Ultralight Women's Gear: Only In My Mind

I've been thinking about ultralight backpacking gear.  As one does.

I love my Zpacks Exo pack in most ways, BUT it pokes me in the butt.  I emailed Joe Valesko and he's offered to modify the pack for me.  I may take him up on that.  Only problem is, I don't know if the modification I have in mind (shortening the pack frame so it ends before my butt starts) will really do it.  The pack needs to be braced on my pelvis, and shortening the frame means it won't.  With no bracing on the pelvis, it's pretty much a frameless pack again.  Me and frameless packs don't get along so well.  I've tried.  Seriously, I've tried.  I've hiked hundreds of miles in frameless packs.  And I've had seriously achy shoulders.  And an achy back, for that matter - my back does much better when it's stabilized by the pack frame.

Other options might be using a metal frame and curving it away from the pelvis (but metal is heavier, and a curved frame involves more complicated sewing in the pack I think), using a V frame so the point is at the less  voluptuous center of the spine, or adding cushioning around the tips of the frame (again more weight and more sewing).  Or other things.  I don't know, I'm just spitballing here.

I don't think I've run into a woman specific ultralight pack yet.  And there really needs to be one.  More than one, even.  We have proportionally bigger hips.  We store fat in our butts which means they protrude out the back, interfering with traditional frames.  Our shoulders are narrower and less muscled, which means that the straps pretty much HAVE to sit closer to our necks and therefore closer to the nerves emerging from the spine. (Ow.) Our torsos are shorter, not even taking into account the butt thing.  Our breasts interfere with both the shoulder straps and the sternum strap.  (For a number of years I used TWO sternum straps - one above my breasts, and one below.  It kept the pack more tightly strapped to my torso.)

Of course not all women are shaped the same.  Women who are shaped effectively like boys can use a man's pack with no problem.  Apple shaped women will have breast issues but probably no hipbelt issues.  Pear shaped women will need the larger hipbelts but won't have as many breast interference issues.  All the Marilyn Monroes out there will have problems with both.

It would be helpful if I could sew.  Or design things.  Mostly all I can do is try things on and say if they'll work.  And generally I can't even do that quickly, because it takes a few hours or even a few days before a pack really begins to sag into its final position.

The last is why trying something on in the store isn't that helpful.  It's not like I can try on a shirt and know right away if it fits or not. Backpacks CHANGE.  They bulge, they sag, they shift.  You really have to use one in field conditions to know if it works for you.  For the same reason, I'm reluctant to ask for modifications to the packs I already have.  I have no way of knowing if they'll improve the situation.  They might.  Or I might end up with a completely unusable pack, rather than a slightly painful one.

What to buy your hiker (if you're rich)

Titanium Jetboil stove   I've been using alcohol stoves for years.  I used to use a canister stove but it was wobbly and scared me.  Before that I used a Whisperlite and had a couple of scary "oh god I might catch the forest on fire" incidents, so those were out.  Alcohol suits me really well, and I'm fairly skilled at using it.  Only problem is, at lower temperatures its vapor pressure drops and it doesn't want to light or stay lit.  So, back to canister stoves for cold weather.  Jetboils seem to be beloved by those who use them, by my observation.  The stove itself is securely attached to the pot, so no wobbliness issue.  And there are little feet you can attach to the canister, just in case.  They've been out for a few years, and I've watched hiker after hiker just be totally in love with their Jetboil.  I started reading up about them this fall, and found that they now make a titanium version.. which is to say a lighter weight version.  8.5 oz not counting the extra feet.  That includes the pot and its built in cozy. Which isn't shabby, actually, even compared to my virtually weightless alcohol stove made out of a soda can.  You can boil 12 liters of water (according to the website) using one of the fuel canisters, which weighs 6.8 oz when new.   I figure a 20 oz soda bottle of alcohol probably boils 10 liters of water for me.  It could boil more, but I find it difficult to be accurate when preloading the stove with alcohol.  I err on the side of too much, which is better than running out of alcohol before the water boils.  My new .75 liter pasta pot weighs 3.2 oz, and the cozy for it probably weighs half an ounce or so.  Say 4.5 oz for pot plus stove, plus ~10 oz for my fuel.  14.5 oz. vs 15.3 oz for the Jetboil and a full fuel canister.  Which I guess isn't a fair comparison, but that's the smallest increment of fuel I can carry for it, at least when it's new.  Basically, it's a wash, weight-wise.  Wow.  How did I never do that math before?  (It's actually worse than that, because I was carrying a larger, heavier pot before.. and a woolen mitten just for handling it when it was hot.)

It looks like every other Jetboil.  I'm just taking their word on the titanium.

Zpacks Hexamid tent  Oh these are light.  So very light.  You can get a tarp version that is 3.2 oz.  Perhaps you didn't hear me clearly.  I said THREE POINT TWO OUNCES.  That is insane.  The tent version (with netting, which I would totally get if it were me because bugs have an unnatural love for me, but if not for that who could resist the 3.2 oz tarp?) is 9.3 oz.  And you probably want to get the groundsheet, because this tent has mesh on the bottom, not a regular floor.  Strange but true.  You'd have to read the description to find out why.  Also, there is an "extended beak" which adds .9 oz, but gives you privacy to do things like change your clothes.  Which is nice.  So all things considered it's probably closer to 15 oz, which you must admit is not much for a fairly sizeable tent.  I mean it's 9 feet long and over five feet across at the middle.  It's approaching Taj Mahalish.  No pool though.

Taj-ish Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus

Zpacks ground sheet  These are made to go into the Zpacks Hexamid tent, but are equally useful in a shelter or just on the ground.  They're made out of Cuben fiber so they're very tough and light.  The ends are sewn together so they stand up like a bathtub - keeping your stuff inside and rainwater out.  They might be a little large if you're in a really crowded shelter, but you could always fold the edges in a bit.

Zpacks Cuben groundsheet, Solo Plus size

Gossamer Gear LT4 adjustable trekking poles    Okay, so most everybody uses trekking poles.  Or not everybody, but enough so as to make no difference.  We use them for hiking, we use them instead of real tent poles, we stick them in the ground and dry our socks over the handles.  Regular poles typically start at 8 oz per pole and go up from there.  These are 3.6 oz per pole for the regular size.  They are definitely not as sturdy as some of the heavier poles, though.  My classic "trip over the hiking pole, bend it, and continue using it for two years" move would result in "trip over hiking pole, break it, have to carry it back out of the woods with me."  The LT4 is nice because it's adjustable.  They have non-adjustable ones which weigh less.  I don't know about you, but I'm constantly adjusting the height of my poles, so those don't appeal to me.

Oddly, I found no picture of these that showed one full length

Skhoop insulated mini skirt   I can't be the only one whose butt gets cold every night.  Wear a mini over your tights.  Wear it in your sleeping bag.  Wear it around the campfire.  Protect your parts!

Suitably, a tiny picture of a mini skirt