Hey! I've just finished editing my first video. It took months to make, but now its done! Next I am making the thumbnail. I brainstormed these proof of concept thumbnails quickly. So these are not finished thumbnails, but instead just sketches. What do you think, and do you have any advice?
The video is about hitchhiking from Finland to Serbia to escape winter.
UPDATE: I made a LighterPack list. There were some mistakes in the weights of the stuff in my post, but they are fixed here:
My setup before making the post:
https://lighterpack.com/r/7gn6p7
My plan to update the setup (still working on this):
https://lighterpack.com/r/qzpblo
A stripped down version of the updated list (main changes are totally getting rid of the cooking system and switching to normal plastic bottles instead of the thermos and military bottle):
https://lighterpack.com/r/5nl2po
And finally, here is a fantasy setup I'm building for myself for the future based on everything I'm learning here:
https://lighterpack.com/r/5nl2po
(I also have a stripped down version of the fantasy setup. Its just the fantasy setup with the same changes as the stripped down version. Its only 12.769 base weight, which is mind blowing to me!)
Please do critique any of these! In will be making updates to them. Thank you to everyone for all of the amazing advice!
OEIGINAL POST:
My backpack currently over 19kg. I know this sounds very heavy, but I have niche and challenging requirements for my setup:
My current setup includes:
-ludhags Jamten backpack, 2.56kg.
-large gargbage bag to protect from water.
My sleeping system:
-comfort -5°c down sleeping bag, hopefully under 1kg (I don't have this yet, but I'm looking at Cumulus Panyam 600, Cumulus Spotter 600, Patizon D 590, Patizon G 600 or Western mountaineering Ultralite.)
-merino wool sleeping bag liner 468g
-carinthia xp ii plus gore-tex bivy and a light support pole 1.06kg + 90g
-small tarp 267g
-exped ultra 6.5 R mummy sleeping pad 360g
Clothes:
-waterproof bag with: 2 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of merino wool socks, a merino wool base layer, merino wool t-shirt) 501g in total
-waterproof laundry bag 36g
-resting jacket (north face polyester jacket) 521g
-resting gloves, Hestra (heavy winter gloves with clips to hang from backpack straps) 300g
-light beanie, 51g
-light tube scarf, estimated 30g
-cheap rain poncho 213g
-high visibility vest for hitchhiking safety 130g
Cooking and eating:
-Trangia pocket camping stove, pot, lid and handle 597g
-gas canister for the camping stove, current weight after some use 470g
-plastic spork 10g
-I plan to carry only about 500g of food, because with hitchhiking I often have access to stores
-Devold hydro flask lightweight wide flex straw 946ml thermos bottle, full of water 1.302kg (empty 390g)
-Finnish military 1L water bottle attached with a carabiner clip to my backpack 1.064kg (empty 130g)
Hygiene:
-everything in a plastic bag, estimated 15g
-toilet paper 30g
-tooth brush 14g
-sunscreen 179g
-multi use bio soap 121g
-near empty deodorant roller 35g
-chapstick 13g
-near empty eyeglasses cleaning liquid bottle 20g
-Bag with nail clippers and tweezer 43g
Other:
-modified first aid kit in a plastic bag 175g
-sitting pad 33g
-Marttiini knife for splitting firewood 130g
-fire making kit with matches and a flint and steel 43g
-gerber multitool 196g
-Head lamp 81g
-4 head lamp spare batteries 104g
Video editing and filming system:
-Laptop and its protective case 1.835kg
-accessories bag (this includes laptop charger, camera battery charger, external SSD and memory card reader) 673g
-wireless earbuds 84g
-DSLR camera and lens (the lens being much heavier than the body) 1.589kg
-Action camera with a handle 285g
-both cameras are attached to the front strap of my backpack with their own holders, weighing together 121g
-general usb c charger for phone and other equipment 121g
-another weaker usb c charger 33g
-Tenba belt bag 379g, inside of it:
-set of microphones in a charging case thats in a bag 279g
-action camera batteries and charging case 183g
-Powerbank 591g
-Lens cleaning kit 33g
-USB-C charging wire 32g
-5 DSLR camera batteries and charger 391g
-Video ND filter for the camera in its case 137g
-memory card holder case 50g
Here are the things I'm considering to change:
1.looking at lighter bivys. The advantage of the Carinthia is that it is extremely sturdy, so I don't need to select caming locations too precisely. It is however very heavy for a bivy.
2.Replacing the bivy with a bivy that can be used as a rain
3.Replacing the tarp or poncho with a tarp poncho. I wouldn't replace both, because I don't want to have to set up a tarp without wearing a rain poncho in heavy rain. But it seems neat.
4.Getting a down rest jacket instead of the current polyester one
5.Getting much lighter gloves, my current ones are good at -30°c, but now I only need -10°c
6.Change to a merino beanie. This wouldnt cut weight, but my current one isnt that warm
7.Adding reflectors to the backpack for safety
8.Small hygiene bag adjustments like putting sun screen into a smaller refillabe bottle and switching from glasses cleaning liquid to wipes. Also considering adding some kind of shaving cream so I can shave by buying single use razors.
9.Getting a lighter charger sith multiple ports to replace my laptop and phone chargers. This could save a surprising amount of weight
10.
These are things I considered, but decided against. Feel free to change my mind:
-replacing my whole bivy system with an ultralight tent. I couldn't really find options that would be good for me when it comes to tents. I think mine would have to stand on its own since I don't carry trekking poles. This could help with condensation issues, let me store my backpack in the tent and let me get rid of my bivy and tarp. But also this is not as stealthy as my current small green tarp and green bivy.
-Lighter backpack. My current 75L backpack quite hefty. However I tried another lighter one, and it was much less comfortabe and forced me to use my core to support the weight much more. While trying I did find out though, that my stuff can be packed in a 60L backpack, although I think 65L would be ideal.
-Getting rid of the camping stove completely. Since I am around places where I can just get food from the store, the camping stove really doesnt seem that important. However I decided against it, because there are times when its useful to be able to melt snow for water or boil water for the water bottle to keep between my legs during the night for warmth. Its also a comfort factor, since I can make tea or coffee.
-getting rid of the multitool. Using it doesn't come up that often.
-getting rid of the knife. Its only purpose really is to split firewood, so its quite niche.
-getting a lighter camera lens. My current one is a high quality and versatile lens, which is hard to replace without sacrificing something. Also, since I am wearing it on the fron strap of my backpack, it acts as a counterweight, which might even make the backpack easier to carry in theory.
-replacing the Tenba belt bag with a lighter option. This honestly seems worthwhile, but I just havent bothered since it seems like such a small adjustment.
-getting rid of one DSLR battery. Decided against it because it only saves like 50g and if my batteries run out, I'm out of operation as a photographer.
As context I am a newbie photojournalist and a wannabe youtuber/ documentarist. I travel by hitchhiking because it is free and offers unique possibilities for connecting with people in different countries and places in them. I've previously went on around 9 day long trips, but my plan is to get rid of my stuff and stop renting an apartment to live travelling for a while.
Location/temp range/specific trip description: (All around Europe, from -10°c to hot weather)
Goal Baseweight (BPW): (as light as possible while still meeting my requirements)
Budget: (I'm not rich, but willing to work and save up for this. This is the only major thing I'm saving for. Lets say a couple thousand euros)
Non-negotiable Items: (editing laptop)
Solo or with another person?: (Solo)
If there is any other information that would be useful for giving advice, please let me know.