[Jonathan]

I'm hanging around in my new Hammock which is quite nice BTW, and watching all the great videos from the McCune's and while they are rewinding I'm weighing all my stuff. You guys are costing me a fortune but thanks for all the tips. The Trail Blazer video is a classic and the Hike over the Bailey Ridge......WOW, I gotta get over there some time.

[Tom]

Hey Jonathan, no need to worry, we'll make sure ya ain't done shoppin' . I'd be interested in seein' what all your gear weighs. So did you set your hammock up in your house? I set mine up on my living room floor last night to guage feasibility as a makeshift tent. Umm, I think I'm gonna search really, really, really hard for two trees when I backpack with this thing. This weekend I plan to hang it up somewhere in the back yard for a comfort test.

[Brian Curtis]

I actually do have an extra Tikka sitting around. Still in its package. Email me off list.

[Jonathan]

Allison I've been doing the light weight thing for several years now and when upgrading it always comes down to one question for me: How many dollars for how many ounces? Trust me I have more stoves, headlamps, and sleeping bags than I care to admit, and many others thing you did not mention. I also love to fish and you would think that a rod and reel is all you need, but the level of $$$ I've spent on hiking and camping gear is not even close to what I have tied up into fishing. How many $$$ for how many ounces, is easy early on when you are chopping off pounds for only a few bucks, but gets more difficult later when it comes down to hundreds of dollars for very few ounces. It’s all funny to me because the reason I started looking to reduce the weight in my pack some ten years ago was so that I could carry REAL food. Like fresh fruit, frozen burritos for dinner, and real milk for my cereal. Now I can't eat like I used to, it just stays around to long. What good is reducing my pack weight a pound if I gain three? The only draw back (other than to the pocket book) is you end up with a lot of perfectly good gear that is lightly used that hangs around in the closet doing nothing. I do give lots of stuff away to family mostly but still have many multiple copies of perfectly good gear thats only sin was that it is an ounce more than what I just bought.

[Jonathan]

Actually I took it outside and strung it between two deck supports (I only have one tree) and watched the rain come down for a bit. The 'sil tarp' fly is the most impressive thing and the biggest weight saver. It could easily be set up without the hammock and slept under like I've seen many guys doing. Two things I did not like; 1. I like to take the pack in with me and space is at a premeium in there, but it could be layed directly under me to stay dry. 2. I was comfortable but I felt like it was trying to bend my knees backwards and after a long hike that could be painful. Stuffing things under my knees made this better, and you can sleep on your side quite nicely.

[Dante]

Where to start... FYI Hennessy makes a bigger hammock that weighs the same as their Expedition. I think it's the Expedition 2.5. It's basically a bigger version of the Ultralight Backpacker with the 1600 lb test poly rope. It's rated for 250lb. versus 200 for the Ultralight Backpacker. As to Jonathan's point about dollars-per-ounce, one of the things I like about the ultralight philosophy is the way it lends itself to low-cost low-tech solutions (e.g. home made stoves, tarps, etc). Most of the stuff I carry now (besides my sleepong bag and my Primaloft sweater) was reasonably inexpensive. For example, my Golite Day pack cost $35. My "ultralight extension poncho/tarp cost $45 HERE. My Esbit wing stove cost $9 at www.thru-hiker.com, and a Pocket Rocket only costs $35 (I have an old Epigas cannister stove that's roughly equivalent). Sure I guess I could spend $35 on a Pocket Rocket or more on a Snow Peak titanium stove to shave off another ounce, but that would be extreme. I guess I'll never be "done" buying gear for sure unless materials science stops progressing. I also agree generally about the old gear accumulating in the closet, but it hasn't been much of a problem for me. I have an extra sleeping bag and some extra cookwear, but it all gets used when the family goes car camping. I also have a couple extra multifuel stoves, but those don't count I got them to test biodiesel as a "green" alternative to petrolleum based liquid fuels. It's better than Kerosene (doesn't stink, relatively non-toxic, biodegradeable, etc.) but only works well in stoves valved close to the burner (MSR Dragonfly, Optimus, etc). It didn't work very well in the Primus Multifuel Stove and Whisperlight Internationale 600 I want to get rid of. I'm keeping the Dragonfly for snow camping. Anyhow, let me know when the gear exchange will be and I'll bring the stoves. I have a pack I said Allison can have, and I can probably scrounge a few other items, too.

[Benjamin]

Jonathan, how does the scale work? I do not know why my GREEN 3001T has not arrived yet, but I cannot wait. You need to put together a list of gear with corresponding weights. I will do the same when I get my scale from Old William. In searching for a new pack I did not know whether to get the Kelty Flight or the Cloud. It was your "how many $$$ for how many ounces" philosophy that made the decision so difficult. Therefore I just ordered both packs. The exact weight differences shall be assessed when they come to determine which pack to pawn off onto someone else. (assuming my scale has arrived as well) I have no idea why I ordered next day delivery... summer is still a long way off.

[Tom]

Allison, to the extent Brian wants to hold onto his extra tikka, travelcountry.com has tikkas on sale for $30 right now (with free shipping to boot) under "specials, miscellaneous specials". Note: their website has a few glitches. On the "submit order" screen, make sure you change the drop down box to "I do not live in Florida" or you will get charged 6% Florida sales tax.

[Allison]

I think Brian put the extra Tikka in the mail for me today. Do you know something I don't know?

[Tom]

Nope, I was just trying to be gear freakingly (overwhelmingly) helpful as usual . I think someone else was interested in a tikka too. Just thought I'd relay the info, that's all.

[Brian Curtis]

I did, in fact, drop the Tikka in the mail to Allison today. And I beat travelcountry's price to boot.

[Tom]

And they keep telling me I should start up my own store... Hey Brian, you got any special deals on curtis rafts ?

[Allison]

I am just lounging around the house wearing my Tikka headlamp purchased from an excellent local online store that I like to call "Brian Curtis's Extra Stuff". It's not dark in here or anything, it's just fun to goof off with your new gear.

[Brian Curtis]

[catwoman]

I, too, have had the Tikka on my list for awhile. So, anyone else out there have one for a screamin' deal? $30 is a bit much right now for this unemployed child.