Working on my lightweight gear

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
Just thought I'd stick this kit list up: https://lighterpack.com/r/62pgwf

I've been working to make my kit a little lighter but always welcome advice. Trying to lighten the load without lightening my wallet too much, invested in a couple of Treadlite pouches to increase the capacity of an old LA day pack I have and got myself a Speedster windshield.

Anyway spent the day making a DIY burner for the speedster and messed about making a cook kit out of my MytiMUg 750ml. Looking at a couple of nights in the Peak district towards the end of September.
 

ADz

Thru Hiker
Can't really grumble at that bud. Pretty decent weights. It would be hard to save much more without spending some coin for the odd 200g here and there.

Maybe swap out the down mat for a NeoAir or 3/4 mat. Then it's a compromise between comfort and weight though.
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
Yeah I'm pretty happy with that. Could go lighter on the sleep mat, I do have a prolite s which is a couple of hundred gram lighter. Still my sleeping bag is not amazing so the exped does add a lot of warmth to my sleep set up. Plus it's really comfy.
 

craige

Thru Hiker
I'm pretty sure walking poles come under carried. 500g saved for free ;)
You're sleeping bag is heavy... ££ to replace.
I reckon your fak is a bit heavy. Mine weighs 1/4 that.
As is your cooking/water system.
Other than that it's just odds and ends that could be lighter. Thermals, headlamp and sak for example.
I really need to make up a proper gear list. I can't really see how my pack is more than a couple hundred grams lighter.
 

Graham

Thru Hiker
You've made a good start in taking the time to get your list together Kit.

I take a good look at my Base Weight in a couple of times a year and it can go a bit technical :geek: but what helps me is to look at:
  1. All the discretionary gear I carry and ask myself "do I really need this?", "can I dual-use/share?" etc.
  2. Potential upgrades for each major item in terms of cost per potential gram saved with a few purchasing options.
I wouldn't personally carry as much packed clothing for a short trip and would also save on, a camera and other items in answer to #1. As to #2 and lighter options, like @craige says, the sb is heavy.

Options to get the best weight saving for your £ are: type of insulation, style of bag, new/used and manufactured/MYOG.

Off the top of my head, I reckon you could save about:

800g with a 250g fill down quilt (850+ fill power)
500g with a Climashield Apex 7.5oz quilt
500g with a 400g fill down sleeping bag w/ hood, full length zip

A big eye-opener for me was how comfortable, light and durable synthetic quilts are today, they are also keenly priced and relatively easy to make if you have the skills or know someone who does.
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
I'm pretty sure walking poles come under carried. 500g saved for free ;)
You're sleeping bag is heavy... ££ to replace.
I reckon your fak is a bit heavy. Mine weighs 1/4 that.
As is your cooking/water system.
Other than that it's just odds and ends that could be lighter. Thermals, headlamp and sak for example.
I really need to make up a proper gear list. I can't really see how my pack is more than a couple hundred grams lighter.

Thanks for the reply, pretty sure I have the walking poles down as a 'worn' item, is it not showing?

Yeah the snugpak is both old and heavy but gonna have to keep going with it until it falls apart. Thinking of getting one of the Alpkit down offerings to replace it when it dies.

Some work to be done on the Fak for sure, I daresay replacing the drybag with something lighter would be a good start.

Stove and water kit, I accept that waterbottle is pretty heavy. But the stove is my lightest one, my other options would be a remote feed gas stove or an alpkit jetboil clone. Both a couple of hundred grams heavier.

Gear lists are always fun on a rainy day. Well not as fun as the pub but you know...
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
You've made a good start in taking the time to get your list together Kit.

I take a good look at my Base Weight in a couple of times a year and it can go a bit technical :geek: but what helps me is to look at:
  1. All the discretionary gear I carry and ask myself "do I really need this?", "can I dual-use/share?" etc.
  2. Potential upgrades for each major item in terms of cost per potential gram saved with a few purchasing options.
I wouldn't personally carry as much packed clothing for a short trip and would also save on, a camera and other items in answer to #1. As to #2 and lighter options, like @craige says, the sb is heavy.

Options to get the best weight saving for your £ are: type of insulation, style of bag, new/used and manufactured/MYOG.

Off the top of my head, I reckon you could save about:

800g with a 250g fill down quilt (850+ fill power)
500g with a Climashield Apex 7.5oz quilt
500g with a 400g fill down sleeping bag w/ hood, full length zip

A big eye-opener for me was how comfortable, light and durable synthetic quilts are today, they are also keenly priced and relatively easy to make if you have the skills or know someone who does.

Thanks for the advice, I agree some of those items could be pressed into multi-use. The camera's a tricky one. If I leave it behind I always wish I'd brought it and when I do its always raining so much I stick to my waterproof phone.
Interesting, I have a synthetic quilt that I use in my hammock set up. Comes in at about 800g, I understand the theory behind them but never managed to convince myself that it could replace my sleeping bag for ground sleeping.
How's the practicality of using a quilt in a bivvy bag though? Seems like it would be quite awkward to get the coverage right when cocooned like that...
 

Graham

Thru Hiker
^ Use my phone nearly always, it's a compromise but I've managed to get some decent shots (some on here).

100% ground sleeper. I get on just fine using a quilt strapped onto the mattress, inside the bivvy. I was sceptical myself but in practice find quilts comfier than a traditional bag as I'm a side-sleeper and shift about a bit. Having the quilt relatively loosely draped over me and without the hood I can move around freely and don't experience any cold spots/draughts. Mostly use my quilts Spring-Autumn down to just below freezing. Maybe give your top quilt a try on the ground?
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
^ Use my phone nearly always, it's a compromise but I've managed to get some decent shots (some on here).

100% ground sleeper. I get on just fine using a quilt strapped onto the mattress, inside the bivvy. I was sceptical myself but in practice find quilts comfier than a traditional bag as I'm a side-sleeper and shift about a bit. Having the quilt relatively loosely draped over me and without the hood I can move around freely and don't experience any cold spots/draughts. Mostly use my quilts Spring-Autumn down to just below freezing. Maybe give your top quilt a try on the ground?

Thanks Graham, your quite right. Won't know until I try it out.
 

JKM

Thru Hiker
Yeah the snugpak is both old and heavy but gonna have to keep going with it until it falls apart. Thinking of getting one of the Alpkit down offerings to replace it when it dies.

As you are heading to derbyshire anyway it may be worth calling alpkit and see what seconds they have in their bargain bin and popping in if anything takes your fancy. They are very helpful and often have sleeping bags half price with the most trivial minor flaws or repairs.
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
As you are heading to derbyshire anyway it may be worth calling alpkit and see what seconds they have in their bargain bin and popping in if anything takes your fancy. They are very helpful and often have sleeping bags half price with the most trivial minor flaws or repairs.

That's a good thought. Although I'd have to show some major restraint on a trip round the Alpkit warehouse.
 
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edh

Thru Hiker
What they say +

Have you done much backpacking? If not suck up the weight and see if you like it before commitment.

Pack cover - lose that if you use a liner
Mossy net - you'd be unlucky in late Sept; none in lakes last few weeks...well, where I was..
FAK - what is in there? heavy.
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
What they say +

Have you done much backpacking? If not suck up the weight and see if you like it before commitment.

Pack cover - lose that if you use a liner
Mossy net - you'd be unlucky in late Sept; none in lakes last few weeks...well, where I was..
FAK - what is in there? heavy.

Plenty of trips of one or two nights but not much long distance stuff. Although that was often from a bushcraft perspective, which basically equates to moving less and carrying more in my experience.

Got a post somewhere with my FAK contents I'll see if I can find it...
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
Just dug out mine.

1l Dry bag
Midge repel
20ml Sudocrem
Medium bandage
Whistle

Ziplock containing:
Cut-to-size sheets of plasters
Assorted plasters
Alcohol pads
Bister plaster
Surgical tape
Large adherent dressing.

Small nylon bag containing:
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Co-codamol
Diohorrea relief
Antacids
Lipsyl
Tick tweezers
Heliograph / Tick mirror
Safety pin
Rehydration Salts
Spare chlorine tablets

All in 255g, but could do with some sunscreen adding for summer and more blister plasters.

DSC_0397_zpsmdolahg4.jpg
 

edh

Thru Hiker
I'm a big doubter of extensive FAK...thinking that if you really hurt yourself you are either ..

  1. ****ed
  2. waiting for the helly
  3. able to borrow it all off someone like you ;)

I take...a few ibu, antispetic cream (5ml), some Strappal tape (the mutts nuts IMO)....meds (personal)...
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
I'm a big doubter of extensive FAK...thinking that if you really hurt yourself you are either ..

  1. ****ed
  2. waiting for the helly
  3. able to borrow it all off someone like you ;)

I take...a few ibu, antispetic cream (5ml), some Strappal tape (the mutts nuts IMO)....meds (personal)...

:D sounds about right. Come to think of it I recall being the one doing most of the patching up over the years...

Not sure Id be happy being as minimal as you but there's room to shave some weight there. Will have a think....
 

ADz

Thru Hiker
As you are heading to derbyshire anyway it may be worth calling alpkit and see what seconds they have in their bargain bin and popping in if anything takes your fancy. They are very helpful and often have sleeping bags half price with the most trivial minor flaws or repairs.

Never realised Alpkit was based in Derbyshire. May have to have a nosey next time I'm up that way.
 

Rog Tallbloke

Thru Hiker
I'm a big doubter of extensive FAK...thinking that if you really hurt yourself you are either ..

  1. ****ed
  2. waiting for the helly
  3. able to borrow it all off someone like you ;)

I'm a qualified first aider, so I feel duty bound to have some odds and sods with me. I do tailor the kit to the circs though. If we're doing serious scrambling, I carry a military field dressing which weighs a few ounces and can patch up most fall injuries including poking a broken femur through a thigh. If we're just bimbling along gentle trails the kit is very minimal.
 

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
The only time I've had to deal with a serious injury in the mountains the FAK wasn't any use. The spare clothing we were carrying got very bloody tho'.

My FAK contains the few items I know I need on a daily basis - footcare, pain killers, 'ailing body' support bandages etc.
 

el manana

Thru Hiker
Sawyer Mini filter (filter kit, scoop, stuff sack) 108g

My Sawyer weighs 64g in a zip lock bag(40% lighter). Things like this, the first aid kit etc maybe show how you can pad out items with extra bits and you end up with higher weights. If you look at each thing individually and strip them down to just what you need, the grams drop off.

This is just an observation, if your happy with the content stick with it :)
 

Kit McCallion

Trail Blazer
Sawyer Mini filter (filter kit, scoop, stuff sack) 108g

My Sawyer weighs 64g in a zip lock bag(40% lighter). Things like this, the first aid kit etc maybe show how you can pad out items with extra bits and you end up with higher weights. If you look at each thing individually and strip them down to just what you need, the grams drop off.

This is just an observation, if your happy with the content stick with it :)

That's just the sort of feedback I'm after thanks.
Ordered an Aloksak to make a more streamlined FAK. Thinking back to recent trips I've only needed blister plasters, painkillers and plasters so clearly I can loose some weight there.
I'll take a look at the filter kit, could loose the stuff sack as suggested. Do folk carry the cleaning syringe or just improvise?
 

Mole

Thru Hiker
Poo kit seems heavy for what it is?:p

Mine for a fortnight weighed lots less and included a few teeny baggies of moist toilet tissue as well as a couple packs of tissues in a Ziploc bag.
But I don't use alcohol sanitiser backpacking.( I wash- have a small bar of soap in an old compeed box - kept in hipbelt pocket with small piece of muslin as 'flannel')
 
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Balagan

Thru Hiker
I'm a big doubter of extensive FAK...thinking that if you really hurt yourself you are either ..

  1. ****ed
  2. waiting for the helly
  3. able to borrow it all off someone like you ;)

I take...a few ibu, antispetic cream (5ml), some Strappal tape (the mutts nuts IMO)....meds (personal)...
Please excuse the momentary thread hijack.

I totally agree with you that a FAK should either be minimal to cover small stuff like headaches, upset stomach, small cuts or burns and blisters or a full job carried by someone with the training to use it. Anything in between tends to be dead weight.

But some people do take your third point seriously (though I did note your use of a ;)) which strikes me as akin to going light by not carrying a shelter because either:
1. The weather will be fine or
2. I'll gatecrash some other bod's one-man tent and get cosy. ;)
 

Balagan

Thru Hiker
Do folk carry the cleaning syringe or just improvise?
I don't bother on short trips (and I don't really get to do long ones so I don't bother period) and just do it properly back home. It would be far more useful if Sawyer said the filter needs to be back flushed after so many litres but I'm clinging to the hope that "back flush after every use" is mostly corporate behind covering. It's only a question of reduced flow rate anyway. Seriously impaired performance if you don't back flush after every use would defeat the purpose of a lightweight filter IMO.
 
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