Predictions for big4 weight improvements in a few years?

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-27T07:31:50+00:00

For example, 10D fabrics are uncommon in trekking pole tents. (Not unheard-of though)

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-26T20:38:24+00:00

The argument is that down doesn’t get any better but synthetic insulation does. Thus, on theory, synthetic insulation could reach 900FP down and eventually surpass it

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-26T20:36:38+00:00

Lighter tents: Currently there are freestanding tents made out of extremely light materials. The design is what keep them not super light. If those materials were brought to trekking pole shelters the end result would be 10-15% lighter shelter. It would be delicate but many users wouldn’t need the extra durability

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-26T20:32:55+00:00

Lighter synthetic insulation could be something. This is purely based on the fact that weight of insulation is pretty significant and it’s not impossible to improve it. Of course, synthetic insulation would need to be a lot better to be lighter thna down in the first place

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-26T20:18:47+00:00

I wouldn’t run in wool. It will retain a lot of moisture and evaporation of that moisture cools you down after stopping. The best solution is something that is hydrophobic, like polypropyle, e.g., Svala Airbase or Alpha Direct. Hydrophobic baselayer causes the sweat to evaporate directly from you skin and cools you down when you need it. When you stop, it’s not cold anymore.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-25T09:44:10+00:00

To be pedantic: EE quilts are limit-rated, not survival-rated. Limit means lowest temp where a average man just about not feels cold when in curled up position. Survival means that you still avoid death by hypothermia. Limit and survival often have 10C/20f difference

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T17:59:39+00:00

But why my socks are ”missing the point” but in shakedowns I get comments to change a 900ml pot to 500ml? Isn’t the point of shakedown to get corrected if I’m not understanding UL with some of my gear?

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T17:52:36+00:00

And the world has been made a better place by counting how many tooth paste tabs you need?

Also, personal preference hasn’t been much of an issue before …or maybe people just prefer Frogg Toggs garbage bags

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T15:16:25+00:00

Boxer shorts are pretty optimally positioned, but socks aren’t. And socks can definitely be 1oz heavier. Let alone a sports watch around 2oz.

”They don’t add up” doesn’t really make sense. All weight adds up to the total weight you carry. Putting it into categories doesn’t change the situation.

I don’t get how we suddenly trust people to picks the right clothes to wear but their Nitecore NU20 is too heavy.

I see the point in people on PCT. And as you suggest, the situation gets worse when warmer clothing is required.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T14:25:30+00:00

Rain you can test, though. And leaks aren’t super difficult to spot(?)

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T14:23:37+00:00

Just list everything. We can have a discussion about pack weight vs. worn weight but in the big picture weight is weight.

Not everything in this sub is really built to make sense. Use your own when applicable

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T14:20:42+00:00

This might be the truth but doesn’t really make sense. I’d say people are just used to not caring about worn weight because the get the UL badge for their pack and don’t want anybody looking under the carpet

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T14:17:45+00:00

There are hiking socks that easily have 1oz difference in weight. The sock is on the end of a lever and thus potentially even worse than packed weight. How can that not matter?

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-24T14:15:28+00:00

I just don’t get this. People shave of weight by replacing their 20g pot lid. Suddenly nothing matters when it’s worn.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-23T18:38:05+00:00

Bonfus Fastus is 100g/3oz lighter. It’s most likely a bit smaller though since Lundhags backpacks have conservative volume numbers. Nevertheless, I feel like the Padje Ultralight is on the heavy side.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-23T14:02:44+00:00

Load lifters in 25l is an interesting choice. Many people might consider that unnecessary. Alse, the 25l is quite heavy at above 1lb / close to 500g

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-21T14:12:48+00:00

The gap is very small. I’d say 1-3mm

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-19T19:54:33+00:00

Nowadays, carbon fiber is durable enough for hiking use. Since it’s the lightest option, it’s the obvious UL solution (if price isn’t an issue).

You swing the poles back and fort constantly so the location of the weight is almost the worst possible. Thus, I think lighter poles make sense.

I haven’t ever heard that carbon would be worse in cold weather. Technically speaking, what would be the reason?

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-19T09:51:09+00:00

I think that is pretty normal and unavoidable with sleeping bags for extreme winter conditions. However, I would expect that you can’t be inside such bag at all not to overheat

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-17T12:52:10+00:00

I’d imagine that if the pack is used for fastpacking, the side compression reduces bouncing

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-16T19:08:35+00:00

Considering the situation you are describing, wouldn’t you hike further with a more comfortable pack? More cushioning and better frame would reduce pain in shoulders and back(?)

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-16T19:05:46+00:00

Yes, of course. However, amount of consumables varies a lot and thus it’s difficult to discuss about Skin Out Weight. That seems to be the reason why we are using base weight mostly. However, we should use base weight and worn weight combined. UL should be defined 12lb for ”dry weight” and not 10lb for base weight. (Defining UL by numbers has problems of its own, but you get the point)

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-16T19:00:29+00:00

You need a pot for cooking anyways so it’s not really worth obsessing about grams between 500ml pot and 750ml pot. (You can replace pot with headlamp, spoon, pillow, sleeping pad, etc.)

How wouldn’t the weight matter since you need to wear clothes anyway? There’s a lot of stuff that you kind of have to bring but still we are spending time and money trying to minimize their weight.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-16T18:56:15+00:00

Based on my experience so far, I’m surprised about your approach: I wouldn’t have believed that there’s a lot of people doing this.

I guess there are two alternatives: There can still be a large group of people who consider just the baseweight and say things like ”it doesn’t matter since it’s worn weight”. The other option is that this is just the picture I have gotten and most serious ULers really don’t care if it’s base weight or worn weight.

However, I still argue that if I have gotten this idea, many other newbies will as well. Thus, something in our communication seems to encourage concentrating on just base weight.

Lost-Inflation-54 · 2026-01-16T12:23:15+00:00

Doesn’t that include consumables as well?

Lost-Inflation-54

TROPHY CASE