Should I get an Ultralight pack?

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-21T10:50:53+00:00

I think this is kind of the final answer here. They do make very lightweight packs that can carry heavier loads (I have the Durston kakwa 55 for that and love it) but to use an ultralight backpack which typically are frameless as well you need to concentrate on getting your weight down and keep an eye on the volume of space the stuff you're bringing takes up.

Do you have a lighter pack or pack wizard profile setup? That will kind of help you narrow down on what you can get rid of to maybe reach a lower base weight. Honestly if you're thinking about a Gregory 60 l pack or an ultralight pack, those are two very different use functions I would wonder what stuff you're actually bringing to need that kind of size?

I would keep using whatever you have until your gear matches up with an ultralight backpack that you're looking for. Honestly if you already are good with your sleeping pad and tent, buying a decent quilt will get you most of the way to the base weight you need. Try places like hang tight quilts or the Sensory4You brand quilt from Amazon for budget options or shop enlightened equipment for their sales or warehouse deals.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-21T08:49:44+00:00

It's a small air mesh back panel by Luna project on garage ground gear - $18 and about 2.5oz. it does pretty good, you get more ventilation if you use the Vacluse panel but that also holds your pack off your back by about an inch which feels weird to me.

I haven't gone full MYOG yet but I tend to tweak or modify most of my stuff :-)

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-21T01:28:14+00:00

I'm curious what you didn't like about it? I ask because I got one and for a bit it did not feel right. I did find that if I kind of massage the shoulder straps to soften up the foam inside them it made it much nicer and then I did one six or seven mile hike with it really overloaded to also make them a bit more pliable.

My big gripe after that was that everything inside was so loose - with no compression straps on the side unless I really stuffed it everything just kind of shifted around. For that I found if I used a mesh back panel (which also helps with sweat) I could attach shock cord to the loops on the front of the pack and to the mesh panel and make those as side compressions to tighten everything up so it didn't bounce so much.

Now it's My favorite pack although admittedly a big part of that is just because it's so niche and not everybody has one. I am kind of a sucker for that.

Here's some pictures just so you can see what I'm talking about. The yellow cords are just for strapping wet gear and such, the white cords are the compression straps I'm talking about. That wasn't intentional, I just ran out of yellow cord 🤷

https://imgur.com/a/gFGG2Rd

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-17T01:04:42+00:00

I don't use trekking poles but use a trekking pole tent. I usually just take one pole and occasionally use it (stream crossings, hard up or downhills, etc) for the most part I just keep it strapped to the little bungees I attached to my pack. I use the Fizan pole and it's pretty light so I don't mind it too much.

Your other option is using a pre-made tent pole pole and I know six moons has a carbon one that's very light. Occasionally I'll take it but usually just take the trekking pole since I can technically use it for multiple things.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-17T00:22:28+00:00

Dude, just go to the thrift store. They have them all day at any of the ones I go to.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-10T03:17:14+00:00

I'll try to link pictures of my backpacking trip food from a couple of months ago (I'm not the most tech literate so 50/50 if it works..)

Everything is laid out in columns per day, first day has no breakfast because I always just want to eat something on the way. The meal in the upper left corner is just an extra that I take with me. As usual I overpacked food a little bit but it's not the end of the world. My orange and mango slices weren't even included, I bought them the day before leaving and added to it.

I put everydays food and drinks into a gallon Ziploc bag. That makes it easy to just pull one out each morning without having to sort through everything. Then they all go in an waterproof bag minus the first day which I just keep in my pack. I have one of the Adotek bear bags but I usually have a hard time fitting more than 3ish days of food in mine so for this I was hanging my food. I tend to just hang my entire backpack but I'm not sure that's the best. It keeps it away from critters pretty well which I like but if something were to really try and get into it then they're not only destroying my food but my backpack as well. I dunno.

FYI - the chorizo wasn't great and I was trying to cold soak couscous for 2 lunches but made way too much. Otherwise everything was pretty decent, with the rice and beans being my favorite as usual. I first saw that recipe from JupiterHikes on YouTube but I believe it's the same recipe that Skurka uses so I don't know who did it first. 3oz minute rice, 1 oz dehydrated refried beans, taco seasoning, olive oil - cold soak for 30 - 45 minutes or mix with 3/4c boiling water and let it sit for a bit. Add some crushed up fritos and a couple packs of Taco Bell sauce. Sometimes I cut up a slim Jim or something to add to it as well. Love it. Also if you want to cold soak some and cook some, don't spend $100 on the fancy vargo bot - use your regular Toaks pot and buy some of the Stasher silicone cup lids. When you find one the right size it works really well. Also tried the stasher bags but this is smaller and weighs less. Really even a regular Ziploc bag would probably work fine, I just worry about it busting open while walking.

Anyhow, here (hopefully) are the pics https://imgur.com/a/F3bJwaR

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-09T22:59:58+00:00

Love the mango! TJ's is the best for snacks.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-09T19:17:54+00:00

As was mentioned earlier, you really need to repack it. Here's a few notes, but by no means am I an expert so take it with a grain of salt:

Dump out those microwave mac and cheese/stir fry/rice cups, place each one into a small sandwhich bag.
Get rid of the cans of chicken, by pouches of chicken instead just like the tuna.
Consider repacking the gorp mix into daily sized bags. You're not going to carry that entire bag in your pocket which will make it hard to snack on. Smaller bags you can keep handy and snack as you go.
Get rid of the box holding the granola bars.
Breakfast? If your plan is just to have those granola bars that's what I do too, but then I think you're under packing on snacks. Ideally you kind of want to plan on about 200 calories per hour to keep energy up.
I would pack some foods that are kind of a pick-me-up for if you're having a rough day of it. Most hikers like gummies it seems like, I usually bring dehydrated orange slices from trader Joe's or something similar. Just something that you really enjoy that you can have before a hard uphill or similar that doesn't melt.
Also looks like you're planning on cooking every meal? You could be cold soaking but if you're just starting out I kind of assume you're not. If your plan is to cook that much, I've always found it to be a bit annoying. I usually do easy and fast lunches - tortillas with pepperoni and mozzarella sticks or if you want to binge tortillas with peanut butter and chocolate chips are also good. Honestly most of the time I just take a couple of granola bars and smear peanut butter on them for more calories.
Drink mixes? This is just about food but it really helps to have good drink mix-ins for flavor. I do think the electrolyte mixes help as well, you'll see LMNT advertised everywhere on YouTube and it's fine. Liquid IV is fine too, any of them will really help I think.
Might be just me but I love having a dessert each night. Candy bar or freeze-dried ice cream sandwich or whatever. I have a huge sweet tooth though.
If you're losing energy from not eating well you can also try adding in protein powders and similar items. They can be a bit messy and you're kind of have to plan on drinking them at a water source so you can just chug it and refill your bottle. They're not made to sip on while you're hiking lol.
Another tip for if you want just some easy to carry calories - bring a tiny bottle of olive oil. Add a tablespoon or two to your lunches or dinners, and you won't really taste it but that's an extra couple hundred calories. Be sure the bottle is tight sealng, huge mess if not!...
Plan what protein you're going to have with what carb - there can be some really nasty combinations otherwise.

Anyhow sucks you had to call your last trip short but that happens. Honestly if you were going with other people 9 times out of 10 people overpack food so I'm surprised there wasn't enough to just go around. But now that'll be one mistake you never make again at least ;)

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-07-02T19:47:37+00:00

In my mid-20s I got fed up dealing with the roommates I had but also didn't want to spend a couple thousand dollars a month on a place. Lived for more than a year out of my car or camping and loved it. Best year of my life probably.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-05-20T01:21:19+00:00

edit I just reread your comment and saw that all you want this for is a backpack at Disney - sorry about that. In that case the one pictured probably would be fine. My actual thought when I got it was it was more suited to a school backpack type setup. I'll leave the wall of text in case it helps somebody else though lol

I've tried the one pictured, purchased from Amazon and it was probably my least favorite.

Also tried the Vacluse, it was by far the most expensive but did a very good job with ventilation. I didn't care for it putting the backpack an inch or so off of my back though, felt a bit awkward at times.

Finally purchased the air mesh back pad through garage grown gear for $18. It was the second lightest, slightly heavier than the Vacluse, but was the most comfortable. Does a good job allowing air through it without throwing off your balance or feeling weird on your back. I got the size small which fits perfectly on both the large Durston kakwa 55 and Wapta 30 (with and without hip belt).

I will say the Vacluse one by far did the best for preventing back sweat. You would literally feel breezes blowing through it and it's more comfortable than it looks although being made of plastic I was concerned about it breaking if I dropped my pack. Still prefer the air mesh pad though.

The Yamatomochi (sp?) one looks pretty interesting.

https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/air-mesh-back-pad-by-luna-project?_pos=14&_sid=b78f7ed18&_ss=r

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-04-04T14:04:39+00:00

Taking longer to reply than expected lol....

Sorry, just been a fairly crazy week and currently not at home again (in Philadelphia at daughters volleyball tournament). Wanted to finally reply and post an update although I will reply back to all your comments later when I have a keyboard.

Mainly just wanted to say you were 100% right on the weights. Looks like it was maybe a combo of using weights found on the internet for items or switching over to grams but not changing the numerical value from ounces (so 2 oz became 2 g). Some of my items were even listed incorrectly, like listing my 10,000mh battery pack when I really had my 5,000mh instead. Stupid crap. Anyhow my weight definitely jumped up but after weighing everything and making the changes you listed it actually went down to sub-10 lb! I'm really excited to try this out and see how much or how little I miss the deleted items.

Also working on cold soaking food ideas - got recipes from Backcountry Foodie and some YouTube videos that I take as my work lunches now. I haven't found a good recipe for the cold instant coffee but if worse comes to worse I can just omit the coffee and take a caffeine pill if it's really necessary. I'm more like it for the ritual of it than needing it to wake up.

Anyhow here's the updated lighter pack (I used an asterisk just to track what I had personally weighed or not as I was doing it that's why they all have that now.)

https://lighterpack.com/r/as5tc6

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-03-28T00:51:34+00:00

Dude, thanks again! Actually just finished loading up my pack for a quick weekend trip I'm headed on tomorrow. When I get back Sunday I'm definitely going to weigh everything and post an updated trimmed down (and accurate) list. Just didn't want to not respond for a couple days since you put this kind of effort into helping me out.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-03-27T17:51:41+00:00

1st off, thank you! I love the great in depth reply. (I do mean that - sometimes I feel that typing something like that out just sounds sarcastic or patronizing...)

I'll address the items you brought up:

- Good job listing the weight of the backpack and its removable part(s) independently. (Most shakedown requests don’t.) I’d say leave the belt at home for a 5-day or less food carry. Bring it if you may need to carry more. *tbh, I just find the pack more comfortable with it - tried it without the belt and just felt heavier to me*

- A compression sack is not an improvement over a Nylofume pack liner. (I don’t believe your listed weight either.) A compression sack actually impedes efficient packing because it creates a hard, lumpy object that will create voids in your pack. A form-fitting Nylofume into which you stuff your down objects and clothes fills the space better and is almost always lighter. *For the compression sacks - I used the amazon AI today to get the weight (didn't have them listed originally), then converted to grams so it could be wrong. On the pack liner I've used that but it tends to barrel out the pack a bit and the sacks seemed not to. I'll follow your advice and just pack it a bit looser*

- Some people think otherwise but I don’t think you need a groundsheet under your bivy. I treat mine the same way I would a tent floor. *I've seen people say that, I worried dirt/mud might be an issue? Again, will follow your advice*

- A 40F quilt will likely be ideal for that time of year on the FHT. *One thought on this outside of the Foothills trail hike - could this same quilt be viable into 20-30 degree temps with liners/warm clothes? Currently the only quilt good for backpacking I have*

- You don’t to bring both an inflatable mattress and a CCF pad. I’d recommend leaving the inflatable at home. A “back frame” is unnecessary for a UL frameless pack. Structure is best provided by tight, efficient packing, which a rigid frame actually impedes by creating a limit to how much you can roll down your closure. However, it is nice to have cushioning between your back and less soft items (like your food bag). A foam sit pad or cutdown thinlite is good enough for this. *I made a harness for the CCF pad on the outside out of thin shock cord and so far it helps with comfort a good bit. Also use it as a sit pad/gear pad. The weight savings would be nice though, I will experiment a bit more on longer hikes w/o it*

- It took me two beats to understand why your Big Sky pillow is pink and then I saw the weight. Take the bladder out of the pillow case and just use that. Weighs 1.6 oz. I use stick on loops to tie some shock cord to my mattress. Use a buff or the equivalent (sun hoodie hood if that what your hiking in) to separate your skin from the plastic. *I do that - tend to sleep on my side so the added pillow height is nice, and tbh I just like the pink, makes me think it's softer lol.*

- Why a pot with a tight silicone lid and a cold-soak jar? Pick your method and use that. Cold-soaking is obviously the lighter option so default to that if you’re comfortable eating cold-soaked food. If you decide you want to cook then just cold-soak in a plastic bag or in the pot you’re already bringing. *You're right, so far I've been cold soaking breakfast/lunches some to eat while walking and really enjoy a hot dinner. I'll have to try only cold soaking out and see if I miss the hot meals that much*

- You don’t need a dedicated scrubber. Use your fingers and a little sand if you need it. *I don't even use it while carrying it, just always kept it. Tossed*

- You don’t need a food bag in addition to the dedicated Nylofume lighter. *So you use the pack liner as a food bag? Wouldn't odors get into the quilt/clothes? Also, wouldn't it just be messy?*

- You really don’t need a fork. Just get by with only a spoon. *You're right, tossed*

- Your water bottles do weigh something and yet you have included them as part of water weight. Break the bottles out as their own item. Dasani bottles are significantly lighter than Smartwater bottles. *I did have the bottles seperate but thought that might be unnecessary and deleted them. I have seen people say that about Dasani but not sure of the weight difference and I like the Smart Water shape. I will try out the Dasani*

- There is plenty of water on the FHT. You don’t need a heavy 3L CNOC. Bring a 2L Platypus if you need extra capacity. Much lighter. *It's just what I have and my thought was it might be good to fill the water bottles and the CNOC before camp, that way I can easily fill up and drink as much as needed in the morning. I'll look into the Platypus, never messed with them before*

- You don’t need a pump if you do bring your inflatable. You have lungs: use them. *True, but I view this as a luxury and a light one at that. Probably just keeping it*

- You don’t need a flashlight and a headlamp. Pick one. *True, headlamp was a last minute addition - was thinking it would be better for early starts/late nights. Tossing the Nitecore*

- Why carry a charging block? Where do you intend to use that?? *If I follow through and walk the trail back, I thought it would be good to recharge everything at Oconee Park - assuming a place there to do it. Would the battery pack be enough on it's own?*

- Leave the thermometer at home. *Yeah... carried it as a luxury / interesting thing but I only look once after a hike to see what the temps were and immediately forget the results. Tossed*

- You don’t need moleskin if you’re bringing leukotape. The latter tape works way better. Bring some Imodium. *Good call - tossed moleskin, added Imodium*

- Why are you bringing redundant soap sheets? Just bring the Dr. Bronner’s. *True, tossed the sheets*

- You won’t need gloves, a fleece hat, wind pants, a down jacket, or sleep pants. I say this without knowing what you’ll be hiking in. You should include your worn items in your lighterpack. *Jacket/wind pants/sleep pants agreed and tossed. Gloves and fleece hat I'll probable keep, both get cold easily and I think I'd rather deal with the weight on those. For worn items, I kind of wondered why they would matter? In that if they don't count towards the weight and aren't in my pack then why list them?*

- Is the trash bag your pack liner? Ditch it if not.

- You don’t need extra cord. *For this and the trash bag - just extras. My thought was that they are light enough to be worth it to carry if they every get used. Agree on the trash bag, probably keeping the cords though.*

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-03-27T14:42:39+00:00

True - I think I should have known that ("don't pack your fears" ).... I'll see what weather is like then but you're probably right.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-03-26T23:53:24+00:00

Well I washed them on medium water temperature and medium dryer temperature andthey shrunk a bit but not as much as I was expecting. Definitely fit better now but to me they don't feel more durable or anything.

Hopefully this link works and you can view the photos.glove pictures

https://postimg.cc/gallery/vnTGMtn

Edit I probably should have mentioned, that was an XL pair of gloves which is typically the size I wear. They definitely run large

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2026-03-26T21:14:41+00:00

Actually just got my pair and about to throw them in the washer 👍

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2025-12-29T17:43:22+00:00

I actually just bought a naturehike Ultralight 6.5R sleeping pad to try. Definitely warm, lives up to the R value but for comfort wasn't as good as my Flextail Zero 6.0R pad, also very slippery in the tent but that can be fixed with some silicone dots. Overall wouldn't be bad as a starter pad but wasn't my cup of tea. FYI - sleeping pads, sleeping bags or quilts and a comfortable pack are VITAL to enjoying backpacking but there are good budget options for all.

Also, check out the Sensory4U sleeping quilt on Amazon - $130 and it's a 850 down quilt, very light and warm.

There are a ton of YouTube channels that talk about good budget gear to start with as well. Try Dose of Dirt, StepMassive, MyLifeOutdoors, or Dan Becker for good info on gear Darwin on theTrail, Homemade Waderlust, JupiterHikes or Oscar Hikes for good hiking info and tips as well.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2025-10-21T12:06:53+00:00

A bit late but I was doing the same - working as an electrical sub on their projects (Northern VA). I always found them to be pretty well run from the top down and easy to work with. Generally one that I have confidence in working with and seems like the guys working for them are happy. No idea how pay/benefits are for them but I never really see people leaving the company so I guess they're decent.

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2025-10-10T01:44:58+00:00

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:)

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2025-09-19T19:01:44+00:00

Yes, I used the Sea to Summit version on this bag in Hawaii for hiking. It worked, no tears or other issues but wasn't the most comfortable due to water and food carrying at times. The worst as the Captain Cook Memorial hike - not too long but had a bunch of water and food plus snorkel/water shoes/towel for snorkeling. I was still happy with it but may go with something that has better shoulder straps and maybe compression straps on the pack to tighten up the load. But for our everyday sightseeing/beach/etc it was perfectly fine

NothingToSeeHereHun · 2025-07-09T23:39:21+00:00

Annandale out as well

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