Well, I revised my setup and I am officially ultralight. That is the good news. I haven't been able to find much info on the Pinhoti trail system for a possible singletrack predominant route. Anyone from North GA/TN area?

JWL did you decide on a few routes? I am also looking at maps and alltrails to find a good route

Also looking for some good routes that may not require a heck of a lot of climbing. Ive lowered my expectations for a ton of singletrack and would be fine with dirt roads to connect trails. I purchased the Nat Geo Map it tool to view all of the Trails Illustrated. Now i just need to figure out what im looking at.

I have run both Crests and Arches at your weight. Crests would be totally fine even with the dded 15lbs on a tubeless system. Enjoy

I will be carrying a 20L light pack. I prefer to have some of the weight on my bike to keep by bike agile. The rest will go in a seatpack being built and a small custom frame pack assuming i need it.

I decided to go with the MontBell UL SS#5. At a tad over 1lb it should be perfect for my weather coupled with an UQ or maybe even a thermarest neoair  x-lite with higher R value. . MY next question is what UQ should I be looking at? Yeti from Warbonnet looks lighter than the rest and smaller. Anyone have experience in 30-50F with just a bag and thermarest?

Thanks for the input guys2

AZ- Im torn between the Mtn hardwear speed  32, marmot atom40, and montbell U.L. ss #5. All are similar weight packsize which is ultralight and tiny.

Sarge-
The Potomac I see if rated for 30 degrees. Could I get away with a lighter one @50 degrees?

Thanks for all of the helpful answers and the well organized format. I realize already that my first mistake was not getting the ultralight. I used a vendor that claimed it to be under 3lbs (2.75) and the word "lightweight" was in the title so I assumed a little too much.

I also want you to know Im sad I dont get to buy a jetboil/similar. I may have to sneak one in somewhere without letting you guys know.

Do you think the 45 degree bag will be enough? should i try the 32 instead since ill be sleeping in a Hennessey?  Im mostly around the Southeast Thanks for the help!

hi I'm Todd and I am New to the bikepacking community. I'm looking for some quality advice on gear. This all started with a renewed interest in singletrack riding and now it is a full blown obsession. I want to ride as much as possible and see some nice views so I figure the next logical step is bikepacking. I have considerable backpacking experience but never had the need for the next level of lightweight camping gear.
Here is what I have assembled so far:
-Specialized Epic 29er ~27.5 lbs and getting lighter as we go.
-Hennessey Hammock explorer w snakeskins (looking into lightweight mods)
-Commissioned jobs for a saddle bag and custom frame bag
-Mammut lithium 20 pack
-all of the necessary clothing w/marmot precip as shell
-bike tool kit, first aid, etc
-2 camelbak bladders

I am looking to find :
-a really light sleeping bag that packs down tiny
- gas tank for top tube
- best personal stove option (jetboil vs msr vs primus) vs cold food
-any advice i need for my first trip and how much storage you guys think I will need
-advice on these steripens i keep seeing
-food suggestions

I have already scoured a lot of the forums to see what info is out there and found decent answer to some of these topics but most arent from 2012-2013. I' looking the most comfortable singletrack setup that keeps the weight stable so I can still get some challenging riding done and light weight enough to keep me going and not killing myself.

I am planning to find some trips around the southeast as i live in Auburn, AL. The Pinhoti will probably be my first ride with my new setup.