a pulk is probably doable; weight matters less in those conditions. Also, camouflage (like you mentioned your tarp being) is heavy for waterproof fabric; most sil-nylon (and almost all Cuben) is solid-toned rather than camo. You might have to make a choice here on camo or light weight.

    You've mentioned an eight-pound pack. That's well and great if you're going to only be going a few miles each day or having to haul loads of meat out from an hunt camp, but eight pounds is a very heavy pack for the style of hiking you're talking about. If you're truly looking at ultralight gear, you're going to want a pack somewhere between one and three pounds. However, I recommend saving this to be your last purchase; while your heavy pack will carry light loads just fine, a light pack will not likely carry heavy loads easily. Also, your gear volume is going to fluctuate until you have most of the rest of your stuff nailed down. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that an eight-pounder probably has quite a bit of volume. That's not something that can be said for some of the lighter packs on the market.

    Finally, your insulation. I'm not sure what you're using here, but down is definitely the lightest option you can be looking at. Also, if you're going to go for ultralightweight, ultrafragile fabrics, this is probably the place for 'em; your insulation will see the least wear of your gear and can be made of lighter fabric than the rest. If you're worried about moisture and down (I sure am), it may be worth looking at the various cottage vendors (JRB and Underground Quilts are but two) that are beginning to offer water-resistant down. A standard set of 0* F quilts will run somewhere in the range of 5 lbs including suspension.

    Anyway, those are likely to be the big ticket items--both in terms of cost as well as weight. After those, the next item is clothing, then your cook kit and water treatment method. That tends to be the order in which the most weight can be saved.

    Hope it helps!
    "Just prepare what you can and enjoy the rest."
    --Floridahanger

  7. #57
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    White Mountains, New Hampshire
    Hammock
    DIY, WBBB & Switchback
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    HG cuben,OES Spinn
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    DIY 3/4 UQ/TQ, UGQ
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    Dynaglide / Dutch
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    I give up, time to try this ultralight nonsense...

    Getting lighter is a process that begins with buying a $30 postal scale that will measure up to 5 pounds, in 1 gram increments, and setting up a spreadsheet (or use GearGrams).

    Depending on the season, my skin out weight (without consumables) varies between 10 to 15 pounds. When crampons and snowshoes are needed, then it creeps up to near 20 pounds. That's everything from my shoes to my toothbrush.

    I am somewhat aggressive in finding ways to lose weight, but there are many out there that are much lighter. I carry a 4" camp knife, GPS, cell phone, etc. I pack for 10* lower than the weather forecast, am always prepared for rain, take an extra meal and snack. In other words, I'm still safe.

    I wouldn't enjoy myself either with a 65 pound pack. Imagine carrying only 1/3 of what you are now. Use that spreadsheet to prioritize your gear replacement program, but first, simply leave the stuff you don't need at home!

    Both Shug and Fronkey did videos on their pack contents, and they hike in Minnesota! Hook up with some other hangers that backpack here in the forum. You can see what gear they use and then chose what is right for you.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  8. #58
    fishbait's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jamesburg, NJ
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    DIY by Raiffnuke
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    Modified WBMJ
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    Phoenix/Mamba
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    Tree Straps
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    Quote Originally Posted by MAD777 View Post
    Both Shug and Fronkey did videos on their pack contents, and they hike in Minnesota!
    And here they are. Lots of great information too.






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

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  9. #59
    Senior Member XTrekker's Avatar
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    Jun 2012
    Location
    Hampton Roads, Virginia
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    DIY - Canoe Hammock
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    Quote Originally Posted by Theosus View Post
    I know a few ultralighters. They go ultralight by leaving most everything home, then ask to borrow your stove, matches, water filter...
    That is not typical of the UL crowd. Going UL doesn't mean leaving things you need at home. Its about leaving things you dont need at home. And making the things you do use lighter. Swapping that 6lb pack for one that is 1lb. There are quite a few people here that are UL and borderline SUL and their gear allows them to do the exact same things that most peoples gear does. Remember the goal here. You want to be able to sleep outdoors overnight and not get cold; be able to prepare something to eat; make water drinkable; and be able to bandage yourself up if you get hurt. You just need to get through your trip, not a 2 month expedition.

  10. #60
    Senior Member Isheian's Avatar
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    Jun 2011
    Location
    Colorado Spring, CO
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    Camo Clark NX 250
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    Allright I'm going to lay out everything I took with me and if I can afford it get a scale. Ill try to get it done today.

    Scratch the above. A friends house flooded and I'm helping her out.
    Last edited by Isheian; 04-23-2013 at 18:13.
    Rules to live by:The Wizards Rules
    Anything can be solved by the proper application of High Explosives. Or a shot of whiskey...
    Meaning of the EOD Badge
    Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) is a science of vague assumptions based on debatable figures derived from inconclusive experiments, performed by persons of doubtful mental capability with instruments of problematic accuracy.

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