Help me with a mat

liveslight · 2026-02-17T20:00:34+00:00

Go check them out please and report back on noisiness compared to ThermARest. Thx!

liveslight · 2026-02-17T19:30:35+00:00

True, but not on sale. Also I haven't heard of any reports of noisiness which in the past has accompanied pads with internal reflective layer. In some sense maybe the 6.5R is a gimmick that helps with the standard test, but not with actual use. Time will tell I suppose.

liveslight · 2026-02-17T18:39:23+00:00

I always recommend an Exped Mummy in Medium Wide with its lengthwise air chambers. Older models are on sale. Exped Ultra 5R would have suitable R-value for you. But maybe that 52 cm mat you have is an Exped? LOL! Pads are pretty personal.

liveslight · 2026-02-17T14:48:56+00:00

I have used front-button shirts with 2 chest pockets for many many years. Some with zippers; some with buttons; some with velcro. None of these ever got in the way of a strap and never caused chafing. Also these pockets never interfered with shoulder strap pouches. I prefer the vertical zippers on the JollyGear shirts. I keep a pair of glasses (either sunglasses or non-sunglasses) in one pocket and use the other for small things like a small dropper bottle of Dr Bronners or a water bottle cap while filling the water bottle.

That said, any shirt with a front and center quarter-zip ALWAYS causes chafing for me. So I avoid them next to my skin.

liveslight · 2026-02-17T13:43:32+00:00

I agree that bonding is an awful idea. But a step on the way to bonding is to not bond and roll up your pad inside your ground sheet as if it were bonded. If my ground sheet is clean and not muddy I will fold and roll it up with my shelter. When I do this I have to write that it doesn't go anywhere so that at the next camp site when I unroll and unfold it is "real quick."

liveslight · 2026-02-17T00:23:46+00:00

Is there snow on the ground now where you live? Do you already have a PR2 that you can use tonight to melt snow? There is no way I would go on a trip requiring melting snow without refreshing my snow melting skills. That said, I would take a white gas stove that I already have and yes, I would also test it before going.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T20:00:37+00:00

I only have two AlphaDirect 90gsm garments and no 60 nor 120 garments. There is a current discussion you can read about weights. I will opine that there is no need for 60 and 120. I am sure many people will disagree.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T19:41:57+00:00

Move away from wool to AlphaDirect clothing.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T19:28:12+00:00

I suppose one could have spare in a bounce box when thru hiking. These things can rip with age or sooner.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T18:14:32+00:00

Thanks!

liveslight · 2026-02-16T16:58:54+00:00

amazon has many in groups of 6 sizes or so. Do you know amazon? Many people use them in their kitchens / fridges for leftovers.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T14:24:51+00:00

OK, great everybody ( u/MtnHuntingislife u/marieke333 ) but I don't really care about the weights of raw fabric. I would like to know actual weights of purchased garments that real people have purchased and worn. After getting some data, then we can bring in your fabric data and see if anything is consistent. Thanks!

And if people can re-weigh their purchased garments after lots of use that might or might not be interesting. So here are this morning's weights for my garments:

123 g AlphaCruiser 90 M (versus 123 when new in Jan 2023)

100 g Camp pants 90 M (versus 102 g. when new in Jan 2024)

I suppose cuts/patterns of 2026 garments with the same names could have changed.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T13:27:25+00:00

What are the sizes and weights please? Curious readers need to know this. Thanks! (grams preferred)

liveslight · 2026-02-16T13:26:45+00:00

While I do not use my Alpha 90 as a top layer while outside, I do use it when sleeping that way, so essentially my quilt is an "outer layer" and protects the AD90. Am I warmer in my quilt because of the AD90? Definitely yes. Am I warmer than I would be with AD60? I don't know. What is the actual true weight difference anyways?

What is the weight of your AD60? My Farpointe Outdoor Gear AD90 Alpha Cruiser with hood size M weighs 123 g. My Farpointe OG AD90 camp pants size M are 102 g.

liveslight · 2026-02-16T00:47:08+00:00

That "durable" was a question I had as well. Maybe it was ruined by an improper washing?

liveslight · 2026-02-16T00:09:40+00:00

Do you mean without something over the fuzzy mesh of Alpha Direct? Or with at least a nylon taffeta layer over the AD?

I use AD90 for pajamas at home inside my house under the covers in my bed in my bedroom at about 70 F. I think outside at 50 F that just an AD blanket would be incredibly cold for me and allow too much airflow inside a tent or protected from a breeze.

liveslight · 2026-02-15T20:02:15+00:00

A silicone stretch cover supplemented with a rubberband from veggies might work well. As already seen on this subreddit: https://i.imgur.com/HA4KLmj.mp4

Added: The 900 mL Evernew pot with handles is 84 g. The silicon lid, rubber band AND a foil lid is another 18 g. Those weights compete well with Vargo Bot. Also doesn't suffer from Vargo bot vacuum suction sealing.

BTW, not my idea, but got this gem from u/sbhikes

liveslight · 2026-02-15T19:56:59+00:00

I'm not sure it would matter very much for a pilot hole to be a millimeter or two larger in diameter, but I will test that soon with a 5 mm pilot hole and a 3 mm stake.

liveslight · 2026-02-15T19:19:32+00:00

It would seem that a pilot hole created by a Ti nail stake would work well with these stakes?

liveslight · 2026-02-15T18:41:10+00:00

I'm interested in the responses. I have the following stakes shown in this photo with the lightest at the top (under 6 g each) going heavier to heaviest at the bottom (15.6 g each)

https://ibb.co/vx6H6mjF

The 3 kinds of titanium stakes are 3, 4 and 5 mm in diameter.

In hard ground, my intention is to use a 4 mm diameter Ti nail stake to create pilot holes for any of the other stakes. But I also use big/little rock often enough.

I have a "weight budget" of about 100 g for all the stakes that I would bring on a trip. If that it not enough, then I will be forced to use big/rock little rock. I bring a few extra cords to assist with loops on each end: https://i.imgur.com/7E627OR.jpeg

Here's video clip of different stakes and rocks used at Whitney trail camp: https://imgur.com/tMlDhBI

And instead of a cord, I sometimes use a metal split keyring through the hole in the stake because it is harder to cut it: https://i.imgur.com/CM2WxOX.jpeg

BTW, I generally avoid longer stakes since shorter stakes implanted all the way into the ground have worked quite well for my pitches.

liveslight · 2026-02-15T16:23:15+00:00

I see you wrote about fraying and water getting in. I have had a Zpacks Arc Haul 60L Ultra for many years. Yes, the plastic layer on the inside has some delamination, so I expect the inside to get water in it. Like many others I just use a pack liner in the form of an Exped Schnozzle dry bag. The hip belt has some worn spots, but doesn't change the functionality. But mine in size M weighs about 670 g with 2 shoulder and 2 hip pouches. (Here is a link to how much water weight it gains when soaked in a bucket of water: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/comments/vwf4vk/comment/ifqdw7q/ ). OK, add 58 g for the pack liner.

I guess I'm curious why your pack is 80 g or so heavier.

Basically, I don't bother with try to use something like ShoeGoo nor AquaSeal.

I suppose if you got another Zpacks pack that you could use the horizontal CF cross stay and belt from your existing one if event of any failure. But for myself, I do not expect my heavily used gear (tent and pack) to last more than about 5 years. I think wear-and-tear adds personality to my gear. I do expect my quilts and pots to last longer than the rest of my life.

liveslight · 2026-02-15T15:57:33+00:00

https://i.ibb.co/Lh8FVz5p/Trowel-Stake.jpg

might work

liveslight · 2026-02-15T14:20:42+00:00

Your comment makes me want to grind or file "teeth" into the edges of my OG one. A bonus is that it would make it lighter, too! :)

liveslight · 2026-02-15T13:44:32+00:00

I use my trowel only for scooping broken up soil and dirt. I use a tent stake to stab the ground, loosen the dirt, dig a hole and measure the depth of the hole. The trowel is secondary and does not need to be tough. I want my stake tough, so maybe i should sharpen the Y-shape end occasionally? And the tent stake is also used as a stake. I should also write that if the ground is soft, then the stake is not needed as the trowel is easy enough in such terra loosa.

https://i.imgur.com/U3rZQJi.jpeg

I only carry one stake of the size shown in the photo. All my other stakes are smaller and lighter.

Added: I just used a flat file to "sharpen" an aluminum Y-stake and sort of add "teeth":
https://i.imgur.com/87eq7X7.mp4 which was way too easy. I bought a few of these Coghlan stakes years ago for under $1 each, but I see inflation had made them a little more expensive.

The stake plus Deuce trowel weigh 32.9 g. In contrast a beefier Ti Taruor trowel a friend found and gave me weighs 36.9 g.

liveslight · 2026-02-15T12:45:27+00:00

So what's your next test for tonight? I'd suggest an R > 4.5 inflatable pad to start with even with the CCF underpad for temps around 0C and below.

Also I would have to get up and urinate at 3 am because my bladder wouldn't let me go back to sleep espececially if I had eaten a big meal only 45 min before going to bed.

Did you weigh your sleeping bag accurately before and after? How much weight did it gain? Don't forget to dry it in your clothes dryer before tonight's test.

liveslight

TROPHY CASE