Thread: Lightening the gear load...

Rightly or wrongly, I have set off on a mission to lighten the weight of the gear I carry when out hunting... I certainly don't have it nailed down (far from it in fact) and I'm just adding things as I can afford (sneek past the CFO) or as gear wears out. The majority of my multi day trips are after tahr or chamois, which means that for a lot of things I don't feel comfortable going to extremely light (or the lightest) options. This is evident in my choices of sleeping bag and tent for example...

For a couple reasons really for going lighter,
1: within reason, a lighter pack will mean more ground covered and covered with more ease (its not that easy though!)
2: Almost seems counter-productive, but it also means I am likely to carry more gear... By that I mean gear that I had elected to leave at camp previously because I couldn't be bothered carrying it. Things like sleeping gear, spotting scope, rain/warm gear (even during settled weather), DSLR camera etc...

So far I have replaced or purchased specifically for its lighter weight:
Tarptent Moment DW tent. Weighs 1kg with 2 carbon fibre poles. Replaces my MSR Hubba Hubba (so not strictly comparable as its a 2 person tent vs 1 person) which is a kg heavier and not as sturdy in the wind
Kifaru Duplex Timberline 2 pack. Replaced several packs, but mainly a Eberlestock J34. Kifaru is 1.1kg lighter and reportedly far superior (I haven't received it yet)
Katabatic Gear Alsek sleeping quilt. Rated to -7 degrees, weighs 600g. Doesn't strictly replace a sleeping bag as my main winter bag weighs as much as my new tent and the quilt combined! But then I used to carry that sleeping bag around so I suppose I am saving 1kg when I do carry the new one!
Exped UL Downmat. Much warmer and lighter than my previous mat, and 1/2 the packed volume.
Carbon fibre tripod for spotting scope.
Kovea Titanium Stove. Contemplating getting a Jetboil Sol Titanium. I know there are far lighter alcohol/hexa stoves out there too, but I haven't even begun to look into these yet...

I'm currently working my way through my clothing, but struggling to make a decision on what to get...

I would like to replace my current Macpac Resolution Jacket with something lighter and more compact but still retain durability. Current thinking is an Arc'Teryx Theta AR, which is about 260g lighter than the Macpac, and should be at least as durable. I'm struggling with the price however... I also struggle with the offerings of pretty much all the hunting clothing companies. Most are pretty heavy, with pockets that are useless when wearing a pack (hipbelt). The only ones that slightly interest me are the Sitka Dewpoint (but the cut is pretty short) and the Kuiu Chugach NX (but its only available in camo - which I'm not that keen on wearing around town etc...).

I also want to buy a lightweight down hooded jacket to replace my (awesomely warm, but bulky and heavy) Macpac Equinox XPD. Currently considering Mont Bell, Haglofs, or Arc'Teryx options. All weigh around 280g and pack down really small. The jacket will be used as a layer while glassing (either under the above hardshell jacket or my Sitka Jetstream softshell, so doens't need to be overly durable or weather proof. It will also form part of a sleeping system, adding warmth to my quilt. I really want a hooded jacket for this reason, but also I think for the little extra weight the increase in warm value far exceeds the weight of the hood.

Replacing these 2 jackets will save me roughly 850g and a heap of space.

So these items alone will save me a total of around 5kg from my original kit, that I will certainly take!

So what are you guys/girls doing/wearing/carrying when it comes to light weight options? Does anyone have some first hand experience with the jackets I'm considering above or have other options that I should be looking at?

Cheers