The Lite Weight Gear Thread

[AltaPowderDaze]

Well, after lugging around some weight this spring I have been thinking about cutting back on the poundage. I've never been one to count ounces until after taking a few days off skiing and then hitting a 9+hr hike/boot to the top of a remote, by wasatch terms, peak this spring. Needless to say it was one rough trip for me. In the following months I thought about all sorts of way to save weight and in what conditions I would be willing to make the compromises, since we don't deal in absolutes with mother nature.


So I'm interested in what lite weight gear has worked well for you. Jackets, pants, boots, packs, and everything else we carry or wear to earn your turns. Obviously there are some things that you use both at the resorts and hiking. What I'm hoping to see are jackets in the 1-1.25lb range, skis in the 3-6lb range per set, bindings that you trust in the 1-4.5lb range and everything else that you'd use when weight is a primary concern followed closely by performance and durability.

Feel free to post reviews, comments or questions. Hell, even if you never usued the product and just know it's lite, go ahead and post it up. Hopefully someone will either benefit from a review or have some answers to your questions.

[Viva]

Shave your balls. That'll take a few grams off.

[cj001f]

Jacket: Arc'teryx Sirius - length can be a pain under a harness. Surprisingly durable.
Pants: For a shell pant I'm looking at the Simms Paclite pant, one of the lightest, cheapest ($160) Paclite pants with zips on the side.
Bindings: Dynafit - light, reliable.

[Sphinx]

Pack: Wild Things Icesac. More durable than most anything on the market. Big enough for four day trips in summer, small enough to use for daytrips year round. Three pounds for 3200 cubic inches. And absolutely bombproof. Lighter and it won't carry skis and boots very well. I've tried it.

Jacket: Patagonia Specre Pullover. 8 oz for XL. Waterproof, with a superb hood. Nice and long, it'll cover your ass when you bend over to buckle your boots. And fits really well under a harness.

Pants: REI Superlight pants are cheap, and weigh about 10 oz.

These shells give the protection of anything on the market. You just lose some durability. I take them in summer/good weather. If I'm going to spend a lot of time in the shell, I'll take my heavier gear.

Shelter: BD Beta-Light, with superlight bivy sack when camping on snow. Pound and a half per person, hard to beat.

Sleeping bag: 20 degree down, yearround. Wear all your clothes inside in winter.

Insulation: Polarguard jacket or vest, depending on season.

Bindings: Dynafit. I'm on Fristchis most of the time because I don't yet have money for beefy dynafit compatible boots. I do have Comforts on Miras, and TLT4 boots, but they're for mellow days.

Boots: the super light boots only save a pound or so over the midweights. I'm lusting after Matrices.

Rope: 30m by 8mm, for glaciers and easy rock and the like.

Crampons: aluminum would be nice, weight-wise. I've got G14s, and they're heavy, but I've appreciated them a few times.

Tool: Usually I leave the ice tools at home, and just take a pair of whippets. Usually, if I can't climb it with Whippets, I don't want to ski it. But that's me. I've taken ice tool(s) on a few trips, usually they're overkill.

Harness: finances drive me to keep using my Bod. I should get something at half the weight.

[bossass]

Race stock Looks with treckers mounted on spatulas. That should do it!

You beat me to it.

[Arno]

Mountain Equipment Firefly Jacket - 350-400grams. Full spec paclite jacket. V pleased with mine so far (only had it a week)

Millet paclight pants - about 350 grams (I think). V good as an lightweight emergency shell. Lack of pockets means they aren't something you'd wear the whole time.

Interested to see what comes out in the ski category. In the market for some lightweight touring skis but since my DB Surreals don't look like arriving any time soon, I'm at a loss

[Mulletizer]

I'll second the Arc'Teryx Sirius. The best buy I ever made, $100 from REI overstock and easily the best and lightest jacket I've ever had.

Also, the small Gigawatt stove is awesome. Very light and very powerful (although you can burn the bottom out of cheapo aluminium pots with it - need decent ones). They also make it in a titanium version.

I also have a French sleeping bag that is very light and a mix of down and synthetic material. Also fairly cheap, has been great and much warmer than I expected. With the filling mixture you are also not as fucked when it gets wet as if you had a pure down one.

As my gear isn't all ultra light weight I don't have very light pack; getting one would be a false weight economy as I need decent load bearing. So, for short trip I use by trusty old Dana Designs Hoodoo Spire and my Da Kine Poacher for longer ones.

On the other hand, my gear is light enough that I can normally get away with trail shoes rather than full-on boots - much more comfortable and light to walk in.

[bad_roo]

Lightweight is for fairies. You need to get a few rocks in the bottom of that pack if you want to be really core. I saw it on that French Foreign Legion TV show last night.

[verbier61]

give a look HERE

as I just wrote somewhere else in tech talk, I have a pair of trab freerando and am very happy with them for long AT days. Wonder whether they're sold in US.... My lowa struktura light boots are also OK (if it's not too cold), but they aren't dynafit compatible. This is a pity considering that I've heard more and more people very happy with dynafit bindings. Goretex paclite is OK for a jacket.... from march onward.

[hemas]

give a look HERE

as I just wrote somewhere else in tech talk, I have a pair of trab freerando and am very happy with them for long AT days. Wonder whether they're sold in US.... My lowa struktura light boots are also OK (if it's not too cold), but they aren't dynafit compatible. This is a pity considering that I've heard more and more people very happy with dynafit bindings. Goretex paclite is OK for a jacket.... from march onward.

If I remember correctly Tele Mark at TTips is Trab Importer for US.

[Dexter Rutecki]

I've got my Stockli GS skis mounted with a five pound Hangl race plate, throw some 916 bindings on, and the setup weighs about 30 pounds. Splat almost puked when he lifted up those skis. Like roo said, lightweight is for Nancy-boys.

[Arno]

Goretex paclite is OK for a jacket.... from march onward.

I used my old one all year round. But maybe I have a bit more natural insulation than you

[verbier61]

I used my old one all year round. But maybe I have a bit more natural insulation than you

heh.... I used an R3 below the paclite but was still chillin up to march. But I agree I'm certainly skinny for US standards (70 kg for 180 cm)

[verbier61]

If I remember correctly Tele Mark at TTips is Trab Importer for US.

from Trab site:
WASATCH SKI DISTRIBUTION LLC
4421 Parkview Drive
SALT LAKE CITY UT
84124 USA

[Arno]

But I agree I'm certainly skinny for US standards (70 kg for 180 cm)

I'm a Brit, and I'd say I have a "northern European" build

[PNWbrit]

APD - this Seattle store http://www.promountainsports.com/ has a lot of info about light weight gear on their website.

I'm very happy with the Osprey Atmos I bought this season for overnighters.

On the climb I always seem to be cursing people on Shuksans and Dynafits.

Around here I'm normally in a 20 degree bag (primaloft) adding a puffy jacket if it gets chilly.

Climbing with a UIAGM guide this winter I was amazed how little water he carried with him.

[ulty_guy]

dynafit carbon 10.0 reportedly coming out soon. 6 lb for the PAIR in a 178 118/86/111, could be interesting.

[Arno]

dynafit carbon 10.0 reportedly coming out soon. 6 lb for the PAIR in a 178 118/86/111, could be interesting.

veeeery interesting
anyone got any more info on these?

[tele mark]

from Trab site:
WASATCH SKI DISTRIBUTION LLC
4421 Parkview Drive
SALT LAKE CITY UT
84124 USA

or you can check out www.wasatchski.com.

The most important area to save weight? Your feet. According to Backpacker mag, 1 pound on your feet = 5.6 lbs on your back (the primary reason why hiking boots have gone light weight in recent years).

The FreeRando weighs in at the advertised 5 1/2 lbs., compared to other skis that actually weigh a pound more than advertised

[ill-advised strategy]

I tour on 225 Red Sleds with Derbyflexes, old school nordicas with metal buckles, and some home made trekkers fabricated out of slabs of iron and old door hinges. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

[LeeLau]

I've been trying to find a light weight skis comparison. I've an older pair of yellow Atomic 9.22s in 190 cm I'm going to mount up with Dynafits. Just wondering if there's a chart with weights for gear.

Here's a useful site btw - http://www.alpine-guides.com/Ski%20M...iste_&_Touring

[splat]

Cut all the labels off your clothing.

It's like sprouting wings.

[Dirk Diggler]

My favorite lightweight spring gear:

Atomic MX:11/TLT/F1. Freakin awesome corn rig with very good edge hold on the hard stuff. Try strapping a bro or equivalent on and chasing someone up on that gear and you'll be in a world of pain very quickly. Its freakish how fast that shit will climb. I had those skis on my pack for a short dirt walk out this afternoon, and you can't even feel them back there. Plus they're inexpensive.

Cloudveil Peak pant.

Marmot Precip jacket.

[skinnyskier]

Here's a useful site btw - http://www.alpine-guides.com/Ski%20M...iste_&_Touring

Al, who wrote that page, does in fact ski on a Sintesi Aero Duos/TLTs/Matrix combination. And yes, he is very, very fast. Full kit for hut-based ski touring, including a liter of water, ice axe and crampons, should be under twenty pounds. If your pack weighs more, start buying lighter gear. Aluminum crampons and ice axe shave lots of weight, as does a 95g Camp harness. The pack itself should be under three pounds and preferably closer to two. I think an Ortovox lexan shovel is fine for spring touring, and saves 10 oz over a BD Tele Lynx. A Barryvox weighs 200g less than a Tracker. You get the idea. Little headlamp weighs 3oz-big headlamp weighs 9 oz. Not everyone in the group needs a big headlamp, or a duplicate repair kit, or a duplicate first aid kit, or map set etc.

While Dynafit bindings are the lightest and most reliable, Pures do work. They are finicky about ice buildup, but they solve the "my trusty touring boots aren't Dynafit compatible" problem and aren't as heavy as Fritschis.

[LeeLau]

I never realized harnesses get that small - insane - CAMP USA XLH 130 Harness

Alu crampons - that's one for the budget too. Any recommendations on light alu crampons that can be used for firm snow and aren't too fragile