how do YOU cut weight from your kit?

[DLottmann]

All I know is I wear one lightweight techwick t-shirt, 1 powerstretch hoodie (all synthetic), a softshell with a down puffy in the pack and sometimes carry a hardshell... and after a long day in the mountains my t-shirt is bone dry while enjoying a pint at the Moat....

What happens to your soaking wet cotton t-shirt after you remove it from your warm body? It becomes a frozen brick.

Jesus you are the best troll alive.

Cotton long underwear in winter... can't believe I fell for that one...

[lucky luke]

What happens to your soaking wet cotton t-shirt after you remove it from your warm body? It becomes a frozen brick.

You know that sweat was produce by your body. It is the water that we found in wet cotton t-shirt. Do you think that wearing hydrofuge garment will protect you from sweating?

If you make an energy budget, you will understand that the energy that you use to evaporate the water from your fabrick is far more important than changing a cotton t-shirt when it is wet. I won't say that it is good for all purposes. For me, in climbing situataion it is very good.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of lipid (or fortunately), so I'm freezing rapidly. And when you are warm, removing clothes is not so terrible. But it is not a recommandation. Test it, after a first hike in winter on mt washington, test it in cold weather. don't wait to be in an expose area before removing your t-shirt, Remove it in a shade area.

[sneoh]

So you strip down to skin to change a soaked cotton t-shirt

Funny, that was the first thing I thought of when I read it.
I know I am not hardy enough to go bare chest and back in sub freezing temp to change a T shirt.
The situation will have to be pretty dire for me to go half naked in sub freezing temp.
LL must be a "polar bear".  Come take a dip off MA Coast this winter!!

[DLottmann]

... or do you think that wearing hydrofuge garment will protect you from sweating?
...

We've all known for 15+ years synthetics don't stop you from sweating, they simply dry faster... you're still trolling me aren't you... damn you are good...

[JBro]

The weight of 10 dry cotton t-shirts is at least 60 ounces -- great tip for going light! If you're lucky you will die of hypothermia so you don't have to lump them back out when they're all soaked and frozen.

[lucky luke]

If you're lucky you will die of hypothermia so you don't have to lump them back out when they're all soaked and frozen.

I camped at temperature under minus 20 for six years and I never had a problem with cold. I used a sleeping bag rate minus 12, I climbed la pomme d'or and in the night that we went out, it was close to minus thirty in the valley.

I told you what I used for my set up and I never had a problem. I think it is knowledge and experiences. I had a master degree in biology. In my field, I study the adaptation of animal to cold and there is many way to survive. I don't say try some thing hard with cotton, I just said try it ounce or twice and decide what you like.

I had a lot of fun and some time I was miserable because I made mistake. It is not to be the first, but just to know that some thing amasing is feasible and safe if we keep our mind open

[DaveR]

Read Wildthings old blurb light is right, if you can find it...more wisdom in one page than anything.

i read it in'81 and it still holds true.

"Light is right, strong is not wrong." JB

[ralbert20]

I make my partner carry everything.

[pappy]

Big dog. I had a 95lb. Lab and I made her carry rope, shoes, guidebook, water, her food, anything else I could think of up to 15lbs. She didn't give a crap, and much warmer than a soaked T-shirt if you needed to huddle in the cold.

[ELM]

Back to the topic...
    I carry one primaloft puffy, compressed in a stuff sack, a first aid kit and extra pair of gloves maybe an extra hat. Then a small lunch plus just one liter of water.
    It may sound basic but I cut the most weight by making sure I know what my partner is bringing and what I need. I carried around slings and screws for a while when we just didn't need two racks.
    This season I need to upgrade the pack. I have been using a MH Phenom for years. I like the ice tool attachment and it's the right size. The buckles are failing and it just is not that comfortable after 2-3 hours.

[hobbsj]

Elm hit a good point that I started really started paying attention to this year-- check what your partner has.  It sounds stupid, but so often, we would get to the base of a climb and my buddy had decided to grab piece of gear x "just because" so we had 18 screws, 4 or 5 which were dull but we packed in because, why not. 

Also, try a smaller pack.  A bigger one just gets filled with more and more.  Some of the ultralight stuff sacrifices comfort for weight.  So it may be worth the extra half pound if a bag is more comfortable and allows you to move more easily.  But counteract this by getting a bag just big enough for what you need without space for lots of extras like a wardrobe of cotton t-shirts. I barely fit my gear with my helmet flopping around on the outside(I think this would be classified as a jerk alert and makes me unsafe according to an article in another post).  I may have gone a tad too small, but I can't over-pack.  I use that pack for a car to car trip like shoe-string or up willard and walking back to the car.  I have a more comfy pack that allows me to haul anything and everything I could need pluis a big camera and whatever else.  This gets pulled out for days when I'm doing multi-pitches but returning to my big bag.  With it goes a $20 bag from REI that is basically a stuff sack with straps and a built in sleeve inside.  I cram belay gloves, my poofy (I only own a huge one so that is a hit on space and weight), .5L of water, a bar, and a headlamp in there and use that for the climb.  This system is super light for the actual climb and lets me sort gear in case I want a thermos of tea at the base or want to take a bit more in to the base.

LL- For us old  guys who remember the show "In Living Color,"  there was a recurring skit of a guy in prison who tried to use a very large vocabulary, but never actually never used the words correctly.  When you try to explain things in depth, you're that guy.  Keep it simple as you can have good ideas on things.

[lucky luke]

LL- [...]   Keep it simple as you can have good ideas on things.

It is always a problem to wrote in an other language than mine. Even in french, it is hard to explain phenomena like conduction, radiation and convection to people who read the tag of a garment and make generalization. I also test synthetic product and froze completely. 

Some of my friend gave me trick that I don't understand at first and, after many reading, I finally found why my partner is true. Old guy have many experiences and they often forget that they learned it when they try it in control environment. Emphasis what I am saying if you think that it is a good idea is, in some point, very important. 

Few week ago, it was minus 20 just outside my front door. I have to think that my answer can influence people who leave where the temperature is mostly above fifteen. So I wrote it in bold to protect those people.

All in all, I prefer to have writing problem than to place other person in danger. Saying that a bag most be just the good size is not a big deal. Saying "without space for lots of extras like a wardrobe of cotton t-shirt" it is a good way to use the language to insult in other person with a joke.     

[JBro]

It is always a problem to wrote in an other language than mine. Even in french, it is hard to explain phenomena like conduction, radiation and convection to people who read the tag of a garment and make generalization. I also test synthetic product and froze completely.
 

Pro tip: don't take the synthetic off and it won't freeze! When you stop moving put a puffy on right over the synthetic. You will remain warm and the synthetic will dry quickly. More importantly, you won't have to lug around 10 frozen cotten t-shirts.

[strandman]

I think i see a route name-

Frozen Cotton T Shirts


The best thing to carry is the ability to turn around before the shit hits

[MT]

Building on what Strand said, leave the ego behind. More weight saved for some than others 

Seriously, weight loss is the key. I never climbed as well as when I was 10 lbs lighter than I am now, and the walks in were so much easier.

Mike