Intelligent ways to save weight

[slparker]

I'm hoping that all of you obsessing about 200g of weight in the backpack are of 10% body fat or less.....

[wayno]

i dont believe it, i have a lighter piece of kit than forest, he he..... two actually, a 250gm and 180gm rain shell...

[forest]

i dont believe it, i have a lighter piece of kit than forest, he he..... two actually, a 250gm and 180gm rain shell...

LOL fail. Well sort of. I have a 182g ( ) OR Hellium II. And one of those stupid driducks jackets (173g) but that's not worth a pinch of *&%$#! IMO.
These lighter shells do okay but I prefer my eVent jacket on a trip that it actually is used in prolonged rain (not just sitting in the pack "just in case").
The OR Hellium II is a nice coat and honestly if I'm on a walk where there is little chance of rain it's great to take as it's so small.
Rain shells in non alpine, warmish climates are a hard call, Half the time I cannot tell if they breather better or not as I put out that much heat I'm normally damp anyway.
But I dry quicker if damp when I stop under my event jacket so it must be better, or that's my take anyway.

My favourite item on a lot of walks is my Montbell Tachyon Anorak (I have to look up how to spell that each time )
Man that's a sweet thing to wear in light drizzle (up to about 1/2 hour long before the some bits start to wet out) and wind when it's really cold and your active. So much more comfortable than a proper hard shell. Nice to layer over a thin shirt on a cold morning too until I warm up, so easy to get on/off.
It's 67 grams worth taking if it's a colder trip. It got a lot of use on the Larapinta, up to 3-4 times a day depending on the cold windy ridges, breaks etc.

[ULWalkingPhil]

My eVent Jacket has delaminated forest. To be honest It's had very little use, I think I worn it 3 times with my pack. As you know, my pack is light-weight, I did not expect this to happen. I have not got around to putting in a warranty claim thus far. It's not a jacket I will use on my Overnight bush walks again.

Been using my Driducks Poncho of late and very happy with it, but like you say you do have to be careful with it as it can rip if snagged on any branches. I have done some off track walks with the poncho and never had a problem, but I taken my time through the thick shrubbery. Owned my driducks now for almost a year, not one hole or rip in it thus far. A freind has the same poncho as myself, on the same track he received a couple holes from the shrubbery on a one week bush-walk at Fraser Island. (I'm refraining from calling it hike, as so many in Aus don't appear to like the word Hike.)

[forest]

heavy fleeces are a waste of weight, unless you need to wear it when you're walking, you're better off with insulated jackets, better warmth for weight and they pack down better, especially down...

+1. There are some great 100wt gridfleece clothing items out there that weigh little more than your standard "thermals" now. They transfer body moisture / dry very quickly too.
IMO light gridfleece and a windshirt or shell whilst active creates a lot of warmth, To much most of the time. From what I have found it has to be either very cold (ie: under 0°C) or both very cold and very windy to need that many layers when out and about.
Inactivity is a different thing and that's where the "puffy's" will out perform fleece near every time.

[forest]

My eVent Jacket has delaminated forest. To be honest It's had very little use, I think I worn it 3 times with my pack. As you know, my pack is light-weight, I did not expect this to happen. I have not got around to putting in a warranty claim thus far. It's not a jacket I will use on my Overnight bush walks again.

Wow I must have got the gold plated one of the batch. Mines still powering away, probably I have worn it about 15 days in the rain now, no issues. But a lot of that has been with a daypack though, but still about 6-7 days with my "big" pack on.
They really have turned out for most to be a dud haven't they. Such a shame as they are great jackets fit and feature wise, especially for the what ?? $135 most of us paid.

[wayno]

i remember cam saying one of the mills making event were making dud material that was delaminating. and they've stopped making dud event now.....

[ULWalkingPhil]

I own a Patagonia R2 Fleece jacket. I worn it on the 2nd day of my Six Foot Track walk about a month back. Temps varied between 0c to 6c max. I was way to warm with my R2 Fleece jacket on while walking. I picked up a Montbell EX Light Down Jacket last week here on the forum, I think it would also be to warm to wear during the day walking at the temps I encountered on the Six Foot Track. Once you stop walking, that's a different story. I worn my Macpac Sundowner XP Down Jacket, a great jacket, kept me warm up at the blackdown camp with 0c and 20 knots winds blowing, Also kept me warm in Canberra with temps down to -5. But it's heavy and takes up a lot of space in my pack. I think my Montbell EX Light Down Jacket should work fine in the temps listed with a wind bloc shirt.

[forest]

I own a Patagonia R2 Fleece jacket. I worn it on the 2nd day of my Six Foot Track walk about a month back. Temps varied between 0c to 6c max. I was way to warm with my R2 Fleece jacket on while walking. I picked up a Montbell EX Light Down Jacket last week here on the forum, I think it would also be to warm to wear during the day walking at the temps I encountered on the Six Foot Track.

Yes I think you would cook if you tried to wear your ex light in those conditions, before you knew it the back would be damp from sweat then guess what, wet down and a whole lot of fun drying that if the weather is very humid or it's raining. The ex light is nylon shelled and it would breath terribly for the most part.
Great light jacket for camp and breaks though.

I do have a R2 vest which is nice for active use. But I don't take it very much as I have too many other things that do a better job now.

LOL I did see your pic's from 6 foot track when you were in the R2 and thought wow I'd cook. Darn soft QLD'ers . That comes into it though, if your from a warmer area it's harder to acclimatise to the cold, and vice versa. I hate the high humidity, where as you would be more used to it (but I don't see how you could like it)

[ULWalkingPhil]

I own a Patagonia R2 Fleece jacket. I worn it on the 2nd day of my Six Foot Track walk about a month back. Temps varied between 0c to 6c max. I was way to warm with my R2 Fleece jacket on while walking. I picked up a Montbell EX Light Down Jacket last week here on the forum, I think it would also be to warm to wear during the day walking at the temps I encountered on the Six Foot Track.

Yes I think you would cook if you tried to wear your ex light in those conditions, before you knew it the back would be damp from sweat then guess what, wet down and a whole lot of fun drying that if the weather is very humid or it's raining. The ex light is nylon shelled and it would breath terribly for the most part.
Great light jacket for camp and breaks though.

I do have a R2 vest which is nice for active use. But I don't take it very much as I have too many other things that do a better job now.

LOL I did see your pic's from 6 foot track when you were in the R2 and thought wow I'd cook. Darn soft QLD'ers . That comes into it though, if your from a warmer area it's harder to acclimatise to the cold, and vice versa. I hate the high humidity, where as you would be more used to it (but I don't see how you could like it)

I did cook, while I worn the jacket. I hate humidity. Can't stand it. Even though I lived my whole life up here in QLD. I can't get used to the humidity. I don't feel the cold like most QLDer's do. I wonder if it's got something to do with my inheritance. My parents are from a snowy mountain in Europe where it's very very cold. They moved here before I was born. Hence I was born in QLD. My mum often tells me that there would be a meter of snow in the front yard.

I enjoyed the cooler weather while I was away. The air was so much fresher. It was great to be able to rug up in my hammock.

[SteveJ]

I find cutting back on bacon, beer and butter and riding my bike again for about 2 months before a big trip can save many many kilos on the walk The sad reality is that it is pretty much the only place I could (should) loose significant weight at this stage...

Steve

[Pongo]

Silly thin people. I'm losing pack weight so I can continue to stack on the pounds. If I can get my base weight down to 1kg, I figure I can edge up to about 150kg before I'll have any issues...

[Strider]

I'm hoping that all of you obsessing about 200g of weight in the backpack are of 10% body fat or less.....

Actually I would argue that those of us with more body fat are the ones who need to be more weight conscious in our packs!

[Moondog55]

I haven't joined this discussion yet as I am my own worst enemy and carry too much gear far too often.
But probably the best way to lighten the load that doesn't involve buying new gear is to plan well and only take just what is needed and nothing more.
Probably the next best way to lighten the load is, when purchasing new gear to pick the best/optimum fit between weight, reliability and durability

[perfectlydark]

Seems like me moondog

[Rob A]

Just hitch your pack straps onto one of these.
No need for a stillsuit.

lm.jpg (6.73 KiB) Viewed 5124 times

[GPSGuided]

lm.jpg

What is that?

[wayno]

i think its a liposuction machine...... !