Gear

I have been inspired by a friend to lose weight in my backpacking kit. My friend is splashing cash to save just 300g on the tent and I am feeling that I should make another effort to lose my own kit weight.

Basically I have a kit as follows: -

Marmot XL sleeping bag - 1350g (I'm 6'5" so need an XL bag)

Single skin tent Plus bivvy bag - 1300g

Mat - 460g

stove - 96g

pot - 95g

rucksack - old alpine climbing sack 50l~+10l - about 1500g

Thermal long johns - I don't know  say 200g

Spare base layer - say 100g (probably a lot less though)

Sundry cooking bits such as lighter, matches, firesteel - 50g

Spare boxers - 30g (probably less)

Spare socks for tent - 15g (estimated but unsure)

Dry bags for above - 80g

Spare microfleece for evening - 400g (est Haglofs microfleece half zip thingy)

Various stuff like sunscreen, insect repellent, etc. - 200g (est)

Basic toiletries - 150g

I can't think of much else but there will be stuff like my mp3 player so add another 1000g for stuff that always finds its way in like a FAK.

That makes 7kg.

Plus 125g for small gas can.

Now with a few snacks plus a simple breakfast and a bladder or bottle of water (about 1l) that made 9kg for an overnighter when I have already had my dinner before heading up.

With food for 1 week plus a little more water and a steripen I generally end up at 15kg to 18kg for some reason.

My question is where am I going wrong? What can I do to save weight? ~I don't have a lot of money to buy a laser comp at say 800g-ish. Especially when it only saves me 500g. I need a longer sleeping bag so I canb only get down to about 800g if I spend many hundreds of pounds which saves 500g. I could leave out something like spare clothes but I've got to be comfortable. I guess part of the missing weight is down to spare walking clothes say a spare trousers plus shorts and a t-shirt.

Is the only way to go is by spending lots of money on the tent and the sleeping bag? Is there something I have missed. I do have a tarp 450g and a bivvy bag (rab SZ) and intend to use that but only in the better weather. My tent is for the weather when there is bad stuff coming in or could come in.

It's a lightweight load already really

Various stuff like sunscreen, insect repellent, etc. - 200g (est)

Basic toiletries - 150g

 reckon you could lose 200g from those 2 without trying to hard?

What time of year are we talking?  

Sleeping bag seems heavy for summer?

Ben From Yorkshire reckoned he could fit in any snugpak sleeping bags ok (he's 6'4" I think)

Golite pinnacle or Jam pack would save 700g  - often less than £50 online

Are you fat? Lose some weight.

If not - not bad...at 6' 5" you should be able to tote that easily...I can and am 4' 6"...

LOL Ed.

I'm the opposite of fat - think about 12 stone.  Which if anything it too light. I can easily carry the weight in fact before my early attempts at kit weight loss my pack was in excess of 25kg! I had a tent with pegs for all situations where the pegs alone weighed 5kg! You can see I've come a long way.

Unfortunately I've tried a few standard length sleeping bags to no avail. I did use a heavy old synthetic bag that was rated to -20C back when they didn't have standards and upper and loower comfort levels so I suspect that was the lowest temp if all your clothes were worn and you shivered all night just to survive. It was a standard length and I always got a cold feet due to pressing down on the foot end compressing the insulation. On top of that I was slightly curled up whilst doing it. I have tried two RAB bags which I understand are generous on length. I think it was the Q450 that almost fitted me. It was near enough 900-1000g, had a large volume and slightly longer than most bags and cost aa packet.

I do need an XL sleeping bag which limits the potential manufacturers, increased weight and increased cost. I don't have  the £150 I need to lose weight there, I do have it but not spare.

I think to use the Jam sack I need to drop a bit more weight in the gear. Afterall I heard it is only comfortable up to 10-13kg and I'm really at that upper limit or over it. I had thought of that. I have been tempted by the pinnacle sack by Golite.

I do think that whilst I can carry more weight I feel I shouldn't have to if there is something I can do. The lower the weight I can get to the better so long as I'm comfortable enough for me. How people get to 6kg or less I really don't know. Peronally I think I'm as  low as I can get now until I can make a big spend.

You probably do need to throw money at it to be honest. As an example, my 50L pack is a Mountain Laurel Designs Zip weighing 378g with added hip-belt pockets. My Nunatak quilt weighs 540g, or my Montbell UL sleeping bag for warm weather weighs 372g. My MLD Duomid shelter in its s/sack weighs 538g with maximum guylines, and the mesh inner weighs 416g inc s/sack. My Titanium Goat bivvy bag weighs 200g in its s/sack.

So my lowest weight for pack, tent, bivvy and sleeping bag is 1488g. Your total for these items is 4150g. Mine are measured weights, not estimates.

You need to invest in a set of scales and weigh everything. Don't trust manufacturers weights.

Can you use a CCF mat? if so it'll cost you £4.99 for a Millets 3 season and weight 190g

Do you need spare clothes? I only take a spare baselayer & socks for up to 4 days and they're only to sleep in.

I don't take books/mp3 player etc etc

The biggest savings come from Pack/Sleeping Bag/Mat/Tent, they're also the most expensive (unless you use a CCF mat) but the reality is that in the long run they're the cheapest grams saved. Eventually you can get  to the point where every gram saved can cost a fortune.

I agree with Mike though, invest in a set of digital scales, shouldn't be more than £15.

The bottom line though is use lighter gear (costs) or take less gear (doesn't cost) although you're not exactly carrying a load of luxuries as it is.

Parky Again wrote (see)

lightweight packs are for lightweight gear. NOT for losing some overall weight.

I carried 12- 15kg for 170 miles with a Golite Pinnacle (700g)- no probs with a ccf tube frame.  Met a guy near Fort William with much more gear in his Pinnacle - on his way to John O groats from EDale - carrying 8 days food plus a laser comp and thermarest strapped outside to his pack - he seemed happy enough. (he was practicing for the PCT)

Interesting thread - I'm in the same boat. I've refined and refined and finally gotten down to about 14-15kg (inc food) but I'm having issues getting lower. One thing helped was to weigh everything and stick it all in a spreadsheet - then I can plan ahead.

What tent and bivvy do you have that weigh in at 1.3kg for the pair?

What is your clothing set up? How many layers are your carrying? Jacket, windshirt etc. That will sit in your pack when you're not using it. You say you have a microfleece but will you wear it during the day?

Have you done a full kit list in a spreadsheet?

You could go to a lighter sleeping bag, maybe a zipless design possibly?

My base weight is around 8kg depending on what I'm doing and it keeps me comfortable and gives me luxuries like a camera, binoculars and a huge tarp!

I think spares does look like an issue - do you need a spare microfleece and a spare baselayer? I'd have thought one microfleece - to wear if chilly or carry if warm - would be sufficient; it can always double up as a spare baselayer in extremis.

OTOH, I can't see an insulation layer in your kit list? So, if this is a summer kit list, can you get away with a cheap lighter synthetic sleeping bag?

Can you go to £300?

OMM Villain £104

Go-Lite Adrenaline 20 Sleeping Bag.....-7,  850g,   £200. (long, up to 6'6")

and have a think about food.

www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk

I've not much to add to what's already been said.  I'd say your current set-up is minimalist rather than lightweight.  That sleeping bag is heavy, even for an XL and the rucksack is weighty too.  You'll get the best results in weight reduction by concentrating on the big 3 - tent, sleeping bag and rucksack and, unfortunately, that means throwing some money at it.   

You need to better understand what you're already carrying and why.  "add another 1000g for stuff that always finds its way in"  is not terribly helpful, especially when your listed items have obvious omissions like waterproofs, torch, windshirt, gloves, hat, map, compass, bladder/water bottle.  It may be that these comprise the 1kg not itemised or it may be that you already know your route so don't need map or compass; it's very warm so no hat or gloves etc.  You can get your base weight right down if you're camping in your back garden in the summer.

That said, 7kg is a pretty good base weight if you're comfortable with it.  My own would be about 8kg if I left out the camera, binoculars, paperback, trekking poles, GPS, FAK etc and I don't rough it by any means!

Rich makes the important point that, although they are expensive items, lighter pack / tent / sleeping bag / mat are the cheapest grammes to save.  I replaced my Berghaus C7 rucksack with a Gregory Z55 and it cost £12/100 grammes saved.  Replacing a down bag with a lighter down bag cost £32/100 grammes saved.  This thread might give you some ideas.

I suspect that fleece is just not weighed Scales really do help clarify.

Haglofs current small zip pullover is 235g or so.  Conversly the spare socks/boxers/base layer are almost certainly a touch heavier than estimated - the base layer could be quite a bit so actually. The long johns maybe about right.

If throwing money at the problem then - for summer certainly - can save a lot of weight on the sleeping bag. PHD for instance do all their bags in long sizes, in the sales too (if they're doing one.). Still its 150-200 this.

(you can specify an extra length minimus at <450g with all the weight saving options on.).

Lighter rucksack perhaps for overnighters but somewhat tricky for week long unsupported trips with the weight of the food