I received a couple more ultralight gear items today in an ultralight package. These items came courtesy of Mountain Laurel Designs and weigh-in at 2.625 oz per my scale: Silnylon Rain Chaps & a multiuse titanium stake/potty trowel. The intent here is to lighten my load by 6 oz for a totally reasonable price of $54 (+ negligible shipping). All-in-all, it took just over a week to receive my new gear which is excellent for a Cottage manufacturer of ultralight gear. If you haven’t checked out the Mountain Laurel Designs website, it offers killer gear!

Do these make me look SuuuPER?

In all reality, rain chaps are great when used with a ponchotarp or cape as they cover one’s midsection and provide ease in taking a leak. One might argue that rain pants/chaps aren’t really necessary, but at 2.2 oz they provide insurance against getting soaked. These are much lighter than my full-length rain pants at 7.25 oz and are much easier to take on/off in the event of a downpour. Now only if someone made an ultralight black silnylon fisherman’s cap . . ..

Easy to put on over boots and provide excellent coverage/breathability to one's privates

Next item in the package included one Vargo Titanium V-Stake. Given that it’s made of titanium, it’s very light and shaped as a V it makes it suitable for shoveling and cutting through dirt when facing an angry shad. Intial thoughts is that the design should work really well for its intended purpose and although it’s smaller than my MontbellHandy Scoop, it should function nearly as well.

It's hard to see in the photo but the V is actually large enough to use as a scoop, although not large enough to use as a spoon.

Rain Chap first impressions:

• Chaps are easier to get on/off vs. rain pants, one leg at a time
• Easily fit over trail runners or boots
• Eliminates the need for gaiters while wearing chaps as a result of built-in bungees (can be eliminated for a few gram weight savings if you’re agro)
• Simple belt system with cordlock for adjusting girth
• Given that I use a cape for rainwear, this makes for a very simple setup

V Stake first impressions:

• Multi-use gear – operates as stake and trowel (who wants to use a trowel as a spoon or heavy stake?)
• Ultralight design in titanium = > 1 oz savings in weight
• Only potential issue is soil removal from the cathole, but shouldn’t be much of a challenge
• While perhaps not as functional as a handy scoop in titanium, it works better as a stake