May 31, 2012Ultralight Gear: Mark’s High 5

Are you into ultralight camping and hiking gear? Have you only heard of it? It makes a huge difference to literally take a load of your back. Hiking gear companies are constantly one-upping each other in ingenuity in the art & science of making durable ultralight gear. Mark shares some of his favourites. Not all of them of course, he likes keeping secrets

-Juan Altitude

1. MSR Microrocket

Remember camping as kids with those massive Coleman duelburner stoves that were so light and compact you could easily fit it into the back of your van? Yeah, me neither, and if you do MSR wants you to forget about it. What more can I say, the lightest and smallest stove MSR makes. The 73 gram cooking stove boils a liter of water in 3.5 minutes. What the…and it’s not even $40. You win this round MSR.

2. Osprey Hornet 32

I was at our warehouse demanding why I never get my paychecks (it turns out you have to work to get paid) and started lurking the aisles of products. I saw this pack and had to have it based solely on its paper-thin appearance. Osprey’s Hornet line is ULTRALIGHT! If you turn it sideways it disappears, no joke. Not for the person who likes hiking in jeans, this pack is stripped down to the essentials and nothing more. Like a rice cracker, this pack is for the weight conscious.

3. NeoAir XLite

Remember camping as kids with those massive inflatable mattresses that were so compact it only took you 45 minutes to get it into their hockey bag sized stuff sack? Erase those painful memories thanks to the new NeoAir XLite mattress by Therm-a-rest. I never thought the Prolite could be improved upon but the NeoAir is tiny. TINY. It packs down to the size of a the word TINY on this screen. Almost. Great insulating rating as well due to the minuscule reflective layer wedged inside by Oompa Loompas.

4. Merrell Trail Glove Barefoot Shoe

Running shoes are getting down to anorexic levels, I admit, but what would happen if you stripped off all that (useless) heel cushioning: Kablam-o it is now ultralight. The Barefoot craze is taking off so don’t get left behind. Merrell’s Trail Glove is an awesome choice for the runner looking to hit the woods and run in the style in which our bodies have evolved. I can guaranty you that when you pick up the box you will think the nutter’s at Altitude-sports.com forgot to put the shoes in the box.

5. Sea to Summit Delta Spork

I smell like crap, my hair is unwashed and may have a spider living in it somewhere, but come dinner time I really want to eat like a French Duke with a full set of cutlery. No sir, thank you very much, I will take this Sea to Summit Delta Spork. Sure I might look like a monkey eating with this utensil, but damn is it ever a weight saver. My only suggestion for your fast-and-lighters is to drill holes in it for maximum weight savings.

Cheerio

Mark Altitude

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High 5 of The Classiest Sh*t You Can Find in the Outdoors!!!