Ultralight Backpacking???

“"Hmmm, after the weight of my last pack, I probably should not post on this thread."
WLD
04:30:00 PM
06/07/02

Yep, you're not worthy enuf to post on the "ultralight thread". You should start a "overweight thread"! LOL!”

“ok, I am going to put my backpack on a strict diet.”

“I guarantee my 70 lb backpack will lose 20 lbs before our June 22 Duck Pass backpack trip......”

“How 'bout 30? You can borrow my Bearikade®.”

“40 lb pack is a little lite. How about 45 lbs.”

“I didn't carry 40 lbs in 1968.”

“Ok, let me see what I can do. I have never been able to get the weight that low. At least not yet. But I will try.
I can only guarentee 45lbs. But will shoot for 40.....”

“Hey WLD, is that 20lbs going on a llama? That's cheatin!! Great way to loose pack weight though.”

“LOL, it is staying home....”

“the llama?... what about the weight?”

“I normally carried 37-40 for a weekend trip and 50 for a week long trip. Over labor day I didn't have time to pack right and ended up with 43 or so for a weekend trip and really regretted it.

Last weekend I really worked hard to get it under 30. It was 28 or 29 before water. What a big difference. Going downhill was nicer too since all that weight wasn't pounding on me. I did it by:

1. Taking less of everything that was in a container.
2. My lightest tent.
3. Omit clothing I never wore.
4. Esbit stove instead of my Apex II.
5. Minimal extra food (I had plenty anyway).
6. Leave behind some stuff I never use.

I am going to replace my 6# external frame with a 3# internal. I also want to eventually get a lighter tent and lighter bear cannister. All that should shave off 6 more pounds...

Anyway, it sure made a difference.”

“Lighten the big three (bag, shelter, and pack) and everything else will fall in.

Good job!”

“Don't waste your time with light beer...there ain't much weight difference between it and regular beer.”

“awesoem philmeister!”

“Phil - if I remember correctly you use the Inyo II. I will be interested to find out what you decide for a lighter tent.

Congrats on getting that weight down. It is quite a difference on the hips and knees.”

“I go ultralight if the trail has large elev changes and lightweight for easy hikes like the Sipsey Wilderness. Take care of the big three like Gear Slut said and the rest just follows along.

I just ordered myself a Henry Shires TarpTent. 23 oz for a two man shelter! Only about a month and half backlog to get one.
I can't hardly wait.”

“Wish I would have known about this guy before I bought my Siltent a few years back.
Way better design all around.
Damn!!!!!!!!”

“Good job, Phil! I lightened the big 3, and that made a big difference. The bear canister makes a big difference too.

Bearikade
while you're looking at the canisters, check out the Photo Gallery ;-)”

“Don't get to upset.
The tarptent has only been out a few months.”

“ever try minimal: pack-poncho-food.

pray for seasonal weather”

“The one item most people can cut the most weight from is their backpack. Most "old school" packs weigh about 5 to 7 pounds. Think of it. Can you name even one heavier item in your pack weight?

If you're ever going to lighten up, start with the pack itself. GoLite and several other companies now offer excellent packs under 2 lbs.”

“I don't know Didj, I saw one of those Shire's tarptents on the llamarama this year (Shelly) and I thought it looked like a big storm would shred it. I guess looks are deceiving?”

“agreed. kelty has a pack that "tear down" to around that range.

and thier 50th external is a monster. but stripped of it is only ?4#?

lose tent go bivy? (not me if i can help it)”

“BigCoop - My Inyo 2 was packed with a heavy groundcloth and heavier that necessary stakes. My Eureka Zephyr was packed with a lighter groundcloth and stakes and was probably over a pound lighter.

I am going to get some Tyvek or something for the Inyo 2 and lighter stakes. Then I will take it over the Zephyr.

The Zephyr is OK if it doesn't rain hard. Plus it packs inside my packpack easier right now.

Snow Nymph - The Bearikade is on my wish list. That will save some weight and give be smaller in the new pack (whatever I end up with).

I must admit, after 10 years with my Camptrails McKinley I have things all organized and accessible. It will be interesting going to an internal frame, but it should help me several ways.”

“Hey Rosey;

Shelly;s was a homemade using a similar pattern (I thought). The pictures on the site looked just a bit different. The silnylon even looks different.

The comments page gave a solid review on it in rough conditions.”

“In the last 2 months I cut my packweight by almost 15lbs. Seriously!!!

I lost almost 15lbs in bodyweight with my current job, and the last time I went backpacking, I could really feel the difference. Seriously!!!

But I'll still never part with my 7lb Dana Terraplane-X...someday (hopefully) I'll have offspring and will need the BIG & comfy pack, regardless of the weight.”

“what's the lightest drink mix- i think crystal light may be it (taste likes crud tho)


having trouble giving up my "DYNOMITE" kool-aid.”

“I carry little baggies of Gatorade instead of hauling along the whole thing. I eliminated a lot of weight by taking less of the stuff that I used, like a 1/2oz bottle of camp soap instead of the 4oz bottle, or a small tube of sunblock instead of a huge one.

But I did get my greatest weight savings by getting a lighter pack, a lighter shelter, and a lighter stove. My sleeping bag was already pretty light.”

“fraid of that. gear upgrade. mo money.”

“fraid of that. gear upgrade. mo money."
Trik1
11:56:54 PM
08/15/02


About 3-4 years ago, I upgraded all my hiking equipment...and I ain't about to do that again. For me, "going light" is leaving stuff at home.”

“Interesting.

Given enough time, a flame war will eventually degenerate into a serious gear thread.



Phil – Be sure to check out the Osprey Aether 60.”

“Going lighter doesn't automaticly mean more money.

I've been able to shed some weight too.

TNF pebble 5.5 lbs
to
Tyvek tarp 2lbs (with stakes, cord and bug net)

Whisperlite and fuel about 2lbs
to
Pepsi can and fuel about 1lb

Terraplane 8lbs
to
Kelty Flight (half stripped) 3.5 lbs

9 pounds gone and two of the items I built at home from scavenged (legally) materials and the pack was bought on closeout for less than half price.”

“Does this mean that the squirrel thread will degenerate into the health value of nuts in gorp?”

“Either that, or the ethics of foraging while backpacking...”

“Leave no nuts?”

“I was thinking more of hunting squirrels with a slingshot for protein while backpacking...”

“Poor Psycho.
No love for the squirrel.”

“give the taxes to the squirrel,not the government.”

“Heck, I live out of a pack for a living. A pack with Combat gear weighs 100 + pounds sometimes so when I recreational hike in my off time a 50 pound pack is light. AMMO is always the kicker and MRE's weigh a ton. Next time I have to HUMP 20 miles in less than 6 hours with my gear somebody needs to fill my boots.

But seriouly I think a lighter pack, shelter, and leaving the crap that you think you need but never use at home makes a lot of difference. As long as you have what you need for the conditions you will be in. Just make sure you have what you need sudden weather changes kill people. I never skimp on food. I always have a two day emergency pack stashed in my pack. But thats my way of thinking after spending two days in a snow storm learning the hard way.”

“i have spent all this week trying to reduce my pack weight....i have read the posts here....i have read ray....i have read the ultralight backpacker forum....i am sitting here right now struggling to eat mashed potatoes out of a ziplock bag and you know what....


i hate it....


i am packing for a 2.5 day trip....i am going to wear 804s instead of my hiking boots....i packed (crammed my be a better word) a smaller, lighter pack (lowe alpine attack 40 instead of my arc'teryx bora 80)....i am using a sil shelter instead of my kelty vortex....


i am still not convinced....


i like eating out of a bowl (with a spoon AND a fork)....i like having several cups of coffee in the morning without spending all morning fiddling around with my stove....i like having a camp chair....i like the idea of carrying enough water so that i don't have to worry about finding a water source and filtering it....i like the comfortable suspension system on that bora (that's why i bought it!!)....i like taking extra food along and i like having a complete first aid kit....


i'm thinking i will just have to be a "semilightweight" backpacker....”

“hehehe you sound like me! i cant stand to leave without a deck of cards, my hacky-sack, and a good book to read. i have a tent thats a two-person heavy thing which has fancy vestibles and 2-count them 2- doors to get in and out of.”

“Tis true ole man, ye must find the combination that fits thee best!

Trial and error. Trial and error...”

“All that really matters is that you have fun, how you do it is really your business.

Sometimes I go ultra light, other times I haul 65lb.....but I have fun either way.....just depends on what I want out of the mountains for that trip...and that changes.





Hey rosey, if you see this drop me an e-mail, I though I had your address, but can't find it now...I may have something for ya.”

“Different stokes...I think my loaded pack weight was 18 lbs for last weekends 4 day trip...I was never hungry or too uncomfortable...I always seem to find a soft place to sleep and a nice log or rock to sit on...That and I don't mind getting a bit dirty or wearing the same clothes for a couple days.....”

“semilightweightBonzo

I don't like to paint myself with that 'lightweight' brush. We are all purists. Just some of us more than others.

I'm OK, You're OK. There there now, we won't criticize you here.”

“Comfort in camp vs comfort on the trail. It's a hard to decide. After hauling massive loads of "camp comfort" uphill, I used to collapse in a heap and didn't have much energy left to enjoy it.”

“I hear ya, Mr.Gonzo. I already have all the gear I need and I'm satisfied with it ALL. Therefore, I'm not about to go out and replace all my gear just to save a few pounds when I know I'm going to get just as much enjoyment out of the hike no matter how much weight is on my back.

To me, lightweight backpacking is only taking the things I need and not taking items I can do without. My "base-packweight" has for a while been a few #s under 20lbs. Add food and water and it's somewhere under 30lbs. I've found that this is as far low as it gets without me replacing my gear...and I ain't about to do that.

I believe that most (some for health/physical reasons) ultralightweight backpackers are obsessive compulsives, which there's nothing wrong with that, but there seems to be big egos involved which lead to "bragging rights" regarding how many ounces they carry. It's true. It pretty much started with longdistance hikers doing the AT, CDT and the PCT but now has moved to weekend camping, which most people do most of the time. And how many weekend hikers hike ALL day and need to carry low weights?

I don't know anymore where I'm going with this so I'm going to stop now.”

“I actually don't even know any real lightweight backpackers. They are all poser on that other website”