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Chief Joseph
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Chief Joseph
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 2:04 pm 
I bought my Z-55 online a couple of years ago, the newer version that I have actually has a removable lid to save weight if one wants. I think I paid about $140...black and grey.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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Randito
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Randito
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 2:22 pm 
I did a little section of the PCT in 2001 (Steven's 2 Snoqualmie)and got my base pack weight down to 18lbs. I used a silnylon tarp instead of tent, a DIY quilt instead of a sleeping bag, an umbrella and "wind proof/water repellent" jacket and pants instead of full on rain gear, a Go-Lite gust frameless pack, polar pure iodine for water purification and minimal cooking gear. With food my trailhead pack weight was 28 lbs -- enough food for 7 days I figured. It really improved my enjoyment-- even though it rained fairly hard for a day and a half. I ended up taking only 4 1/2 days -- walking with a light load was significantly more enjoyable and I could just mosey along the whole day without undue fatigue. Losing flab around the belly is obviously the most cost effective way to lower the amount of weight on your feet. There is a huge industry in the USA built around selling people a "system" that lets them lose weight without feeling hungry, but that's a pipe dream.

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markweth
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markweth
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 3:31 pm 
Bedivere wrote:
I loved my Z-55. Probably my favorite pack of all time.
Totally agree. I have a Z-55 I bought in 2009 that is finally starting to wear out and I am at a total loss on what to replace it with. It will probably get me through this summer and fall, but after that I'd like to get something new before it fails in the field. I've looked at a Granite Gear Crown 2, but am just not excited about it although it seems like the closest pack to a Z-55 out there. Haven't seen any other packs I really like either and didn't really like the Gregory Optic series that is similar to the Z-55. Hoping a friend of mine that does a lot less backpacking than I do will sell me his Z-55 smile.gif

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InFlight
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InFlight
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 5:43 pm 
There's a difference between silly light 8 pounds and reasonably light around 16 pounds. A folding z-pad (half length of course) is really light compared to my tall size 25" x 78" airpad, but I know who will have a better night sleep. There are plenty of sub 3 pound backpacks; it but it has to fit you confortably and have a feature set you like. I use an older Osprey Exos 48 that has a frame and is well vented in the back. Any 30 to 20 degree 750 fill+ down quilt or sleeping bag will be plenty light, confortable, and compact. Shelters are really a toss up, plenty of light options. I have a well used 27 ounce Tarptent Contrail that works really well for the over 6 foot crowd. It's all the other stuff that adds up. Clothing system, Cooking, electronics, etc. Focus there first.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” ― Henry David Thoreau
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Riverside Laker
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 8:28 pm 
InFlight wrote:
There's a difference between silly light 8 pounds and reasonably light around 16 pounds.
Definitely true. I think there's a "knee in the curve". Stay below a certain weight and a pound is just a pound. Go over that weight and it seems to multiply, where adding a pound is like adding two. I used to find anything under 25 pounds or so was no big deal, and did the Snoqualmie-Stevens PCT in 3 days with no major difficulties. Nowadays I have to reduce it to about 20 lbs and it'd be a 5-6 day trip.

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DigitalJanitor
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PostThu Mar 28, 2019 5:33 pm 
Yeah... and it sucks to (NOT) sleep cold. When anyone looks at even my stripped out kit, it's clearly learning towards 'sleep well and stink through the rest of it'.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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Chief Joseph
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Chief Joseph
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PostThu Mar 28, 2019 6:40 pm 
True. I have a heavy and extra long Big Agnes pad and there's no way I'm giving it up. I would be much more miserable (trying) to sleep than carrying an extra pound or so on the trail. So, it's relative. If you are in your 20'and 30's you can pretty much sleep on the ground, not so much later in life.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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hikermike
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hikermike
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PostFri Mar 29, 2019 1:54 pm 
Thanks for all the replies and I'm reading the referenced posts. It is true "we pack for our fears" as the reason I carry 2-3 liters is cuz twice I've been caught out without enuf and each time barely made it back. (I like ridge walking and sometimes reported water sources are non-existant and sometimes it's 104 degrees when the weather man said ti'd be 75!) Pack fit is also very important which is a problem for me as I'm very slumped shouldered and a lot of ultralites have a fixed suspension. Everyone loves the exos but I can't even get the right sized pack on! So I still have a slightly heavier pack (REI Flash 65) cuz I can get the straps along. Working on the belly fat but always seem to be losing. Have the longer big agnes cuz my short one was stolen....don't mind my feet hanging over the end. All this as I'm trying to work up to some ultra long hikes at retirement. (in the mid 70's) Thanks everyone!

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rossb
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PostFri Mar 29, 2019 2:03 pm 
williswall wrote:
UL is more related to experience and philosophy than just getting lighter stuff.
Exactly. That is why measurements are meaningless. The key to hiking ultralight is knowing what you are carrying, what it weighs, and why you are carrying it. I don't mean while you are carrying it (sometimes people ask me how much something weighs and I say "I don't know, I'll go home and look at it"). The point is, if you look at everything you carry, know how much it weighs, know the alternatives (and what they weigh) then you are doing it right. If you decide to carry something a bit heavier because it works for you, then so be it. Getting back to what was said earlier, I rarely carry that much water while backpacking. I tend to fill up while I go. That doesn't mean acting like a camel (drinking huge amounts) but rather, having a good idea of where the water is, so that I can drink it several times during the day. During a dry section I might carry a bit, but not three liters. The only time I would carry that much is for a day hike up to the top of a mountain. But again, if you want to hike to some place (like the top of a mountain) when there is no water, so be it. It means you are carrying a heavy pack, but you get something out of it. The big difference between regular backpacking and ultralight is that you are aware of the trade-offs, not that the particular choice you make is extremely light. That is why there are ultralight hunters, and ultralight climbers and photographers (folks who carry lots of extra weight for things that aren't "essential").

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Randito
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Randito
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PostFri Mar 29, 2019 2:10 pm 
^^^ Good points -- going lighter involves thinking and planning the travel with care. E.g. Using a tarp for shelter instead of a storm proof and bug proof tent means seeking out campsites that are below timberline where weather can be harsh and also away from lakes and ponds where bugs are more numerous.

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