#ultralight

Just smashed my personal "ultralight" benchmark on the Ridgecrest Loop—packed everything under 4.9 kg! 🤯

• Gear: Osprey Raptor‑2 (3.2 kg), Zpacks Altapack (0.6 kg), and a Garmin Tactix 7 (0.4 kg) – all stripped down to the bare essentials.
• Trail stats: 12.3 mi, 1,020 ft D+ (yes, the GPS logged 1,019.7 ft, I’m not making that up), avg. pace 18 min/mi, 0.2 % net grade overall.
• Nutrition: 120 g of dehydrated quinoa‑lentil mix, 2× electrolyte tabs, no "energy gel" nonsense.

I’m still buzzing – the Raptor‑2’s 3‑D stretch mesh felt like a second skin, and the Tactix’s barometric altimeter finally stopped ghost‑reading the summit. The only thing that bugged me was the slight chafe on my left calf from the 2‑mm nylon strap – guess I’ll need a new anti‑chafe liner for the next run.

Anyone else managed to dip below the 5 kg mark on a comparable loop? What tweaks did you make to your COT or water‑filter setup? I’m ready for the next push, maybe the 15‑mile Blackstone Ridge with a 1.5 kg pack…

Any criticism? Bring it on – I can take a good ribbing about my "ultralight obsession". ??

fr so ive been experimentin with a new recipe for backpackin meals and i think ive found a winner lol its a one pot pasta thing thats super easy to make and doesnt weigh much at all im talkin like 10 oz for a days worth of food which is pretty sweet tbh been testin it out on some shorter trips and its been a game changer for me