Do you even ultralight, bro?

Discussion in 'Adventure, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel' started by chorpie, Aug 24, 2017.

  1. chorpie

    chorpie Member

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    How many of you are ultralight backpackers? I'm just curious. I ran into a guy the last trip not that much older than me, looked at me and my friend and said, "I just have one word of advice: go lighter". Then he had me lift his pack, which seemed to weigh just as much as mine, except... it was an ultralight pack.

    My response was, "... ok".

    I was using a Kifaru Pointman, my friend had a Mystery ranch Ravine, but my pack load was only 35ish pounds, my friend was just over 25.

    I know Reuben just sleeps with a loincloth and a rock for a pillow, but anyone else? Worth it? I didn't have any issues lugging my junk around...
     
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  2. C99c

    C99c Member

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    If it's just me on a trip then I go pretty light pack wise. Anything under a week where I don't have to haul a bunch of water and I stick to a Gossamer Gear Minimalist/bivy/small tarp set up with a basic but dialed in first aid/repair kit/psk. Sometimes the bag is pretty maxed out but it handles it well. Once I switched over to a lighter setup several years ago it was hard to go back to heavier stuff.

    I don't really consider myself an ultralighter, I've just learned to be comfortable with less stuff and an added benefit is that my knees, etc don't take as much punishment as they used to. I'm not hauling around camp chairs and crap but I've still got everything I need.

    If I'm going with my family on a multi-nighter or with a group where I'll need to haul extra stuff then I don't mind taking a heavier bag. I'm currently doing a lot of hiking/ridge climbing with a big old (borrowed) Mystery Ranch pack in preparation for a couple of upcoming hunting trips. It's not been too bad with 40-50lbs but my body definitely prefers my normal set up.

    Early next year I'm going to be a chaperone on a trip with probably a dozen teenagers and will be bringing a midsize pack to accommodate a larger first aid kit, extra supplies, etc.

    Also, don't knock using a rock as a pillow. They really are nature's SAK: a pillow, a cooking surface, wind block, game killer, tire scotch, self defense tool, hammer, can heat you up on a cold night, etc, etc. You can draw a face on them with mud and talk to them when you get lost ala Tom Hank's ball Wilson in Castaway.

    I'm sure my preferences will change with age. It'll be interesting when I get really old like 40 to see if I'm carrying heavier stuff or if I'm making my own loincloths.

    Does anyone know of a holster that works well with a loincloth?
     
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  3. chorpie

    chorpie Member

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    I not knocking ultralight backpacking btw, just thought that it was funny the guy had the same weight as me but told me to go lighter
     
  4. C99c

    C99c Member

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    You didn't come across that way so if anyone reads what you wrote and gets butt hurt it's because they are looking for a reason to be.
     
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  5. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    I'm in the Light Weight class of Backpacking. My brother and I will be in the Cascades Saturday.
    We are Hiking from Chinook Pass to White Pass, 27 miles. Will do some exploring so call it 30.
    It will be an overnighter and my pack will be + - 22 lbs. Won't be humping Water as it is everywhere.

    35 lbs is pretty deluxe , one night? two nights?
    I have noticed the older I get the lighter my pack gets.

    The UL crowd can get kind of anal about weight. Like most on here I will not give up certain
    survival gear to drop a few pounds or ounces.

    There is a Yin and Yang to every choice we make, at the end of the day who cares what
    someone else thinks?

    Edit to add.
    Kifaru is good stuff, I will be sleeping in a Kifaru Super Tarp.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2017
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  6. chorpie

    chorpie Member

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    Two nights, camping plus fishing stuff. And a bear can, since ... bears. I mean, the pack itself weighs like 6 pounds :)
     
  7. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    Dang, sucks on the bear canister. Sierra's?
     
  8. chorpie

    chorpie Member

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    Yeah, no choice there.
     
  9. inconel710

    inconel710 Member

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    There's an interesting thread over on HPG forums about ultralight vs. minimalist. There's an AT hiker that commented he was switching away from UL packs to a HPG Ute because the Ute was more comfortable and didn't hurt his back as much. I'm firmly in the camp of cutting weight where it makes sense and isn't too expensive or gives up too much capability/reliability.
     
  10. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    I'm pretty much around 28 pounds with with 2 liters of water and enough food for 4 or 5 days on the trail. Reuben is 21.36 ounces for the same amount of trail time.
     
  11. nathan shepherd

    nathan shepherd Member

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    Some of my kit is ultralight. Like tent, sleeping mat, sleepingbag and cooking gear. I then just pack in the weight I've saved in knives, alcohol and red meat. Seems to work for me.
     
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  12. ArguableLobster

    ArguableLobster Member

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    I trimmed off some of my backpacks straps once.
     
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  13. koolaidnd

    koolaidnd Member

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    The weight I need to lose is not in my gear...

    Something most of us should think about first.
     
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  14. C99c

    C99c Member

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    Definitely. I lost a bit of extra weight over the last few years and it was the best thing, along with eating better, that I've done in regards to improving my life, in the woods and everywhere else.
     
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  15. koolaidnd

    koolaidnd Member

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    I hear yeah. I'm losing slowly. It's time to step it up with the farbike that sits mostly idle in my garage.
     
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  16. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

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    the key to ultralight is just bring a big knife! You can make your own shelter, cut up an old brown tarp for a poncho, kill your own food, fight off the enemy etc. :D

    (rambo)
     
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  17. nathan shepherd

    nathan shepherd Member

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    You're so hardcore.
     
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  18. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    35 lbs is ok imho, I've gotten down to 18-19 a few times when in a gram trimming frenzy. :). Even got away with 8 on a solo overnite kit once, but, I found I wasn't having as much fun "camping" or "hiking" if I took out all the toys I went to the woods to play with. So if you want to bring 5 knives (ala Bushman) I'm good with it, same if you want to be like Bear and just bring a plastic grocery bag and a SAK. I brought enough coffe to share anyway. ;)
     
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  19. SEMO

    SEMO Member

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    Did three days earlier this year with a knife and water container.
    Nearly starved to death.

    If Patrick had not brought the smoky c's our starvation would have been bland.
     
  20. C99c

    C99c Member

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    I've done a couple of very UL trips with a friend and his BIL. They got into seeing which could out do the other in terms of carrying the least stuff.

    It was all in good fun and we had some great times carrying only what was in our pockets, what $5/$10/whatever would buy at the last gas station before the trailhead, what would fit in a peanut butter jar (a ribeye cut in three pieces and some spices in sealed pieces of straw was one result), etc.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2017
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