Best way to shed weight (in terms of kit)

[meic]

What sort of foam mat is 90g?

My full length closed cell mats are around 250-300g and they are pretty thin ones.

[RickH]

Yes I'll agree that foam mats are slightly lighter & a lot cheaper.

Having said that, I picked up a Therm-a-Rest Neoair for around 1/2 price 18 months or so back & it is definitely the most comfortable thing I've camped on, better than 2 foam mats or an original Therm-a-Rest. The Neoair has 2 air layers inside so should give good insulation but I haven't tested this to any great extent. Its other big advantage is bulk, or rather lack of it, as its pack size is about the that of a 500ml bike bottle - it will fit a bottle cage but I haven't tried carrying it like that.

Others have spoken highly of Exped's products too, but I have no personal experience.

Rick.

[coast 2 coast]

Definitely pack an inflatable mat - your back will thank you for it and they are as light as 300gr

Definately not on my list when touring.

I ditched tents and roll mats two decades ago, in favour of a better sleeping bag. I sleep rough under whatever shelter I can find. When you open you eyes to the possibilities and start to look for it, shelter and privacy is everywhere. It is all about attitude and a spirit of adventure. I've even asked local police in strange towns, for advice on where to doss safely and they've always been very obliging and helpfull. Bridges, shepard's huts, deralict buildings, school bike sheds, municiple band stands etc. I've toured and trecked over the years throughout Britain and half a dozen other countries, both in summer and in sub zero winters and never once have I thought a tent would be usefull.

The back of every single supermarket has cardbourd boxes, flatten them down and you have a perfectly comfortable and insulated carry mat.

[andrew_s]

What sort of foam mat is 90g?

Bubble wrap?
You can get 3mm thick closed cell foam that is sometimes used as an underlay to the tent floor. These may come down to that sort of level.
Closed cell foam mats are generally the lighter than other regular options.
There is also the balloon bed(~100g). It's very light nylon with long thin sleeves that you put long thin balloons in, of the type used by kids' entertainers for making int animal shapes etc. You have to pop the balloons ate the end of the night, so it's only really light for a couple of nights, otherwise you end up carrying too many balloons

Neoair x-lite is probably down to 250g for short, incombination with a separate pillow and a jersey for your lower legs and feet. Temperature-wise, they are OK (for me) down to about freezing, similar to the lightweight self-inflating mats with lost of holes in the core.

[crazyferret]

What sort of foam mat is 90g?

Ah sorry my bad, I meant to say 190g. Its the lightest multimat I could find. I have no problem sleeping on next to no padding, its the temperature that gets me but this one is fine for anything above 0 for me. With foam it has always been the price and reliability that has won me over. As a student i can't really afford close to £100 on an inflatable mat that will be heavier than what I have now and is more likely to break. In terms of compactness the tin ones roll down quite small but i have been looking at the thermarests that fold, they look like warmest and most compact ones.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

What sort of foam mat is 90g?

My full length closed cell mats are around 250-300g and they are pretty thin ones.

Cheap 4mm thick 180 x 50 foam mat you will see advertised in cheap end camping shops and pound shops £1 in my pound stretcher shop.
Ideal for sping summer where temp is above 15 C, just camp on grass not hard ground, they are very effective.
I have used mine down to 8 C but was on the limit of comfort with 700 gram bag some of that might have been the thin mat
The 5mm thick ones on ebay and probably halfords etc (they normally come as a kit -tent sleeping bags and mats) are advertised on ebay as 150 grams. 4mm ones are harder to find, at about 100 grams

[andrew_s]

The most effective way of saving weight would be to get rid of the panniers (& possibly the rack too), and use strapped on drybags.
In general, using a bivvy doesn't save useful weight over a light tent, at least once you are out for longer than a reliable weather forecast will cover, as you'd want both a bivvy bag and some form of tarp cover. Getting unpacked and into a bivvy in the rain without getting your gear wet is very difficult, and moving fog will drift in under a tarp and soak an unprotected sleeping bag quite quickly.

I have been looking at bikepacking setups and i think this will be the best way to remove the weight of panniers and rack. The weight saving from the bivis will be significant, at least 600g reduction each. As i have mentioned before depending on how i like it on Dartmoor in winter i think i should manage it in summer. Its not just the weight saving, the time taken to put up and put away will give us more cycling time. The trangia is bulky with all of the pans but it is reliable and efficient. I will be buying a small stove and already have a light aluminium pot.

So my questions at the end of this are:

What tiny stove would you recommend?
Planning to use it with one of these http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/primus-c ... colour=180 to improve fuel economy so we can carry less gas.

Does anyone know any good tricks for carrying stuff without panniers?

If you are using lightweight down sleeping bags, you can't afford to let them get wet. Without some form of shelter, if it's raining you can't get into a bivvy bag without getting the sleeping bag wet. If you aren't also carrying a tarp (about 500g), you have to keep riding until you can find shelter, such as a a church porch.
If you do carry a tarp, then you've a total of 1300g, to compare with a light tent at 1400g

For a light stove, I'd recommend the Go System Scion. It's an extra 30g over the lighter alternative, but the fold will make it easier to pack without jaggy pot supports making holes in things.
I actually prefer the remote canister style of stove. It's an extra 100g, but you don't get the end of canister/cold weather loss of performance that you do with a canister top stove.

For no panniers, I would go for a drybag strapped to a Bagman saddlebag support. Unless you pay for titanium, the bagman support is lighter than a rack. Drybags are available in a wide range of sizes and weights, though the lightest are probably not tough enough for external strapped on use. You could also consider a drybag-cum-backpack for added flexibility.

[ukdodger]

Hi

Me and a friend are planning on doing another LEJOG this summer but this time we are going to try and do it as fast as we can. You may remember our "cut that kit" thread and it would be great if anyone with ultralight touring experience could give us any advice. Since our LEJOG we have done other tours in Europe and Scandinavia and have managed to cut our stuff down quite effectively. So is there any way of going lighter without spending loads of money on a super lightweight tent and carbon fibre?

Our general kit list at the moment generally includes this stuff but can change depending on the weather.

Tent - Vango Banshee 200 ~ 2kg
Stove - Trangia gas, soon to be upgraded to small stove
Lightweight sleeping bags - 2 for 1.5kg
Roll mats ~300g
Head torches ~ 150g
Swiss Army Knife - smallest one 60g
Lightweight waterproofs
fleece/softshell - mostly for chilly evenings
Longs - depends on weather
Pump
Basic repair kit - this year was 500g as were in remote areas sometimes lighter
Camera
Phones
Chargers
Spare batteries
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Soap
Toilet paper
Insect repellant
First aid kit and pain killers etc
Navigation stuff - normally a map and compass
Money
Id
Pen and paper
Other more specialist stuff depending on where we are going and if we want any more luxuries.
All of this packs between the two of us into a pair of rear panniers each though it is possible to carry it all in one pair.

The main thing I have heard about is using bivi bags. Does anyone have any experience of using them and would recommend them. Any other clever weight saving tips would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Jack

How about B&B's you'll save a lot of kit that way. Anyway why not use 'B' roads take longer and enjoy the scenery.

[crazyferret]

Like i said, we are students so needs to be cheap. We did it on B roads a few years back, hopefully we can cycle back the scenic way.

[Ben@Forest]

This is a lightness of wallet response really...

...as it brings the price of the trip down (student budget) hence the reason for cycling both ways as well.

Unless you're living on dried pasta and wild camping only I don't think it would be cheaper to cycle back rather than get the train. Last year for a JOGLE my train tickets from home to Wick and Penzance back home cost about £118.00 all in. I booked them on the first days I could - and on the way up getting a ticket from my local station to Inverness and then another from Inverness to Wick made the journey about £60.00 cheaper than simply all the way to Wick on one ticket.

[ukdodger]

Like i said, we are students so needs to be cheap. We did it on B roads a few years back, hopefully we can cycle back the scenic way.

How about doing it as a charity ride. Wont cost you anything then.

[crazyferret]

Like i said, we are students so needs to be cheap. We did it on B roads a few years back, hopefully we can cycle back the scenic way.

How about doing it as a charity ride. Wont cost you anything then.

Well it would. The money would go to charity rather than the cost of a fun trip that I would have done anyway had t not been for charity. TBH I don't really understand the idea of taking out of the money you raise, should all go to the charity. But hey thats just me.

[ukdodger]

Like i said, we are students so needs to be cheap. We did it on B roads a few years back, hopefully we can cycle back the scenic way.

How about doing it as a charity ride. Wont cost you anything then.

Well it would. The money would go to charity rather than the cost of a fun trip that I would have done anyway had t not been for charity. TBH I don't really understand the idea of taking out of the money you raise, should all go to the charity. But hey thats just me.

Laudable but the charity still benefits so I doubt they would complain. I can see though that people giving you cash would not expect any of it to pay for the trip.

[AndyB]

Softshells are pretty heavy. Since you're carrying waterproofs, presumably you only want a little insulation in the evening. I use a Patagonia Nano Puff top, which is quite a bit lighter than either a fleece or softshell, is windproof, and packs down much smaller (which might mean you can use smaller, lighter bags). You can get cheaper versions, too. My top is synthetic insulation, but something similar in down would be nearly as good, if you're careful with keeping it dry.

[FarOeuf]

Hi,

I just put up a picture of my bivvy + flysheet setup : http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=57568&start=210. If you were both planning on sharing that single 2kg tent, then two bivvy bags probably equate to the weight of your inner-tent; so not much gain. However, you could swap the tent for a tarp-tent + bivvy bags. But it won't be very pleasant if the weather isn't good, but will be fantastic if the weather is good.

If you're trying to go as fast as possible, then I'd ditch the cooking equipment (you don't list the food you'll carry to cook, nor the fuel). For a head torch, just use your bikes front light. Leave the camera (and assoicated wiring/chargers) and use the phone's camera. Pen and paper, you could just jot things down on the phone.

cheers