27
votes
Accepted
Cookware: Why not Copper instead of Titanium, Aluminium or Stainless Steel?
Copper is about the same density as stainless. It is relatively toxic so is always coated for cooking. Copper and copper compounds are used for sea water boat hulls because it kills or repels ...
- 1,152
23
votes
What is Fast Packing?
Fastpacking is lightweight or ultralight mountain travel with the aim of covering big distances over extended trips. Base weights would typically range between 8lbs-15lbs (3.5-7kg) or even less, so ...
- 11.7k
18
votes
Cookware: Why not Copper instead of Titanium, Aluminium or Stainless Steel?
Copper cookware IS used for cooking (at least, in the mediterranean culture I am native to). For people familiar with this, it is considered obvious that:
It is not lightweight at any rate. The ...
- 407
16
votes
Is using ultralight gear possible without sacrificing safety, comfort, or skills?
That's one gigantic backpack!
Let's look at it item by item:
Tent: Your hillberg is pretty light by several standards, but indeed far from ultralight. Of course the Big agnes is lighter, and there ...
- 2,630
14
votes
Is using ultralight gear possible without sacrificing safety, comfort, or skills?
In general the more stuff you have the more comfortable you can make yourself when you aren't hiking, but the less comfortable you'll be when you are hiking. This is the crux of the balancing act.
...
- 9,678
12
votes
Looking for lightweight backpacking tent suggestions
Okay, I've made enough suggestions in the comments I figured I'd better summarize them in an "answer." It's not fully what you asked for; this is more of a summary of all the "almost ...
- 4,384
10
votes
For multi-day trips on a road bike - What is the most efficient bike pack set up?
I did something very similar last year, solo. In fact, this is my camping spot on the banks of Loch Lomond, the last night of the trip.
Here's some detail on my tarp setup, using the bike as a pole (...
- 26.1k
9
votes
Accepted
ultralight backpacking in snow and preparing for wet gear
When you start packing lighter, usually it comes with smaller margins of error. It seems that it is typically your case here.
Basically, the first thing is to be more careful. It is a habit to take.
...
- 2,630
8
votes
Accepted
Is an emergency blanket effective as a ground sheet?
Yes, you can use an emergency blanket as a substitute for most of a tarp's uses, but as you suspect it's not going to be as durable.
The Mylar that they're made of is surprisingly tough and I doubt ...
- 1,450
7
votes
Is an emergency blanket effective as a ground sheet?
You can in a pinch, but not what it is made for. Won't last very long at all and will make a ton of noise. Get a piece of Tyvek and cut it to size. Cheap, light and durable. Can't beat it.
- 171
7
votes
Accepted
Which kind of rope should I buy to make an ultralight hammock suspension system?
You need two things:
Webbing or Tree Straps - These are critical so that your rope doesn't damage the trees that you are hanging from. You probably don't want to use webbing between your hammock ...
- 1,288
5
votes
Accepted
Food for desert hiking
I believe, the concern about foods that do not provoke thirst is relevant only in situations where you need to use water sparingly, such as in "survival" situations.
The effect of macronutrients on ...
- 1,329
5
votes
What size needle should I use with 210d Dyneema X Gridstop when sewing my own pack?
The needle size depends on the size of the thread.
With that material, you would possibly use MARA 50 (Tex 60) to get strong seams, but you can also use a Tex 40, which is already plenty strong. I ...
- 2,630
5
votes
Is using ultralight gear possible without sacrificing safety, comfort, or skills?
First, the answer depends on the purpose of your trip
At one end of the spectrum trips involve a little walking and a lot of camping. At the other end you are walking from dawn to dusk and spend ...
- 11.7k
5
votes
What is Fast Packing?
For non FKT (Fastest Known Time) chasers fastpacking is aimed at keeping a 3-5 miles per hour pace with the goal of covering 25-40 miles per day.
I found that fastpacking can be very demanding and ...
- 1,079
5
votes
Why shouldn't I buy an ultra light tent?
An ultralight tent makes me feel unsafe.
I have tried the ultralight Big Agnes Slater UL1+, and I was not happy with it. The fabric seems really fragile. In a small space, condensation is worse ...
- 27.1k
5
votes
How can I stop my sleeping mat sliding around in my tent?
There is a product sold to keep carpets from sliding on smooth floors. I have mine from IKEA. It is an open structure with a mess size of about 1 cm, a couple of mm thick.
You will have to buy a much ...
- 3,579
5
votes
How can I stop my sleeping mat sliding around in my tent?
You could add some strips of friction tape to the bottom of your sleeping pad.
There are various brands that provide such tapes, just pay attention to get one with a rubbery / silicone surface and not ...
- 12.8k
4
votes
What are some alternatives to drilling holes in a toothbrush?
Toothbrush design and materials have come a long way. Early forms of the toothbrush have existed for nearly 5000 years. Ancient civilizations used a “chew stick,” a thin twig with a frayed end. The ...
- 1,172
4
votes
Protein-intake on extended minimal-weight treks
I had good success with self-made hiking food based on couscous and soy "ground beef" - this type of thing (no recommendation for this particular brand, just an example). Each meal gets ...
- 141
4
votes
Accepted
Cooking: Is it possible to combine Primus Omnilite Ti Stove with Soto Stormbreaker Bottle?
Both manufacturers would probably say no, because of liability worries (e.g if the threads seemed compatible but you didn't get a good seal, leaked fuel, and started a fire - they think of worst case ...
- 26.1k
3
votes
Which kind of rope should I buy to make an ultralight hammock suspension system?
There are two considerations ( if you don't include cost ).
Breaking Strength
The rule of thumb for rigging is that the breaking strength of the rope should be roughly 15x the static load. That's ...
3
votes
ultralight backpacking in snow and preparing for wet gear
In my experience, this is just an all-around difficult situation. Your clothes/boots getting soaked is inevitable. Even with gaiters and the most advanced moisture wicking technology, hike a day in ...
- 291
2
votes
What are some alternatives to drilling holes in a toothbrush?
Buy toothbrush for kids or an electrical toothbrush head, if it has soft protective bits or decorative parts remove them with pliers.
On a piece of saran wrap leave a grid of toothpaste drops, let ...
- 21
2
votes
What are some alternatives to drilling holes in a toothbrush?
I use a kids toothbrush (smaller size than adult) and cut down the handle a bit. Skip the toothpaste since your teeth are cleaned by the brushing action. If you really want it for your breath (???) ...
- 2,012
2
votes
Light-weight emergency overnight-gear
Your needs will vary depending on expected temperature. Your provisions for a 35 C night and a -35 C will be drastically different. Ultralight gear will help, but can only go so far. Whether or not ...
- 21
2
votes
Is using ultralight gear possible without sacrificing safety, comfort, or skills?
I am going to suggest your question is conflicted. If you are not willing to sacrifice comfort and even take responsible risk then you are not ultralight. If you are not willing to sacrifice comfort ...
- 7,156
2
votes
Which Ultralight & Compact Jackets are suitable for Winters (minus 10-15 deg. Celsius)?
Wind blocking is important in cold weather. A very small breeze on skin whisks away your warm air. On the flip side, keeping a thin layer of air stationary next to you works very well.
I have an old ...
2
votes
Which Ultralight & Compact Jackets are suitable for Winters (minus 10-15 deg. Celsius)?
Question was edited to add the criteria of maximum 2 layers of something light. This invalidates the initial answers, but I am leaving this because I still think it is the proper solution to outdoor ...
- 3,526
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible