A A. from United States, PA Public Profile

I was hoping to replace a Castelli merino baselayer top (244g) in my ultralight mountain hiking packlist, and gain some options for intermediate conditions. Unfortunately it weighs 424g (size L) which is too large a weight hit. The fit is great (I'm 6'2" 180lb), and it looks good, so I'll find some other uses.

For comparison, my primary jacket is a Patagonia ultralight down hoodie weighing 324g, and my rain jacket weighs 100g.

I run 4-5 times a week totaling about 30 miles, 1-2 times on trails. This is my first pair of Hoka One One shoes, and I can understand the praise they get. They are super-comfortable, grippy, and stable. On smooth downhills they let me relax more while maintaining control, and thus recover better. They are not as light as my other shoes (mostly Mizuno) so I wouldn't use them for track workouts, and I don't know about races yet, but I can see them becoming my default training shoe.

I'm hiking ultralight in the high Sierras this spring, and considered only taking shorts. After a test hike in similar temperatures, I reconsidered and selected these. They're 1/3 the weight of a pair of jeans, water resistant, stretchy, and comfortable. They only add a little warmth, but they'll be a lifesaver in windy or rainy conditions. I could see using them for spring skiing 50-60F too. They're wide enough to go over ski boots.

This backpack weighs a pound. The next lightest here (with similar capacity) is two pounds. It achieves this by using lightweight materials and by not having a frame, external or internal. For comfort it depends on having a sleeping pad flat in the interior against your back. If you load it with heavy equipment it will break. It probably has a weight limit, but if your pack is going to weigh more than 20lbs loaded, you should get a stronger pack.

With a tent like Fly Creek UL1, and a bag like Western Mountaineering HighLite, and a pad like Z Lite Sol, and some carbon poles, and some trail runners, no stove, and fat-rich foods you can hike ultra-light and still be comfortable. REI doesn't sell this pack anymore, or any other like it, because people bought it without understanding it and were disappointed.

I bought this pack as a replacement for the same model that arrived defective. The shoulder straps had been threaded wrong thought the ladder-lock adjustment and could not be re-threaded. The manufacturer's customer support was poor. The second one was fine.