Ultralight backpacking=fad?

[Pongo]

More power to you Phil! Love the name.

I've slowly but surely been getting on the UL bandwagon. My first round of gear purchases, as I geared up for the first time, were all fairly heavy. Indeed in the early days the term 'bombproof' had too much sway with me. Some of the kit was great, some of it was horrible.

At the moment I'm acquiring to a tent setup very similar to ULPhils - ie. MLD Cuben duomid, with a single oooksnest modified inner. My goal for this baby is to keep it sub 1kg, which gives me the freedom to add some features to it that I deem important.

I've taken some lessons from my Macpac Olympus and am looking at having a high density PU floor in the inner so I can pitch sans groundsheet, and will be adding in fly wire doors so I can modify the ventilation of the inner as desired. Really these are 'heavy weight' features in a lightweight shelter and realistically move me closer to LW than ULW. The lightweight gear focus however is what will be getting my pack weight down 2kg, so fad or not, I'll benefit from this on the trail.

All the whilst the Olympus will sit in the cupboard and will be broken out when I deem useful.

Now that is my idea of a gear chache, 4 season kit all the way to UL 3 season.

[wayno]

@stry, frogg toggs or a dri ducks jacket would have been confeti

[Orion]

How long does something have to persist before it is no longer a fad?

Although modern technology has made it increasingly easy to carry less weight without very much sacrifice, the practice of going ultralight is at least several decades old. I remember people sleeping on bubble wrap when I first started walking in the mountains. I think one could argue that "carrying less" has always been there, but in the days of iron and animal skins you just couldn't tell when someone was trying.

[wayno]

ultralighters are often more seasonal. the extreme ultralighters can't really function in winter.
if you're in a colder climate ultralighters might look like more of a fad. only a small minority of people i see tramping in nz are ultralighters.. from what i can tell its the people wanting to walk longer distances who are more likely to be ultralighters , the ones walking te araroa etc..
my gears a mix, some ultralight stuff. clothes and sleeping bag, but the bulk of my gear isnt and it depends on the conditions i'm going on in as to what i take, all the ultralight stuff i have i have alternate heavier items i can replace it with if i need to.

[Orion]

ultralighters are often more seasonal. the extreme ultralighters can't really function in winter.

That's true if you define ultralight by rigid weight standards. But if you look at it as a philosophy of simply carrying what is needed and no more then it works in winter too. Minimalism works in any environment, it's just the numbers that change.

[wayno]

ultralighting is a philosophy that uses lightweight gear, it can only work in certain places. it cant work scrub bashing for lengthy periods, you cant call yourself an ultralighter when you're wearing heavyweight gear to combat the environment you're indistinguishable from a lot of other so called minimalists using heavyweight gear appropriate to the conditions.
... it cant work at high altitude where frostbite and severe weather become real issues.
killian journet talks about running up 8000m peaks with running gear.... he'll end up with hypothermia or he'll end up dead if he attempts to go all the way to the summit of an 8000m peak....

[Orion]

ultralighting is a philosophy that uses lightweight gear, it can only work in certain places.... it cant work at high altitude where frostbite and severe weather become real issues.

No, it works up there too. Alpine versus siege climbing techniques is an example of the philosophy.

If you want to define it in a narrow enough way -- e.g. running shorts at 8000m -- then you'd be right.

[Strider]

Perhaps ultralight might be better defined as a proportion of a predetermined "standard" load? What is ultralight for one scenario isn't necessarily for another, as highlighted above.

[Davidf61]

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......

[Orion]

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......

Where I walk ultralight is still the exception. It's a lot more common than it used to be, especially since now you can just buy your way into ultralight instead of having to sew or improvise gear. And there's more information available which makes it easier. So I see it more and more but the vast majority of people are still carrying pretty big packs.

[headwerkn]

My partner and I have recently come back to hiking as a regular pastime after a couple of years away, mostly due to her being ill (gullain barre syndrome - bugger of an ailment).

In that time away it has been rather eyeopening to see how UL has entered into the hiking mainstream. Judging by some of the review sites and blogs, you'd be forgiven for thinking that UL wasn't just here to stay, but the norm. "What, you're hiking with a 2KG 2p double-wall tent? You idiot! Cuben fibre flat tarp or GTFO!"

Anything with the potential to lighten the load gets my attention. I've trekked too many times with 25KG+ packs; it's an achievement, sure, but it isn't really fun a lot of the time. Then there's the risk of injuring yourself, difficulty in moving off-track, etc.

The issue is more pressing now, as my girlfriend can still fatigue easily if she overexerts herself, which in combination with an existing back injury dictates a light pack for anything over a few kilometres a day. As such I'm having to carry more of our combined base load (tent, cooking gear) while still rebuilding my own trail fitness. Further compounding matters is that 50%+ of our hiking is for the purposes of fly fishing, so we need to allow for fishing 'system' weight as well (1KG-3KG, depending on whether or not we take waders/waderboots) as part of our overall carry weight... meaning other 'systems' need to, at minimum, be lightened and minimised to make room.

As such, I'm looking at UL gear - and more importantly, UL philosophy - rather seriously now.

Walking around for days with an under-10KG pack has great appeal - naturally - and who wouldn't see the appeal of waking up to a magnificant vista from a mostly open tarp shelter? But my initial reaction - and that of my partner and a fishing buddy who's keen on multi-day adventures out the back of the Western Lakes - is what works fine on your typical US forest trail doesn't necessarily translate to your typical Tasmanian multiday hike. Our weather is definitely the colloquial 'four-seasons in one day' and, with perhaps the exception of the north and east coasts, snow storms in summer are a reality that simply have to be considered in order to stay safe. Alongside 30-degree C days, scorching sun and torrential rain. Up in the central plateau (my preferred playground) and especially around the Western Lakes we're talking large, flat areas with minimal trees or hills to shelter from nasty weather, kerosene bushes that would tear lightweight fabrics to shreds, boggy marshes that'd twist runners-clad ankles, snakes, mozzies....

No surprise my better half scoffed at the thought of replacing her traditional leather Scarpas, 6-year old Macpac pack, 2KG+ goose down sleeping bag and sleeping in anything other than a double-skin 2P tent.

Still, whether or not you UL hike or not, the 'product category's' existence can only benefit all hikers. Increasing use and acceptance of super light silnylon and cuben fibre will invariably trickle down to 'sub-UL' and more regular-focussed hiking products, making them lighter while retaining more durability and user friendliness than specialised gear. From what I've seen over the past 6-12 months, typical weights for a 3 season 2pp double-skin tent these days are tending around the 1.5-2KG mark... still too heavy for serious ULers, but a LOT lighter than the 3-4KG tents we considered nicely light and compact not that long ago.

Basically, one doesn't have to UL to benefit from the fad/trend/movement or whatever you want to call it. For anyone wanting to shave 5KG off a 20KG+ pack weight without sacrificing any luxury, comfort or durability, there's no lack of off-the-shelf options to achieve it easily. Just open your wallet and say "ahhh" .

Regarding the safety concerns: yes, I can see the potential for the uninformed and inexperienced to spend up big on the best and lightest, achieve an impressive overall pack weight then get into life-threatening trouble out in the bush because they've not thought things through properly. But how's that any different from the clueless buying a tonne of gear and wilting under the weight of their pack on the first day? Or tourists heading off on the OLT woefully ill-prepared for the 6/7 day hike? Any form or style of hiking does not remove itself from the simple fact that the pastime has inherent risks and people need to be responsible for their own safety. It's just a guestimated assumption, but I'd suggest that the vast majority of UL-hikers shifted over slowly, carefully and in a very calculated way, assessing, acquiring and appraising new kit bit by bit to ensure it met their own individual circumstances. Just my opinion but it would be foolish to simply go out and purchase an entire wishlist of UL gear in one hit - aka http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/a/11136/D ... -Gear-List - and expect it all to work for you comfortably first trek out. Best in class doesn't necessarily mean best for you, after all, though I'm sure the majority of reasonably experienced hikers are smart enough to realise this.

Product-specific stuff aside, I believe the philosophy of UL hiking - minimisation, simplification and multiple uses per item - is useful to all hikers. Seasoned hikers do so anyway, regardless of their gear weight class, but for less-experienced hikers wanting to step up their game, undertake longer hikes and do so safely without excessive pack weight there's plenty to be learned and gained, with or without a pack full of titanium, cuben fibre and shortened toothbrushes. Even working with my existing gear, little of which is particularly lightweight by current standards, I've managed to shave off a good 3-4KG from my typical pack load by simplying my packing list, tossing out excessive or unnecessary 'just in case' gear, substituting 2-3 items for 1 multipurpose item and just being smart about understanding what I really need out on a hike... rather than taking along every cool doodad I bought from Anaconda, just because it is cool

I can admire the guys who relentlessly chase down those gram-weight savings - while still being safe and enjoying themselves, of course - but at the end of the day each person needs to find their ideal balance between weight, comfort, cost, safety and above all enjoyment. For some, that will mean a heavier pack than others.

A little end thought. A few hikes ago I decided to try trimming down the amount of cooking/eating gear I carry, as fitting in a full stackable double-pot/frypan lid set, with MSR Whisperlite cooker inside, small bottle of fuel, LMF MealKit AND an insulated STS 500mL plastic mug seemed excessive and was a struggle to fit in my pack along with everything else. The LMF comes with a decent sized cup that fits nicely around everything else in the MealKit, I thought, so why bother with that big, bulky, rigid insulated mug? (amongst other things). I'm hiking for crying out loud, I only need one cup. My girlfriend did the same.

Long story short: the shallow, space efficient cup wasn't particularly enjoyable to drink out of. That doesn't sound like a biggie, especially as it still 'worked' and we didn't die of dehydration, but I was surprised to find how much it ruined the simple act of wrapping my hands around a big warm mug of tea at the end of a long, tiresome hike... and what was more surprising what just how much that simple ritual meant made to our overall enjoyment of hiking (and being outdoors in general). Next hike the big old mug got packed and the MealKit got minimalised instead. I sat with my *&%$#! in the snow with wet boots and little more than the fly flap off the tent to protect me from the prevailing blizzard, but felt happy and could laugh at the daftness of it all - because I had my big warming mug of Tetleys.

Incidentally I'm not tea-mad - I drink coffee too - nor am I English or somehow genetically predisposed to tea consumption! It's just something that we both really appreciate when outdoors. When the camp is all set up, the boots are off and you're enjoying the view of the sunset, it just fits.

I may get into more serious UL hiking in time, especially for solo trips when I only have to consider myself, but that mug will come regardless...

Cheers, Ben.

[Strider]

I cut weight on the essentials so I can take more luxuries. Makes sense I reckon

[wayno]

I cut weight on the essentials so I can take more luxuries. Makes sense I reckon

so you can take tin cans?

[Strider]

I cut weight on the essentials so I can take more luxuries. Makes sense I reckon

so you can take tin cans?

Only the ones containing luxuries!

[iluvhiking]

Ultralight backpacking encompasses many things. One of the greatest aspects is that cottage and the main vendors are realizing that there is a significant market to this philosophy.
What I don't understand is how people diss this "sub" category of the outdoor world. Mostly people who haven't made the switch or taken the many, many hours of research and attempts, fail, attempts, fail , then come up with a great new item, whether it be MYOG/DIY or commercially bought.
Just look at the gear from 20 years ago to today.
How can anyone, who is serious about the outdoors not see that carrying less equipment is going to see exponential gains in their experience?!
We can live in the dark ages, or we can forward think, make mistakes, take a cuben tent instead of a coleman tent, and with a bit of care see that it pays off.
Sure today much of the UL gear is somewhat fragile. But try it- embrace the philosophy. I love taking my tablet and leatherman, and solar panel and pillow and other gear that seriously I could do without.
A wood stove is just as equal to a fancy jetboil or MSR in all but the most extreme conditions - or when we are in camp retiring for the night, had a few sips of rum , we can't spend the extra 5-10 mins to boil or cook, and enjoy our surroundings.
I love UL- if I can figure out how to go SUL I wil do it.
Any gearfreak is always looking to shave grams off their totals............

[Giddy_up]

Good insightful post. I think the main thing that is helping the UL walking change is the fact that there are some serious explorers and outdoors type people using, testing, and then providing feed back to these cottage manufacturers who primarily make this equipment. But of even more importance is that the manufacturers are listening and are willing to change design and be innovators. This is driving this UL industry at a very fast rate for the better.

Personally I can see only good coming from the cottage manufacturers pushing the boundaries and it's making the mainstream companies look and take notice. Hence Easton Products foray into the Cuben tent market.

I guess we can all watch this space and see what UL wonders come our way.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Interesting reading. I love reading about UL Backpacking and best of all, I like doing it.

[Giddy_up]

Interesting reading. I love reading about UL Backpacking and best of all, I like doing it.

Your knees are probably real fans a s well Phil;)

[ULWalkingPhil]

Interesting reading. I love reading about UL Backpacking and best of all, I like doing it.

Your knees are probably real fans a s well Phil;)

My whole body thanks me when I arrive at camp with only 4-6kg at most on my back, and feet as well. Last few overnight hikes are with shoes weighing no more than half kilo.

I bushwalked on Fraser Island for 8 days with shoes weighing less than half kilo. I did had some issues with sand getting into my shoes through the lightweight material used, so next time I will up the quality in shoes slightly to try to eliminate so much sand getting into my socks. There's a lot of sand at Fraser Island. Next time I might only wear sandals. You really don't need much more than sandals at Fraser Island, that's if your not carrying a huge load on your back like nearly every hiker I see at Fraser Island. They get a bit confused when i tell them I'm here for a week, they look at me with this worried look on there face and say, " with that pack?" "Do you have a tent in there?" Do you have food?

Last edited by ULWalkingPhil on Tue 10 Dec, 2013 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[ULWalkingPhil]

you should see the look on there face when i start baking.

[Giddy_up]

You baking hot muffins for afternoon tea, with a bloke watching on who has just carried 25kgs would be a heart breaker I reckon.

What were your shoes Phil.

[sim1oz]

We started off at around 5kg base weight, so just a bit outside ultralight, and our gear got us comfortably through several days of rain and snow on the OLT so I'm not complaining. I hurt my knee badly 6 weeks before we did the OLT and was only back climbing stairs (and bending my knee) 5 days before we headed to Cradle Mountain. My physio thought I was slightly crazy going ahead with the walk and rushing my 'recovery', and there was no way I could have done it without my light, light pack...my walking poles, and the general fitness level I had built up over the long term. The cold weather even helped by keeping the swelling in my knee to a minimum, and since we didn't swim (icy!) the tape on my knee lasted most of the way through the trip.

Phil, we're going to try drybaking based on your posts. On the OLT, we had some nifty deserts including sticky date pudding. Delish!

One of the things I love about our lightweight gear generally is that it's not a big issue packing special treats for specific trips. More food - fine! Perhaps a book to read while relaxing somewhere - no problems! Our core gear stays the same from trip to trip and we add in stuff as needed (or wanted). I can take or leave the special stuff - because I know my core system works and is all I need.

[Strider]

There's a lot of sand at Fraser Island.

Funny that. Being the largest sand island in the world, and all!

[wayno]

Hi Phil
if you were going to tasmania in cooler or cold weather, do you have any idea what your pack weight range would be then?

[Franco]

Just came across this thread and spotted the Tarptent comment..
We, Tarptent, don't make any UltraLight stuff, we might have been perceived to do that a few years ago but we just do lightweight.
The brand started about 13 years ago mostly making shaped (easy to set up/bugproof) tarps for the through hikers brigade.
After a few years the range expanded to the current 14 shelters ,many now double wall conventional (apart from weight and design details) type tents.
The Contrail at $199USD and because of its small pack size and weight , has been our best sellers for many years, except this year having the Double Rainbow taking up a huge proportion of our tent runs in the Seattle factory.
Anyway, many Contrails (I mean several hundreds) have been used to attempt and often succeed in doing the long US trails .
The PCT , one of the big three US trails, is like doing the Overland 66 times so not exactly a low mileage tent.
One of the most active hikers (German Tourist) has used one Contrail for over 400 nights, so to her the Contrail was a 50c a night shelter, better than some I think...

Anyway if TT is still perceived as UL, we are now doing almost 20x more shelters than we did 12 years ago, so not a fad for us...

[wayno]

how much lighter do shelters have to be , to be considered ultralight? and not lightweight?

[Franco]

In the US a solo UL shelter is something at 500g or less.
Nothing written in stone, just the result of having 300g or so fully enclosed shelters on the market ,taking the weight down to lower levels.
Mind you most of them remind me of pegged down umbrellas, nevertheless they are popular having several brands making them.

[ErichFromm]

I don't see the point in labels, UL, SUL, Light or otherwise. I do however want to save my knees as much as possible, and take advantage of new technologies and materials to that end. In past months I have a new backpack (Osprey Aether), new sleeping bag (Katabatic Gear palisade quilt) and just today received my Tarptent DR. Pretty happy at putting together some nice, quality and light, equipment. Most of my hikes are up mountains however, and I can rarely rely on finding water... So it doesn't seem to make that big a difference having a backback that weights 500gm less when I'm already carrying 6 litres of water

So ideally someone will come out with UL water and all my problems will be solved....

[forest]

Of course I'm under the impression that UL backpacking is totally a huge fad.

Anyone wishing to move some gear on (For free obviously as it's all UL junk) please PM me.

[wayno]

no, but you can sell me your gear at a bargain....