Talking about lightweight packs on Whiteblaze is a waste of time
It always morphs into this because everyone wants to aggressively defend what they carry in their pack, but long for it to be a lot less.Originally Posted by colorado_rob
I dont care what anyone else brings.
BUt I do take issue with those that attempt to perpetuate that UL is unsafe, risky, uncomfortable, or requires a lot of experience of knowledge, etc.
SUL may require that , not UL, huge huge difference.
UL is not, when you choose gear correctly for your conditions.
Most UL hikers are doing just fine out there, comfortable, safe, and light and fast, most of the year.
There are people out there that are naive or foolish enough to not take the right gear into conditions that warrant it.
Tipi is correct, no doubt some fools do go into winter with too light of gear to be comfortably safe.
Its not smart to pitch a tarp tent on an exposed ridge in high winds, or even a 3 season free standing with no extra guylines
Sure , you can get away with all that with a serious 4 season tent.
But you actually dont NEED that most of the time. You DO some of the time.
Knowing how and when to use what gear, is the key.
In my way of thinking, its not smart to carry more than you need to, and I mean than you need to for your level of comfort.
If overnight temps are 40F, its not smart to lug a 20F bag, unless you dont have a lighter one
If conditions are mild, its not smart to take a shelter for heavy duty conditions, unless you dont have a lighter one
If conditions are bad, it may not be smart to take a UL shelter, unless you have complete confidence and experience to use it as needed to stay safe/dry.
If conditions are extended and cold and wet, it may not even be smart to take down insulation
It all depends on conditions. Fortunately conditions are good enough, much of the year, to be UL with little problems.
On an extended trip like a thru hike, where you cannot plan around weather like you can for short trips, its can be prudent to carry a bit heavier shelter/insulation at times.
No one has ever said all thruhikers should be UL
But rather that they should examine what is in the pack and take what they NEED, and be aware of lighter possibilities
Doing this and getting their packs light will give them the best chance for doing the miles they need to , without sustaining injury, and greatest chance for succeeding on a thru.
Ha, 90lbs???
That means someone is carrying their girlfriend. She should get out of the pack and walk down the trail on her own.
Datto
I started my AT northbound thru-hike at 37.5 lbs with 3.5 days food and 2 liters of water at the Amicalola weigh-in station. It didn't seem so heavy when a girl with a 55lb pack passed me going updale in Georgia like I was standing still (she was in excellent physical shape and I could never keep up with her -- she'd finish hiking for the day at 2:30pm so I'd see her again at 7:00pm). Eventually I whittled my total pack weight down to 30lbs with food and water heading though Virginia. Then in Maine my pack went back up to 40lbs with food and water through the 100 mile wilderness, which to be honest, didn't seem all that extra heavy to me because it had loads of food that accompanied that weight and I was in fantastic physical shape by then.
On the PCT, my pack weight went way down (weigh down) in order to accommodate more water through the desert and later in northern California the pack weight went back up to 35 lbs with food and water in order to carry better food (Philadelphia Cream Cheese and lots of peaches for instance -- I was constantly famished). In the further northern areas of the PCT I hadn't increased my pack weight beyond that even though some horse people one morning told me the night before had gotten into the low 20's (I hadn't noticed, just seemed like another night on the trail to me).
So overall I'd say pack weight is particular to the individual -- for me, 15 pounds base weight (without food and water) is pretty light, 20 pounds without food and water is medium and 25 lbs base weight without food and water is starting to get rather heavy.
Datto
[QUOTE=Tipi Walter;1367047]Tipi absolutely knows what he is doing in the coldest, wettest, and worst weather (I knew my friend would WEIGH IN on this one). Tipi is a pack mule - he is the ultimate prepared winter camper BUT the thread wasn't about winter survival for long periods of time, it was about (presumably) three-season and (presumably) long distance backpacking. This was the nature of my post.
UL is not unsafe on the AT because there is no place on the AT (even in NH and ME) where your average ultra-lighter can't get to a building with a roof and heat within one day's walk. Even with a 25 pound average carry weight, I can get to a town and a shuttle every day on the AT if I want it - - so, my comfort level leaving stuff out is going pretty light. In a bigger patch of woods (like Tipi Walter land - Joyce Kilmer Wilderness, I'll add a few things to increase the margin of safety - - being an ultra lighter in Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness or walking the Canol Heritage Trail as an Ultra-Lighter would indeed be dangerous.
Last edited by Papa D; 11-30-2012 at 21:22.
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