u.w. wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:09 pmcycleguy wrote:....Bolster wrote:I am that market. I've spent hundreds of dollars to shave a few ounces here and there, have opted for less weight rather than comfort, and finally my pack base weight is down to 12 lbs. If you argue "what's a few more ounces" with each added item, you easily end up with a 30 lb baseweight pack and doing half the miles that you could each day.
....
I am that market too (cuben/DCF, 950 fp, polycro, etc...) as are a lot of other folks who carry all they'll need to survive for hundreds, or thousands, of miles of travel by foot in the wilds, on their back in a relatively small pack.
That's not to say other human powered travel isn't also in that market but, it's the foot travel that I have experience with though.
I'd imagine there's a market in some high performance arenas as well.
Yes, the grams and ounces add up surprisingly quickly. And yes, over distance and terrain, it matters - in my experience.
..
My post above was probably misleading.
Actually I am kind of in that market too!
What I meant above is, that practically speaking most that want the superlightest folder still will not really feel a few grams more (it it remains just this!) in most situations. Even not I when I am mountaineering.
BUT: As I laid out before and you two here: Of course when going for a climb or multi day hike in the mountains, like most experienced "mountain guys" I consider the weight of each item I bring, since, yes, a few grams more here and there add up surprisingly quick. And in my experience a lighter pack is perhaps even more important when one covers a lot of steep, vertical distance than in the "flat lands".
So:
- There will still be many relaxed, casual mountain hikes where I go light, but still bring the Spydie enjoy the most that day, even if it s a bit heavier
- But there will also be many, where I´d always take the Salt ffg: Just because light weight matters, and if I can have a real and fully functional great Spydie that is lighter than all others, of course I´ll take it!
Said it before, and I´ve seen it often: People with heavier packs in the mountains just tire out earlier, and many won´t even realize that the heavier load they carry is one reason for it
(This btw. is also true for heavy mountain boots: Where I live, pratically none of the experienced, "real" local mountain folks wears those anymore, as long as there is no snow and no crampons needed. We all wear light trail running shoes in the mountains. Wearing those it just takes longer till your feet get tired (and they are friendlier to the joints too than the stiff boots). But tourists, who wear those heavy boots, get tired and won´t even know that the heavy weight on their feet they have to lift with each step contributes a lot to this. They just think this is the way it is and don´t think about that lighter weight might help (though, without wanting to be offensive, I have to say: Unexperienced people perhaps still should wear higher, heavier boots in the mountains, cause their tendons and reflexes are not adapted to low, light shoes and so they´d easily twist their ankles))