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Where in your system can you save the most weight ?

Is this hypothetical or where we have room to improve?

Hypothetically, pack, shelter, and sleep system.

Real world, I've upgraded all of the above over the last several years. I still prefer a large wide pad to sleep on. So I pay a weight penalty for that luxury. I also use a light weight bivy when floorless. Once again a little weight penalty to fit the long wide pad. I also pack 4.2oz of tyvek to protect and prolong the life of the ultralight bivy.

Last year I switched packs and cut some weight. I really like the new pack but there are some other packs that come in lighter but don't have a multi year track record. For me a proven lighter weight pack would be one area I could improve a little.

I also need to stop being such a Boy Scout and leave some what if items at home or at least the trailhead.

I'm interested in others thoughts on this too.

I will admit, the last 15 minutes before a trip are sometimes a weight killer. Throw in some extra food, what about another jacket ? Maybe I should take something else as well ? Really, this is a very open question, just sort of a where do you see yourself being able to improve the most. I admit , I carry extra weight often, sometimes because I don't want to spend the dollars on an improvement and sometimes because I want something more. For instance, I often carry a bivy myself, but sometimes I don't. I rarely carry a bivy and a ground sheet, it's usually one or the other and sometimes neither. I used to have a 50" wide 1/8 evo pad that weighed less than plastic ground sheets. I'll carry an Evo pad instead of a ground sheet if I feel I need more than the ground sheet or bivy most often. I also use a 25" pad all the time unless I use my prolite torso and then it still is often a 25" CCF that is cut down or tapered. I could save weight there, but with a quilt I feel the extra width is nice.

I could save weight by going with a Syn Mat and honestly it would be fine for most winter camping with a CCF pad. I could probably ditch a fleece or a puffy a lot of the time, and maybe long johns (when I take them), but I hate freezing in the high country. I could tarp or cowboy camp more, and honestly I love to cowboy camp, but then I often have the bivy to add additional warmth and cut down on breezes. I could cut out some electronics but I take a lot of photos and my wife likes to hear from me.

Food, not much, I need to get into more dehydrating of stuff myself.

I could loose five pounds from around my waist.
I could loose a pound switching from a sleeping bag to a quilt.
I could loose half a pound going from Black diamond alu trekking poles to a light weight version, maybe more if i made them from golf shafts.
Half a pound lighter smaller binos.
Half a pound no other electronics than iPhone. Includes replacing gps with maps and compass.
Half a pound lightest emergency bivy and tarp.
I always carry extra food and share, keeps moods intact.
Switch from boots to trail runners--- only if i got the rest of my gear really dialed. And only if mostly staying on trail, off piste i want boots.
My rain gear is heavy, but it works no matter what. HH impertech. i could get much lighter but it would cost and eventually fail.

I voted sleep system because I'm usually in a hammock. Another easy on is water if you know there is a lot where you are going.

Voted for the sleep system because I like my larger pad and comfy/heavier pillow system I have. I could also probably lost a bit of pack weight ... but I'm hard on my gear and would rather sacrifice a bit of weight for durability.

Of the items on the list I could lose the most from changing packs. Right now I have a Barney's that is 8 lbs 13 oz by switching to a different pack I could cut that weight by more that 50%

I'm mostly in the desert - I'm paranoid about running out of water. Could do a better job of scouting and verifying potential sources.

The best way to lose weight is by increasing your skill level. The more your skill level increases, the more stuff you will feel comfortable leaving at home. That extra jacket when really one will do, that extra insulation when you could just crawl into your sleeping bag. That double wall tent when you could bring a single wall and spend a bit more time funding a sheltered campsite. Etc. spend time digging through blog posts here as well as the backpackinglight website where you will find a to no material on how to increase your skill level in the backcountry. For me, I just need to spend more time outdoors so that I can get more comfortable with less.


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