Occasionally something comes along in the outdoor industry that re-invents your previous perception on the world.

For me, this is one of them. At first sight it's a nice looking puffy jacket. But that's a winter thing right? They're heavy. Then someone picks up said puffy jacket and throws it at you. You put you hand out ready to catch a pound or so of duck-filled garment and them – boom. Not what you expected. It's like a helium balloon just brushed against your hand. Where did the weight go? This doesn't make sense. It's thick and puffy, and warm – but it doesn't weigh anything. Huh?

And so began my $160 love affair with the Montbell Ex Light Jacket. Not to be confused with its heavier cousin the Montbell UL Jacket, this sucker weighs in at a scant 5.7 oz for a Medium. But don't expect any frills – like pockets or hemmed waists.

I wore this whenever I had a chance on the Wonderland Trail. Rest stops – camp, heck I even slept in it on most nights. It's a perfect compliment to my lightweight summer bag when things get a little chilly at night to ensure I'm snug as a bug in a rug.

Granted, I've spent more time in this Jacket off the mountain at this point. It's so snug, so cozy that I've been living in it for most of the winter.

This jacket replaces my Bozeman Cocoon Vest, as for 0.4 oz more it packs a whole lot more warmth. The trade-off is that I'm more vulnerable to rain as the Cocoon was synthetic and this is down, but one I'm willing to risk.

By far my favorite hiking shorts ever. Soft, really comfy and dry out fast. I treat them with both Permethrin and TX-Direct for water and bug repellancy.

I thought these were discontinued, but they appear to be back this year!

I'm stocking up to replace my now skanky pair 🙂

On Sale at Altrec for $42.

Staggeringly light at only 2.4 oz., these pants promise to protect from a fair amount of rain and plently of wind.

I suspect that they would also be a better mozzie barrier than my current pants.

I wish they made them in lighter colors to help keep the bugs away – but it's hard to complain at this weight.

Not sure these would stand up to a morning of bushwacking, but I usually only wear pants at night to keep bugs out and an extra layer of warmth.

Available from prolite gear for $68.

A bit of new gear I have my eye on is a replacement for my fleece pullover, which at 7oz is somewhat on the heavy side.

• I have been really impressed so far with Theresas western mountaineering vest – it's a miracle at 3oz. However, it's down and useless when wet. Theresa carries it for extra warmth at camp and has a fleece as her primary warm layer.

The Bozeman Moutainworks cocoon vest is an interesting candidate. It's synthetic, and so retains it's warmth when wet. At 5.3oz it would save me a precious 2oz and probably be a much warmer layer.

I don't think I care about sleeves – as my thermal underwear and windproof should be enough.

The added bonus, is that it would give me an excellent boost to my sleeping bag, when the temps really dip down.

These work really well to defend against the cold. I find if my head and hands are warm, then my body stays pretty warm no matter what.

They are also thin enough to still retain some dexterity when fiddling with the stove or putting up the tent.

Available from REI for $9.

Nothing too special here.

I like Nike Sphere Dry T-Shirts and they are very light, don't cling and dry out really fast.

I find that I don't usually get cold when hiking as I'm moving so much quicker with trekking poles, so the more breathable the better.

Available from Nike for $25.

No self-respecting Brit would be caught in the wild without a Handkerchief or a bottle of gin.

I'm breaking the mold, and leaving the gin at home, but can't live without my hanky.

It's functional, and field-washable. Like most Americans Theresa was utterly disgusted at first, but now is a true convert and carries two in her pack also.

I buy my Handkerchiefs in England – import your own.

Warm and functional at 5.1 oz. I often hike in these thermal pants under my shorts. They dry out really fast and do a great job at keeping me warm.

On really cold nights, I'll wear them in my sleeping bag also.

Thermal pants available from Patagonia for $36.

I wear the mid-weights, at 5.1 oz, Theresa takes the expedition-weight womens small at 5.9 oz.

These legs are part of a pant-system and attach to a pair of shorts.

They come in useful as an extra leg-layer when things get cold, are great for wearing early morning if there is a lot of dew on the undergrowth – so I don't get soaked, and also come in handy at camp at night to keep the mozzies from munching on my legs.

Both the shorts and legs I treat at home with TX Direct, I've been using this stuff since the 90's and it's a miracle potion that causes your garments to bead water and stay waterproof.

Shorts and pant legs available from REI for $64.

Theresa wears a similar set for women – I think the REI brand ones for $55.

These shorts are part of a pant-system with zip-off legs.

For a 3+ day hike, I just take the one pair of shorts and wear them most of the time. If things get really wet, I will wear my thermal pants for a day while the shorts dry out. It's been working well for me.

OK… time for something personal. The shorts have an inner liner, so I find them comfortable enough to wear without underwear. No grundies, no extra ounces adding up. This little tip does not work for Theresa!

At 8 oz they aren't super-light, and I wonder if there is a better option, but the versatility of the pant legs, makes it worth it for me.

Shorts and pant legs available from REI for $64.

Theresa wears a similar set for women – I think the REI brand ones for $55.

Hard to beat a thermal base layer to keep the chills out.

I love this shirt, I've worn it to death. Mine is a patagonia mid-weight, looks like they no longer make that, so I linked to what I think the equivalent is – "Capilene 3". They have some nice wool shirts also and I wonder how they would be.

Available from Patagonia for $50.

Functional and light at 7 oz.

Not as light or warm as Theresas cool down vest, but I like to have my sleeves covered. Maybe I'll explore the vest some day once this is worn out.

At night, I make a pillow out of my sleeping bag sack stuffed with spare clothes and wrap this aound the outside of the stuff sack. Nice fleecy pillow… 🙂

REI has these for $55.

Theresa buys hers from REI – they have some very light ones at ~2.5 oz. each

Theresa buys hers from REI – they have some very light ones at ~1 oz. each

The Golite Either rocks. It weighs only 2.8 oz. (Small), pick it up and you can barely notice you're holding it. Combined with an ultralight umbrella, this rain jacket makes for a formidable rain protection system.

Yes… that's right, I said umbrella. My old goretex used to weigh a few pounds, in a down pour it would keep my dry in theory but my outside would get wet and saturated, and after a few thousand feet of climbing, my inside is hot and soaked with sweat. In short – I'd be miserable.

Last time I got caught in a down pour (We live in Seattle, it happens a LOT) on went the Helios, out came the brolly. I have never had such a pleasant experience trotting along in the rain, no sweat, no saturation and rain bouncing off to the sides.

Sadly, you can't buy the Helios anymore, Golite discontinued it. But Theresa this Ether windshirt, which is just as good.

The Golite Ether is Available from Amazon for $65.

The Golite Helios is godly. It weighs only 3.2 oz. (Medium), pick it up and you can barely notice you're holding it. Combined with an ultralight umbrella, this rain jacket makes for a formidable rain protection system.

Yes… that's right, I said umbrella. My old goretex used to weigh a few pounds, in a down pour it would keep my dry in theory but my outside would get wet and saturated, and after a few thousand feet of climbing, my inside is hot and soaked with sweat. In short – I'd be miserable.

Last time I got caught in a down pour (We live in Seattle, it happens a LOT) on went the Helios, out came the brolly. I have never had such a pleasant experience trotting along in the rain, no sweat, no saturation and rain bouncing off to the sides.

Sadly, you can't buy the Helios anymore, Golite discontinued it. But Theresa has the Ether windshirt, which is almost as good.

The alternative, Golite Ether is Available from Amazon for $65.

It's a bandana. It wicks sweat an moisture and doubles as a hanky. It weighs 0.9 oz., which more than justifies it's usefulness. In really hot weather I use it to keep my neck out of the sun to avoid sunburn. I also find it useful to keep my camera wrapped to avoid scratches.

Handy little bugger for less than an ounce.

Available from REI for $3.

Not a whole lot to say here. Warm, cozy and weighing in at a whopping 0.8 oz. I live in this hat. Either early in the morning on a trail keeping my warm, late at night in camp while cooking and hanging out, or tucked up in my sleeping back for extra warmth.

Hhhmmm…. maybe it's time I washed the thing. 😉

Available from REI for $15.

A whole lot of warmth packed into 3.4 oz (Size XS). Theresa just bought one of these recently and she absolutely loves it. It is implausibly light and kept her toasty warm as the temperatures dropped. I think this will quite possibly be her most worn article of clothing, and she may be able to eliminate her other fleece sweater over time.

It's made of 850+ Fill Power Goose Down, has reflective edging and an ultra-light shell.

Available from Backcountry Gear for $125.