[at-l] Lightweight backpacks?

[Mara Factor]

Warmlite tents can be configured any which way you want.  If you're
going to be out in warm weather, get the windows.  But they are
designed to be used in much rougher conditions (wind, snow, storms,
etc.) than their lighter and much less expensive counterparts.

Stephenson was using silnylon long before many of the other
manufacturers, such as Wanderlust Gear (now out of business), Six Moon
Designs, Tarptent, etc. started up.

If most of your hiking is limited to places where you are likely to be
sheltered from any strong winds (an AT thruhike, for example), don't
bother with a Warmlite.  If you're going to Patagonia and want to
actually sleep through the windy nights, I can tell you that Sue and
Ralph slept better than I did.  I wish I was in a tent as stable as
the Warmlite.  My Lunar Solo held up to the wind in that it didn't rip
or tear out of the ground, but the flexibility of the fabric and the
design meant that I had the fabric pressing into my shoulder as I
slept.

Mara
Stitches, AT99

Visit my Travels and Trails web site at: http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor



On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 12:59 AM, JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> Neato.  Warmlite tents look like they're more for colder weather right?  I
> want to get a cold weather tent, but probably not this year.  Thanks for the
> note.
> :)
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Mara Factor
> To: JPL
> Cc: at-l
> Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2009 7:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Lightweight backpacks?
> Hey!  I ran into Susan and her husband, Ralph, in Torres del Paine
> National Park (southern Chile) earlier this year.  Can't tell you
> about her pack or bag, but they were using a Stephenson Warmlite tent.
>  They shared some water with me and we swapped trail stories over
> dinner after a very wet and windy day.
>
> She wrote "We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill: Tales and Tips
> from Seasoned Women Backpackers".  Can't tell you more than that as
> I've never read it.
>
> Mara
> Stitches, AT99
>
> Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:
> http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
>
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 24, 2009 at 6:46 PM, JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
>> I heard a talk by a pretty well known lady backpacker (Susan Alcorn aka
>> backpack45) who specializes in keeping things light. The talk was at
>> LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite a couple of years ago. Anyhoo, she said
>> that her metric was two pounds each for: pack, sleeping bag, and tent.
>> That's pretty dependent on where you are and the weather of course.
>> Check out her web site; I'm sure there's more info there.
>> http://www.backpack45.com/
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Leslie Booher
>> To: Ken Bennett ; Mark Hudson ; at-l
>> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:17 PM
>> Subject: Re: [at-l] Lightweight backpacks?
>> Your friend's base weight (everything except food and water) should
>> certainly be under 20 pounds to use one of these packs, but that's not
>> hard
>> to do these days.
>> On the other hand, if your friend is using "traditional" gear -- a 5+
>> pound
>> tent, a 4 pound synthetic sleeping bag, a heavy stove and cook kit, etc.,
>> these light packs probably won't work very well.
>>
>> Even when I started hiking in '89, the recommendation for tents was 3.5
>> lbs
>> per person. Almost any tent these days will fit that formula.
>>
>> I thought the current thinking was (is) all the base items coming in at
>> under 10 lbs. That's pack, sleeping bag, mattress, tent, and cook kit,
>> isn't it? No clothes in that weight, nor food and water, as you say.
>>
>> a'bear
>>
>> Humankind (be both)
>>
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