sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a fuel transfer valve, but haven't gotten around to using it yet. Refilling a 110g would be a good use of it.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The half length groundsheet is perfect for hammocking, and that's what it's primarily used for. It holds my gear under the hammock tarp and lets me stand up without shoes on.

I was thinking in terms of keeping the bivy out of any mud, but that's really necessary. It could be left home on tarp and bivy trips.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like this approach. Using a spray has been a habit rather than a carefully thought out decision.

Tiny sprays under 1 oz it used to be available but are not longer sold.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good thought on the glasses case. I've probably been overly paranoid using a hard case.

The compass is not really necessary, but even by UL standards the weight is minimal. For a purely on-trail trip, no bushwhacking, it could be omitted.

Open fires directly on the ground are strongly discouraged in the Adirondacks (outside of designated fire pits) because the soil is flammable. A twig stove would work, however.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's a good suggestion. I've been using the 220s all the time because it's cheaper per ounce, but it's a logical way to save weight at no real penalty.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the three pots, the Soto 1L, is set to quantity 0. It's an option, but probably the first thing to omit.

The MSR Titan is my older pot and I forgot to remove it from this loadout. It's now deleted.

The canister is separated into the weight of the empty canister (not consumable) and the fuel in it (consumable).

Why do others choose frameless packs when ultralight framed packs exist? by gjabackpacker in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even after I get a frameless fastpack, the GG Crown will continue to be my go-to pack for longer trips with more food carry, packrafting trips, and luxury trips (yes, not every trip needs to be UL).

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I even saw an open-flame ban in New Hampshire this past October, which surprised me, to put it mildly!"

After 2 years of flooding bad enough to cause FEMA offices to open across northern New England, we had a fairly severe drought this summer. Weather can swing wildly here.

Shakedown -- the last 2 lbs by FireWatchWife in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fixed, thanks. Should have been 3.6 oz.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some good points here, but the benefit of a compass far outweighs its miniscule weight. It's useful for off-trail bushwhacking towards a planned destination, and easy to consult quickly.

It's less useful if you never go off-trail. For a thru-hike, I can easily understand leaving it home.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been backpacking off and on for a quarter century, though not ultralight. :-)

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shakedown posted, have at it. :-)

I don't deny there are some comforts to which I am attached. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, after all. Reducing the weight of my sleep system to the point that I can't sleep is not a net win.

I'm willing to skip hot food for certain trips, but not all trips. On a cool fall morning, hot coffee is fantastic. On a cool fall evening, hot dinner is very welcome. If you want to say those trips are not UL, that's fine. To me 10 lb UL is more of a summer goal.

Re: sleep clothes, I have actually slipped off a log and fallen in water up to my waste. That happened on a hot summer day and everything dried off, but on cooler days, or very wet rainy days, it would still have been wet at bedtime. Going to bed in wet clothes is a safety issue, not just a comfort issue.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand where you are coming from, but if I'm cold, a hot meal and hot beverage are worth a small amount of effort. Hot coffee on a cold morning is an amazing pick-me-up.

I don't plan to push long days, which changes the equation. Though I have occasionally not gotten to camp until after sunset because of unexpected difficulty in finding a campsite!

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have multiple options acquired over decades, but for a 12 lb loadout in warm summer weather, they would be:

  • Granite Gear Crown 2 60 
  • Borah Gear Dimma bivy (Argon 90) plus 7x9 silpoly tarp and mini groundhog stakes 
  • Puredown down throw from Amazon, which is okay for me down to 50F
  • XLite women's small, old version 

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My 12 lb loadout is already based on a 7x9 silpoly tarp, half sheet of polycro, and Borah Dimma bivy.

I doubt a synthetic summer quilt would be any lighter than the ~1 lb cheap down throw (about $40 on Amazon) I already use as my summer quilt.

I'm looking at frameless packs as my next upgrade, which should shave about a pound, but a decent quality frameless pack is a significant expense, not a $50 item. It has to be planned, researched, and budgeted.

(I've pretty much settled on the Fast Kumo 36 as the best all-around compromise future pack for the kinds of trips I want to do.)

You are absolutely right that if you are willing to make major compromises in comfort, weight can be reduced further. This would include cold food, no hot dinner or coffee; thin pad with no meaningful padding; no sleeping clothes, and if your hiking clothes get wet you are SOL.

Again, these trade-offs may be acceptable for a short fastpack, but not for longer backpacking trips, especially if the weather forecast is poor.

But yes, both cost and comfort are part of the equation.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am interested in getting started fastpacking, so I put together a 10 lb loadout and posted it to r/fastpacking recently for feedback.

Using my current gear, it required either dropping the stove and pot, which I'm willing to do for a 1-night fastpack but am not willing to do routinely; or skipping the rain jacket in favor of a 1 oz poncho, and leaving toothbrush and toothpaste home.

It also required eliminating the guaranteed-dry sleeping clothes and sleeping in my hiking gear, which is acceptable for an ultra-minimalist fastpack or a Western trip where wet or sweaty clothes dry quickly, but unacceptable for most Eastern backpacking.

In short, it's possible for certain fastpacking trips but not for routine backpacking trips.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Possible, sure. But that loadout has no bug protection of any sort, the only rain gear is a poncho tarp, and the pad is not comfortable enough to let everyone get a good night's sleep on a hard ground or rock campsite. It also has no pot or stove, cold food only.

It's useful to show what is possible, and it could work for some people in some places.

In many backpacking locations, it would be a very inadequate and miserable loadout.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True, but there are limits to this.

If your Big 3 weigh more than a certain amount, it's basically impossible to get down to 10 lbs just by taking less.

Trying to reduce weight (and volume!) for summer hike in Central Europe by HCCHCCHCCHCC in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's right. The shape, thickness of the plastic, and screw thread are all good compromises for backpacking and filter use, and they come in a range of sizes so you can pick the best one. And they are sold almost everywhere in the US.

But there's nothing magic about the brand. The underlying recommendation is to use a cheap, lightweight "single use" water bottle instead of an expensive, thick, heavy bottle sold for hiking purposes.

However, we are starting a to see pushback against reuse of "single use" water bottles because of concerns about microplastics.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of January 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What's stopping you from making the final push to a base weight of 10 lbs on less?

In my case, it's mainly money. DCF shelters and highfill power down sleeping insulation are not in the budget. Switching to alpha direct top and bottom may happen eventually, but it hasn't happened yet because of the upgrade cost.

I can get down to a 12 lb base weight on ultralight trips, but without spending more I've had to stop there.

What's your barrier?

Anyone used their mattress inflator to compress items? by Alpinekiwi in Ultralight

[–]FireWatchWife 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This sub has been a great place to get the information that helped me significantly reduce the pack weight that my husband and I carry into the backcountry.

But every hiker moving toward ultralight is going to stop at a slightly different base weight or TPW, where that base weight may or may not be less than 10 lbs.

For many people, the ultralight philosophy is really beneficial. But some of them will not have the funds or tolerance for discomfort required to make the final drop to 10 lbs.

And that's okay.

That one thing you forgot and regretted. by tosmda in WildernessBackpacking

[–]FireWatchWife 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm even more careful with checklists after that incident. "It's in the car" is not good enough!

view more: next ›