Ultralight backpacking=fad?

[wayno]

graphite isnt the issue, graphene form of it is,

[dancier]

Lint is a roving ambassador for ultra lighters, he has it all worked out, why use a map, just tattoo it too your leg, or maybe there his achievements. I love the way he uses the umbrella to support the bug net for night time planning.

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segment ... ht-hiking/

Maybe I can justify buying this umbrella now - Euroschirm Swing Liteflex Trekking Umbrella
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___90601

[photohiker]

The test video for this Umbrella is amusing, esp the waterfall test!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3oyTyWq9_I

[dancier]

Grandma Gatewood was often considered to be the first ultra lighters, back in the 50's, so the fad has been going for a long time.

http://sectionhiker.com/the-real-grandm ... a-gatewood

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IQY ... rarevie-20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd1uqeL78bw

[Zone-5]

I just realised that this thread is a year out, oh well...

I do UL backpacking every Sunday.

My CamelBak LOBO is my UL pack and it does everything for a day tramping around the hike tracks of the Mt Lofty Ranges.

I like to cover a lot of distance quickly and pack weight (3.5 kg max) is critical, so the bare basics are:

Mars Bar/jelly jubes
cash
mini umbrella
hat
toilet paper
tissues
3ℓ water bladder
Etrex 20
map
stretch bandage
spare jocks (ma told me to)
camera
magnifying glass
Leatherman Skeletool knife
ski pole
lip balm
Sunbloc 30+
Panadol
Nexium 20 (antacid)
saline eye drops

All easily in this...

[aloftas]

I shouldn't have used the word "fad" !! and I wasn't having a go, I just thought the yak had died down a bit.....

Mind you , I was out strolling on the weekend and come across a party of six doing the overnight camp thing [ same as me ] just judging by size of packs and straps cutting into shoulders, there wasn't a whole lot of "lightweight" going on. Maybe we're a bit behind over here......

bump.
err sorry guys, don't want any ultralights flyin off into the ethers.
Interesting reading, this first page.

Lots of pertinent high value, runs on the board comment.

There is no one right way, to build a barn.

There are PLENTY of wrong ways; stupid mistakes, and errors of assumption or over simplification, and an overkill of hackneyed buzz words.

Cliques and Cirque quirks indeed.

Funny stuff.


Anyway, plenty of fun out there to be had.

and please, don't go poking snakes with sticks....perhaps that is why they are protected.

enough, from me.

[aloftas]

except to add: watch grapheme. That will change the ball park dramatically.
I was more interested in the comments on page one.

Anyway.

Moving on.

[Arctic Camel]

as a tech gear developer, I can only say that not only is ultralight gear not going away anywhere, but it is also a very fast growing field that every brand what's to exploit. Light useful gear = sales

[wayno]

as a tech gear developer, I can only say that not only is ultralight gear not going away anywhere, but it is also a very fast growing field that every brand what's to exploit. Light useful gear = sales

I think some people are now buying ultralight gear because its more available and prominent than its ever been and they don't think about the fact that it doesn't tend to last as well as heavier gear and may not be as comfortable or have the features they need. Those people may find they swing back to heavier gear when its not what they were after. scrub bashing isn't an ideal use for ultralight gear for instance.

[RonK]

As a baby boomer I inherited from my wartime frugal parents the notion that you should buy goods to last a lifetime.

That's what I did when I bought bushwalking gear. Only too late did I realise that this "last a lifetime" ethos was self-fulfilling. The extra weight I was carrying round has effectively shortened my walking lifetime by quite a few years.

Knees are shot now and my walking career is all but over.

[wayno]

even a lot of the mainstream gear now is a lot lighter than it used to be.

[GRLillistone]

You can’t have something ultralight AND durable. There’s always a compromise.
Why not simply be smart about your load by carefully selecting items with multiple uses that are very durable. These will always be heavier than the market’s current array of “lightweight” or “ultralight” gear, but won’t tear and full to pieces after only a couple of days of pushing through lantana or wait-a-while. In the long run you will save money because these rugged items will last you decades, rather than weeks.
In this sense, by reducing the amount of gear you carry, rather than focusing on buying expensive, lightweight – but fragile – items, you go light in the purist sense of the word.

[whitefang]

Why not simply be smart about your load by carefully selecting items with multiple uses that are very durable. These will always be heavier than the market’s current array of “lightweight” or “ultralight” gear, but won’t tear and full to pieces after only a couple of days of pushing through lantana or wait-a-while. In the long run you will save money because these rugged items will last you decades, rather than weeks.

People's walking styles are different. There's no way I need something like a really rugged pack that will handle decades of bush-bashing. My walking at this stage is all done on-trails and I have yet to find anything rather overgrown. In my opinion a big, burly pack is overkill for the places I walk. I would much rather have a lighter load and just be a little more careful when I use my gear so I can be more comfortable and go further.