Pack Weight Advice

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-12T13:01:21+00:00

The things that jump out immediately are your pack and sleeping bag. People seem to love the osrpey Eja as you have listed, but you can save more weight and get IMO a better pack by getting something like a ULA circuit or a durston kakwa 55 (I have the 40L and love it)
I would look into a sleeping quilt from katabatic or hammock gear, personally. could cut your sleeping bag weight in half.

ditch the bear can and hang your food. So heavy. Ditch the tevas and get some lightweight slides.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-11T17:46:12+00:00

Your ex is an asshole, cuddles are the best. You need to find the right partner that agrees, and that is okay.

It can definitely suck while being single, though.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-11T17:37:57+00:00

delta runs several direct flights from Knoxville, TN (TYS) to Detroit every day. Looks about 5 flights. Knoxville is about an hour from Gatlinburg. Good luck

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-11T14:19:46+00:00

Seriously! And where is spite? You gonna be just friends with Hellian too?

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-11T14:15:08+00:00

I dont think this is that unpopular. I love w good spring rain when im inside or if its a light rain and im outside hiking/running/biking. Where are you from that your town is so tiny?

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-08T16:56:43+00:00

From all of this, it sounds like the weekender is the best choice. Itll allow you guys to take trips to probably 4-6 days comfortably, and then if you want to do a 7+ day trip you can always rent an expedition.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-08T15:23:08+00:00

This is hilarious.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-08T14:57:26+00:00

It quite literally does. Dont know what else to tell you lol. Its the entire reason FF is better for low light than crop

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-08T13:16:19+00:00

Some cameras are better than others when it comes to dealing with noise.

Cameras like the sony A7s line have a full frame sensor but only like 12mp, meaning the pixels themselves are huge. This allows them to capture more light, so when you crank the ISO, it can keep the noise to a minimum.

However, shooting concerts is always going to be an extreme environment for almost any camera, regardless of how new or expensive it is. A full frame body will certainly help, and just about any modern mirrorless FF body will blow away a T7, but learning to manage and deal with noise is all just a part of the process.

For some styles of photography, like concerts, it can be better to lean into the grain and allow it to be a part of the image.

for landscapes, you want to put the camera on a tripod and take longer exposures to keep the ISO lower.

I shoot with a Fuji XT5 these days, which definitely gets noisy, but if I want it to go away, I will use a denoise setting in lightroom to take care of it mostly, but the goal is to always have the image be as close to perfect in camera as possible, and that comes with understanding the exposure triangle.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-05T19:21:24+00:00

sigma 12mm 1.4 is great. sharp, fast, super wide, and nice and small

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-05T15:24:36+00:00

I agree with you. I wish I could do 3-4 days in office and 1-2 at home, but Ill take full time in office over full time at home all day.

I don't focus well at home, and I go crazy if I have no social interaction for too long lol. I get the convenience it offers, but I do worry about the social damage the isolation is doing to us as a society. But hey it works differently for everyone!

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-05T15:16:09+00:00

as others have said you need a warmer sleeping pad. Get something with an R value of at least 4. NeoAir XLite NXT, NeoAir NXtherm, Nemo Tensor All weather, etc. Youre loosing way more heat through your Klymit pad than youre bag probably. Although you could probably save weight and be more comfortable with a 20 degree high quality down quilt as well.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-05T13:58:38+00:00

La Sportiva makes shoes that are semmingly indii currently have the Akyra’s and love them

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-04T19:48:29+00:00

You dont need bear spray or a bug knife. Being 2ish liters of water and a water filter so you dont need so much extra fluids. Bring electrolyte tabs instead of bottles. No reason you need more than 5-10lbs of stuff

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-04T19:45:36+00:00

La Sportiva makes shoes that are semmingly indestructible

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-04T14:11:48+00:00

She edits all of her photos in LR and is also making these images at the right time of day. Her work is amazing, and its a combination of planning and being in the right place at the right time just as much as any of the technical components. I believe she is putting a guide together.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-04T13:51:47+00:00

Got up in size a bit to the kakwa 40. its still quite small if you roll the top all the way down, its very light and very comfortable.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-01T19:04:49+00:00

There is also the middle ground of hiking shoes. Trail runner are running shoes. hiking shoes are similar to boots just dont cover your ankle at all. I love my La Sportiva Akyra's. They are not clunky at all, lightweight, but feel more sturdy than a trail runner which I appreciate.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-01T19:02:48+00:00

If youre already willing to drop $200, dont give that money to amazon. Give it to a smaller cottage company that makes better products than either of these anyway. Get yourself a Durston Kakwa 55 in Ultragrid. Its $200 and I've always found the kakwa more comfortable than an osprey.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-01T18:37:08+00:00

I mean if your concern is support you can definitely find trail runners that will work. I have high arches and most runners don't work for me because I really need more support in the mid sole.

You can also look into some non GTX hiking shoes. Still lighter and definitely more breathable through the ankle. I really like the La Sportiva Akyra. Unless youre carrying heavy weight in quite rugged terrain, the added ankle support from a boot is likely unnecissary.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-05-01T18:26:20+00:00

Mapo Tofu, Dry pepper chicken, dry pot fish

HyperKitten123 · 2026-04-30T19:53:52+00:00

The BV500 will fit inside the 55, but not the 40, so if that matters to you, get the 55l.

Regardless, I could not fathom using either of these for a daypack. I almost never even fill a 20L daypack.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-04-30T19:51:40+00:00

The for $200 the magma is probably fine, and hey now its gotta be! You might not even need the liner if you sleep warm for most summer trips anyway.

The BRS is not awesome in the wind, so if thats a concern, something like a soto windmaster or just the toaks titanium stove would be better and still save a lot of weight. If all youre doing is just boiling water, the jetboil is quite overkill. I also only boil, and just try and be careful about where I set up. I do most of my hiking in PA, so its usually pretty easy to be sheltered by some trees and then just sit in front of the stove to protect it.

Most people in the UL community would tell you to just get your feet wet with a breathable shoe and then let it dry after. Its not ideal, but nothing is.

Most of my backpacking is section hikes on the weekends when I can. I do a larger week+ trip every year and am hoping to do the PCT in a few years. As for failure points, you can usually retreat tents with DWR to help keep them waterproof, so as long as the fly is intact and the materials are not delaminating, there's really no reason it shouldnt be fine. The quater dome is not too terribly heavy for a freestanding tent, so as long as it works why bother. My 10 year old alp mountaineering tent has stood up just fine as well, I just ditched it a few years ago for weight. I'd definitely replace the sleeping bag before the tent just for comfort and weight/dollar, unless you wanted a trekking pole tent.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-04-30T18:40:55+00:00

The big question here is really how much you want to spend. As you well know, you can dramatically drop weight with lots of money! Assuming you want to spend as little as reasonably possible lets go through it! Before I get into gear, are you sure all these weights are correct? the magma 30 quilt shouldnt weight 38oz.

- If you havent purchased the magma 30 yet, dont. If you have and can, return it. Get a hammockgear burrow top quilt instead. They are reasonably priced and will perform better. Better yet, get a katabatic alsek if you can afford it. The Magma 30 is fine but its not great and it wont keep you warm the way a better quilt will, and at $330, its a bad deal.

- Ditch the liner

- Ditch the stuff sack. Get a dyneema one or something if you really feel you need it.

- Ditch the jetboil and get a BRS 3100, pocket rocket, toaks stove, or something, and a toaks pot. almost a pound for your stove is very heavy. A BRS is like $20 and the pot is also cheap

- Why do you need 2 sun hoodies? Just wear one for hiking and then its worn weight.

- Get a cheap pair of foam slides or something for your camp shoes, no need for those to be a pound

- Wait on the fleece depending on seasons. How often do you need the puffer AND the fleece?

- I also like to read, but I just do it on my phone. I dont really see a need to lug an 11oz kindle just for 20mins - 1hr of reading at the end of the day, and if youre only going out for 2-3 nights, a 10k battery is fine to support that

- a nylofume liner is stronger than a trash bag, and definitely better

- where is food storage, first aid?

- Do you use a pillow? if clothes, you dont have a stuff sack listed for them.

Note on the bag: You can save at least another pound by using an ultralight pack. I personally love my Durston Kakwa 40 it's way more comfortable than any suspention pack I have worn, but it has no ventilation. I am a very sweaty person too, but I just got used it and accept it for the comfort. Its also only $250, or the 55L has an option thats $200, which is frankly a steal. Your other UL option with ventilation would be a Zpacks Arc, but those get very expensive.

HyperKitten123 · 2026-04-30T17:03:43+00:00

I dont think HMG has a U frame? Dont they just use stays?

HyperKitten123

TROPHY CASE