Posted by: PNWhiker
Help with light gear selection - 08/29/12 05:49 PM
Hello all - my first post here. I'm relatively new to backpacking but I have a lot of experience in the outdoors. I've been hiking this year with a relatively heavy setup (e.g. Osprey Atmos 65, REI Lumen Bag, standard therm-a-rest, etc.). I want to make a switch to a lightweight setup - without sacrificing a lot of comfort. I have some resources so I'm willing to spend a few $s to get a good setup. I've been doing a fair amount of research and I'm zeroing in on the following core items:
Osprey Exos 46 backpack
Western Mountaineering Summerlite 32 bag
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm pad
Mountain Hardware SuperMega UL 2 Tent
The Exos pack looks great and is super light, although I've never seen one in person (my current pack is an Osprey and I really like the suspension). The Summerlite bag was highly recommend by the Outdoor GearLab reviews. I like the Xtherm pad because of the higher R factor over the Xlite - with the only tradeoff I can see being $s. This higher R should help stretch that bag into 3 seasons (along with a nice silk bag liner). I like the MH SuperMega over the Fly Creek UL2 because of the full free standing nature.
I love REI and I'm planning to use the next 3 20% coupons for the pack, pad and tent. Unfortunately, REI does not carry WM. So I'll need to shop around for a sale on that item.
I'm also looking at all items in my pack for weight/space savings. I was shocked at how much low hanging fruity there was. For example, switching from the fleece jacket to the REI revelcloud saved over a pound and probably a liter or two of space.
I'd love to hear any thoughts, feedback or guidance on my directions. Thanks in advance!
Osprey Exos 46 backpack
Western Mountaineering Summerlite 32 bag
Therm-a-rest NeoAir XTherm pad
Mountain Hardware SuperMega UL 2 Tent
The Exos pack looks great and is super light, although I've never seen one in person (my current pack is an Osprey and I really like the suspension). The Summerlite bag was highly recommend by the Outdoor GearLab reviews. I like the Xtherm pad because of the higher R factor over the Xlite - with the only tradeoff I can see being $s. This higher R should help stretch that bag into 3 seasons (along with a nice silk bag liner). I like the MH SuperMega over the Fly Creek UL2 because of the full free standing nature.
I love REI and I'm planning to use the next 3 20% coupons for the pack, pad and tent. Unfortunately, REI does not carry WM. So I'll need to shop around for a sale on that item.
I'm also looking at all items in my pack for weight/space savings. I was shocked at how much low hanging fruity there was. For example, switching from the fleece jacket to the REI revelcloud saved over a pound and probably a liter or two of space.
I'd love to hear any thoughts, feedback or guidance on my directions. Thanks in advance!