Check out the Backpacker		Pounds	-->	0 - 1.125	1.125 - 2.500	2.500 - 3.375	3.375 - 4.500	4.500 - 5.625	5.625 - 6.750	6.750 - 7.875	7.875 - 9.000
Magazine March 2008 Issue.		Max Ounces	-->	18	36	54	72	90	108	126	144
		Max Grams	-->	510.3	1020.6	1530.9	2041.2	2551.4	3061.7	3572.0	4082.3
The purpose is to show the		Max Kilograms	-->	0.510	1.021	1.531	2.041	2.551	3.062	3.572	4.082
range of products for each
category, NOT to imply that all		Description	Ounces
products from a manufacturer are		1/2 Liter Water	17.6	X
all very light or all very heavy.		1 Liter Water	35.2		X
		2.4 Liters Water	84.5					X
		3 Liters Water	105.6						X
Category	Manufacturer	4 Liters Water	140.8								X
Tent	Gossamer Gear	"The One" 1	16.4	X
Tent	Gossamer Gear	Squall Classic 2	26.0		X
Tent	MSR	Missing Link	48.0			X
Tent	Sierra Designs	Lightning 2	69.0				X
Tent	Eureka	Apex 2	86.0					X
Tent	Mountain Hardware	Viperine 3	104.0						X
Tent	MSR	Mutha Hubba 3	118.0							X
Tent	Eureka	Timberline 4XT	144.0								X
Boots	New Balance	790	16.0	X
Boots	GoLite	Sun Dragon II	24.0		X
Boots	Asolo	Fugitive GTX	49.0			X
Boots	Lowa	Trekker	57.0				X
Boots	Scarpa	Summit GTX	74.0					X
Boots	Asolo	Manaslu GV	111.0							X
Sleeping Bag	Bozeman Mtn	Cocoon 60 Quilt	12.0	X
Sleeping Bag	Mountainsmith	Wisp 30° Long	25.0		X
Sleeping Bag	Coleman	Exponent 0° ($39)	50.0			X
Sleeping Bag	Slumberjack	Gallatin 15°	66.0				X
Sleeping Bag	Northface	Elkhorn BX 0°	74.0					X
Sleeping Bag	Snugpak	Antarctica Re -4°	99.0						X
Sleeping Bag	Stephenson's	70 Triple -65°	112.0							X
Sleeping Bag	Big Agnes (2P)	Dream Island 15°	149.0								X
Sleeping Pad	Gossamer Gear	NightLight 3/4"	8.0	X
Sleeping Pad	Therm-a-rest	Prolite 3 Short	13.0	X
Sleeping Pad	Therm-a-rest	Z-Rest Foam Pad	15.0	X
Sleeping Pad	Therm-a-rest	Prolite 3 Regular	21.0		X
Sleeping Pad	Therm-a-rest	Base Camp Reg.	44.0			X
Pack	Gossamer Gear	G-6 Whisper (2000)	3.8	X
Pack	Granite Gear	Vapor Trail (3600)	32.0		X
Pack	REI	Venturi 40 (2441)	44.0			X
Pack	LL Bean	Bigelow (1872)	62.0				X
Pack	JanSport	Whittaker LR (4400)	80.0					X
Pack	Arc'teryx	65 (4640)	106.0						X
Pack	Gregory	Wind River (6200)	116.0							X
Pack	Bergans of Norway	Viking II (6700)	141.0								X
Rain Layer	DriDucks	Micropore Jacket	6.7	X
Rain Layer	DriDucks	Micropore Pants	4.4	X
Wind Layer	GoLite	Wind Shirt	3.1	X
Wind Layer	GoLite	Wind Pants	4.3	X
Cold Layer	Bozeman Mtn	Cocoon 60 Hoody	10.6	X
Cold Layer	Bozeman Mtn	Cocoon 60 Pants	7.6	X
Cold Layer	Bozeman Mtn	Cocoon 60 Balaclava	1.8	X
Socks	Ingenius		3.2	X
Stove	AntiGravity Gear	Caldera Cone	3.1	X
Cook Pot	Vargo	Ti Lite Mug	4.9	X
Campsite Expo at The Wilderness Center
Ultralight Backpacking - April 19, 2008
Each person has to balance the comfort level while hiking with the comfort level in camp. The less weight in your pack, the fewer comforts you can have in camp.
You need to "hike your own hike"
First compare 10#-25#-40# packs. Put your pack on a scale and add enough stuff to get it to 10# and climb two sets of stairs. Add another 15# and climb the stairs again.
Add another 15# and climb the stairs again. The weight of your pack is most noticeable when climbing hills, so test things that way.
1. Learn about yourself. The more time you spend camping, the better you will know what your requirements are for dealing with weather changes and sleeping in various
temperatures. The less gear you take, the fewer options you have for dealing with various conditions. What do you need to be comfortable while hiking in rain?
Will you be comfortable sleeping if the temperature is 50° or 30°?
2. Learn about your equipment. The second step is to list everything you are planning to take and what each item weights. If you don't have access to a shipping or postage scale,
you may want to upgrade to a bathroom scales that shows tenths of a pound. Then pick up each item individually and note the increase. As your pack lightens up you will want to use
something more precise, but knowing the weight of each item in your pack to within 1/10 of a pound will be sufficient to get started.
3. Learn what you actually need. A pack - shelter - ground cloth - something to sleep in - sleeping pad - raingear - water treatment - food - and a way to hang your food, and
some of these may be optional depending on the weather and location. Camp seats, lights, extra tarps, stove & fuel, cooking equipment, protection from insects, a full first aid kit,
additional clothes, additional shoes, books, camera, etc. all add weight during the hike and comfort in the campsite. This may all sound confusing, so how do you start?
Take a weekend hike with the club or other backpackers. Keep track of what the weather was like, what items you used, and especially which items you did not use.
4. Learn to reduce. Between hikes you should watch for lighter versions of each item you actually used and any items that can serve multiple functions. Obviously there are
hundreds of packs, tents, sleeping bags, etc. that could have been compared, but I just chose a few items as examples. Some backpackers simply sleep under tarps to trim weight.
Each person has to decide what works the best for themselves.
Water - Each liter (33.8oz) of water weight about 2.2 pounds, but you have to factor in the distance - temperature - shade - and terrain while hiking which can greatly increase the
amount of water you will need to consume. Contact the trip leader or other information sources to learn what water sources can be expected along the trail or near campsites.
Food - One of the easiest ways to cut down on excess weight is to reduce the amount of food that you carry back to the parking lot. This requires knowing how much food you are
likely to eat based on the duration, distance and terrain of the trip. Meals prepared in a freezer bag by simply adding hot water require the least amount of water - fuel - and clean up.
Clothing - Which season of the year, weather conditions that can be expected, the length of the trip, and your personal tolerance to changes in temperature will significantly
influence what clothing you take.
Websites: twchikers.com has links to many gear sources including gossamergear.com / golite.com / backpackinglight.com / prolitegear.com / backpacking.net / and many others.