UL Backpacking: A Thread for the Gram Counters

[HomerJ]

Here's my "Big 3". Actually it's 6, or 7 if you could the ground cloth separate, but it's everything I take for sleeping. I weighed everything on my kitchen scale except for the pack and my quilt where I used the manufacturers specs. I take the closed foam pad because: 1) I'm paranoid about getting a hole in my neoair and 2) more insulation from the ground.

FYI: I tried geargrams.com, but I didn't like how everything always defaults to grams, I think in lbs and oz, not grams and kgs. I just started putting my things into lighterpack.com and so far I really like it!

 

[Bob]

haha. Won't tell you what I think of Macs, Apple, Linsux etc. But a lot of people like them and that's great.... I just don't.

Canister stoves are just plain convenient.

 

[Bob]

Here is my Big 3:

 

[Bob]

Here's my "Big 3". Actually it's 6, or 7 if you could the ground cloth separate, but it's everything I take for sleeping. I weighed everything on my kitchen scale except for the pack and my quilt where I used the manufacturers specs. I take the closed foam pad because: 1) I'm paranoid about getting a hole in my neoair and 2) more insulation from the ground.

FYI: I tried geargrams.com, but I didn't like how everything always defaults to grams, I think in lbs and oz, not grams and kgs. I just started putting my things into lighterpack.com and so far I really like it!

Enter in ozs or lbs your columns stay like that. Click the button at bottom to view I gr, oz or lb ........ walla. both work good though, better than paper.

 

[Bob]

Footprint is part of tent, pad is part of sleeping..
Mfg weights aren't always correct - sometimes less or more.
Only have gotten one hole in the Neoair in 3 yrs..seals right up with tape, never cold on it, but I don' do snow camping.

 

[mak1277]

My big 3:
Osprey Atmos 65 (54.9oz) or ULA CDT (23.7oz) - depends on trip
TT Rainbow (36.4 oz w/ stakes and stuff sacks)
EnlightenedEquipment Revelation 20* quilt (23.0 oz)

5lbs 3oz on the light side with the CDT, 7lbs 2oz on the heave side with the Osprey. Throw in 13.4 oz for my NeoAir.

As far as alcohol stoves go, I'm a fan. I carry a homemade fancy feast stove and I love it. I admit you have to pay attention to it, and that it does take a while to boil water, but all in all it's really solid for me. I've not (yet) had an accident with it, and it's hard to complain about something that weighs less than an ounce, cost less than a dollar, uses fuel available at almost any gas station, and works without moving parts.

 

[Blake Merrell]

uses fuel available at almost any gas station

This to me is the only good reason to go with a Alcohol stove. If you were doing a LONG through hike, if you for some reason forgot to pack fuel, you could easily get some at almost any gas station. BUUUUTTTT...

The Esbit Titanium stove doesn't cost much, weighs 0.4 oz, and doesn't require anything to carry the fuel in. once the fuel is used, that weight is completely gone. in theory at the end of your trip, the only weight you will be left with is the weight of the esbit stove and your cook pot (maybe a few plastic wrappers).

 

[Parma]

my big three:
Pack: Gregory Countour 60 (Large)- 66 oz
Bag: North Face Blue Kazoo- 41 oz
Tent: BA Copper Spur UL2 w/footprint (thanks @Nick)- 55 oz
TOTAL- 10.1 lbs

throw in my REI Flash sleeping pad at 1 lb and I'm at 11.1

 

[steve]

I've yet to use an esbit stove, but I'd like to give it a try. The reports of tar and smell have kept me away.

As far as alcohol stoves go, I'm a fan. I carry a homemade fancy feast stove and I love it. I admit you have to pay attention to it, and that it does take a while to boil water, but all in all it's really solid for me. I've not (yet) had an accident with it, and it's hard to complain about something that weighs less than an ounce, cost less than a dollar, uses fuel available at almost any gas station, and works without moving parts.

100% agree. I can't deny the convenience of a canister stove, but I really love my alcohol stove. I love the no moving parts, light weight, and attention it takes to use. To me, using an alcohol stove is a bit more like starting a fire with flint and steel vs a lighter. It's a bit more work, less convenient, and there's skill involved, but I enjoy the process, it's relaxing.

For quick overnighters I've been going stoveless a lot. I do this because I'm lazy and sometimes cooking is a hassle, not so much to save weight.

 

[Bob]

True, alky fuel is available almost everywhere, same as white gas. And you reduce the weight at the end. But an empty canister isn't much weight, and you have been carrying the canister all along. My crux stove part is just under 2oz. What happens on the trail IF you spill your bottle or crush your alky can or the Esbits get smashed? Pretty hard to smash a canister. We are only talking a few ounces for a more reliable system in my eye. But that's why there are many choices, different likes Pros and cons to both. You use what's best for you.

 

[Blake Merrell]

True, alky fuel is available almost everywhere, same as white gas. And you reduce the weight at the end. But an empty canister isn't much weight, and you have been carrying the canister all along. My crux stove part is just under 2oz. What happens on the trail IF you spill your bottle or crush your alky can or the Esbits get smashed? Pretty hard to smash a canister. We are only talking a few ounces for a more reliable system in my eye. But that's why there are many choices, different likes Pros and cons to both. You use what's best for you.

Agreed I love my Esbit for the long distance routes. But for most others I use my Crux and Canister (If I bring a stove at all) One thing nice about the Esbit stove is that it fits nicely in my first aid kit. Coupled that with a few fuel tablets and you have a very lightweight emergency stove system.

 

[mak1277]

True, alky fuel is available almost everywhere, same as white gas. And you reduce the weight at the end. But an empty canister isn't much weight, and you have been carrying the canister all along. My crux stove part is just under 2oz. What happens on the trail IF you spill your bottle or crush your alky can or the Esbits get smashed? Pretty hard to smash a canister. We are only talking a few ounces for a more reliable system in my eye. But that's why there are many choices, different likes Pros and cons to both. You use what's best for you.

If I step on my fancy feast stove, I can re-mold it into a functional stove again under all but the most ridiculous of circumstances (i.e., something that would cause the metal to break instead of merely bending out of shape). What if you step on or drop your stove and bend/break the valve that attaches to the canister? Then you're stuck with a canister that you can't utilize.

For me, I'm just boiling water, so the worst case scenario (if I spilled my entire bottle of fuel) is that I'm eating cold pasta or mashed potatoes instead of warm. A side benefit is being able to say "yep, I made this myself" every time someone new sees my stove

As far as Esbit, I definitely will give this a try sometime, because it is probably more reliable that anything (since I'm pretty sure even smashed Esbits will burn just fine).

 

[steve]

While researching esbit smell, I came across this tip. Those of you esbit users out there, let us know if it works:

all you got to do iis melt some wax and dip them in make shure you get the whole thing coated good and the problim is solved then just stick em in a ziplock bag​

 

[Blake Merrell]

While researching esbit smell, I came across this tip. Those of you esbit users out there, let us know if it works:

all you got to do iis melt some wax and dip them in make shure you get the whole thing coated good and the problim is solved then just stick em in a ziplock bag​

Dip in wax? ummmmmmm.... I think i would rather just deal with the smell. It doesn't bug me enough to actually do something to fix it haha

 

[Blake Merrell]

Can I be accepted into the "Ultralight" Backpacking club yet? Or am i just a "lightweight"?

 

[Nick]

Can I be accepted into the "Ultralight" Backpacking club yet? Or am i just a "lightweight"?

With that heavy behemoth of a pack!? Never!

 

[Blake Merrell]

With that heavy behemoth of a pack!? Never!

But, but...BUT! I can get my total weight down to almost 8 lbs even with my super comfy pack!

 

[Nick]

I remember when the Atmos was first released back in like '05 or '06 or something. It was like stupid light. My buddy Nate bought one and I thought it was just crazy - only 3 pounds! Look at those tiny straps and all that air space in the suspension! Now some folks actually get a little worked up about how heavy it is. Haha! I love mine and have no plans to ever leave it for a frameless true UL pack.

 

[HomerJ]

Enter in ozs or lbs your columns stay like that. Click the button at bottom to view I gr, oz or lb ........ walla. both work good though, better than paper.

Maybe they've fixed it, but when I last tried it I would have to change it to oz or lbs each time I switched screens. This was quite a few years ago though, was probably still in beta mode...

Thx Bob

 

[Nick]

I find a spreadsheet in Excel or Google Docs to be much easier to use than setting up yet another account somewhere.