Oh the joys of going "Ultralight"...
The very thought brings to mind images of a hiker gracefully skipping down the trail, without a care in the world. Life is worry free for the "Ultralight" backpacker.
Because you carry less than 15 lbs, sans food and water, you can get away with a "day pack". You can also leave those clumsy boots at home; all you need on your feet is a good pair of running shoes. You look more like someone who drove the average backpacker to the trailhead than someone about to embark on the trail itself.
Unencumbered, you can walk hours longer than your pack-laden friends - you need fewer rest stops and are able to spend more of the day on the trail. On any given 2-day trip, you can actually get further than just shouting distance from the trailhead - you can get away from the crowds in popular hiking areas. The days of taking "layovers" because you're tired of lugging a pack around are long gone.
The net result of all this "Ultralight" stuff is that you see more of the outdoors and have the ability to cover more miles. Given any four day weekend, you should be able to get to your destination, cover anywhere from 75-100 miles, and have plenty of energy when you return to the woes of the real world.
Images such as these had me asking just one question, "Where do I sign up?"
What I should have been asking was, "What do I need to give up?" - Looking at the "Ultralight" sites out there you'd think that there were no drawbacks.
You see, you can't just go to your local outfitters and buy the lightest version of all your usual gear to get down to the status of "The Ultralight Backpacker." Simply cutting off toothbrush handles and trimming margins off of maps isn't going to do it either. You must change your way of thinking, leave some gear at home, possibly modify gear that you take, and think of creative ways to use the same gear for multiple purposes (Remember that Eddie Murphy skit where he talks about his "Momma" using Wonder Bread for hamburger buns, because its just as good :)
To get down to the "Ultralight" pack weight range, you have to be ready to skimp all the way - getting by with very basic definitions of shelter, food, and, at times, comfort.
Once you're down in the sub-15 lb. range, the "Ultralight" philosophy goes on to say that, with so little weight, you can comfortably put in more hours of hiking in a given day than a hiker with more of a traditional load can - more trail time equates to more miles - you'll be able to hit re-supply points and water sources more frequently so you can carry far less food and water. Not only are you carrying a light load in terms of your base gear, but the weight of your rations is substantially less.
This all sounds good but, in reality, if you pack light and only carry enough food to get from point-A to point-B in a couple of days, you are forcing yourself to adhere to the advertised 10-12 hour (20-25 mile) hiking days. This means that no matter what the weather, or how you feel, you're going to have to cover your mileage. Once you start "padding" your load to allow for "what-if's" and additional days on the trail, you go against the "Ultralight" philosophy and your pack weight starts to climb - you add on a few more days food, fuel, maybe an extra water bottle - pretty soon you have to drop the running shoes for more stable hiking boots and you're shopping around for a larger, and consequently heavier, pack.
So what is a backpacker to do?
Most of us will find that, by going through the above steps, 5 - 15 lbs. can be immediately eliminated, with no appreciable loss of comfort.
- Start with the fact that no one wants to carry a heavier load than they need to. Most of us do carry too much weight, and aren't even aware that we are doing so. See table 1
- Next, use the concepts of "Ultralight Backpacking" as inspiration - take a serious evaluation of your gear. Ask yourself if you actually need all that crap you're packing, or can you make do with less? You would be surprised at how few hikers actually do this - most of us pack everything that happens to be on a store's "Essentials" list. Also, get rid of those unnecessary items and redundancies which make their way into your pack.
- Perhaps, after taking an objective inventory of what you really need to carry, you no longer need a pack as large as you would normally use. Can you lose some of your pack weight simply by replacing some of your gear with less cumbersome alternatives? For many of us, the initial decision on which backpack or sleeping bag to buy had little to do with weight and more to do with whatever happened to fit in the budget, be on sale, or listed as "Editors Choice" in Backpacker Magazine. How many pounds can you save by simply being a weight conscious shopper? See table 2
- Finally, will any of the changes that you are considering have a negative impact on your total hiking experience - if so, then don't make them.
In the end, you might find yourself in the sub-15 lb. range. If not, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone :) If you have truly trimmed down on the gear weight and gotten rid of the redundancies and unnecessary items, chances are that whatever is left has everything to do with maintaining a certain realistic comfort level and trying to physically preserve a little of your adventure - after all, we don't just walk, sleep, eat, and shit when we are in the outdoors, do we?
I think that the answer to this question, more than just pack weight, is the main difference between the "Ultralight" backpacker and the rest of us. By not carrying a book, camera, fishing gear, and all those other little extras, the "Ultralight" backpacker doesn't have much to do besides walking down the trail.
For me, going "Ultralight" would cut down on my total wilderness experience - I want to carry a camera, tripod, and a few lenses - I want my water to taste like water - I want a hot meal, at least once a day - I don't want to sleep in a damn bivy sack after walking all day!!! The option of capturing my adventures on film, or eating trout on a plate with "ghost orchard" apples and wild mushrooms, will have me getting on the trail later, and off the trail earlier, than someone who's sole focus is spending as much time hiking as possible. Going "Ultralight" is simply not a desirable option.
If you want a final crack at going below 15 lbs, but just can't let go of some of the extras, just go hiking with a really good friend and divide up the gear accordingly. Have one person carry the stove, the other person carry the water filter. Take a 2-person tent and divide the weight into two equal loads (tent, -vs- fly, stakes, poles, and guy-line).
Think about it - would you rather carry and use a bivy which weighs 1 pound and change or split the burden of carrying a reasonably sized hoop tent with a friend and carry 2 lbs. each? Of course, if you are going to be sharing sleeping accommodations you will probably feel better if you can't smell your partner. This means you have to make some provision to get the sweat off yourself after a day of hiking - maybe you'll even have to pack some extra clothes that you will use strictly for sleeping in. This will probably add up to another 1-1.5 lbs.
Base Kamp
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Total Packweight (TPW) = (Total weight of pack) - (food + water) Weight Catagory TPW
(lbs.)Distinguishing Characteristics (typical 3-season hikers) "Ultralight" less than 15 pack size usually less than 3200 cu. in, tarp or bivy, no water filter, creative cooking solutions Lightweight 15 - 24 pack size 2800 - 3800 cu. in, tarp or small tent, point and shoot camera Normal 25 - 34 pack size 3500 - 4500 cu. in, thermarest, tent, serious hobbyists begin to appear (photographers, fishermen, etc) Heavy 35 - 49 pack size 4000 cu. in+, low tech (e.g. Coleman) gear, old kitchen cookware, jeans, t-shirts, sweats, Maglight 2-D flashlight, BSA scouts going 'by the book', etc. Lunar Expedition 50+ how groovy do you want to get? - get your guitar ready, pack along that inflatable mattress, mom's old pot, and don't forget that can of "Chef Boyardee" Note: these classifications are based on my personal experiences - talking with fellow, 3-season, hikers on the trail, inquiring about pack-weight/gear, observations, etc.
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"Ultralight" 1 Lightweight 2 Normal 3 Heavy/Lunar 4 Backpack GoLite Breeze
(2700 cu. in.)
12oz
$120Mountainsmith Ghost
(3100cu. in.)
2lbs 6oz
$179JanSport Cascade
(4000 - 4700cu. in.)
5lbs 6oz
$150JanSport Rockies
(4900 - 5600cu. in.)
5lbs 9oz
$170Shelter Campmor 8'x 10' Ultralight Tarp, w 6 stakes and guy line
1lb, 2oz
$69Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight
4lbs 5oz
$190Sierra Designs Astro CD
6lbs 10oz
$290Eureka Apex 2XT
5lbs 8oz
$155Sleeping Bag Western Mountaineering Ultralite
1lb, 12oz
$295TNF Blue Kazoo
2lbs 11oz
$200Kelty Clear Creek
3lbs 14oz
$70Slumberjack Red Thunder
3lbs
$90Sleeping Pad RidgeRest, 3/4 length
9oz
$15RidgeRest, 3/4 length
9oz
$15Therm-A-Rest Ultralite 3/4
1lb
$55Slumberjack R3 Comfort Pad
1lb
$19Stove Esbit Pocket Stove
3.25oz
$15MSR WhisperLight
14oz
$60Peak 1 Feather 442
1lb 8oz
$55Coleman Dual Fuel Sportster II
3lb
$40Water Treatment Iodine Tablets
0.15oz
$1/galIodine Tablets
0.15oz
$1/galPUR Hiker
11oz
$60PUR Hiker
11oz
$60Total Weight 4lbs, 6.4oz 10lbs, 13.15oz 19lbs, 1oz 18lbs, 12oz Approx. $$$/USD $515 $645 $680 $535
Note - the gearlist above assumes for 3-season camping (20-30 degree bags) and no larger than 2-person tents. 1) Accepted the fact we were going to "tarp" and use iodine. Shopped with "Ultralight" in mind. Had to shop at multiple vendors - REI, GoLite, and Campmor. 2) Room to stretch at night and comfort when bunkering down during a storm were primary reasons for upgrading to the tent - I was still interested in going as light as I could, but realized I'd be carrying a bit more bulk. All the shopping was done at REI. 3) This is really living the high life - the Astro not only has TONS of room, but a vestibule large enough to house an "Ultralight" backpacker who's bivy sprang a leak :) As I'm outlining luxury, I've opted to go with the "Therm-A-Rest" and PUR water filter. The Peak-1 has a built in fuel tank, so I don't have to carry an extra fuel bottle. Plus, it has a lever that allows me to adjust the height of the flame. 4) For the Heavy/Lunar category I went shopping at Target, K-Mart, The Sports Authority, and other basic consumer Chains that carry camping gear. I just grabbed the gear that looked like it would most likely perform to the task (tent wouldn't leak too much, sleeping bag could be compressed to fit in the backpack with room for additional gear, etc.) It's interesting to note that the weight is about the same as for the "Normal" category, and that there is a significant savings in cost (almost $150). The main difference here is in the pad (closed foam -vs- self inflating) and in the "techiness" of the tent. If I were on a budget I would go for the cheaper pad in a heartbeat. If your hiking will be limited to a few summer holiday weekends each year, you should be able to get by with the Eureka. However if you're serious about hiking and just don't have the funds for a good, new, tent, I'd go e-bay'ing.
It's interesting to note that as we go down in the amount of weight that's carried, the associated gear costs also go down. The reason for this is obvious - if you carry less weight, chances are you have less gear, and thus you have less to buy. Items such as backpacks need not be "Heavy Duty", as they will not be supporting as much weight. It's only in the case of the sleeping bag, where we insist on a high quality down for the best warmth-to-weight ratio, that the "Ultralight" gear is found at a significantly higher cost.
Base Kamp