Dyneema Ultralight Backpacking Gift Guide
You don’t have to be an ultralight backpacker to appreciate how much Dyneema has revolutionized backpacking gear, halving the weight of many items, and making backpacking much more pleasurable in the process. In addition to being lightweight, Dyneema is quite strong and waterproof, making it an excellent material for fabricating tents, stuff sacks, backpacks, and simple clothing. If you’re looking for a special present to give to a backpacker in your life (or yourself), check out our list of recommended Dyneema backpacking gifts listed below. We’ve included a full range of price points for every budget.
1. Zpacks Duplex 2P Tent
The Zpacks Duplex is a 19 oz two-person trekking pole tent designed for three-season use that’s a popular choice with section hikers and thru-hikers. It’s very easy to set up and provides good weather protection. The two rainbow style doors and side vestibules make it easy to share with another hiker, but the tent is lightweight enough that it can even be used by one person. Any hiker would love to get a Duplex as a gift. Be sure to also check out the new freestanding version of the Duplex called the Zpacks Free Duo.
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ZPacks
2. Gossamer Gear “The Crotch Pot”
Many ultralight backpackers simply rehydrate their food in warm weather instead of carrying a stove because it weighs less. The Crotch Pot is a waterproof Dyneema Envelope that you fill with food and water and hang from your hip belt, before stuffing it down the front of your shorts where body heat helps speeds up the rehydration process. It’s definitely strange, but it isn’t very expensive and makes a memorable gift!
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Gossamer Gear
3. Borah Gear Cuben Bivy Sack
Borah Gear is known throughout the Ultralight Backpacking world for their bivy sacks. Weighing an insanely low 4.25 oz, their cuben bivy has a waterproof Dyneema Floor, breathable top fabric, and noseeum mesh over the face. A chest or side zipper option is available (we recommend the side zipper). If you want to squeeze every last ounce off your gear list, this is the bivy sack to get.
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Borah Gear
4. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow
Multi-use gear is a cornerstone of ultralight backpacking philosophy. That’s the motivation behind Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s Stuff Sack Pillow which can be used as a stuff sack and a pillow. Covered on one side with plush fleece, it makes a comfortable pillow on the ground or in a hammock. It’s available in two sizes, a small and a large, both under 2 oz in weight.
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HMG
5. Six Moon Designs Haven Zero-G Two Person Tarp
The Six Moon Designs Zero-G Haven Tarp is a 12 oz shaped tarp with a dual-pole design that provides extra headroom and has two zippered, vestibule doors on each side for storage and separate entry. The center peak of the Haven Zero-G is offset slightly toward the head of the shelter, creating a steeper angle and placing the canopy further from your face when lying down and aligns the peak to a more natural sitting position. Compatible with the Haven Inner NetTent to create a complete double-wall tent at just 28 oz total.
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Six Moon Designs
6. UltraliteSacks UL Compression Sack
The problem with most of the nylon compression sacks you can buy is that they can be really heavy, weighing 4-6 ounces, each. But the Dyneema UL Compression Sacks from UltraliteSacks are a real breakthrough in terms of weight reduction, weighing less than one-fourth of that. That’s an instant weight saving at a surprisingly affordable price.
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UltraliteSacks
7. Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon Tent
Weighing just 22 oz, the Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 Carbon Tent is a two-person tent with two doors and two vestibules that’s ideal for people who don’t use trekking poles. It has the standard feature set of a regular Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 tent, but the floor and rainfly are made with Dyneema and the tent poles are made with carbon fiber composite to add strength and reduce weight. This two-person tent is light enough that can be used by one person and the extra interior space is a real luxury.
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REI
8. Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest Backpack
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest Backpack is durably built with solid external pockets to tackle harsh conditions without getting ripped up. It’s available in a wide range of volumes and torso lengths so you can get one to match your exact needs. The 3400 Southwest (55L) is the best size for multi-day trips.
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HMG
9. LiteAF Round Bottom Pot Sacks
LiteAF’s Round Bottom Pot Sacks are great for keeping the lid of your cookpot tightly coupled with the pot so they don’t rattle around (and drive you mad). They also protect your backpack from dirt if your pot is covered from soot from a wood stove and moisture if they’re still wet when you pack up. Available in two sizes and weighing just 0.1 ounces, this is a great weight saving upgrade over the nylon stuff sack used by many hikers.
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LiteAF
10. Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Dry Bags
Mountain Laurel Designs has been making Dyneema Dry bags longer than any other company in the backpacking industry. They’ve also developed special construction methods to make them strong and waterproof which is double necessary on a dry bag that you put great strain on when you roll it up and put pressure on.
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Mountain Laurel Designs
11. Hammock Gear Dyneema Fiber Hex Hammock Tarp
Weighing just 5.14 oz, the Hammock Gear Dyneema Fiber Hex Hammock Tarp is amazingly lightweight and well made. It folds up small and provides huge weight savings when compared to other hammock tarps made from silnylon or silpoly, in some cases as much as a pound or more. Six-sided, it is optimized for three-season use and provides excellent protection against wind and rain.
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Hammock Gear
12. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Daypack
The Hyperlight Mountain Gear Daybreak Daypack (17L) is a multi-purpose waterproof daypack that is great for day hikes, peakbagging, commuting to work, and traveling. It has a clamshell-style main zipper, hydration pocket, side water bottle pockets, a front stretch pocket, and interior pockets for storing valuables. It weighs 20 oz and is available in multiple torso lengths so you can get a great fit.
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HMG
13, Dutchware Dyneema Pup Bowl
It’s important to keep your dog hydrated and well-fed on hikes. Dutchware’s Dyneema Pup Bowl is made with 1.3 oz Dyneema DCF and Dyneema seam tape making the bowl completely waterproof. It weighs just 5.2g (that’s about 1/5 of an ounce) so that your dog should have no problem carrying their very own meal/water bowl.
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Dutchware
14. Tarptent Aeon-Li 1-Person Tent
The Tarptent Aeon Li is a 15.8 oz one-person Dyneema trekking pole tent that’s easier to fit in small campsites than a two-person tent. It uses Tarptent’s patented PitchLock corner struts to increase the amount of headroom available inside the tent, a common problem in the other one-person pyramid-style tents made by other manufacturers.
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Tarptent.com
15. Hightail Designs Ultralight Rain Mitts
These Ultralight Waterproof Rain Mitts gloves from High Tail Designs can be used alone or with a lightweight fleece or wool liner glove. They protect your hands from cold rain and keep you warmer. Weighing just over 1 ounces, they’re far lighter weight than conventional waterproof shells, they have gloves pulls for easy on and off, and an elastic cordlock to prevent water from dripping down your arms and into the mitts. Available in multiple colors and patterns.
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High Tail Designs
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