Ultralight weights - sub 25lb?

[Anthony]

Any thoughts on what could potentially be the lightest 2 night set-up?

It would have to be sensible and include first-aid, bike tools and the like. I'm not taking about pure survival but our usual; in it for a good time type list. Full weather protection for a potentially grim summer's night, somewhere isolated enough not to be able to bail.

Fortunately I've since seen sense but I actually compiled a spreadsheet to get my rigid singlespeed down to the high 16lb's, using fairly conservative and readily available parts, but it got me thinking about doing it for bikepacking kit too to create a theoretical magic weight.

Bike/Kit to exclude food/water I'm thinking 22-24lb would be ball park.

[alpnick]

There are some interesting articles on BPL.com about going SUL (Super Ultra Light) this by definition, calls for a base pack weight less than 5 pounds (2.27 kg).

So it's possible. As with all this stuff it's about compromise.

n

[Bearbonesnorm]

For me, the real issue wouldn't be getting my kit light enough, it'd be about getting the bike light enough to start with ... I'd need some gear that had a negative weight to offset it

[didnothingfatal]

For me, the real issue wouldn't be getting my kit light enough, it'd be about getting the bike light enough to start with ...

Why he said, the kit is the easy part

[Mart]

... I'd need some gear that had a negative weight to offset it

Helium in your tyres

[Anthony]

Yep I guess the easy thing for me is that I only weigh 65kg, 90g stems, 160g seatpost's and 1300g wheelsets give me no cause for concern.

I've gone off the idea of building the Lynskey uberlight because quite honestly bikepacking for me is about riding the trails/bike I love (fairly solid 1x10 Solaris) but with the ability to stop out for longer. I'm not fussed about being the fastest or covering the greatest possible miles. Also it gets expensive for a bike with limited use.

The ultralight bug is hard to shrug though :?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Yep I guess the easy thing for me is that I only weigh 65kg, 90g stems, 160g seatpost's and 1300g wheelsets give me no cause for concern.

I weigh about the same as you and I too have no fear of lightweight componants ... but the bank manager does

I'll have a 'weigh up' of my kit, then see just how light I'd have to make my bike to hit the 25lb target. I imagine I'll need to shed quite a few pounds from the bike.

[Anthony]

It's the quantity of kit you buy that's this issue Stu

[jameso]

30lbs all-in with a light and basic mug/stove. Ok for summer over-nighters, I could do a few days with 2lb or so more. I think the all-in weight is less important than the kit you add, I don't worry too much about my bike weight within reason (solid trumps weight-weenie kit) but the kit I add to it I do seem to notice more, so 2lbs is worth saving or at least putting in the right place.
25lbs complete for one night in the summer could be done if your bike was 20lbs to start with, no probs. A 16lb starter bike is impressive!! And 9lb of kit could be ok for a few days.

[Anthony]

Looks good James, was ur build with weight the main priority or was that just how it all turned out? Is that similar set-up to ur intended TD setup?

[Anthony]

I'm curious, however I've not got time to do a list in one go, so I'm going to keep dipping into this thread to update it as I go. Again, this isn't a list for pure survival.

Here we go, need to start somewhere. Feel free to improve....

Theoretical 17lb Rigid Singlespeed - 7711g
PHD Minim Ultra +8' sleeping bag - 360g
Rutalocura Wasatch bivvybag - 105g
.51 Cuben 5'x8' rectangular tarp with lines - 175g
Pegs for above (reliable), 6x Ti 4x Y - 90g

8441g

[jameso]

Hi Anthony, that was just what I had for a try-out ride last year. Wanting to see at what weight I could be happy on a SS. Bag space is a bit small for a longer ride tho. Wish I'd seen that PHD bag you mention a while ago!

[Anthony]

Theoretical 17lb Rigid Singlespeed - 7711g
PHD Minim Ultra +8' sleeping bag - 360g
Rutalocura Wasatch bivvybag - 105g
.51 Cuben 5'x8' rectangular tarp with lines - 175g
Pegs for above (reliable), 6x Ti 4x Y - 90g
PHD Wafer vest (custom- no pockets, 1/4zip) - 110g
Down Beanie 25g

8576g

[Bearbonesnorm]

What we doing about a sleeping mat ? ... Multimat Adventure Comp XS perhaps, comes in @ 100g

[Anthony]

I can't sleep on closed cell :(

A balloon bed I can manage on, although with the faff and 20 balloons (7per night 3 spares) they do become a pita.

Maybe the Klymit Inertia 3/4 XLite at 155g is a good compromise?

[Anthony]

Theoretical 17lb Rigid Singlespeed - 7711g
PHD Minim Ultra +8' sleeping bag - 360g
Rutalocura Wasatch bivvybag - 105g
.51 Cuben 5'x8' rectangular tarp with lines - 175g
Pegs for above (reliable), 6x Ti 4x Y - 90g
PHD Wafer vest (custom- no pockets, 1/4zip) - 110g
Down Beanie 25g
Cuben drybag for bar harness 4L 20g
20mm webbing bar harness 65g

8661g 19.1lb

Jury still out on mat....

[Bearbonesnorm]

Go on then ... Klymit mat it is but I really need a pillow.

How about an AntiGravityGear Flex pillow @27g ?

[Ben98]

http://www.yetiworld.com/en/produkte/sc ... n-one.html
And a piece of ccf (mine weighs 70g) is the lightest bed I can think of
Add an American style bivi bag (cuben fiber base etc) and a cuben mini tarp (like the backpacking light micro tarp but in cuben) is the lightest weight shelter I can also think of
As far as bikes I would choose a single speed carbon fiber cx, with carbon bars, stem, fork, seat pin and wheels :-D

[Anthony]

Micro tarps are ruled out Ben, I'm going full coverage only. Bivvy bags may be waterproof but they sure as hell aren't fun when in direct rain for hours on end.

I'll take the pillow, I seem to remember they have a limited number of uses though. It'll have to be bulked out with the down vest as it'll no doubt be rock hard like every other air pillow out there!

We'll add 1g for a pair of foam ear plugs and 50g for a skeleton first aid kit.

Waterproof smock, what trumps the Minimus at 142g Med?

[Ben98]

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-s ... ra-1-tent/
Will this do? Seems pretty light to me

[Anthony]

Nope, it's 215g heavier than the bivvy/tarp combo on the list. And no 15' sleeping bags, it was 15' here the other day, blue skies and sunshine, I was in shorts and a t-shirt! On a 3/4 mat my little legs would get chilly, and it has a zip, a zip I tell you, on sul gear?

I'm thinking of ditching the Cuben drybag for a silnylon one, I'm not sure how well Cuben copes being cinched into a harness and then sprayed filth onto for hours on end?

Sub 20g headtorches anywhere?

[Anthony]

Theoretical 17lb Rigid Singlespeed - 7711g
PHD Minim Ultra +8' sleeping bag - 360g
Rutalocura Wasatch bivvybag - 105g
.51 Cuben 5'x8' rectangular tarp with lines - 175g
Pegs for above (reliable), 6x Ti 4x Y - 90g
PHD Wafer vest (custom- no pockets, 1/4zip) - 110g
Down Beanie 25g
Cuben drybag for bar harness 4L 20g
20mm webbing bar harness 65g
Anti Gravity Gear Pillow 27g
Klymit Inertia XLite 3/4 sleeping mat 155g
Foam earplugs 1pr 1g
Skeleton first-aid 50g

8894g 19.61lb

[Bearbonesnorm]

Sub 20g headtorches anywhere?

Back-upz front LED light sewn straight onto your hat ... comes in below 10g. I figure you're going to be wearing your hat anyway

Failing that, the Petzl e+light @27g is the lightest I can find.

[didnothingfatal]

I'd forget the flex pillow, they give up too quickly, a thermarest stuff sack pillow is 57g, and the XLite pads really need the pump adding as without a high pressure they aren't too great.
If you use a .33 oz/yd Cuben for the tarp you'll save more weight, it'll be around 60g, mix with 300lb breaking strain Dyneema kite line, MSR carbon pegs have held my gear up and weigh 6g a piece, so worse case and you carry 10 it's a 30g saving.

[Anthony]

Cheers for headsup, I'll stick with my 42g Exped pillow then. Cuben weight noted too, how well will a flat tarp cope in high winds with .33 using only bike as support?