Resource for going UL

[hikerboy57]

I agree with stick, just post your current gear, and let everyone start wailing away at it. Ive p[icked up so many ideas right here, and many of the ULers have already researched the sites cited here. Some answers are simple,others a bit mnore complicated as you decide what items you carry that you absolutely have to have, and look at the rest, see what items have multiple uses, and replace the must haves with lighter alternatives. What type of knife should I carry? is a typical question. IMHO, a single edge razor blade is enough, but most of the time, I still carry a Swiss army knife(you never know when the corkscrew will finally find a bottle of wine that needs opening), or that philips head screwdriver attachment. Do you need 50' of cord to hang a bag, or is 25' enough? are you going to bear country at all? Many things you think you need, think again.You can throw the snakebite kit away, and you dont need a first aid kit capable of major triage, some bandaids,gauze and antibiotic ointment are enough.Some cut their toothbrush down,etc.

[Wags]

here's a good one to start with as an outline...

http://www.backpacker.com/november_0...articles/12659

[Jay_NJ]

Your best bet is an addiction to whiteblaze and backpackinglight. Three years ago I began backpacking during a geology field-camp in the wind river range in Wyoming and all over Idaho. At that point myself and just about everyone else I know purchased huge external frame backpacks, heavy synthetic bags, and more extras then you can imagine due to the limited and misguided knowledge of the people running the camp. Fast forward two years later while angry at my pack weight I went out and spent money on gear phase II... A reasonable weight down sleeping bag (not ul, fairly cheap though!), a trimmed down rei flash 65, a prolite plus thermarest and finally a weight of around 25lb's with 4 days of food and 2.5 liters of water. Fast forward this summer on gear phase III -- Down quilt, trimmed down golite jam, 3/4th prolite and a mindset that works with this gear.

^ Had I started with the gear I currently use I probably wouldn't enjoy backpacking and hiking half as much as I do now. These "phases" prepared me for going lighter, hiking faster, and hiking longer. IMO, had a read this website a few years back I could have definitely saved hundreds of dollars on my total gear expenditure, but the journey has been relatively fun.

[Franco]

I like the book because it goes over general concepts rather than the specific WHAT to take

I agree with that.
For a start, products become superseded every few years. So the flavour of the month tent fabric or specific product now , will not be so next year or the year after.

The book has many funny illustrations that drive home the point and are much easier to remember and understand than real pictures.
That is because you are not distracted by a specific product but focused on a generic principle.
Unconsciously we may reject an idea because we don't like the brand/colour/shape of the product used to demonstrate the idea.

One good point about books for me is that I like to read before I go to sleep and I am used to the tactile experience that something like a "tablet" does not have (for me...)

BTW, often we forget that common sense is not all that common and neither the obvious is obvious... till you know.
At some point we had to learn how to do our shoe laces up. Having mastered that it becomes very "obvious".
Franco

[tammons]

One way that is relatively cheap to go UL is to buy a ....

Used Golite Jam II - 22oz
Campmor 5x9 extended poncho tarp - 9 oz
Titanium stakes from Quest - 2 oz
Throw away rain jacket - 2 oz
Golite ultra 20 quilt - 21 oz
Half blue pad - 4oz plus a small thermarest prolite II - 11 oz
MYOG 1.25 oz tyvek bivy from Quest - 8 oz
Frostking door kit for ground sheet - 2 oz

All the = 76 oz or 4.8 #. That is your big 4

Minimal Water kit - 6 oz
Minimal Cooking gear - 6 oz or go cold
Utility and Everyday stuff - 8 oz
Micro survival kit - 4 oz
Med - 2 oz

= 26 oz

Clothing varies
Summer very minimal
Winter can get heavy

For summer swap out the golite ultra 20 for a MYOG 14 oz quilt and save a few OZ.

Total weight with 5 days of food and 2L of H20 for summer would total about 20#.

[garlic08]

The resource that got me going in the UL direction was this: www.lwgear.com. Then Ray Jardine's book.

Good luck. It's part of the journey.

[Country Roads]

I know that I have noticed that the more stuff I leave at home, the more fun I have; less is more.
Less stuff to fiddle with, less stuff to keep track of; less time to get camp set up, less time to get moving in the morning and way more time to just have time and kick back.
I starting out lightening up by making the gear I already had lighter by using scissors pretty heavily; switching to a tarp and spending what money I did have on a really nice down sleeping bag.
1st B-pack trip - 32 pounds for an overnighter! Now I can do it with a 10 pound pack, including food, fuel and 1/2 liter of water and I do not suffer; I hate to suffer.

[ljcsov]

www.hikelight.com has a nice PDF book. I stuck it on my Kindle and I read through it at night. It has lots of nice tips that you wouldn't necessarily think of to shave off a few ounces or grams.

[STICK]

Be sure to look for the Ultralight A - Z video series that Hendrik from Hiking in Finland will be making soon! It will be 26 episodes, so it may take a few months to wrap them all up though...

[BigHodag]

Might also check out these folks gear lists:

Phil Werner
http://sectionhiker.com/ultralight-backpacking-gear-list-summer-2011/

Sgt Rock
http://hikinghq.net/sul.html

[Mango]

post up a gear list with weights. and a budget. with a grand I am sure we would get you under 20 lbs with a weeks worth of food and water for summer time.

example:
"the one" tent 16 oz
neoair sleeping pad 14 oz
marmot fancy 40* bag 18 oz
ULA OHM 22 oz w/ frame

big 4 under 5 lbs

total cost over a grand but you could get down to the same weight for under 100 bucks
ruck sack, wally world blue CCf pad, tarp, home made quilt


Also I dont remember who said it but this helped me." If you cant wear all your cloths at one time you brought too much"

I heard that quote from SubZero in '06. I always gave him credit for it, but I'm not sure he was first.
Mango

[SouthMark]

I just returned a few weeks ago from a week long hike from Erwin to Hot Springs. Pack with food and water weighed 16 lbs 11 oz at start. My favorite quote is by Sgt. Rock:

"The heavier my pack the more I like to camp, the lighter my pack the more I like to hike".

[couscous]

Also I dont remember who said it but this helped me." If you cant wear all your cloths at one time you brought too much"

... sounds like Glen Van Peski, I think he said it on the Lighten Up DVD since all his clothes are part of his sleep system.
~
As you rely on items to serve multiple functions, it becomes more crucial that you don't forget anything. My Ti Lite Mug is my cup, bowl, cook set, water scoop, etc. A rainjacket can double as a wind shirt or evening insulation layer. My buff is my headband, hat, balaclava, washcloth, etc. My quilt can be draped over my shoulders instead of taking a fleece or down jacket. I have an index card of my essentials and some options for each, just to avoid missing something rather important.

[Del Q]

I think that under 30 lbs all in, food, water, etc is a good target. The people I know that are in the 15-23lb range hike from sunrise to sunset, don't cook (which I much prefer as well) and are very experienced backpackers.

One tip that helped me is to put in a pile after every hike what you didn't use or need.............adds up fast.

Agree on the clothes, was taking too many articles of clothing early on..............huge weight savings.

[58starter]

http://www.backpacking.net/18-pound.html
http://www.backpacking.net/27-pound.html

I have found both of these to be very helpful in lighting my pack weight

[WILLIAM HAYES]

google jason klass he has a large number of videos on lighweight equipment