New good gear = preliminary review comments...

[michaelzim]

[This is a kind of preliminary filler review as no doubt a few more trips to test stuff and the winter doldrums will engender more depth later]

So, I basically revamped all my hiking gear last “smoke-bound fall” and over the winter. The goal was to drop from an entry pack weight of 50 to 55 pounds (10 days food, etc.) to as close to 35 pounds as I could get. With LOTS of returns, c/o REI, Amazon, and numerous other backpacking outfits, I finished up with an excel chart proclaiming the magic number “35” and my scale confirming it. This despite my basic gear list not changing much at all. What changed were the weights of the items...

I still had a pack. Just one that weighed 3 pounds instead of 6 pounds.
I still had a tent Just one that weighed 3 pounds instead of 6.5 pounds.
I still had a big bearcan. Just one that weighed 31 oz. instead of 48 oz.
I still had a super bright flashlight. Just one that weighed 2 oz. instead of 5 oz.
I still had a Swiss Army knife. Just one that weighed 1 oz. instead of 2 oz.
My hiking long pants dropped from 24.5 oz. to 8.5 oz. plus were gusseted.
My Polar-fleece jacket dropped from 18 oz. to 11 oz. and is nearly as warm.
And so on…
New fabrics and new materials can be super light with little change in utility.

Here are my comments for the top of the list items:

~ ULA Catalyst Pack = the best of 9 packs I looked at or tried on. Not the lightest at 3 pounds but very strong, spacious and comfortable. Durability was something I was willing to take on a bit more weight for. So far, I like the pack a lot except for “squeaking” on the trail, but that may now be fixed c/o some Teflon powder. Will evaluate that “fix” in a few weeks I hope.

~ Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent = the one person was ridiculously small, so got the 2 person to avoid being in a cell during storms (was once in a snowstorm for 3 days and a little room to move was essential to my sanity). Did not get the ultra-ultralight version as too expensive for not much. I like the tent. Nice to be inside feeling. Plenty of pockets. Very good smooth zippers. Again not the lightest tent out there but I was not ready for evolving to a tarp affair.

~ Bearikade Weekender Bearcan = What can I say, all big bearcans are a pain in the rear to pack. However, that little bit of extra width of the Bearikades makes a huge difference to their inability to pack horizontally in most backpacks. My new ULA requires it to be vertical so is less space efficient. Until a “better bearcan” comes along (maybe next year) it will have to do as the lighter weight of the thing is considerable. So yes, weight saving was the biggest consideration not design.

~ Platypus 70 fl.oz. bag-bottles = I cannot think of any improvements to these! Are outstanding in every respect especially as bulk camp water containers. Very light. Very packable. Strong. Stand up way better than normal water bottles!

~ Fenix E12 V.2.0 Flashlight = at 2 oz. and reasonable price it was 3 oz. less than my old 5 oz. Kingfisher K2 flashlight. The 3 settings give tons of light time and a massive 160 Lumens if needed. Very impressive, and my voltmeter showed an almost zero AA battery reduction after a 7 day trip. Lifetime warranty.

~ Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife = at 1 oz. was half the weight of my prior one and still has tweezers. Lethally sharp blade. Sharp enough for dermal surgery if so inclined…really. Cuts though cheese shockingly fast.

~ Columbia Silver Ridge Cargo Pants = half the price of some ridiculous “outdoor mall expedition pants” or whatever, especially if on sale. Strong, gusseted for ease of movement – which is a big deal I realized! They do not stick to my legs going/stepping uphill when sweaty like my old pants do. At a staggeringly light 8.5 oz. they leave my old 24.5 oz. camo pants in the Dark Ages. From what I can tell the weave is tight enough to block mosquitoes too – but no real test of that yet (and hope not to!) in mass attack conditions.

~ Mountain Hardware Microchill Fleece LS Jacket = Finding a lighter jacket was a mega pain in the rear. They all seemed to be “tailored” and thus tight fittingly useless for over-wear on top of my long sleeved hiking shirt plus vest. Classic layering strategy but made my arms feel like they were in stovepipes. I tried polar-fleece jackets from REI, Amazon, Montbell, Mt. Hardware & locally.
I was highly bugged by this bowing to town fashion v. trail reality so in the end I said “to hell with it” and adjusted this light weight but warm Mt. Hardware jacket which was at least a reasonable fit except for the tight sleeves.
SEE PHOTOS BELOW = voids the warranty but made the thing usable and at 11 oz. was 7 oz. lighter than my old jacket at 18 oz.

HOW TO MAKE TIGHT SLEEVES USEABLE:

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OK, that’s my mid-summer gear report for now, as the current heat-wave keeps me indoors, and the darn mosquitoes keep me out of the mountains.

Best ~ Michaelzim

[Shawn]

Hey Michaelzim -

Thanks for the reviews. I've been looking around for a new flashlight and thanks to your review, I just bought the Fenix. Meets all of my needs perfectly. Much appreciated.

Shawn

[windknot]

Thanks for these reviews. I've done a similar (slower and not as comprehensive) overhaul of my wife's and my traditional gear over the last few years, and have found about 7 lbs in weight savings from simply replacing some of the items with the most room for weight savings without spending an arm and a leg:

2020 replacements:

-tent: replaced my 2008 REI Quarter Dome T2 with a 2020 REI Quarter Dome SL2 (1.5 lb savings -- though because my old tent delaminated a few years back, we'd actually been using my wife's REI Passage 2, so this is more like a 2.5 lb savings)
-sleeping bag (mine): replaced my 2008 REI Sub-Kilo 20 with a Western Mountaineering Caribou 35 (0.5 lb savings -- the REI bag had lost a lot of loft over the years and was pretty much a 35-degree bag at this point anyway)
-backpack (wife's): replaced an old REI backpack with an Osprey Eja 58 (1.5 lb savings)
-sleeping bag (wife's): replaced an old Western Mountaineering Versalite 10 with an REI Magma 10 (1 lb savings)
-replacing miscellaneous camp and clothing items (headlamp, camp sandals, layers) with lighter alternatives (1-2 lb savings)

Future areas for improvement:

-We still use a BearVault 500, as I'm not willing to pay the premium for a Bearikade just yet
-I'm still trying to find a functional alternative to a fishing vest -- I've tried using just a fishing shirt in the past, but it doesn't hold all of the gear I like to carry on me when I fish. The vest is 12 oz, so even a mesh/lightweight vest would cut that in half.
-Take less stuff. This one is more psychological than physical, of course. We backpack with lots of stuff that most would consider luxury items (alcohol, camp chairs, books, fishing gear, solar lantern, etc.) Do we need them? No. Do they make the backpacking experience more enjoyable? For now, while we're young and relatively spry, yes indeed.

[bobby49]

I've been at this ultralightweight stuff for over forty years, so I have a different perspective on weight. Recently I was out for a 5-day trip. The total load, including food, water, camera, and everything, came up to 27 pounds.

I keep my shelter under one pound. My sleeping bag is under one pound. My backpack is under one pound. My bear canister is 1.6 pounds. I could go on and on.

One thing I will point out. Before you go purchasing a new headlamp, you need to have a handle on how much light you really need. That is typically measured in lumens. For inside a shelter, I use about 10 lumens. For typical night trail walking, I use about 100 lumens. For night search, I use about 1000 lumens. So, it is good to have a headlamp with lumen settings, and that way you get the most out of your battery, which ultimately saves you a little weight.

[Wandering Daisy]

I have no regrets regarding the Bearikade Weekender. It does cut down the packs that I can use because I want it horizontal. It does cut out choices for a lot of the UL packs, but I have been able to find other packs that work fine.

I think the Copper Spur is hard to beat. My old one bit the dust and I decided to try a trekking pole supported tent. Next tent I probably will go back to the Cooper Spur.

The Columbia pants sound good. I have found a lot of Columbia clothing adequate and a lot less expensive. I also get a savings by fitting into kids sizes.

I never put fleece in the dryer because I think this shrinks it, in addition to wearing it out; fleece dries so quickly just hanging. I wash fleece in Woolite- it makes it softer. Not sure if that has anything to do with retaining the size. I have had to stretch wool items that I accidently shrunk- I too use the "stuff the sleeves" method.

Much of my weight savings over the years has been relatively economical or free (just delete an item not needed). On my wish-list is a second sleeping bag. I love my old WM Antelope, but it is a 5-degree bag (2lb 14oz, short size), good for shoulder season, but overdone for summer in the Sierra. It is also 750-down, and lighter is now available. And when I bought it they did not have women's specific bags; sure would be nice to have something that actually fit me.

[robow8]

I'm able to fit my Weekender horizontally in my Catalyst

[michaelzim]

@robow8 Indeed, the Bearikade Weekender can just fit into the ULA Catalyst horizontally, but I got nervous about the pressure points - especially along the rim of the top which is pretty much an unrounded, sharpish 90 degree angle.
When I was talking with Chris (the prior owner of ULA - retired now) a number of times about custom straps on my Catalyst he warned against using the Weekender horizontally as they had seen plenty of packs back for shop repairs where they had worn through the pack material. As you will know perhaps, compared to many of the UL packs I saw on the PCT a month ago, the ULA material feels like Kevlar in comparison!
ULA's claim seems fairly accurate to me: Catalyst packs are sewn with our new ULA 400 Robic fabric, the toughest stuff ounce for ounce we’ve ever seen. ...So, to wear through it must take quite a bit of effort!
Ironically, the big old BV500 does fit horizontally, but the extra weight of it is off-putting. Also, it really is huge!

@windknot I would continue to hold off on a new bearcan until later this year, or early 2022. A little bird has been flapping around with regard to possibly a "better bearcan" in the works - or at least another decent choice.

P.S. On the "stretch the sleeves out" game I forgot to say it's best to let the 'wet stretching' part happen for a good amount of time if want the max increase. A couple of days for sure with re-wetting periodically. No need to remove the bottles or whatever, just pour water over it all and keep out of the sun or other fast drying environment.

Best ~ Michaelzim

[rlown]

hmm.. my 12" bearikade fits fine in the catalyst horizontally.

[michaelzim]

@rlown and @robow8 = = = I STAND CORRECTED!!! = = =
You guys inspired some intrigue about the matter so I just tried my Weekender (which is only 10.5" high) dropped horizontally into my Catalyst. Bingo! ...It now fits and is not so tight on the "ends" that it makes me nervous about the rim wearing into the pack fabric. Fantastic!
Conclusion. When I first was experimenting with my Weekender the pack was brand new. Now after getting a workout c/o trip in May-June it must have stretched out the fabric enough to accommodate it. If I want to be really conservative there is enough room to slip a layer of thin cushioning against that top lid rim also. Cool!!!
So next sojourn, in hopefully a few weeks when the mosquitoes die down, the can is going horizontally - which is much more to my liking.

GOOD! Thanks for that! ~ Michaelzim

[rlown]

I stuff spare underwear around the ends of the can. Socks as well.