15 Amazon Ultralight Hiking Gear Everyone IGNORES (But There Absolute Goldmines), by Trail Ranked on YouTube. 18 min 1 s.
- Video length
- 18 min 1 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Weigh every item in your pack on a kitchen scale and write the grams on a list. This shows which heavy items are worth replacing first.
Replace your tent with a trekking pole shelter such as the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo or 3F UL Gear Lanshan 1 Pro. These save a lot of weight because they use your poles instead of tent poles.
Cut a ground sheet from window insulation film sold at hardware stores. It protects your tent floor for a fraction of the weight of a footprint.
Line your pack with an unscented white compactor bag and put your sleeping bag inside. It keeps the bag dry and costs very little.
Swap your rain jacket and pants for a light Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 set. It is cheap and packs small, though it is less durable than expensive shells.
Carry a BRS-3000T stove for boiling water. It weighs about an ounce and is enough for dehydrated meals.
Use a Nitecore NU25 UL headlamp and an NB10000 Gen 2 power bank to cut charging weight. Both are small and light for their output.
Treat water with a Sawyer filter plus Katadyn Micropur MP1 tablets. The tablets cover viruses that a filter alone cannot stop.
Add small repair items: Gear Aid Tenacious Tape, silnylon patches and Leukotape P for blisters and gear fixes. A Deuce #2 trowel covers bathroom trips.
Weigh the new load and compare it to your first list. Repeat with the next heaviest item until you reach your target base weight.
Tips and common mistakes
Check the sold by seller on each Amazon listing, since some popular items have lookalikes.
Weigh items yourself instead of trusting listed weights, as they are often optimistic.
Do not cut your sleeping bag or shelter until you have tested the replacement on a short trip.
Treat clothing and water with permethrin away from cats and follow the label directions.
Questions
What is base weight?
Base weight is everything in your pack except food, water and the clothes you wear. Most ultralight hikers aim for under 10 pounds.
Is cheap Amazon gear reliable enough for a thru-hike?
Some items like the BRS stove and compactor bag are proven. Others vary by seller, so read recent reviews and test gear before a long trip.
Do I need trekking poles for a pole tent?
Yes, shelters like the Lunar Solo and Lanshan 1 Pro pitch on trekking poles. Set the pole length to the height the tent instructions give.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
