Ideally, these four items should be your lightest but most reliable pieces of equipment to keep your base weight (gear weight without food and water) as low as possible. As the larger pieces of equipment in your repertoire, they increase in price as their weight decreases. I recommend investing in these four items initially, so you save money in the future instead of upgrading your gear. However, I understand that sometimes it’s not financially possible. For me, I acquired my Big Four over the course of five years. It now weighs in at under 6.5 pounds.
When it comes to backpacking, I am of the school of thought that weight is MUCH more important than luxury and comfort, which heavily influenced my choices and purchases. However, I tend to sleep cold and I hate being cold, so I made my purchases centered around warmth, and also staying lightweight.
So to get to the nitty gritty of my Big Four Items, here they are:
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Windrider Pack – Size Medium; 2lbs 0.3 oz
- Therm-a-rest Xlite Neo Air – Size: Short, 8oz (4feet long)
- REI Co-op Joule Women’s Sleeping Bag
- Nemo Hornet Elite 1p tent
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pack:
This was actually the last big purchase I made to upgrade my gear. When I weight my pack myself, it weighed in at under 2lbs, which was less than what their website said. It is a 40L waterproof bag that has an internal frame, a hip belt, and ice ax strap. There is a strap to buckle items on top of my pack, a chest strap with a whistle, and straps on the shoulder straps to hook items to. Lots of straps.
It resembles a big stuff sack with a place for your water reservoir. The top seals with velcro, and rolls down closed to buckle along the sides of the pack. There are no zippers and the outside pockets resemble netting allowing for more items. It can easily double down as a day pack which I recently took advantage of and loved.
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Pad:
I 100% prefer sleeping on air, rather than the ground, and I definitely recommend this one. I picked this sleeping pad because of the weight and it’s ability to pack down so small it can fit in a Nalgene bottle.
The reviews I read complained only about how noisy it can be, but for me, the weight and space is worth it. I have this pad is size Short which is only about 4ft in length. However, it only weight 8oz! I sleep with my pack inside my tent and under my feet to resolve that issue and it works just fine for me.
REI Co-op Joule Sleeping Bag:
With sleeping bags, you can either choose synthetic fill, down fill or a combination of both. Personally, I knew I wanted down as my fill because of weight and efficiency of regulating and insulating temperatures. I also knew I wanted at least a 21 degree temperature rating that was a quilt.
This purchase came down to finances and I had to compromise a little with my expectations. The Joule is 700-fill duck down, with a 23 degree rating, and is a mummy bag–not a quilt. I find that the mummy bag makes me a bit claustrophobic at times, but I love it in cold weather. In hot weather, I still take it with me and unzip it completely to use as a blanket. I stick one or two feet in the foot bed so it doesn’t move around, and I have not had any problems or issues with it that way.
Nemo Hornet Elite 1p Tent:
Finally, my tent is definitely a choice of preference. I wanted something that was super light and packable, but also was primarily free-standing—meaning, it is not dependent on an anchoring stake or pole to stand upright.
This was an expensive choice, but I would not compromise on the price on my home in the wild as I desired something reliable and long-lasting. So far, it serves me well. It will not fit more than one person, and it a rather snug fit, but I do not need to separate my poles from my tent to save room and it fits upright in my pack. I endured both rain and wind in this tent, and it has held up well.
What are your Big Four gear items? Are you think of upgrading? Do any of these catch your eye? Don’t know where to start? Check out this link for ideas 🙂
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