Food, gear, whatever it is that you've figured out how to cut the weight/space on, let's hear it!!

I'm definitely not one to give lightweight tips, let alone ultralight, with my 65L pack that I never fill but carry around just in case

Hopefully I can pick up some hints from this threads!

For me, the biggest thing I've learned is that you don't need multile pairs of clothes... you're out in the wilderness - it's ok to be a bit gross! lol
Also, if you buy the right products, they go a long way toward keeping you comfortable despite wearing the same clothes for days on end. I'm a 100% convert to Merino wool. Shit's expensive but worth every cent. Merino T-shirts keep you feeling dry even when you've been sweating your arse off all day, and they dry super quickly if you get wet. They also don't start to stink at all until after multiple days, which is great. Basically, all I bring for clothes is 2 sets of underwear per day (the super comfy light ones from Under Armour that weigh basically nothing and take up almost no space), one pair of shants (I wear a pair of Prana, water repelling ones), a merino wool t-shirt or tank top, a merino wool base layer for sleeping at night, and if the weather demands it, a light hoody, toque and mitts. I need to get a new lightweight rain suit, which will cut a decent chunk of weight and bulk from my pack, as right now I'm just using my Bench shell, which is very thick and bulky.

With food, I make sure to get as much air out of everything as possible. So, with my oatmeal combo, protein powder and dehydrated potatoes, I suck all the air out of the individual Ziploc bags as well as the larger one that I put them all in, for example.

One of my friends does stuff like taking the tip of an electric toothbrush instead of a full size toothbrush. I don't feel the need to go that far with it haha though I am sure if you do a lot of those "little" things, they add up. Would LOVE to hear from some of you super ultralight folks about what "little" things you do that add up

Oh and obviously I bring socks haha
One pair per day for hiking. One pair for wearing at nights (re-use).

My most lightweight gear are my sleep system, stove/pot and clothing.

Marmot Nanowave 25 sleeping bag, and a Klymit Static V sleep pad or depending on temperature/location, Big Agnes Air Core Insulated pad.

I only bring enough clothes that I can wear at any given time.

Base layer
- Wicking T Shirt
- Wicking Long sleeve

Mid Layer
- Ultra lightweight Fleece 1/4 zip

Outer layers
- Rain shell (Marmot Precip)
- Packable down puffy (Columbia turbodown 860 premium)

- 3 Pair of Merino wool socks (1 for sleep)
- 2 Pair of wicking/anti microbial underwear
- I will wash a pair of each at night and let air dry, and they are good to go for next day. Gotta love merino wool.

- Sleepwear - Depending on temperature forecast, bring my merino wool thermals.

Stove: MSR Pocket Rocket (About 15 years now, still going strong)
Pot: Titanium Pot / spork

Correct, ul or: light is about leaving things at home.

BRS-3000T gas stove for the solo kitchen. Around 15-20 Dollars, cheapest I guess directly from China. It's not a huge cut in weight - but every gram counts, right. Some experts have problems with it. Most people don't.
I recently tried it with a titanium pot (idea: take a more cup-like pot for coffee and meals in one mostly just boiling water) but barely brought water to boil. It was simmering, maybe I wasn’t patient enough and I forgot the windshield, a very useful item I would not leave at home – still work in progress, will check it out further (it was just for one night and sitting in front of my ul-setup waiting for a boil I thought: for a weekend the 77 g saved don't really matter, for a long trip I would not like to wait so long and the fuel consumption will be higher I assume).
Otherwise I love my light broad aluminum pot from Open Country, unfortunately not available anymore (it is not heavier than titanium, just not the shape for coffee). Besides I reassured myself that I don't like to eat out of bags, tends to end in a mess, clothes full of food and this in bear country - even though I bought this long handle Toaks spoon, strange shape. All in all: my experiences with titanium stuff aren't convincing so far, a cup is alright.

Leaving things at home:
Because almost everything is somehow in a bag or wrapped I tend to go without a rain cover for the backpack (meanwhile I mostly use waterproof so-called ul stuff sacs, easier to pack, waterproof enough in the backpack - something with taped seams, not Sea to Summit - Exped has some I guess, perhaps Osprey). Since then I didn't have severe long rainy days, seems to help. (depends a bit on the trip, but I didn't take one along the WCT - I brought an umbrella, a thing I will take more often, just haven't found the perfect model yet or don't want to spend so much money for the professional ul-Trekker-versions - yet -, should be attached to the backpack otherwise it becomes quite uncomfortable when you hold it for longer, guess my backpack is too heavy for that ;-)). The umbrella is an additional item (still take a rain jacket and a sun hat), so: adds weight.

If you can afford it, lightweight tents, sleeping pads (Neoair), and sleeping bags (down) can shed several pounds from the total. Many people get lightweight packs too, but I go for comfort on that one and carry an extra pound or two for that.

Water filters and bottles are another huge area of weight savings. We used to carry an MSR Miniworks and a couple of Nalgene bottles. Now we carry a Sawyer Mini and a disposable water bottle (which we re-use for years). I think the new setup is less than 10% the weight of the old one, and it's far more convenient too.

Food: We used to carry a stove, fuel, pots, plates, and cutlery and then sit around waiting for our gross dehydrated meals to cook (and then packing out the packaging, which was about half the weight of the gross meal), but now we leave all that at home and just bring fresh food. For trips <5 days the weight is less than carrying all the cooking gear + dehydrated food, it tastes infinitely better, it is healthier, and has more calories.

The Nalgene bottles are nice for a Steripen, otherwise: waaayyy too heavy. 150 g per bottle to be saved - a dinner.

Thinking also of ditching my Katadyn hiker water filter, using that for dayhikes, and getting a Sawyer Mini for overnighters/multiday trips. Saving 10-12oz depending on who weighs it.

I've written on this before (many times) and summarized some ideas on explor8ion.

Like others have already stated, your big three weight savings areas are shelter, sleeping system and pack. These are the three I'd concentrate on first. Than there's cooking system, food, water and all the little extras that add up, like carrying both your phone and a GPS, way too much clothing and lack of planning (i.e. way too much "just in case" gear).

We just bought the Sawyer mini and it is awesome!!

We also use collapsible water storage instead of carrying bottles around... so we have our hydropacks in our backpacks, which hold 2 litres and weigh about 5lbs when full. But we also have a 3L hydro sack that takes up very little space and weighs very little when it's empty, which we fill up and treat at or close to camp for the night. For treatment, we use Pristine tablets, which are awesome because they have no taste at all and don't weigh much.

I have a lifestraw water bottle, which is great for shorter trips and is nice to have when my hydropack runs dry, but honestly, I don't think it's worth the weight and I may or may not take it with me nect time.

Go check out the Ultralight board at Reddit. It has a Wiki and a ton of links and helpful guides. Most of the people are US users but there is alot of common sense advice that is cheap and easy to implement in your trips. And if you live close to the border it is easy to get stuff sent to a mail drop on the US side and go pick it up. They are way more advanced than we are when it comes to making good quality, very light stuff.

I use a tarp/groundsheet now (plus cheap bug net when needed), sprung for a lightweight quilt, a lighter pack (ULA Ohm 2.0), Neo-air Xlite, DIY alky stove and Stanco grease pot, and many other cheap hacks and simple tricks to get down to about a 11 lb base weight (all gear except consumables like fuel, water, and food). You don't have to do all the expensive stuff at once (I've upgraded slowly as pieces have worn out over about 5 years) and there are lots of no cost or cheap options that you can do right away, like the alky stove was basically free to make (lots of options, just google), the pot was $12 (weighs a few ounces), leaving unnecessary things at home, etc.

Its definitely worth doing a "shakedown" of your gear and doing the easy, cheap or free things at least. The weight drop has made my trips alot more enjoyable and I can go farther, explore more with fewer days, and the hills aren't quite as painful. And there's more room for fishing gear and whiskey! Have fun this season!

Alternate hiking groups, experienced groups and rookie groups. Then you learn lots on some trips, and feel good about your stuff on the others (plus are able to pass advice on).

Tyvek works great as a ground sheet, and doubles as a tarp for rain or sun. Tuck Tape is light and sticks well (if you pull it off you pull the tyvek apart), lets you reinforce corners for grommet holes.

Braided downrigger line is pricey (for rope) but super light and super strong, great for tarp tie outs and many situations (except bear hangs, it's thin enough you'll be cutting into branches).

Making your own gear does work. I learned to sew making a silnylon pack cover, and stuck it out long enough to make a sub 3lb tent that generously sleeps 2 people. With actual patterns you can easily go lighter.

Customize your gear based on the trip. If you don't need something, don't bring it. Little things add up, and a pack setup for every condition will have unneeded stuff for every trip.