Ultra Light Backpacking

Comment

Comment by gabriel on April 1, 2009 at 12:31pm

Yeah, I started off the A.T. with some Golites that had no shank support at all and my feet were dying. I switched to some Montrails which do have shank support and noticed a consideralble difference. I can only speak for the AT really....it was pretty brutal in spots, especially PA. I do agree that BOOTs are not necessary and I will always wear shoes to hike in.

Comment by John Smith on March 31, 2009 at 4:08pm

Gabriel,

I have never considered the shank in my shoes unless I am doing serious climbing. I generally use running shoes for most of my hikes and scrambles. This tends to keep the weight down but you are right at times I wish I had a stiffer shoe. Hard to find the right compromise.

Comment by John Smith on March 31, 2009 at 4:07pm

Da,

I liked the comment about the bag. I usually use a quilt and take along insulating clothing that can be work in camp, at belays and other stops and also extend the range of the bag. By using them for multiple purposes I keep my weight down and still am comfortable.

Comment by gabriel on March 31, 2009 at 11:15am

To me the most important part to UL backpacking is the shenk in the shoe. As long as its stiff enough so that the feet do not get butchered by rocks on long millage days, it's all good. I once heard someone say, "If you need it and don't got it, you don't need it" It's worth sacrificing comfort for weight anytime your doing huge miles per day which is the reason to go U.L. At the end of my thru hike my pack never got above 20lbs to include food water and gear for 5 days.

Comment by Dan Eubank Lafuma Millet Rep on March 31, 2009 at 11:05am

As a rep for Lafuma I deal with ways to get light and fast on a daily basis. One thing I really try to educate sleeping bags and sleeping conditions. Lafuma is known for light weight and compressable sleeping bags. I try to get people to use for example our synthetic bags x650 pro which is a 40 degree bag 1lb 5oz and then use a liner of silk or similar for added warmth on colder nights. This allows you to use a bag for more than a couple of seasons of weather. Also it depends heavily on the pad you are using and the most important is if your a warm or cold sleeper. Sleeping bag ratings are not as accurate as some may lead you to beleive which is a whole other discussion we could get into for days, lol.

Also I don't just look at the pack weight but also the clothing you are wearing as well as the footwear. If you are trying to get your pack weight down but are wearing heavy clothing as well as heavy socks and boots then the lght pack really doesn't help that much. Think of it as when you tow something with a vehicle you have to look at the total GWVR not just what your carrying.

I hope this adds a little to the discussion of ultra lite

Comment by Paul Sheehan on March 7, 2009 at 5:45pm

Thanks for the feedback on the littlebug dudes

Comment by John Smith on February 28, 2009 at 10:16pm

YosemiteSam - that pack looks like it needs wheels on it.

Comment by YosemiteSam on February 11, 2009 at 8:05pm

Here is a GREAT picture of me that belongs in this group! This is me at Yosemite in 2007. We did a base camp and day hike trip in late August. You are looking at a 77 pound pack...and yes, that IS a guitar! ~Happy Packing!

Comment by John Smith on January 9, 2009 at 10:19pm

1) Knots - the simplest way to learn is to buy a cub scout book second hand and practice the basic knots listed in there over and over. If you absolutley are not going to do that then buy some cord locks from OWFINC.com They are cheap and fairly good.

2) Bivy Sack: Blackdiamond Lightsabre is fairly good. It is light and allows you to have lots of room around your face. However there is no such thing as a roomy bivy sack. For winter use the Bibler Winter bivy is nice. I have lots of experience with it in the snow. Now bug net but in snow you won't need one.

3) Clothing - I shop for my clothing almost exclusively online. Join he backpacking gear swap on yahoo groups. I have gotten great deals there. As for new, I suggest Hikelight.com.

4) I have an ursack and like it a lot. I have never had a bear go after it though. I use it for rodent, squirrel and raccoon protection. Those have bothered me i nteh past. Even living in hiking in Alaska for many years and I never had a bear-food encounter. I think the main trick is to maintain absolutely sanitary conditions with no food anywhere near camp and appropriate storage of food.

Comment by Ryan on January 5, 2009 at 5:38pm

getting into the ultralight style. Past few excursions with a heavy pack has me a true believer. Getting equipment together and want to throw a few questions out their.
1) Going to try a tarp. But I am not a boyscout with regards to mechanics or knots. Any resources on learning the best way to work with guylines.....
2) Need a lightweight bivysack with a bugnet. The bozeman one on the backpackinglight.com site looks great but out of stock. Any recommendations for something that could be used in winter. I have a nice downbag at the moment and can't deal with shelling out the cash for a synthetic. I am hoping the bivy will work for winter snowshoeing purposes.
3) Looking to buy some clothing. The lightest stuff isn't at the local REI. Have people tried buying clothing online. Has it worked out? eg. windjacket, pants, poncho, rainpants.
4) Probably will hike in bear troubled areas again. eg toulomne meadows.... Do the Kevlar bear bags really work to keep a PHD bear out of food?

anyfeedback appreciated.

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last