Thermarest-Personal Flotation Device?

[Kathy]

Any ultralight fishing backpackers out there? We’re using Curtis rafts with Thermarest Prolite 3 shorts. I am wondering if the Thermarest is sufficient to get back to shore, or if I should be considering adding something extra (blech). We weigh 120 & 170…..

Anyone ever use a Thermarest as a PFD? I guess I could throw it in the lake and try…. but the water is still pretty cold 😆

[uncoolperson]

i’m using a cheap coleman 2 person (yeah right) $20 raft (cheap, lightish, small), i keep one of those big bulky seat cushion pfd things (the ones people use in canoes), doubles as a backrest…. light enough and the hand straps on it hook up nicely to a backpack.

one of these

an easy enough alt if you decide against the thermarest

[Dave Weyrick]

I’ve paddled around a high lake (Camprobber, ALP) on my Prolite 3 on a warm summer afternoon. IMO you would have no problem using the pad as an emergency device if you had a problem in your Curtis raft.

[Dave Weyrick]

Kat,

As a fellow lightweight fisherman, I’m intrigued to know what sleeping/shelter system you might be using.

I’m currently on the ground (after some hammock experimentation) using an Exped 7 short downmat, REI 20 degree down bag, and a 9 oz. silnylon tarp which I support with trekking poles. DW.

[Kathy]

Thanks for replies – sounds encouraging!

Dave, I’m not as ultralight as I’d like to be – in fact I’ll just call myself “light”. I have a thing about bugs, and have had a couple of horrific encounters with skeeters that pretty much mandates a full-on tent as far as I’m concerned. I recall using headnets and diving into the tent one at a time frantically zipping it up. The Curtis raft paddles do dandy second duty as skeeter swatters inside a tent 😆

We currently use:

*Thermarest Prolite 3 Short 13 oz (luxury but…. at least it packs small)
*WM Highlite 35 degree bag 16 oz
*Moonbow Gear 2 person custom tent approx 2 lbs total weight (The tent weight varies, I’m a gear hound just sold 2 tents and am buying one more 3lb)
*GoLite Race Pack 1lb 9 oz & Granite Gear Vapor Trail 2lbs.

Altho we also own heavier bags, we prefer if weather permits to leverage the Highlites with clothing that we carry anyway, as the bag packs so dang small. Just our way of doing it. We pretty much just do overnighters not week long trips.

How DO you tarp folks deal with the skeeters!

[uncoolperson]

my brother told me over the weekend he tied his to a canoe and took a nap out on some lake…and he’s a big guy.(180’s)

+1 for it should work fine

[Mike Blodgett]

Okay so you call 180’s big guy, well at 275 I have a hard time packing light as everything that I have is of large size and that cannot be helped. My sleeping bag alone is 3 pounds and that is light in the xlt sizes, at 6’6″ you really have a hard time doing the light thing.

Anyone have any ideas, for the bigger person.

Mike

[Brian Curtis]

The first place to start is to look at your shelter and sleeping pad. There is often room to cut a fair amount there. What are you using? What clothes are you bringing? What do you use for cookware? How much does your pack weigh? Do you use a bunch of heavy stuffsacks that can be eliminated or replaced with silnylon versions? What luxuries do you carry? I guess we ought to look at a pack list with weights and see what we can cut out.

[uncoolperson]

yeah, for being a younger brother and 180’s since he was 18… big guy, compared to me.

pack less beer… always my down fall, as soon as the beer gets in the bag it get’s way too heavy.

[Mike Blodgett]

Packing list

Kelty 20 degree Sleeping bag 3lbs
Hollofil/Long/custom order for my size
w/ stuff sack also used as a pillow

Thermo rest Sleeping pad 1.5x25x78”

Whisper lite Stove-w/ 22 oz fuel bottle
1 lighter
Wind screen

Food: depending on the # of days 2 meals per day
Mountain House-Dehydrated
2 lbs beef jerky (necessary protein…diabetic)
Snacks for the trail

Clothes:
Hat: wool/felt
bug net
2 pair socks…1 pair wool…1 pair cotton
2 t shirt
1 pair zip offs (shorts/pants)
1 fleece sweater
Rain gear: pants, gortex coat
Gaitors: gortex
Gloves: gortex

Flashlight: headleamp w/ led light…2 AA batteries

GPS Map 60csx 2 AA batteries

Nikon Camera…Digital..2 AA Batteries

1 extra set of 4 AA batteries

1 low boy beach chair…max weight 2 lbs

First aid kit…w/ necessary supplies

1 belt knife..Leatherman

1 water filter…built into bottle…holds 32 oz.

1 32oz. nalgene water bottle
Hydration bladder 70oz. in pack

Kelty 6650 redcload internal frame pack

1 bottle of deet: 2.5 fl. Oz.

1 bottle of sun block: 2.0 fl. Oz.

Fishing gear: 4’ telescopic pole w/ reel, extra reel, lures and other gear, extra line

[uncoolperson]

1 low boy beach chair…max weight 2 lbs
not to knock the luxuries, but this might be one of the first to go if you want to cut back.

seems to be some redudancy here. (is this one filtered bottle, and one other bottle?)… 6+ lbs full

1 water filter…built into bottle…holds 32 oz.
1 32oz. nalgene water bottle
Hydration bladder 70oz. in pack

Kelty 6650 redcload internal frame pack, not all that light.

Clothes, is this the packed list, or the what’s on you and what’s packed list?
do you need the colder weather stuff where you go? (gloves, gaitors?)

i pack more for doing less, but I also go slow and hurt the next day… I like my 6 pack of beer, and all my little luxuries(slr camera, camera bag, tripod, etc…).

[Brian Curtis]

Good advice from uncoolperson. I’ll reinforce some things and add a couple.

The chair has to go. You need to be brutal with ounces and when you can knock pounds right off the top that’s where you start.

Ditch the Whisperlite. For weekends get a canister stove. White gas set-ups earn their keep if you are going for a week or longer, but for short trips you’re better off with a canister. Or, if you want to go really light there are pop-can type alcohol stoves.

Get rid of all the cotton. For dry camp socks get a pair of Polarfleece socks. The only T-shirt you should have is a synthetic one on your back. With a synthetic it will dry quickly when wet so you don’t need two. Don’t take the gaitors unless there will be snow issues. Look at your rain gear. Is it heavy Gore-tex designed more for skiing then hiking? You can almost always shave rain gear weight. Consider down or a puffy synthetic layer instead of fleece. It’ll save bulk and weight.

Get a smaller multi-tool. I just carry a little tiny knife that weighs a few ounces.

Get a smaller, lighter pack. The 2007 version weighs six and a half pounds. Consider something smaller (so you are forced to carry less) and lighter. ULA-Equipment makes great packs that are rugged and light.

What is your sleeping shelter?

[Kathy]

@Brian Curtis wrote:

Consider down or a puffy synthetic layer instead of fleece. It’ll save bulk and weight.

This is the one thing I am having “issues” with. I am still dragging our fleece jackets on our overnighters (approx 14 oz) because: they are very durable, no worries about snagging on brush or getting wetted out from damp brush. Plus it is very cozy as part of a sleep system. And the skeeters can’t bite thru it 😆 (Black Diamond & Helly Hansen).

I actually invested in a Western Mountaineering Flight down jacket, 9oz (on sale!) which I have used in the late fall. But it still is not the jacket I will take in the summer because of the above reasons…

[Author]

Posts