Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lightweight Gear...

Lots of people posting on the other thread, so I figured we'd start a new post for gear. Let's use this one for gear that people have used and had success with. I've included some websites for people to check out.

http://www.golite.com/products/equipment.asp
Favorites are the Golite Gust, and Golite Dawn backpacks

Sleeping Bags - Down
http://www.westernmountaineering.com/index.cfm?section=Products
40 degree bag at 16oz
Western Mountaineering also makes lightweight down vest, jackets

http://marmot.com/products/subcat.php?cat=bags&subcat=61
Marmot Atom – 40degrees at 1lb
Marmot Hydrogen – 30 deg. At 1lb 5oz

Synethetic Bag
http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?site=NA&model=AZG0
north face fission – 20deg synthetic bag at 2lbs4oz

Lightweight Rain Shell
http://marmot.com/products/product.php?cat=cloth&subcat=67&style_id=I5411
Marmot Essence – 7oz rain shell

Lightweight Tents
http://www.bdel.com/gear/superlight_tents_overview.php
Bivy at 9oz, free-standing tents right around 3lbs

Tarps, minimalist shelters
http://www.integraldesigns.com/

Lightweight Stove
http://www.jetboil.com/Products/Cooking-Systems/

Packs
http://www.mountainsmith.com/
http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/index.html
www.cilogear.com

Gusto

I'm trying to go light, but I'm cheap too.
I ordered a stuff-sack kit (and a few extra yards of material) from <a href=http://www.thru-hiker.com/MaterialsStoreMain.asp>www.thru-hiker.com </a> and got my wife to show me how to use her sewing machine. I made 5 or 6 stuff sacks, a superlight SilNylon pack cover and a waterproof cover for my Ursack for about $20 total. Next step is to try one of their down jacket kits...
Oh yeah, the 20 oz. <a href=http://www.ursack.com/home.htm>Ursack Hybrid</a>. Not only is it lighter than a hard canister but you can cinch down the aluminum liner to make it smaller as you use food.
Also, I can't afford the La Sportiva Trango S EVO GTX boots spoken so highly of in the other lightweight gear threads, so instead I got the 2 pound Trango Guides for $95 and waterproofed the tar out of them. Got a little moisture in kicking steps with crampons, but smartwool socks kept it manageable.
I bought a military surplus GoreTex bivy sack on E-Bay for about $40, fixed the holes with seam-sealer and renewed the waterproofing with some wash-in stuff. I'm not sure how much it weighs total, but it means no tent poles, stakes or tent body to add weight.

Some lighter gear:

www.gossamergear.com
Has many lightweight items, including the popular G4 pack that I've used for years. Glen also has some insanely light packs for the ultralight fanatic.

www.sixmoondesigns.com
Ron is a long distance hiker that has a great two-pound two-man tent that really is a tent, and some interesting packs and other gear.

www.tarptent.com
Henry is another long distance hiker with several varieties of tarp tents with and without floors.

www.ula-equipment.com
I almost forgot Brian, who received an award from Backpacker magazine for his packs that are light but have a bit more support for those transitioning to ultralight. Also check out his Helix Potty Trowel with carbon fiber handle!

Impartial backpack gear reviews:

www.backpackgeartest.org
I've been testing gear for them since they started in 2000. Write reviews on the gear they send you and keep it when you're done. I wouldn't call it free as it is a bit of work, but our reviews call them like we see them.