Buying your way lighter.

That's a huge tent and that's lots of clothes. You could easily cut out several pounds there, collectively--and maybe be able to downsize to a smaller, lighter pack after you've done so, but you have to live in the same clothes longer and accept a smaller tent. What do you do in a tent that big anyway? Mine's not even 8x4', weighs about 3 lbs (and I could have gotten a pound lighter, probably, if I'd been willing to spend more money) and is perfect as a one-man go to backpacking shelter for me. All of my clothes are quick drying; honestly, I rarely take more than one set of clothes (other than socks and extra layers for colder weather).

I didn't see anything about your sleep system, but that's usually weighty too. Have you looked at stuff like thru-hiker gear lists? I'm not really a weight fetishist myself, and I think a base pack weight of around 20 lbs. is not bad at all, but if you want to see how people get their base pack weight down below 10 lbs, you've got to look into what people who do stuff like hike the PCT take with them. And you'll also have to accept that you won't have the luxurious in camp experience that you seem to enjoy now.

For me, that important question to ask is; are you a hiker or a camper? What's most important to you: extra comfort on the trail or extra comfort at camp? For the most part, it's a trade-off between those two. If you like what you've got at camp and aren't willing to change it, then you'll probably end up having to mostly suck it up with what life is like on the trail with your pack on. For me, I've turned more over the years towards accommodating my time on the trail more than my time at camp, where I don't do much other than sleep, mostly. But even then, I'm not willing to go all ultra-lite thru-hiker weight fetishist mentality. Plus, I'm actually kinda cheap. It really bugs me the very idea of spending more than $300 on a tent, for instance.
 
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JoshuaDyal said:
That's a huge tent and that's lots of clothes. You could easily cut out several pounds there, collectively--and maybe be able to downsize to a smaller, lighter pack after you've done so, but you have to live in the same clothes longer and accept a smaller tent. What do you do in a tent that big anyway? Mine's not even 8x4', weighs about 3 lbs (and I could have gotten a pound lighter, probably, if I'd been willing to spend more money) and is perfect as a one-man go to backpacking shelter for me. All of my clothes are quick drying; honestly, I rarely take more than one set of clothes (other than socks and extra layers for colder weather).

I didn't see anything about your sleep system, but that's usually weighty too. Have you looked at stuff like thru-hiker gear lists? I'm not really a weight fetishist myself, and I think a base pack weight of around 20 lbs. is not bad at all, but if you want to see how people get their base pack weight down below 10 lbs, you've got to look into what people who do stuff like hike the PCT take with them. And you'll also have to accept that you won't have the luxurious in camp experience that you seem to enjoy now.

For me, that important question to ask is; are you a hiker or a camper? What's most important to you: extra comfort on the trail or extra comfort at camp? For the most part, it's a trade-off between those two. If you like what you've got at camp and aren't willing to change it, then you'll probably end up having to mostly suck it up with what life is like on the trail with your pack on. For me, I've turned more over the years towards accommodating my time on the trail more than my time at camp, where I don't do much other than sleep, mostly. But even then, I'm not willing to to all ultra-lite thru-hiker weight fetishist mentality. Plus, I'm actually kinda cheap. It really bugs me the very idea of spending more than $300 on a tent, for instance.
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Some good points. I have to echo a lot of this and add another 2 cents. I've said it before, and I'll say it here. I think a good starting point is to look at your objectives for the trip. If you're planning to spend the majority of your days getting in miles on the trail, then it makes all the sense in the world to go as light as safely possible. As was said, it can be good to have a look at experienced thru-hiker gear lists and techniques for multi-purposing much of their gear. Your body will thank you and you'll likely be so tired from all the hiking each day that you probably won't need the most comfortable pad on the market to get a good sound sleep.

However, if you'll only be putting in a few miles on the trail each day, or setting up a base camp that you plan to spend a lot of time lounging around at, then it makes more sense if you want to add a few more pounds to your pack in order to take along some extra comforts and luxury items.
 
WasatchWill said:
Your body will thank you and you'll likely be so tired from all the hiking each day that you probably won't need the most comfortable pad on the market to get a good sound sleep.
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And that's where, coming full circle, there is an opportunity to kinda sorta buy you're way into lighter weight. Check out this review, for example, for the Sea to Summit Comfort Light insulated air mattress. Reviews for the Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm are similar. If you spend $200 on a sleeping pad, you can get lightweight high comfort pads. But it ain't cheap. I think there's similar opportunities for bags, tents, packs, boots, etc. but the problem is that the rate of return for each dollar spent starts to dramatically reduce. I stay in a freaking Ozark Trail $30 2-man tent that I bought at Wal-Mart. I initially bought it to be a disposable tent for my boys to use while in Scouting, but I've found that with a seam sealer treatment, it's perfect for my needs. It doesn't leak or seep water, it's low and sturdy and durable, it only weighs between 3 and 4 lbs and doesn't take up much room. I could spend ten times (or more) as much for something from Black Diamond or REI or Big Agnes, but I wouldn't really have a notable significant improvement in quality of experience, and I'd only save at most a pound or so. If I replaced it with a $400 Big Agnes ultralight, I wouldn't even save a whole pound (unless I also ditched the footprint, I suppose), and I can't think of any way in which the actual experience of pitching and sleeping in the tent would be notably different.

So like I said, you can save some weight by spending money, but it's hard to justify unless money is no object, because fairly shortly you get to the point where you're spending hundreds of dollars just to get a few ounces out.
 
I buy expensive gear from time to time because it's worth it to me. I go back ping at least twice a month. It's equipment I use often, and to me it's worth it to pay a little more for something that suits my needs better.

I've got over 100 nights on my neo air xtherm. It was expensive, but it's a fantastic tool that allows me to do things I wouldn't want to do with other pads. Money is still an object to me. Instead of buying a boat or having a fancy car or a big tv, I buy quality camping gear that supports my hobby. In the past 3 years I've spent 3 nights in a hotel. I figure if I camp instead of going to a hotel, I save at least $100 a night. That makes it easier to justify a $200 pad and a $400 bag. Not to mention in don't want to go winter camping on a $30 pad.

When I spend a lot of money on gear, I don't only do so because something is light. It needs to have other advantages too.

But, as we all know, you don't need to spend tons of money to go lightweight. Also, you could spend a million dollars on gear and still not have a light setup. Going light requires a new mindset more than a new budget.
 
And going light doesn't mean you have to sacrifice comfort. I sleep and hike more comfortably now than when my pack was heavy.

That being said, I totally get why people won't spend more than $30 on a tent, especially if they don't go backpacking more than 5 times a year.
 
Grab the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2 at 2 lbs. Get rid of all your extra clothes (just wear your clothes + have thermals/jacket in the pack). Make a cat-food-can alcohol stove, and bring just enough fuel that you need.
 
How many days are you planning to be out? That list is quite a bit for even a 4 day trip.

I backpack with my camera gear (D600 and 14-24 lens). I think it comes in at almost 4lbs combined?
Feathered Friends makes some amazing stuff, and interestingly enough, their headquarters/store is right around the corner from the REI Seattle. I wish we sold their stuff!

Anyways, that tent seems a bit excessive. The FlyCreek is AN AMAZING tent. Big Agnes let me borrow one for 2 months a few years ago, and set up is super simple. Only downside to the FlyCreek is can be a bit too light in windy areas, and only has one door (not a huge deal). The copper spur has dual doors. They are both really light. Also look at at the Mountain Hardwear (MHW) SuperMega tent. Weighs about the same.

I have two sleeping bags right now. I have the REI Flash 32 (weighs just over 16oz for the long) and the new MHW SuperLamina 0 degree bag (just around 3lbs for a synthetic 0 degree is pretty good). The REI bag stuffs into a 6 litre compression sack.

I also second board shorts. They dry super quick, have UPF built in and roll up small. I think you could get by with a few polyester shirts, pair of pants and maybe 3 pairs of socks for a 5 day trip. Bring a carabiner to hang your wet clothes onto a pack when hiking so they can dry..

But again, everyone is different. I have a bad tendency to overpack... that Baltoro 75 litre bag holds a ton... :)
 
yes that is true :). My only other pack is an REI Pinnacle 35, which is great - but a tad small for a 2-3 day trip.
 
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