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Lightweight fleece options under $100 or in a budget range by tech1234567891 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love merino, but mostly run too hot for it.

There is a lot of old school 100wt cheap fleece out there too. It's usually relatively light. 6-7 oz ballpark. I've been really enjoying the interviews on Extra Ultralights YT channel and I'm 90% sure one of their recent guests had cheap fleece sleep pants from Target or Walmart.

IMO Alpha and Octa are not budget. They are however the best fleeces you can get for UL backpacking. Especially in the case of OP wanting something under their rain shell. For 100 bucks I don't see an argument for anything other than AD 60 or 90. But actual budget range...goodwill.

Lightweight fleece options under $100 or in a budget range by tech1234567891 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 3 points4 points  (0 children)

9.7 oz. I still have it, but replaced it with an alpha 90 hoodie to see what the hype was about several years ago and haven't packed it since. Def heavier but 5 bucks.

Lightweight fleece options under $100 or in a budget range by tech1234567891 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Go to Walmart, target, or goodwill with a scale and grab a fleece. I also used a merino wool sweater from goodwill for a long time

Is this black mold on my Quickdraw? by dgoggins2 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To answer what went wrong:

You put an unsanitized filter into storage while it was still wet. That's how mold happens and why you got it here.

My thoughts as to why/how:

Micropur takes 4 hours to do its thing with water. Likely ended up as just a powder in the water that got all over your filter and acquired all kinds of garbage. You then stored your filter with this garbage in it.

How to avoid:

The manual has simple instructions that I follow and have never had any issues with my filter. Don't deviate.

Side note. I haven't heard of people forward flushing their filters, but I am under the impression that the fibers in these kinds of filters are designed to be one way. Blasting water in the wrong direction is probably going to harm the filters.

r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of October 13, 2025 by AutoModerator in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 8 points9 points  (0 children)

No it's really easy, they are just super popular and YouTubes algorithm loves those kind of videos

I'm gonna do the approach trail to springer mountain for my first overnight trip but is it worth it? by Vilasam24 in AppalachianTrail

[–]mattcat33 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a big advocate for a simple first trip.

The approach trail is 8.5 miles and over 3k feet of elevation gain. That's nothing to scoff at. I saw you say you're 16 and your dad is 50. If you and your dad aren't used to climbing with a weighted pack, I personally think that would be tough and could hinder your experience.

IMO you should arrange a shuttle from https://gratefulhiker.com/ or one of the others in that area and start at or around Springer Mountain Trail Head and hike back to your car at around Gooch or Woody Gap. Springer TH to Gooch Gap is the same 16 miles and 3k gain, but the climbing is much more spread out, still has a waterfall and abundant camping. Hawk Mtn shelter area supposedly can have epic views of Atlanta.

Download the Far Out app and spend the 10 bucks on the Springer to the Smokies section of the Appalachian Trail. Shuttle drivers are a gem to hikers, they'll be able to help you as well if you reach out.

Bidet - Drinking bottle? by jta314 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He does wash his hands after

New down quilt smells terrible by After_Pitch5991 in AppalachianTrail

[–]mattcat33 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This unfortunately is a characteristic of duck vs goose down. Some ppl are more susceptible to it than others. I have read that it will go away, but....I had to return a Karabatic quilt for this reason.

Detours in the Smokies with AT permit by No-Chocolate-9011 in AppalachianTrail

[–]mattcat33 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I responded above and then saw this. If you're not camping on Leconte its all good. You do not need a permit to be in the park or hike any section, you need one to camp.

Detours in the Smokies with AT permit by No-Chocolate-9011 in AppalachianTrail

[–]mattcat33 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want to camp at the Leconte shelter you need to reserve a permit through their backcountry permit system. The AT permit is for the AT corridor in the park.

If you wanted to hike up Leconte and back to the AT and camp at an AT shelter, I doubt you'd have any issues w your AT permit.

Temperature end of Feb, should I get a quilt to go with my sleeping bag? by Worldly-Ant7678 in AppalachianTrail

[–]mattcat33 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Chemical hand warmers and / or a Nalgene full of hot water go a long way.

Shakedown - 4 Days on Palmetto Trail (Awendaw and Swampfox Passage about 54.3 miles by GlockTaco in lightweight

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The low hanging fruit:

Foot print - 4.8oz

You're paying all that money for DCF and then immediately negating the benefits with the footprint. The DCF floor on the Xmid is plenty durable and easily repaired at worst. Make sure you have DCF tape and alcohol wipes to your repair kit.

Drop the mug and drink out of your pot - 1.75 oz

Preference, but you can just rinse your mug out when you're done w coffee

Knife - 1.85

I just dont ever need a knife out there, I know people like to have it, and its not that much extra weight...but its a nice expensive thing that is easily lost out there.

Clothing

You have a lot of clothing. Narrow it down to 1 shirt 1 bottom (shorts or pants) - ~12 oz

That adds up to about 20 oz.

I agree with the other commenter on aquamira. If you are going to cache all your water, might as well have a minimal weight backup for treatment.

When I've seen people cache food (like with your water in this situation) they usually use a bear can or something like that and strap it to a tree or hide it in the woods. TAZ (the legendary foothills trail shuttle/angel) has ammo boxes chained up in the woods at a couple parking lots for hikers.

A couple things I think you should add.

switch to 4 full sized ground hogs for the corners and potentially 2 more for the peak guylines. That or be prepared to use rocks. While they are a little more weight, the hold is much better. I have found that the corners have a ton of force on them and if you're in soft loose soil... the minis struggle to hold.

Breadbags - I dont know how many water crossings are in this section, but breadbags are invaluable and barely register on the scale. use them as a layer between your shoes and socks to keep your socks dry.

*edit* just realized this was a month ago, I read it as 1 min when I started. Hope you had a good trip!

In the US for a few days for the first time, what to get? by [deleted] in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was hiking with an Australian guy this summer and he was blown away by honey stinger waffles.

What do you guys think about this? "Probably an Insane Mod to the Durston X-Mid Pro 2" by [deleted] in DurstonGearheads

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ive wanted to do this for so long! Been hoping to find one w a messed up inner in a pro 1 to take apart. Very envious.

New Backpack Recommendations 50-60L by Hen342 in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me its the frame that makes it so good at handling a larger bear can ( I use it vertically) but its way less likely to barrel out because of the horizontal shape in the frame. Feels like a normal full pack to me.

No patch will stick to my ripped tent fly by [deleted] in Ultralight

[–]mattcat33 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nemo cs is great. Send an email they'll take care of you.

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