Going lighter: this is the year!

Share your advice and personal experiences, post a gear review or ask any questions you may have pertaining to outdoor gear and equipment.
User avatar
neil d
Topix Regular
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:46 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by neil d »

Bobby49, curious what your pack setup is, I'm assuming frameless? And 4 oz for a pad must be CCF...I wish mightily that I could be comfortable on foam...

I'm having fun reading about home dehydrator options. I thought dehydrating meat was a no no, but apparently lots of people do. I'm thinking of dehydrated ground beef in red sauce over couscous, and things of that nature...
User avatar
bobby49
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1225
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:17 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by bobby49 »

A frame on a pack is important when the total load is high, but when the total load is low, it doesn't accomplish much. My total load tends to be roughly 30 pounds. I haven't used a pack with a frame in about forty years now.

Yes, a closed cell foam pad is what I sleep on, and this one is around 4 ounces.

Dehydrating food is another science. You have to do things right or else you can make problems. I have no intention of dehydrating meat. There are too many kinds of safely dried meat already on the market.
User avatar
Ashery
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 89
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2015 7:17 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by Ashery »

neil d wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:52 pm Kinda thinking about building a plan around a small jar of peanut butter. Anybody have experience with this?
I used a jar in the past during some of my earliest trips, typically using it to dip pretzel sticks in, but I'm not a big fan of it these days. Now I just stick to a bag or two of peanut butter filled pretzels. They tick off a lot of boxes nutritionally speaking and are easy to snack on while moving.
User avatar
bobby49
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1225
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:17 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by bobby49 »

I led a group backpack trip to Young Lakes, and each individual brought their own lunches. One gal brought a _glass_ jar of peanut butter, and it was shattered on the first night. What a mess!
User avatar
wsp_scott
Topix Regular
Posts: 188
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:55 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by wsp_scott »

For Peanut Butter, I use Justin's individual packets https://www.amazon.com/Butter-Justins-I ... 00E1XPY3A/
I also have individual jelly packets https://www.amazon.com/Bonne-Maman-Stra ... 0055E1L5Y/

Tortillas and PB&J makes a yummy lunch

Tuna in olive oil has a decent amount of calories especially compared to the water packed https://www.amazon.com/StarKist-Selects ... 019JNHAJ2/

One pack of ramen noodles has 400 calories and doesn't weigh that much.
Coconut milk powder has a lot of calories for the weight and makes a great base sauce with ramen https://www.amazon.com/Native-Forest-Co ... 00QIVB19Y/

Harmony House Veg Soup goes in all of my meals except for oatmeal and PB&J https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-House-Fo ... 0039QXWPM/
My trip reports: backpackandbeer.blogspot.com
User avatar
neil d
Topix Regular
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:46 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by neil d »

Praise for peanut butter!

- Ashery, I totally forgot about those PB-filled pretzel pillows from TJs! Those are going on the list.

- I've been a big fan of the envelopes of Justins, even though they somehow get a bit messy for me. But I'm loving the idea of the jelly packs to match! Lunch of PBJ on a tortilla, with crushed Fritos....oh yes.
User avatar
neil d
Topix Regular
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:46 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by neil d »

I hit the mountains yesterday with my new GG Mariposa pack and most of my base weight. About 5 snowshoe miles and 800' elevation, so felt like a lot more walking. The pack rides *great*...easy to shift the load around and straps are very comfortable.

The usable hip-belt pockets are a game-changer...and, I can actually retrieve and replace my water bottle while wearing the pack! Pretty excited about that.

Oh, and also picked up the Thermarest Uberlight...seems fine in the living room test, but of course time will tell. Definitely narrow and I've never had a mummy pad, but I'm a side sleeper so probably will not matter as much as for a back sleeper. It feels thin as paper, of course, but damn, packs down so small....
User avatar
neil d
Topix Regular
Posts: 196
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:46 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: Going lighter: this is the year!

Post by neil d »

Lost Coast shakedown trip in the books! It was severely grueling (Sinkyone section), but my planning in terms of gear and nutrition paid off.

Some notes:

- Base weight was 15 lbs, fully loaded for 4 days (excluding water) was 21 lbs. This weight, carried in the GG Marioposa, was a revelation. I never thought about wearing my pack! Nor did I feel compelled to take it off at rest stops. Should have done this long ago.

- Favorite features of the pack are the hip belt pockets, the totally usable water bottle pocket, and the big, stretchy catch-all pocket on the back. Great for wet clothes, cathole kit, water filter, hat, etc. Also love the external pockets dedicated for tent and stove. Makes packing/unpacking extremely easy.

- My home-made dehydrated meals were *awesome*. Will never go back to MH or other commercial varieties as long as prep time allows. Food weight was 1.5 lbs per day. Pretty sure I can do a lot better than that, but had some really great food (oatmeal + gorp, pb&j, jerky, and peanut m&ms).

- Cooking in the jet boil was a non-issue. Was able to heat everything up and let it sit to rehydrate, then adjust water as necessary, and chow down. Cleanup was easy with just a bit of boiled water.

- Thermarest Uberlight was comfortable, warm, and reasonably quiet. I think you definitely need to be careful with this pad, and i will likely bring a 1/8" ccf companion pad for hitting the Sierra granite this summer.

Bring on the summer!
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 38 guests