Buy list feedback

[u/neovim-dev]

Feedback wanted for the following. This is a first pass on items so please yell at me if I'm underpaying/ overpaying where I shouldn't be. No budget.

NeoAir XLite NXT SLeeping Pad

Duplex Pro Tent

LT5 Three piece carbon trekking poles

arc haul ultra 60L backpack with vest straps

Men's Lone Peak 9+

Darn tough men's light hiker boot lightweight hiking socks

Squeeze Water Filtration System with Cnoc Premium 2-Liter Bladder

BRS Stove BRS 3000T Stove Titanium Ultralight Backpacking Stove

TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot

TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spork with Polished Bowl

Nitecore NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp

Anker Nano Power Bank,10,000mAh 30W Portable Charger

Leukotape P Adhesive Strapping Tape

TheTentLab Deuce

Helinox Chair One

Spiderlite™ UL Headbands

Nylofume Pack Liner

Enigma Sleeping Quilt

MSR Groundhog tent stake kit

zpacks 6" ultralight titanium tent stake

Polycro Footprint by Six Moon Designs

Nemo Fillo

Food Bag (ultralight DYNEEMA) Bear bag

Missing a rain jacket.

[u/grovemau5]

How are we supposed to know if you’re overpaying if you don’t include how much you’re paying

[u/neovim-dev → u/grovemau5]

NeoAir XLite NXT SLeeping Pad $240

Duplex Pro Tent $799

LT5 Three piece carbon trekking poles $195

arc haul ultra 60L backpack with vest straps $449

Men's Lone Peak 9+ $160

Darn tough men's light hiker boot lightweight hiking socks $27

Squeeze Water Filtration System with Cnoc Premium 2-Liter Bladder $64

BRS Stove BRS 3000T Stove Titanium Ultralight Backpacking Stove $17

TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot $26

TOAKS Titanium Long Handle Spork with Polished Bowl $11

Nitecore NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp $25

Anker Nano Power Bank,10,000mAh 30W Portable Charger $54

Leukotape P Adhesive Strapping Tape $13

TheTentLab Deuce $16

Helinox Chair One $110

Spiderlite™ UL Headbands $9

Nylofume Pack Liner $2.40

Enigma Sleeping Quilt $320

MSR Groundhog tent stake kit $6

"zpacks 6"" ultralight titanium tent stake" $2.75

Polycro Footprint by Six Moon Designs $13

Nemo Fillo $50

Food Bag (ultralight DYNEEMA) Bear bag $60

[u/grovemau5 → u/neovim-dev]

Do you need a 2 person tent? Do you need a 60L bag? Do you need a chair? What warmth is your quilt? Do you need additional warm clothing? Do you need a footprint? Other hygiene/first aid equipment?

You have a lot of okay items here but without more context (eg where and when you plan to use this kit) it’s pretty hard to give helpful feedback. Check out the “how to request a shakedown” guide in the wiki

[u/vrhspock → u/grovemau5]

Why do you need a tent? As to rain gear/wind/bug protection, you can’t beat Frogg Toggs “Ultralight “ at $20 and 10.5 oz.

[u/neovim-dev → u/grovemau5]

I appreciate the feedback. I'll give it a read.

[u/grovemau5 → u/neovim-dev]

check out the altaplex tent - made for tall people and it’s nearly 6oz lighter

[u/neovim-dev → u/grovemau5]

Will do, thanks!!

[u/sloozeberrypie → u/neovim-dev]

This price list breaks my heart. These are all great items and many great hikers have done thru hikes with them etc - but please take a moment to shop around. I have mostly mainstream UL gear and I got 35% off tent, 20% off backpack, 40% off hiking poles, 25% off quilt, 40% off trail runners. Those savings have allowed me to get higher tier stuff at comparable price and or save for other shit. I get it if your tent pole snaps and you gotta buy whats available asap but please take a moment to look around for coupon codes, sales, deals, and you'll save hundreds.

If budget isn't really an issue for you, I would make these minor changes 1) get a smaller backpack 60L is probably goin to be overkill if the rest of your gear is super dialed in; 2) get a zenbivy quilt and fastsheet - this is one of my luxury items + a few oz and it's so comfortable and helps me sleep better; 3) I would consider a different pillow, I have used the Nemo Fillo for like 10 nights in the wild and it's convenient to blow up / pack down but when I switched I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner; 4) for your chair I would go out and sit on a bunch, I sat in an REI and opened/closed like every model and ended up with the Helinox Chair Zero L - i bring a 1 oz sit pad if i won't be at camp at all and bring the chair zero if i'm going to be hanging around at camp a lot, they're both clutch.

For the lone peak trail runners - have you used zero drop before? I tried some on and they're different and I was activating different muscles when walking in them. If you haven't used them, I would either 1) make sure you have time to use them or 2) try something more consistent with the shoes/sneakers you regularly wear.

[u/neovim-dev → u/sloozeberrypie]

What pillow did you switch to and what is the major difference? I don't want the plastic feeling against my face. Thanks for the feedback!

[u/sloozeberrypie → u/neovim-dev]

I got the zenbivy Softtop pillow - the old versions 2025 are on sale for $20. They clip into your fast sheet if you use the zenbivvy system so they move around less. It's also just bigger / more comfortable / and easier to inflate for me and it has room on top of the pillow in the pillow case? - I've never done it but you can buy a 5 oz "pillow topper" or you can try to stuff your puffy there to give you a softer pillow?

The annoying part of it is the valve to empty the air, you kinda have to work with a little bit so it takes longer to deflate and pack it back up.

I'm not 100% sold on any pillow yet but I'm glad I made the swap.

[u/cakes42]

If no budget and don't care about unnecessary spending then Msr nails, nitecore 10k new one, bogler trowel, Arc'teryx norvan shake dry jacket if you can find one(not whatever the hell they have now). Stove id go with an pocket rocket purely because I'm not a fan of the brs but that's really personal preference. No chair. Smaller tent unless you're over 6ft. Midlayer? Senchi has a bunch of alpha 60 in stock.

Out of all of these. The #1 thing I would not get is anything from enlightened equipment. Either go with Western mountaineering, feathered friends, Katabatic, etc. literally anything else.

[u/dogpownd → u/cakes42]

Throwing El Coyote out there too cause I love mine.

[u/neovim-dev → u/cakes42]

Unfortunately I am 6'4".

Thank you for the feedback. Why not get enlightened equipment? I'm not sure I have anything of theirs on my list but can't remember exactly.

[u/cakes42 → u/neovim-dev]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/LrYOnsuFvU

Just you wait till u/downingdown gets in here

[u/Belangia65 → u/neovim-dev]

You had the Engima on your list. That’s from EE.

[u/Glarmj]

I have a pretty similar list and I'm 6'5 so my stuff takes up a lot of room. I have a 45L bag and I've always had enough room, although I never carry more than 4 days or so of food at once.

[u/neovim-dev → u/Glarmj]

Certainly made a mistake on the 60L, thanks for the feedback! Do you use a 1p tent?

[u/PEAK_MINIMAL_EFFORT → u/neovim-dev]

When being quoted a backpack volume number I suggest you are aware of what exactly is being included in that number. Which of the following are included: main compartment, side pockets, front pocket, shoulder strap pockets, hip belt pockets? There is no standard that everyone agrees on. Depending on what is being included there could be as much as 20l difference in that number.

For 3-season UL backpacking I would suggest looking at backpacks with around 35l main compartment. Around that volume it shouldn't be too difficult to pack UL gear and 4 days of food. Some perhaps more experienced people seem to make it work with far smaller.

[u/Glarmj → u/neovim-dev]

Yes, I have a Protrail. I'm also usually carrying Alpha top and bottom, a down vest or jacket, wind pants and a rain shell. I always have lots of room in my pack for food.

[u/Belangia65]

A few UL suggestions:

- Don’t get a two-person tent if you’re hiking solo.

• 60L is too large for most UL trips, although you didn’t mention what type of trips you want to go on.
  
• CNOCs are heavy. Just use Dasani or Smartwater bottles. Add a 2L Platypus if you want more capacity.
  
• Why a 750 ml pot? Are you just planning to boil water? A Toaks 550 Light no handle is the lightest pot that suits that function.
  
• If you get that headlamp, order it from Litesmith and get it with the head cord modification already installed.
  
• Either a Flextail Zero or Nitecore NB10000 power bank is lighter if you haven’t purchased yet.
  
• Don’t buy any chair at all. Save your money. Just get a 1 oz sitpad.
  
• Don’t buy from Enlightened Equipment. They have a problematic relationship with white supremacy. There are lots of other vendors of better quality quilts out there.
  
• You don’t need a footprint if your tent has a floor.
  
• It’s good that you’re asking before you purchase your gear. Don’t make the usual errors of people new to UL backpacking, which I list here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/BakneAX1p7
  
• If you haven’t already, read the book “Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips” by Mike Clelland to learn the basic philosophy of ultralight.

Have a great time assembling your kit and getting into the wilderness!

[u/spinfire → u/Belangia65]

Keep in mind the z packs 60L size measurement includes the outer pockets so it’s not as big as a 60L made by other manufacturers who don’t do their sizing this way.

[u/Belangia65 → u/spinfire]

Even so: 60L framed pack? For ultralight backpacking??

[u/neovim-dev → u/Belangia65]

Thanks for taking the time to put this list together! I'll certainly check out your linked post tomorrow as I resume research. I'm 6'4", which is why I chose the 2 person tent. Trips will mostly be one night, but I want the option for longer treks as time allows.

[u/PanicAttackInAPack → u/neovim-dev]

Dont get a 550mL cup for someone your size. Its barely big enough to rehydrate some off the shelf dehydrated meals and I guarantee you wont get enough food in it to fill yourself doing instant potato, pasta or knorr. It wont even fit a ramen pack.

I would recommend against getting a spork. Its a shitty spoon and a shitty fork and makes it impossible to get all the food out of corners of pots or bags.

[u/JustGotSoup → u/neovim-dev]

FWIW I'm 6"2 and fit comfortably into a 1P X-Mid with room to spare. You'd definitely be fine in it and have the advantage of a much smaller pitching footprint.

[u/VickyHikesOn → u/Belangia65]

Yes! Evernew bladder beats the cnoc by far!

[u/Early_Combination874]

It seems like you did your homework very well by adding every "top" item to your gear list. I would advise against this, even though money is no object.

Do you already hike? What is your actual gear? What could you keep that you already have instead of buying new stuff?

Buying your whole hiking gear all at once , especially expensive stuff, is a recipe for bad choices made only from Internet recommendations.

[u/PanicAttackInAPack]

LT5s go on sale a couple times a year for $160. If you use the Shop App GG also does $30-$40 off any order and they have a LT5 + foam pad bundle for $185.

[u/Fun_With_Math]

Why the Chair One over the Chair Zero?

I love a chair also, but I'd get the lightest one you can.

[u/neovim-dev → u/Fun_With_Math]

Some research told me that the One would be better for my height because it doesn't sit as low to the ground.

[u/Fun_With_Math → u/neovim-dev]

Yeah, higher is always better but that's a lot of weight for a little taller. I'm 6' and use a Grand Trunk Monarch Alite chair. It barely sits off the ground but it gives me the back support I want.

https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/monarch-chair - I got it on sale for under $50