Ultralight Pen

The Fisher Space Pen is very popular in the backpacking community because its nitrogen charged cartridge has ability to write in freezing cold, desert heat, upside down, and even under water. 

The Bullet model pen (shown above) weighs in at 0.65 oz, which is arguably light enough for all but the most discriminating of ultralight backpacking enthusiasts. To reduce weight I decided to bring only the 0.10 oz pen refill and leave the rest at home. All I had to do is come up with a solution for a cap. For this I went to the hardware store and bought a pack of 1/8" heat shrink tubing. After cutting the tubing to length and spending 5 minutes with the hair dryer, my project was done. At $5.00 for the pen refill, and $1.99 for enough heat shrink tubing to make several caps, this ultralight pen is also ultra-affordable!

So I saved 0.55oz of pack weight today, which by itself isn't much. But if you do this with everything in your pack, it quickly adds up to pounds off your back. That's how you get your pack weight to a minimum without having to leave things at home...find the lightest alternative for every item. That way you can bring everything you need, and nothing you don't!

Get yours here at the Mountain UltraLight Store.