Hey Guys! I’ve been really getting into ultralight backpacking lately, but
Lowering Your Base Weight on a Budget
So lately I’ve been on a bit of a quest to find some new ultralight gear that I can actually afford. Following these tips should help you guys lower your base weight without needing to invest all your hard earned money.
I know there’s a lot of people out there that want to get ultralight but simply can’t afford it. You don’t want to invest too much money into gear before you really know what you’re getting into. My garage is definitely a shrine to all my long forgotten hobbies.
Budget Ultralight Backpacking Gear
After talking to all my buddies and scouring forums for
Stove
After looking at all my gear I knew that I needed to do something about my camping stove. It’s an old jet boil stove that I bought at a yard sale a few years ago. It isn’t all that heavy at first glance, but at close to 1lb I know I could shave some weight off. So number one on my list is a new lightweight stove.
Before I got into Ultralight backpacking I was just using an old camping stove that I bought years ago. It wasn’t horribly heavy, but it definitely isn’t light by any means. It doesn’t even come close to some of the lightweight stoves currently on the market.
There are a lot of different types of backpacking stoves on the market all the way from a jet boil stove to the classic MSR pocket rocket. They’re all affordable and work basically the same way.
After looking at all my options I decided to sell my jet boil on eBay and switch to the Snow Peak Lite Max Stove(You Might Want to Check This Out). Weighing in at only 1.9 oz it’s about as minimalist as you can get.
Honestly that Snow Peak stove above is more expensive than I wanted to spend, so I kept digging. I actually found another lightweight stove that’s a fraction of the cost. Check out the BRS Outdoor Gas Stove.
Weighing in at only .9 ounces it’s actually lighter and smaller than my Snow Peak. It has a pretty solid build, but at that size who knows how long it will last.
After testing both stoves side by side I can honestly say they’re pretty comparable. The Snow Peak is a little sturdier, but they both boil water at almost exactly the same speed.
Sleeping Pad
So number 2 on my list was finding a new sleeping system. Finding a good sleeping pad will make or break your trip.
There are a lot of different sleeping pads on the market. There’s closed-cell foam, self inflatable, fully inflatable. There are all kinds of pads you can choose from.
The pad that I typically use is the Therm-a-rest NeoAir x-lite I really love this guy and it only weighs 16 ounces for the large pad.
At about three inches thick it’s super comfortable. Once again this is my favorite pad and it’s the pad that I would suggest over anything else, but it’s actually really expensive. Just remember that you’re going to spend a lot of time on this guy.
If you’re looking for something a little bit cheaper you should definitely check out the Outdoorsman Lab Ultralight Sleeping Pad.
It’s one of the best selling pads on the market and for good reason. Weighing in at only 15 oz it’s ultralight and provides a lot of support.
The main difference between these two pads is that the cheaper model has a much lower R-value than the Therm-a-Rest. So the Therm-a-Rest will be a much better all around pad. You can use it all through the winter and the rest of the year. The Outdoorsman pad is designed more for spring and summer trips.
Water Filtration System
Number 3 on this list is going to be a water filtration system. Once again there are tons of different water filters on the market. In fact, I actually wrote a post about all my favorite backpacking water filters.
You have the standard pump filters, gravity fed systems, water purification tablets and even the newer Steri-Pen UV Light Filters(You’ve got to check this thing out). I’ve bought and used all of these throughout the years, but I just keep going back to my basic Sawyer Micro Squeeze. I’ve used this filter for years and it’s so basic there’s no risk of damage.
It comes with a few dirty water storage bags and can filter over 100,000 gallons of water before needing to be replaced. Basically you just attach it to the bag and use it as a straw out of the hydration pack or a water bottle.
It removes 99.9999% of bacteria so there are no worries throughout all of North America. Overseas you might need to use water purification tablets as well to kill viruses as well. I actually carry water purification tablets as a backup anyway. Some ultralight purists scoff at the added weight, but it’s nice to have a fail-safe when it comes to water.
Water Bottle
The last item you should rethink to lighten your load is a new water bottle. For years hikers have been using the classic Nalgene Water Bottle.
I actually use my 32 oz bottle just about
After using this bottle everyday for years it only made sense to bring it on the trail. Unfortunately nobody ever told me how heavy these bottles actually are. It wasn’t until I got into Ultralight that I started actually weighing everything.
My actual bottle weighs a little over 8 oz add in the 32 oz of water and it’s like carrying around a brick in your pack. After going to the store and searching for a lightweight water bottle I couldn’t really find anything that fit the bill.
On my way home I stopped at the gas station and bought one of those 1 Liter flavored bottles of water. Didn’t even realize I found my new water bottle until after I got home.
My wife saw it and said, “I see you found a new water bottle”. My dumb ass didn’t even realize the bottle only weighed .2 oz. Since then I’ve switched to the slimmer “Smart Water” Bottles(I’m not talking about the Bluetooth water bottles). Smart Water is a bit overpriced, but the slim bottles are much easier to hold onto.
The cool thing about this is ultralight filters like the