Forecast for this month: I’m back in the pillow game after figuring out that my beloved Therm-A-Rest compressible pillow is just too bulky for winter. Either that or I need to get a slightly-less-warm quilt (the Enigma 10F is good down to 24.5F on its own so far, possibly overkill?) or less bulky shelter (thinking of leaving the X-Mid inner at home and just using a polycryo ground sheet).
Kestrel Drop D1 Environmental Data Logger
After determining that the Acurite window thermometer was wildly inaccurate I’ve found a professional-grade replacement for exactly the same weight. The Kestrel Drop D1 comes with a certificate of calibration and can log over 10,000 temperature readings before filling up. It’s accessed via the Kestrel LiNK app which communicates with the device over Bluetooth Low Energy. The exposed temperature sensor (the little white thing in the hole at the top) allows it to rapidly adjust to changing conditions. I set it out on my porch and was able to watch the temperature drop down to a nasty 24.5F from the comfort of my couch.
($69, 34g)
Carrand Giant Bone Sponge
Aside from washing your car, rumor has it that this can be used as a makeshift pillow when wrapped in a Buff or shirt.
($2.97, 25g)
Silver Gripper Tweezers
Possibly the best light tweezers available. Includes a clear plastic case with screw-on lid to protect your other gear from the sharp point.
($6.95, 4g tweezers, 1g case)
Spark-Lite Emergency Fire Starter
The standard-issue Bic lighter is weak against wind and freezing temperatures. The spark wheel that’s included in this kit is not. In addition to the case there are eight tear-apart tinder plugs included although these aren’t of much interest if we’re just trying to light an alcohol stove. Preliminary testing in sub-freezing windy conditions on my porch indicate that this eliminates one point of failure, you just need to ensure that you warm up the alcohol a bit as well.
This upgrade reduces my “fire” weight from 11 grams to 5. Nice!
($7.95, 5g spark wheel, 9g case, 0.33g per tinder plug)
Klean-Strip Green Denatured Alcohol
I once made the mistake of buying the Crown brand from the local REI. Never again. The spout on the Crown can guarantees that you’ll be spilling as much alcohol as you’re pouring whereas the Klean Strip spout doesn’t waste a drop.
($9.99)
Exped Deepsleep Pillow
Bulky winter insulation has me taking a hard look at everything in my pack and my Therm-A-Rest Compressible Pillow landed in the hot seat. The Exped in size medium is 49 grams lighter than the similarly-dimensioned Therm-A-Rest in size small. It also has a softer, more comfortable exterior and is more compressible to boot. This is my new pillow for 2020.
On a side note, foam pillows are incredible in cold weather: my face was perfectly warm down to 21.5F in recent testing.
($28.95, 180g in size medium)
Exped Air Pillow UL
Supposedly one of the best inflatable pillows on the market, it features a wedge shape with taller baffles at one end and shorter baffles on the other so that you can adjust the height just by flipping it around instead of fiddling with the amount of inflation. It also has a grippy pattern on the surface to reduce slipping. However, in the end it’s still an inflatable which I just can’t tolerate any longer.
($38.95, 47g in size medium)
Litesmith Thumbprint Toothbrush
This thing clocks in at an unbelievable third of the weight of my Zpacks ultralight toothbrush. Another 8g saved!
($2.95, 4g toothbrush, 2g case)
Cuda Mini Serrated Scissors
After reviewing the Swiss Army Classic SD pocket knife and telling people they were better off with dedicated scissors and tweezers I figured I had best follow my own advice. It clocked in a little over the expected weight but it’s a better pair of scissors than the ones on the Classic by a huge margin.
($4.95, 21g)
Arrowhead Equipment Bear Pillow
While doing pillow research I became intrigued by the idea of a pillow filled with synthetic insulation. I’d tried inflatables, stuffed, down-filled, memory foam, and a variety of hybrids but never synthetic-filled. Unfortunately the fabric has zero breathability and the fill was too soft to offer any real support.
($30, 158g)
Litesmith Mini Jar
If you’ve been looking for a way to store an incredibly small amount of cream at minimal cost and weight, look no more!
($1.25, 3g in size 5mL)
Trail Toes Anti-Friction Cream
Are foot creams the solution to wet winter foot woes? I’ve read as much but I’d like to find out for myself. Now, if only we had something smaller to store it in so we wouldn’t have to bring the whole tub…
($12.95, 90g in size 2oz)
Fitbit Inspire HR
The cheapest Fitbit that still has the heart rate monitoring feature. Intended to help with zone workouts.
($69)
AmazonBasics Rubber Gloves
Backpacker extraordinaire Paul Magnanti had a recent post about using rubber dish gloves as rain gloves on his blog. Simple, light, and dirt cheap – in other words, pure genius. Unfortunately for use over liner gloves these need to be just a tad bit bigger and large is the largest size available for this particular brand. Fortunately there are a zillion more manufacturers of rubber gloves to choose from.
I’ve written about using nitrile gloves as waterproof gloves, but the main difference is that they go against your skin and under whatever other gloves you’re using whereas these are intended to go on the outside. I suppose it depends on whether you need the the properties of your main gloves (grip, protection, etc.) or whether you just need to keep your hands dry. In any case I’m going to continue pursuing this as I think it could be the perfect outer layer in a winter glove system.
($8.99 for three pairs or $1.50 per glove, 24g per glove)
Tusko Products Nitrile Gloves
Slightly larger than the previous gloves and they layer perfectly over the following gloves.
($6.77 per pair, 34g per glove)
Columbia Omni-Heat Touch Liner Gloves
I couldn’t be happier with these gloves. After visiting Patagonia (who only peddle overpriced Hestras) and Mountain Hardwear (who only had ridiculous end-of-season sizes in stock) I stopped by the Columbia store in downtown Seattle and picked these up on sale. The synthetic material is soft and comfortable, the fit is perfect, and the index finger and thumb work with touch screens. I should probably buy a second pair.
($19.90 per pair, 18g per glove)
TSL Outdoor Symbioz Hyperflex Adjust Snowshoes
After eyeballing the Crescent Moon Eva snowshoes for their flexible EVA foam deck I decided that I probably needed something more burly for deep snow in the Cascades. I also looked at the Northern Lites Backcountry snowshoes which are crazy light with intriguing speed bindings but lack a heel elevation option. After I was about to give up when I discovered the French brand TSL and their Symbioz flexible snowhoes. These are technical snowshoes (front point, heel lift, etc.) with a flexible plastic deck and easy adjustment options (Boa over the toes and a ratchet binding around the back of the boot).
($299.90 per pair, 1130g per snowshoe)
Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight Gaiters
My ultimate goal is to be able to do deep-winter backpacking on snowshoes with trail runners. Now that I have the snowshoes I need something to keep the snow out of my shoes (even if I’m wearing waterproof socks the snow will still make my feet cold). These MLD gaiters are less than an ounce each but I’m skeptical as to their usefulness: the front clip attaches to your laces which in my mind leaves the entire toe portion of the shoe (and the mesh that’s typically on top of it) open to snow. Oh well, only one way to find out!
($49.00 per pair, 27g each in size large)
Crescent Moon Snowshoe Booties
When the going gets cold, the cold turn to 6mm of neoprene. These are designed for use with trail runners and have a mostly-open bottom and wrap around your lower leg using a hook-and-loop system. They’re way too warm to wear inside so I’m hopeful they’ll do the job in snow. Oh, and they also double as gaiters so this may be a two-birds-with-one-stone situation.
($47.50 per pair, 148g each in size large)
Prana Stretch Zion Shorts
After seeing how wet the bottoms of my pants got (without gaiters) I decided a shorts-and-baselayer setup might be the way to go. I’m a big fan of the Stretch Zion pants so why not give the shorts a go?
($54.99, 283g in size 34×10″)
Stoic Lightweight Crew Baselayer Top
I’m a fan of Backcountry’s Stoic line of 50/50 merino/polyester blend baselayers. Unfortunately when I went to pick out a long sleeve top they didn’t have any left in my size so I settled for the all-synthetic option. I don’t use baselayers during 3-season trips because I get way too hot but I’ve found that when temperatures are around freezing you need something next-to-skin to promote wicking and evaporation, both to stay dry and thus warm and also to prevent the buildup of clamminess or outright pooling of sweat on your skin (which is gross). For the curious, the reason that “wicking” works is very simple: drying rates are proportional to surface area and the surface area of a bead or drop of sweat on your skin is much smaller than the surface area of that same sweat when it’s absorbed into and dispersed across the surface of a fabric. In other words, the wet spot on fabric from a drop of sweat is much larger than the drop itself.
Meta
Look ma, pictures! I’m trying to be a little more disciplined about my “intake” process for new purchases after being surprised at just how many things I buy never even get a LighterPack entry. Sad! Unfortunately the attractive-looking coffee table is at the cabin but deliveries go to the condo so there may be some slight picture lag.
History
- 2020-01-11: Initial version
- 2020-02-09: Added Exped AirPillow UL picture