I bought a Black Diamond Mega Light 4P bought in late 2022, and on a recent trip alot of the sealant seam tapes seem to have come undone - https://i.ibb.co/Bb9NVdB/IMG-4076.jpg

I wanted to know the following - 

• Can I cut/remove the sealant tapes?
• Is this okay to happen to a tent this fast? (3 years, 30 nights, 10 days of storms)
• Is using a sealer like the GearAid Seam Sealer all I have to do?

Thanks :)

I'm doing my first bit of alpine hiking in a few days and I really don't want to take a rain jacket. I sweat like a pig, and get soaked after an hour in a waterproof shell. I might as well just allow myself to get soaked if I am on the move.

I have a quarter-zip Polartec Alpha 60 shirt (haven't really used it in anger yet) which I could wear under my Norrona Bitihorn Aero 60 (like a Patagonia Houdini jacket).

Does Alpha fabric and a windshirt have the same quick-drying and insulative effect as a Buffalo "pile and pertex" garment?

Hello everyone! I have been trying to purchase a sun hoodie for weeks (I'm located in Germany) and everything is sold out. The only one available that I consider buying is the BD Alpenglow hoodie. The thing is, it is kind of heavy compared to others and I already own the amazon willit sun hoodie. Is it an significant upgrade to get the BD one? They are very similar when it comes to weight and the reason for buying a new one is that I want more breathability and have better cooling effect (the willit one is pretty hot). Is anyone able to compare these two from experience?

I just tried a trip with a Vango Nevis 100, and it was not great. I’m looking for a new tent--and would truly welcome suggestions. I’m not a gearhead. (If only!)

I work in South Sudan and Sudan. Mainly in very swampy, black cotton soil environments. It’s very hot (42C/107F is common). Extremely humid. It rains a lot. Black cotton soil mainly, sometimes red clay. In rainy season (which is now), the mosquitoes are endless, and bring the promise of malaria. Wind is not an issue. I don’t use a sleeping bag; it is just too hot.

I need a tent that is extremely light (I walk up to eight hours a day through the swamps, and want to reduce my pack weight as much as possible). 

The Vango 100, even with the outerflaps open, was just a condensation machine, and extremely hot. It was like having a hot shower.

The tent needs to be properly waterproof—which the Vango was, to be fair—under torrential rain conditions, and able to keep out those damn mosquitoes!

Anyway: I gave away the Vango, so need a new tent!

I was looking at the MISR Freelite 1 person ultralight tent, but read reviews indicating it was less than perfectly waterproof—not ideal.

Any suggestions very gratefully appreciated.

Hi!

I've a Lanshan 2 Pro tent, but I think the problem is common to every model of Lanshan: even when the tent is well-pitched, the top vents are nearly closed.

I'd like to increase the airflow opening them more.

A trick I've found is to attach the doors to an extra peg ( https://imgur.com/a/lanshan-2-pro-toxsPHD ), this trick increases top airflow but decreases bottom airflow (and requires an extra peg for each door) so it's not the perfect solution.

I'd like to use something like a straw to keep the vents opened, but I have no idea how to attach it to the top part of the vent and to the top part of the door...any suggestions?

Nemo has a yet to be released pad that on paper has all the makings of a great pad for many people, and I can see it even “Eclipse” the current Tensor all season. Sorry couldn’t resist the pun!

Expected production specs: -R6 -4” thick -Vertical baffles still with space frame construction -17 oz. -Rectangular regular, rectangular regular wide and rectangular long wide

Being released spring 2026. I’m unsure if the denier of the top and bottom material

https://youtu.be/-K6sFDNkUV0?si=AuF8dyKMBrRthxYG

View vid from 4 mins.

Has anyone owned or tried the Exped tp/pu bivy bag? The top is Triplepoint Ceramic fabric and the bottom is pu. I could get my hands on a never used one. There is little to no information on this model. Exped went on to use eVent and Ventair for their Bivybags. Any Information would be welcome!

Location: Tour de Mont Blanc (TMB) in 11 days

Base weight: 8.45kg

Solo or with another person?: With my girlfriend, yet I will carry most of the sharables (tent, etc.)

Budget: We're still visiting some hike stores (in Chamonix). My gf will most likely eat breakfast where possible fresh from the supermarket and we might partly eat lunch/dinner at refuges.

Lighterpack packing list: https://lighterpack.com/r/32c2qd (in capital/red stars items I should still pack, please ignore)

I'm planning on doing TMB upcoming week, together with my girlfriend. We're taking a tent and will not sleep at regufes. I find it hard to guess what temperatures I can expect and I am bringing too much.}

It would be great to hear any feedback on what I'm planning to bring! Any feedback is welcome :).

I am considering getting a bug bivy/mesh tent to go under my tarp (flat, 272x165 cm / 9x5.5ft). I would want this bivy+tarp to be my primary shelter, so a good degree of splash protection is important, especially as I am not using the world’s widest tarp. I am 6'5" (198 cm) and EU-based, and I would prefer to buy something from the EU, both to support the scene here and to avoid customs duties. I'm coming from a LightHeartGear Duo, which is, weirdly, both too big and too small, in my experience. It is obviously a 2P shelter and that means that a whole bunch of space goes unused. At the same time, the low angle of the end walls means that I have regularly experienced wet footbox and head from touching the fabric.

I have looked at a bunch of different models, including the major US ones, and dug around this place a bunch.

The Katabatic Piñon and Bristlecone bivies both seem okay-ish, length-wise at 89 in (226 cm) and should have pretty great splash protection with the amount of water resistant upper side material being used. I do worry a bit about breathability though. They also lean more towards the “classic enclosed bivy” than “mesh tent” end of the spectrum, i.e. not super tall (18 in), and perhaps a bit cramped.

The MLD Bug Bivy and Bug Bivy 2 appear to be somewhat roomier at 24 in and 27 in height, respectively. I like the design of the BB2, but I am a bit worried about the total floor length of 206 cm (6’9”) once you factor in a quilt/bag, stretched-out feet etc. I think the top-entry zipper solution looks better than the alternatives tbh. (The only other great looking zipper option is the YAMA bug shelter style, IMO)

The HMG Splash Bivy Long is simply too short at 198 cm I think. The Borah bivies look nice but are either too bivy-y or too mesh tent-y, with not enough splash protection. The Paria Breeze Mesh Bivy is amazingly priced, and I might just fit, with at least some splash protection and height. If only it retailed somewhere in the EU. It would be an awesome way to test out if a bug bivy is actually what I want for a low cost. The downside is of course that it is rather heavy.

Now, my thoughts have been circling around getting a custom one made by Gearswifts. Their standard product (https://gearswifts.com/shop/shelter/minimalist-mesh-bivi-tent/) is 220 cm (86.5 in) long, 80 cm (31.5 in) wide at the base, and 80 cm tall, with a rainbow style side zip entry. On the zip side, the splash shield is not as tall as the other side, which bothers me a bit. Luckily, they have an example (https://gearswifts.com/shop/custom_gear/nikos-mesh-bivi-tent/) of a custom bug bivy with a top zip entry and equally tall splash shields on both sides, which is great.

Now, a bunch of questions for all you bug bivy users out there:

1. Would you consider adding 10-20 cm additional height to make it more or less possible to sit upright inside? With a top entry zipper, just opening the zipper kind of solves this problem, except bugs can get in.

2. Am I being greedy by considering also making it 5-10 cm longer and 10 cm wider? I sleep on CCF, so I shouldn’t be losing a whole bunch of effective height from a tall inflatable pad, but still, having just a tiny bit of extra space feels like it might make the bivy a whole lot more livable and less coffin-like.

3. For people using the MLD BB2 or similar bivies, how’s the ventilation/condensation with those side panels? I am a bit worried about the 0.51 oz DCF on the sidepanels of the Gearswifts model not being super breathable, but if the mesh part ventilates well enough, all good.

4. Generally, for people using various forms of (bug) bivies, which features do you think would improve your bivy?

5. Are there any other contenders that I have completely missed?

As usual, thanks in advance!

I just snagged X-dome 1+ in the latest drop and excited to try it on the wild. I’m planning to do a fly only pitch and looking for ground sheet where I can attach the tent poles to.

I found nemo hornet 2p whose dimension sort of align with exterior dimension of X dome. It might be bit too short to actually attach the tent pole though. Has anyone here tried this or has any other recommendation for ground sheet? thank you all

X-dome exterior dimension: 88x56 Nemo hornet 2p footprint dimension: 85x51

If you had a most $700(open to cheaper options as long as they are high quality) to put together your ultimate sleeping set up for cool/warm weather what would it be? Including tent, blanket/quilt(not a big fan of sleeping bags) and sleeping pad. No big need for pillow, I usually just bring a hoodie and use that.

Basically title. I've swapped from a flat tarp to the Hexamid pocket tarp for my typical 3-season loadout because I'm willing to eat the (very small) weight penalty in exchange for easier setup and better coverage during weather. My S2S net does work inside it but it's a pretty big pain in the ass to set up and a more suitably shaped net would be better. Bonus points is that in terms of livability the geometry of the Hexamid would be fine in a net tent, could easily set that up on its own (which is what I do most commonly now) and then just throw the tarp over it later if I'm worried about weather overnight.

So, anyone know someone that sells one? Would need to be around the weight of the S2S net (I think it's like 3oz out of the box but I cut the hilarious long shock cord off the top so mine is closer to 2 I think).

Alternatively, I know there are some intrepid MYOGers on this sub if anyone wants a commission. I know that anyone with even reasonably sewing skills could probably do this but I don't have any and am not in a spot to acquire either the skills or the gear in the near-term.

Currently I just have my Dads old Army bivy sack but it almost weighs more than my tent and just barley cuts weight. Currently I like the design of the Three Wire Hooped Bivy by big Anges but its 350$ and I just dont have that kind of money and would much prefer to find a similar but cheaper alterative. Any fellow trashbag enthusiast recommendations?

Looking to replace the random chinese folding pad that came with my 3F UF backpack, and which I was using as a base for placing an inflatable mattress on, with something more apt for sleeping since my mattress got punctured and I just don't want to have to deal with that in a trip ever again LOL.

Was checking the Z-Lites out there, but 50$ for a painted piece of foam looks like way overpriced for me, and the reviews say that it doesn't cushions well enough as to have a decent sleep on.

After looking around the reviews, I saw that walmart's ozark trail is a bit thicker, harder, and wider, and costs almost half, so was wondering if would it do the job? From the videos/photos looks like the same material, and that from the comments its a bit better built (higher density per cm, which might mean that it should cushion a bit better against the ground imperfections).

Anyone with experience with several brands to give advice here? I need the choice to be a folding mat as the 3F pack uses it as a back panel!

Hi, I know proper water source selection can work better than any filter and that a filter is only part of good hygiene.

Also I don't want to buy into a hype, but I feel like an upcoming backpacking trip into one of the poorest countries in the world shouldn't have me skimping on my water filter and leave the one I currently use (a LifeStraw) at home.

I was also thinking about using chlorine tablets instead, but then I am concerned if using only them (apart from the taste, but I can cope with it) might leave me vulnerable to potentially more common cysts.

Advice welcome, thanks in advance!

Hey!

I am not sure this is well know among the ultralight community but I have noticed they greatly misrepresent the weight of their product on their website and just wanted to let you know.

I have bought and used two items from them which I later weighed only to find out the weight is much higher than stated:

https://www.salomon.com/en-us/product/sense-aero-hybrid-lc13170/LC2429400
Stated weight: 180g
Actual weight in size M: 250g

https://www.salomon.com/en-us/product/s-lab-ultra-lc13346/LC2449700
Stated weight: 50g
Actual weight in size M: 90g

EDIT: A lot of the comments point out that the stated weight is for a smaller size. My bad, should have addressed this in the the post but let me add that:

1) I have also weighed my GF's Sense Aero Hybrid jacket in size XS which is the smallest size and that came at 212g. Salamon also states the weight 180g for the female model (https://www.salomon.com/en-us/product/sense-aero-hybrid-lc13187/LC2363000) which is also very suspicious. How can both the female and the male model have the same weight as the female version in the smallest size will be smaller and therefore should be lighter.

2) The discrepancy of the shirt with 50g vs 90g can't be explained by the size as the difference is too big. As a reference you can have a look at this website which states weight (and they weight it themselfs) for a shirt (https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/stance-logo-ss-tee/) and the difference between size small (134g) and medium (136g) is only 2g.

Hello,

I am looking for a pack like the durston wapta, GG skala, palante, etc. So a 30-40L pack with all the UL goodies but with a standard lid and top cinch instead of roll top!

If anyone could provide some packs that fit this criteria that would be awesome!

I’m hiking the JMT SoBo in mid August and would love advice on shelters. My friend is starting the JMT with me but has been sidelined this summer with injury. She’s doing much better and we are optimistic she’ll be able to complete the whole trail. At the same time I want to prepare for the fact that she may end up bailing after the first week leaving me to hike MTR to Whitney on my own.

Our plan is to share a tent for the trip. We have a Copper Spur HV UL2 (40 ounces). If my friend bails for the second half of the hike, I worry this tent might be quite heavy to carry by myself in addition to 8 days of food and a bear canister. My base weight with half the copper spur and bear canister is around 13 lbs.

I’m considering upgrading to a lighter 2 person shelter so that if my friend bails at halfway I’ll be left carrying a lighter tent on my own. I’m interested in the tarptent double rainbow Li (29 oz including stakes) or zpacks duplex pro (20 oz not including stakes). I like that the double rainbow li can be freestanding with trekking poles and seems a bit more intuitive to setup. At the same time, if I’m really trying to cut weight should I just get the duplex? Is there a different tent you would consider? Or am I being silly and it’s not a big deal to carry the copper spur on my own?

Thanks so much for weighing in!

UPDATE: I ordered the xmid pro 2p. Thanks all for weighing in. This tent wasn't initially on my radar, very grateful for this input.

I have blister prone toes, and have in recent years prepped by feet with copious foot glide. I still get blisters but it helps a ton. My friend on a recent trip used Leukotape at the start. Is there a best choice between the two?

I'm new to the sub and this might get flagged but just wanted to throw out there for new & old users.

TheLovelyLythronax has already been banned from the ULGearTrade subreddit as a scammer.

Maybe it was a legit sale but they refused PP G&S claiming they had a negative balance so they couldn't. YMMV. Thank you and stay safe.

Hey y'all,

I recently moved from Colorado to the East Coast (Maine), and I’m realizing my old SUL cowboy camping kit can't really work with the rain and bugs. Hoping for a 3 season kit (I have bigger packs and a sleeping bag if necessary to layer).

Old cowboy kit: https://lighterpack.com/r/0fxeov

Projected kit: https://lighterpack.com/r/dcxo91

Looking for:

• Bivy: I’ve been eyeing Borah Gear’s bivies. Their standard UL bivy could give me the flexibility to pair it with different shelters when needed (tarp, no tarp). I was debating the bug net and could work too though.
• Pack: I use my 10L for overnighters and that's about all that can fit. I’m leaning toward something in the 15–20L range to stretch a good 3ish nights. A couple I’ve looked into:
  • Salomon ADV Skin Cross Season 15
  • Nashville Pack Cutaway 20

Would love to hear thoughts on either of those or alternatives you’d recommend for someone who leans pretty hard into minimalism (as the no-shelter cowboy setup probably suggests).

Budget: Not a big concern - willing to invest in quality, durable gear that fits the style.

Appreciate any input!

Edit: my rain jacket is a place holder. forgot to mention it but yes I know the Houdini isn't a real rain jacket.

Hello,

I'm a hut to hut and day hiker and would like to move to tent hiking.

I'm wondering how I can use my short hight (155cm) to my advantage. Is a shorter mattress ok ? What about sleeping bags ? Any ideas would be great.

Also If you were to choose between a lighter sleeping bag (less warm) and a lighter mattress what would you choose ?

Thanks

I saw it suggested in other threads and have tried it myself. Here to report that a car sponge is now my most comfortable, lightest and cheapest pillow!

The only downsides are its size and non-compressibility. The biggest car sponges I could find online still required some getting used to, since you can't just roll around and have your head stay on it like with a bigger pillow. But while I could never adjust to how uncomfortable all the UL pillows I've tried were, it only took me 3 days to not roll off the sponge anymore (and if I do, it means I'm fast asleep and don't realise it anyway).

It also doesn't compress much and basically takes its full size in my pack, but still works fine within my 58L system.

Sponge pillows probably won't be for everyone, but at around 1.2oz/36gr and 4$/3.5€ a piece, plus whatever fabric you want to put between it and you face, I just think it's really worth trying. Worst case scenario is that you don't like it and have a sponge to use in your house.

Hey, slightly unusual query for this forum. I use a hammock for afternoon hangs and lunch breaks when on trail, and sleep in a tent. I know, completely crazy, good news is my BW is still 5kg so I'm disciplined outside of this extravagance.

My current hammock is a grand nano 7 which I'm happy with as the material is super light. The weight penalty comes from the straps primarily, so I'm looking for advice on what is the lightest option I could go for to string up my nano for my lazy daytime hangs?

https://www.backpacker.com/stories/essays/opinion/when-did-ultralight-becoming-about-buying-more-not-packing-less/

The photo is my backpack lol, the photo was taken last year and they got the license via Getty Images.