I'm a strong believer that if you are going light, you should take light stuff, not a shortage of stuff.

Gear Expert Keith Morton snuggling in to test the GoLite sleep system

GoLite, a recent entrant in the outdoor product market, has put that philosophy into practice with innovative equipment that dramatically cuts overall pack weight without sacrificing preparedness or safety in the field.

GoLite's founder, Demetri Coupounas, got into the outdoor gear game just a few years ago after reading about ultra-lite guru Ray Jardine's"Ray Way," a system of interlocking philosophies, techniques, clothing, and equipment that can shrink a backpacking load to 10 pounds, not including water, fuel and food.

Ray is a legendary mountaineer, outdoor adventurer, and former rocket scientist (yes!) who invented the "friends" protection devices for climbers. Jardine's light gear was all homemade, and GoLite is now making this type of gear available to the public. Its products have been out for less than a year.

	More About GoLite For more information about any of these or other GoLite products, call (888) 546-5483, or visit www.golite.com.

Although most of the items in this article can be used individually to shave those pounds off your load, the GoLite gear items work best together as an integrated lightweight system.

GoLite gear is good quality, but you need to be aware of its limitations. For example, bushwhacking while carrying a heavy conventional pack would subject a super-lightweight rain jacket to totally unreasonable wear and stress. Another caution: camping with this gear and in the ultra-lite style requires superior skill and general campcraft knowledge, so beginners beware.

That said, here are some of the company's new offerings:

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