Ultralight Backpacking charset=iso-8859-1">
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Be an Ultra Light
Backpacking Expert
in One Hour!
WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR WHO HAD BEEN BACKPACKING THROUGH 17 COUNTRIES
DURING 7 MONTHS IN EUROPE!!!
_"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel
for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." _--Ronald Hubbard
IT IS GUARANTEED THAT YOU SAVE 13.5 POUNDS OR MORE
IF YOU USE THIS BOOK!!!
Ultralight gear has become a passion for many backpackers who are
keen on traveling light. During the early days of backpacking, people
used to carry huge packs weighing 50-70 pounds for long trips. With
the technological developments, today's high tech backpacker can go
lighter and farther.
Here is a comparison table.
ITEM
STANDARD
ULTRALIGHT
WEIGHT SAVINGS
Backpack
7 lb.
1 lb.
6 lb.
Sleeping Bag
4 lb.
2 lb.
2 lb.
Tent / Tarp
5 lb.
1 lb.
4 lb.
Stove
2 lb.
1/2 lb.
1.5 lb.
Total weights
18 lb.
4.5 lb.
13.5 lb.
HERE ARE SOME SECRETS FROM THIS BOOK OF REDUCING WEIGHT WITHOUT
SACRIFICING COMFORT OR FUNCTIONALITY!!!
SLEEPING PAD
For a sleeping pad, the most important thing is to pad your torso.
Use a 20"x40" closed cell foam pad that weighs 3.8 oz. Use more of
natural padding in the right places like hips and shoulders. For
longer trips, take a Thermarest Ultralight, which weights 18.2 oz.
Switching from a full-length Thermarest to an ultralight Thermarest
saves 1 pound while switching from a full-length Thermarest to a
closed cell foam pad saves 1.5 pounds.
SLEEPING BAG
This is one critical area that may require some investment in new
gear. Down-fill bags are lighter than Synthetic-fill bags with the
same temperature rating.
Instead of a heavy foam mattress pad, consider a 5 x 2 foot piece
built of almost weightless plastic wrapping material. Get the type
that has air bubbles about a half-inch thick. Put that on top of a
space blanket or similar piece of plastic used as a ground sheet.
If you really want an ultralight sleeping bag then your best bet is
a quality goose filled bag. Take a 30 degree bag, which weighs less
than a 20 degree bag. Ultralight down bags in the 20-25 degree range
weigh 1.3-1.75 pounds. A good ultralight bag should have 750
fill-power down or greater, and have a lightweight water-repellent
shell.
Switching to an ultralight down bag saves 2.5 pounds. A 25-30 degree
lightweight synthetic bag will weigh about 1 pound more than an
ultralight down bag.
Wearing your jacket in your bags will give you extra warmth and
avoid the need to carry a heavy sleeping bag.
BACKPACK
This is another critical area for weight reduction.
Once you have drastically reduced the weight of your gear, you do
not need a heavy frame pack anymore to carry your gear.
Conventional packs weigh more than 5 kg due to the belief that packs
should be high volume, have lots of pockets, zips and straps and
constructed from a heavy bombproof fabric. But this belief is not
true. It is possible to make a durable pack from high performance
fabrics that weigh a lot less.
A minimalist pack (40-50 liters and 20 pounds) will suit a committed
ultralite enthusiast on a multi-day trek.
If you can pack really small, maybe you can get it into a large
daypack. They tend to be made out of lighter materials, and cost less
anyway. They may not have as many features (no external water bottle
pocket, etc.).
Most full-featured backpacks weigh 5-8 pounds. Switching to a
lightweight frame pack saves 2-3 pounds, or a rucksack saves 4-7
pounds.
For a pack cover, use a plastic trash compactor bag or garbage bag,
cut out for the pack straps. Reduce sophisticated suspension systems
that weigh a lot.
SHELTER
The ultralite enthusiast's choice is to use a tarp. It weighs only
400 gm and when packed fit into your hand. It will utilize your
trekking poles and avoid the need for conventional tent poles.
An alternative is to use a bivy bag/sack. This carries many of the
downsides of the tarp at a greater weight and on a warm pleasant
summer night does not give the feeling of being part of the
environment that a tarp offers.
The final alternative is look for a lightweight double wall tent
weighing around 2.5 pounds for 1 person and 3.5 pounds for 2 people.
There are several single wall tents on the market that are
lightweight, and very tempting. However, be advised that if you choose
a single wall tent, condensation is a major issue and the tent must
have adequate ventilation.
Conventional 2-person backpacking tents weigh 5-7 pounds. Switching
to a lighter tent saves 2-4 pounds while switching to a tarp or a bivy
sack saves 4-6 pounds.
