lighten up if I could.I decided to get a lighter down jacket. I did a previous post on the Montbell Ex Light Down Jacket which weighed in at 4.7 oz. (med.) with 1.4 oz of fill. Well these just came out so I decided to look for a sale instead! I found the Montbell Ultra Light Jacket on sale for $85 at Bent Gate Mountaineering, http://www.bentgate.com/ I just couldn't pass this up. The jacket retails for $145 so this was a pretty good deal. It's a women's large and weighs in at 7.5 oz. with about 1.8 oz. of 800 fill powder.
I've been using a Nike down jacket with unknown fill that weighed in at 24 oz. so this purchase has saved me a little over a pound! I got the Nike jacket last January at Dick's on clearance for $99. It's warm but not light. Now I'm hoping the Montbell will be light and warm! This is my downfall on going ultralight...I just can't stay warm. So I'll be trying the jacket out next weekend on a two night trip to GSMNP.
I picked up some super light rope/cord for tying up my food bag and rigging my tarp. It's .9 oz. for 50 ft. of reflective AirCore Pro Dyneema cord with 12 cam-locking tensioners. This is from Bozeman Mountain Works and was about $15. My old rope was from REI and weighed 2.9 oz. for 50 ft.
I bought a Ultralight Equinox Poncho/Tarp from http://www.campmor.com/ for $39. It weighs in at 7.7 oz. now here is my rationalization for this purchase: In a previous post I was griping 
about the Tarptent Rainbow misting on me after being rained on for two days straight. So I am thinking this piece of gear can be used as a pack cover or poncho (although I have rain gear) and then strung over my tent as a rain fly if I'm expecting foul weather. I wont bother taking it if the weather is to be nice or for overnights. I got it in particular for a week long AT hike coming at the end of the month. I like the idea of a little added insurance for my down sleeping bag. SO...as far as weight goes this one adds to the bottom line! Boo! My pack cover weighs in at 2.2 oz. so that's an increase of 5.5 oz., I could use the poncho instead of rain jacket and pants and decrease my weight but then I can't wear it and cover my tent with it so I'm a bit stuck there. I could take it on overnights only when it would really be an issue for my tent. Well, it will all work out eventually! For now let's say 5.5 oz. gain plus a big gain in confidence that my tent will stay dry on rainy multi-night trips!
about the Tarptent Rainbow misting on me after being rained on for two days straight. So I am thinking this piece of gear can be used as a pack cover or poncho (although I have rain gear) and then strung over my tent as a rain fly if I'm expecting foul weather. I wont bother taking it if the weather is to be nice or for overnights. I got it in particular for a week long AT hike coming at the end of the month. I like the idea of a little added insurance for my down sleeping bag. SO...as far as weight goes this one adds to the bottom line! Boo! My pack cover weighs in at 2.2 oz. so that's an increase of 5.5 oz., I could use the poncho instead of rain jacket and pants and decrease my weight but then I can't wear it and cover my tent with it so I'm a bit stuck there. I could take it on overnights only when it would really be an issue for my tent. Well, it will all work out eventually! For now let's say 5.5 oz. gain plus a big gain in confidence that my tent will stay dry on rainy multi-night trips!Finally, I picked up a 2 pack of polycro ground sheets from Gossamer Gear. The pair was $6 and each one weighs 1.7 oz. compared to the 4.7 oz. ground cloth I was using (an old silver emergency blanket). So, I got a 3 oz. savings for $2. It may weigh even less once I set up my tent and cut it down to size.
So, there you have it. I may be able to grab a few more things once the tax refund check comes in! ;-) I have reduced my total pack weight by one pound with the purchases I made this time.
