Ultra lighters bear canisters?

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Mike M.
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by Mike M. »

My feeling is that true "ultralighters" rarely stay out in the wilderness for more than a few nights at a time. They keep their kit to a minimum so they can achieve high daily mileages, then bolt to civilization to load up on calories. The few serious ultralighters I've run into on the trail seemed to be attracted to the bare minimum in footwear (tennis shoes, sandals, etc.) and they were all fixated on high mileages. Some used a small bear canister, most did not, preferring instead to plan their itinerary so they would camp in an area equipped with a bear locker. They were all prepared to bail if extreme weather threatened. None would be caught dead with a pack in excess of 30 lbs.

That said, many of us strive to minimize our pack weight -- who wouldn't want to? For those of us who like to do multi-week trips without resupplying, here are some ideas to consider:

-- Get rid of the Thermarest pads -- they're heavy and prone to leaks. Far better to hike with a blue foam pad (or something similar). They insulate, they are absolutely reliable, and they weigh a lot less.

-- Lose the water filter. You don't need it in the Sierra.

-- Leave your tent at home for summer hikes. Consider a bivy or a tube tent. I've been backpacking in the Sierra since 1970 and have always relied on a one pound tube tent. Admittedly, they're not the most comfortable, but they have served me well over the years, providing adequate shelter both from rain and snow. A tube tent costs less than $10 and can be re-purposed as a ground cloth a few years down the road.

-- Lose the pillow. Instead, stuff your down jacket into a stuff sack, cover it with a cotton shirt, and you have the softest pillow you can imagine.

-- Minimize the extra clothes. I bring one extra T-shirt, one extra pair of undies, and one extra pair of socks. I prefer to hike in blue jeans and take one pair of light nylon shorts, which does double duty as headgear under my baseball cap when the sun is fierce.

-- Lose the Leatherman Tool -- it's too heavy. I hike with a small, lightweight two-bladed Swiss Army knife -- just the right size for slicing off a piece of cheese or salamie.

-- Don't buy pre-packaged dehydrated food, the kind of stuff you would find at REI. It costs an arm and a leg, is not particularly weight efficient, and cannot easily be repackaged -- which means once you've cooked it in the backcountry, you're left to carry the crap it was packaged in for the duration of your trip.

-- Carry a basic lightweight cook kit. All you need is a 2 quart pot (aluminum is light and cheap) to cook and boil water in, plus a Sierra cup (they make them out of Titanium now and they are extremely light).

-- Your backpack itself might be a prime suspect when it comes to the weight of your overall kit. Most packs on the market today are unnecessarily heavy when empty, with all sorts of straps, pockets, and gizmos you don't need and will never use. Ridiculous.

-- Do you really need a water bladder built into your backpack? No. I carry two one-quart Nalgene bottles, one empty in my backpack and one about half full on my hip, which serves as a canteen. I keep both bottles full in camp, and use one in the morning to prepare a helping of "instant breakfast."

Happy trails --

Mike
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rlown
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

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A lot of great stuff in there, Mike. I actually mean that, but the finer points might be a bit suspect. I do know a leatherman can fix a failing zipper or a broken trekking pole. I can't sleep on blue foam anymore, or I choose not to. Other than that, great points.

Edit: carrying the filter.. It became popular on my last trip as we saw increased mule traffic and other visitors and the resultant TP piles.

On the 2 bladed knife.. I carry one.. One of our members kept borrowing it and cutting with it on either granite or titanium. He and his cohort carry a spindly 1.5" blade Victorinox. Barely able to cut cheese. I stopped loaning it out after I saw how they treated it.. I've had it since '76. the corkscrew on it makes no sense unless I buy an insert for a screwdriver.

Of course, this was about bear cans. we seem to be off track.

Russ
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Mike M.
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by Mike M. »

Russ:

Yes, just some ideas. I still cling to some luxuries, but still try to cut weight when I can. I'll put my 7.5 oz blue foam pad up against a Thermarest pad (almost 2 lb) any day! I never bring a filter. I admire Leatherman tools but can't justify the weight. Yet I always lug around at least three paperbacks, so go figure!

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whiteout
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by whiteout »

Lots of restful nights on this compromise in winter. Yellow is 5mm evazote..6oz. Cush where I need it most. Snow easy to form, though, so shoulder not so happy in summer. If you don't need the full-length Koma-King version of Thermarest to coddle calves & ankles, Prolites are only a pound. :)

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Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by Bluewater »

When going UL I carry a Bear Boxer Contender for trips up to 4 days. At 25 ozs it is the lightest approved canister I could find. $40 online. For multi-week UL trips I use a Bearikade Weekender. It's about 31 ozs and has room for up to 8 days. $225 is pricey but they are available for rent based on trail days only. After a resupply at MTR on the JMT last summer I had enough food to make Whitney Portal for a cheeseburger.

I still enjoy going heavy (wetsuits, camp chairs, camp guitar, adult beverages, fishing gear) when hiking a few miles to a base camp then taking day trips. But I go UL (base weight under 10 lbs) because it is safer and more comfortable on long trips in the backcountry. Tripping over a rock is a minor deal with a lightweight pack, but that same incident could be life threatening while carrying 50+ lbs, potentially worse than any first aid kit could help.

As an example a buddy recently dislodged a loose boulder while we were hiking up Thunderbolt Pass. He wasn't being careless, it was the same boulder I had just used. Unfortunately he fell down a 6' drop but was able to stop himself from sliding any further. After cleaning up his scrapes we continued on without incident.

He was carrying a fully loaded UL pack (with a full sized neo-air and a double wall shelter). He would not have reasonably been able to stop his fall if carrying 50+ lbs.

I enjoy both UL and traditional backpacking and I respect that everyone enjoys the wilderness in their own way.
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mediauras
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by mediauras »

Interesting story bluewater. I have never thought about pack weight and safety in that way -- certainly (dehydrated) food for thought.
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oleander
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by oleander »

Another lightweight hiker here. I too carried a canister on my last trip, in my 30-liter pack, and a couple of people did ask me if I could actually fit a canister in there. It's fun to do show-and-tell.

I hate it when people defy the bear-canister rules. Based on what I've seen, I'm not sure that "lightweight" hikers are more likely to do that than "heavyweight" hikers. It's true that a substantial portion of PCT'ers seem to not carry canisters, and that rankles me...It's an attitude of exceptionalism, as if they can out-think the bears and the rest of us can't.

My base weight (without food/water) is around 11-14 pounds without a canister, and 13-16 pounds with a canister. If you want to go lightweight, there are so many things you can leave behind without breaking the bear-canister rule or compromising on safety. I have an excellent shelter and medical kit. The weight savings come from things like: Carrying a 10-oz. pad rather than a 3-pound Thermarest; Esbit rather than canister stove; Aqua Mira (repackaged into tiny dropper bottles) rather than a filter; absolutely no redundant clothes (you sleep in the same clothes you just hiked in, after hanging them to let the sweat dry). A 15-degree bag used to weigh 4-5 pounds, but now you can get one that weighs 2. Lots of packs now in the 1-2 pound range; I got one weighing 2.5 pounds and cut a half-pound of unnecessary stuff off. My one-ounce flashlight is lots brighter than the 4-ounce headlamp I used to carry; 3 ounces savings may not sound like much, but if you look at every single piece of equipment with a questioning eye, those ounces add up to pounds quickly. Most people are carrying a pound or two just in stuff sacks; why do that when you can just stuff things loose in your pack? Replaced a 1.5-lb. groundcloth with a 10-oz. sheet of Tyvec, and then replaced that with a 2.5-oz. sheet of polycryo. Pack food that has higher calories per weight, and you can cut about half a pound of food weight per day. Etc. etc. Lots of good weight-saving ideas on backpackinglight.com.

As to Bluewater's safety point, I concur. Just returned from a hike with 8 women; the ones of us who went light just hopped over all the stream crossings without a problem, and the ones with the heavier packs swayed back and forth and had some near misses.

I never invite my "heavyweighter" packing friends on any of my x-country trips. If we're on a high Class 2/low Class 3 pass, you need a low center of gravity and all the agility, balance, and stopping ability you can get. Anything above ~30 pounds is truly a liability.

- Elizabeth
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by quentinc »

oleander wrote:Replaced a 1.5-lb. groundcloth with a 10-oz. sheet of Tyvec, and then replaced that with a 2.5-oz. sheet of polycryo.
Elizabeth, what is polycryo and where does one get it?

I've been over many a high class 2/class 3 pass with 40+ pounds, but I'm always happy to learn about weight cutting ideas. There are always some great ideas in these forums!
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mediauras
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by mediauras »

quentinc wrote: Elizabeth, what is polycryo and where does one get it?
Polycro is available at Gossamear Gear.

http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelte ... edium.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or can also use window shrink film. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000TPRDQ/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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mediauras
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Re: Ultra lighters bear canisters?

Post by mediauras »

oleander wrote:My base weight (without food/water) is around 11-14 pounds without a canister, and 13-16 pounds with a canister.

- Elizabeth
Hey Elizabeth, just curious, what kind of shelter are you using?

Sorry for thread drift, but I knew right away this one could go all over the place!
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