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View Full Version : After Way To Many Years, I Have Joined WhiteBlaze!!



Abela
02-26-2012, 02:47
Hello All,

Name is John Abela. I live in the Redwoods of Northern California. I am a long distance solo hiker. I reached the SUL level a couple years ago and reached the XUL level in 2011. I typically hike around 1000 miles per hiking season. I spent the vast majority of 2011 developing a 500 mile trail in Northern California (no public data on it yet, still in initial trail development and a crazy amount of legal work involved) so I kind of got behind on my miles last year (750) as I was out in the backwoods trying to trail break and find connectors between trails.

I switched to (mostly) no cook hiking last year and hope to spend a good part of 2012 learning a lot more about that, there is just so many different ways to approach that. I really enjoy the education of being on the trail and preparing for long hikes.

I have visited WB for many years but never joined. I figured I would never get over to the East Coast to hike the AT so why join. But there are just too many amazing conversations going on here that I want to join in on for me to not do so. So forgive me all you die-hard AT'ers... I join for the wisdom learned and hopefully shared.

I have tried my best to share the knowledge I have learned at RedwoodOutdoors.Com (http://www.redwoodoutdoors.com) and HikeLighter.Com (http://hikelighter.com) and my YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/RedwoodOutdoors) channel. You can view my gear lists in this google spreadsheet (https://bitly.com/pxBnOo).

Most of what I write is focused on the SUL/XUL world but sometimes I enjoy sharing about some new cool UL piece of gear I come across that really makes hiking more enjoyable!

I really do mean this when I say it... I very much looking forward to continue learning from all of you here at WB and I should have joined a long time ago! It is the little tips we pick up from each other along the way that make hiking more enjoyable, safer, and memorable!

Maddog
02-26-2012, 02:53
:welcome..........

Creek Dancer
02-26-2012, 08:56
Welcome! What is SUL and XUL and what are the standards? I know UL is ultralight.

Abela
02-26-2012, 09:03
Welcome! What is SUL and XUL and what are the standards? I know UL is ultralight.

Hello,

First, thanks for the welcome!!

SUL stands for "Super UltraLight" hiking. It is typically defined as having a Base Pack Weight of under 5 pounds (2,267.9 grams).

XUL stands for "eXtreme UltaLight" hiking. It is typically defined as having a Base Pack Weight of under 3 pounds (1,360.7 grams)

moytoy
02-26-2012, 09:08
Welcome! What is SUL and XUL and what are the standards? I know UL is ultralight.

Super UL and Extreme UL ....

moytoy
02-26-2012, 09:15
If I were a donating member I could edit out that last post since it is redundant. Welcome Abela, like you I was a lurker here for a couple of years before I joined. But unlike you I was an old school hiker. WB has brought me into the 21 century in backpacking. I still do some old school hiking though.

Rocket Jones
02-26-2012, 10:10
Welcome to WB! I'm looking forward to checking out your links. I'm originally from Northern California, so it'll be nice to be reminded that the mountains remain unspoiled, unlike most of the populated areas.

4eyedbuzzard
02-26-2012, 10:47
:welcome

I read your article that talked about leaving 90% of hikers behind once you started getting into the SUL/XUL stuff. Good thoughts there. Count me in the 90%. A lot of it has to do with time and finances. There are some significant weight reduction gains to be had for reasonable amounts of money getting into the sub 8 lb or so range. But the "cost per gram saved curve" starts getting steeply exponential from that point on. Like many others I only hike a few times each year, several weekend to 4 day trips and perhaps one week plus trip. There's also an experience/expertise factor as well, and a "comfort factor". Add that many of us 90%'s also tend to be as much into the camping / just being out there experience - it's more than just hiking / doing miles for us. We'll carry a little more in weight to bring some luxury items with us that aren't needed for someone who is simply putting down miles. The old HYOH thing.

Without breaking the bank I'm reasonably lightweight already, close to SUL by your numbers. My normal summer "big 4" weight is around 6 lbs, 4 oz total (Golite Jam 1#, 14z, Hennessy Hyperlight 1#, 3z, Etowah Meadows tarp 1#, 4z, WM Caribou 1# 5z, closed cell pad, 10 z). Most of that was bought at closeout or used, so my total gear investment for 3 season gear (suitable for NH's 3 seasons) is in the $800 range including clothing, cooking, etc. I could go lighter on the tarp, but now we are into the cuben fiber at $300 to save 8 oz realm. It just starts getting excessively expensive for a recreational hiker. The good news is that the demand for lighter gear drives development, cottage industries, competition, (and people selling last year's lightest and greatest used gear!) so the UL technology filters down to us in the 90% "great unwashed masses" group ;). We don't tend to replace gear every year or every time something new comes out, so when we do, it's good that the pricey newer technology largely paid for by the 10% works its way down to us once competition kicks in and gets the prices down a bit.

My other thoughts regarding all the discussions on SUL/XUL stuff is that arbitrary base weights can be a bit misleading unless climate, environment, duration/purpose of trip are factored in or are equal - things such as seasons, weather conditions, latitude, elevation, distance between resupply, remoteness, etc. Even during summer, gear needed to hike in the mid-atlantic sections of the AT will be somewhat lighter than that needed in say NH and ME. Sometimes all the gear weight comparisons that get posted aren't apples to apples comparisons. I've always been of the school that these different environments and conditions require their own appropriate gear. Often I don't see the SUL/XUL folks considering this in their gear critiques and comparisons.

Abela
02-26-2012, 11:44
Hey Buzzard, thanks for the welcome and the great comments!



I read your article that talked about leaving 90% of hikers behind once you started getting into the SUL/XUL stuff. Good thoughts there. Count me in the 90%. A lot of it has to do with time and finances. There are some significant weight reduction gains to be had for reasonable amounts of money getting into the sub 8 lb or so range. But the "cost per gram saved curve" starts getting steeply exponential from that point on. Like many others I only hike a few times each year, several weekend to 4 day trips and perhaps one week plus trip. There's also an experience/expertise factor as well, and a "comfort factor". Add that many of us 90%'s also tend to be as much into the camping / just being out there experience - it's more than just hiking / doing miles for us. We'll carry a little more in weight to bring some luxury items with us that aren't needed for someone who is simply putting down miles. The old HYOH thing.

Yep, so true. That is exactly the reason why I started the HikeLighter website. I had began to realize that the vast majority of people I was doing gear reviews for, doing videos for, and so forth, were just not the average hiker who might get out for 20 nights a year. I probably spent three months agonizing over that decision and after talking with some close friends it pretty much came down to the need to break off from where I had been writing (the redwoodoutdoors.com website) and just put together a new one, just for those rare few hikers that are SUL/XUL hikers.

I am glad I did it, but it was something I probably should have done a lot sooner, because as you said, there are those who are out there just to bag another trail and do it fast and light, and than there are those out there who are just trying to get away for the weekend. I agree with you that too many bloggers and gear reviewers fail to realize this - as I did for much to long myself.



Without breaking the bank I'm reasonably lightweight already, close to SUL by your numbers. My normal summer "big 4" weight is around 6 lbs, 4 oz total (Golite Jam 1#, 14z, Hennessy Hyperlight 1#, 3z, Etowah Meadows tarp 1#, 4z, WM Caribou 1# 5z, closed cell pad, 10 z). Most of that was bought at closeout or used, so my total gear investment for 3 season gear (suitable for NH's 3 seasons) is in the $800 range including clothing, cooking, etc. I could go lighter on the tarp, but now we are into the cuben fiber at $300 to save 8 oz realm. It just starts getting excessively expensive for a recreational hiker.

Yeah. I dread to think about how much I have spent over the last five years. Its appalling, it really is, and I am willing to admit it. But I suppose if I were into racing, or boats, or horses, or kayaking, or whatever, such would probably be the case there too, huh.

As for your base weight and gear, that is some very nice gear you have and should not think twice about comparing it to what others out there have. There is just no reason at all that a hiker who only spends 20 or so nights per year (which is about the average for 90% of the hikers in the USA) to be spending big bucks to drop a few grams here and there. It just makes no sense at all.



My other thoughts regarding all the discussions on SUL/XUL stuff is that arbitrary base weights can be a bit misleading unless climate, environment, duration/purpose of trip are factored in or are equal - things such as seasons, weather conditions, latitude, elevation, distance between resupply, remoteness, etc. Even during summer, gear needed to hike in the mid-atlantic sections of the AT will be somewhat lighter than that needed in say NH and ME. Sometimes all the gear weight comparisons that get posted aren't apples to apples comparisons. I've always been of the school that these different environments and conditions require their own appropriate gear. Often I don't see the SUL/XUL folks considering this in their gear critiques and comparisons.

Very very much agree with most of that! About two years ago I learned the importance of putting together three different gear lists, a summer, a shoulder, and a winter. It served me very well for the last two years and I highly advice every hiker to do so. Even thru-hikers who might be going from the 100 range at the start than going down to the low 20's (or whatever) somewhere along the way.

You can see the links above for my websites and than click on the 'gear lists' to see exactly how I approach that.

The way I would approach the PCT (sorry, I have zero knowledge of the AT trail and its conditions and environmental differences), and the other long distance trails I hike, is to go with a base set of gear, than in those areas where I know I will need winter gear, I actually build an entirely new spreadsheet for those regions. Once they are both done I compare the two and than put the winter gear into a mail box and ship it out to whatever region I will need them. This is obviously a "duh" factor, but what it does is it really ingrains into your mind (that is, the process of building two different spreadsheets) that you really do need to take different approaches to different conditions.

What I have found as I have approached the 2012 hiking season, after learning a massive amount of stuff last year as I pushed the XUL boundaries, is that the difference between a shoulder season and a winter season does not necessarly need to be all that much different, so long as you are willing to change how you approach the issue of staying dry and warm. For me, this year, I am trying to take it down from three gear lists to two gear lists, with four items being added into the setup when I really need the cold weather protection. I am basically doing this through some crazy expensive custom made gear that will allow me to carry high loft down products that are made of the lightest material out there right now (both SevenD and Cuben fiber) that end up being light enough to make it into a SUL setup, yet warm enough for a winter setup. I suppose I should qualify that "winter" for me out here is never under 10(f). I do not think I have ever hiked when it was colder than 15(f). So, there is no way that I would be able to do this back in places like Minnesota where it gets down to like 30-below, but for where I live and where I hike, as you said, we have to take an approach to our gear for what it is we do and where we hike and what the conditions are. My XUL setup could just not be used in temps lower than around 40(f). A person would have to be one mean old dude (or young buck) to be able to handle temps in the 30's with nothing more than a two layer clothing system. My SUL setup I can get down into the low 30's, high 20's if I am willing to be cold just a little bit. But if its going to be under 20, well so far I have not been able to find a way to have a thru-hiker BPW setup that is under 5 pounds. And overer-nighter or a weekend, yes, that is possible, but not for a thru-hike, or what I do more of, long distance hikes.


Mentioning the fact that a lot of guys fail to talk about how to go "SUL all seasons" reminded me that I actually started writing an article about that around four months ago. I put about 4 hours into writing it, than walked away from it. It just felt like it was one of those things that should not be published. It really would have come down to somebody being that 1%'er of hikers who it could have potentially been worth writing too. The amount of time outside a person would have to spend to get to that level, chances are they already know it. Plus the amount of time and money a person would have to spend making their own gear or having it custom made, would just be crazy. Yes I think it is possible, but it is just one of those things that probably should not be tried by the 99% of hikers. So, I never finished it. Kind of hope I never do.

Loneoak
02-26-2012, 12:36
Welcome to WB, looking forward to checking out your site and video's

RWheeler
02-26-2012, 12:43
I'm most definitely not SUL/XUL yet (not even sure if I'd be UL by whatever standards), but the ideas for more UL thinking can benefit people of any pack weight, I think. I'll be sure to check out those resources you posted, see if I can incorporate anything of it into my current hiking style.

Welcome to Whiteblaze! Maybe we can convince you to hike the AT at some point, too ;)

V Eight
02-26-2012, 12:57
Welcome.
Went to your blog, and found some very good info there.
You have put a lot of work into those reviews & spreadsheets.

I have already learned stuff from you. Like I had never heard of the Ecowool gloves
on your 2011 top ten gear list. Having slightly arthritic fingers, I’m always looking
for “The” glove that can keep my hands warm when damp or in a light rain, without
weighing a ton or being so bulky I feel like I’m wearing boxing gloves.

So, if you don’t mind, could you tell me what your experience was wearing these
gloves, wet I windy conditions?

rocketsocks
02-26-2012, 13:50
Welcome to White Blaze,look forward to viewing your site I myself am a Traditionalist at about 35-38 lbs.so there is much for me to learn.I have visited your part of the country as I had a family member in the bay area,Wow I love central or northern California it is so beautiful and the vistas are exceptional.Again :welcome

moongoddess
02-26-2012, 14:13
Welcome! You're clearly going to bring a lot of knowledge and insight to this site!

STICK
02-26-2012, 15:23
Hey John! Welcome to the site... :)

Big Dawg
02-28-2012, 01:44
:welcome to WB!!!!!