Right thinking

Ultralight backpacking is more than replacing all of your gear with lighter stuff, though that does play a part. It is about a different approach towards being outdoors. It is about travelling light and enjoying the experience rather than going to do battle with the great outdoors.

I need to make one thing clear. These days, I am backpacking because I want to have fun. I am not out to prove anything by having a super light (or super heavy) pack. I want to have enough gear to be comfortable (and cozy when sleeping), well fed, and safe. I find that within these constraints, the lighter my pack, the more fun I have. It is as simple as that.

For me, this has involved some rearranging of my thinking. Probably the central aspect of this new way of thinking is that I am no longer aiming to hike somewhere and set up camp. I am aiming to be on the move and to enjoy being on the move. It all works together. When you are carrying a light pack, you cover more ground and enjoy being on the move. When you carry a heavy pack, you are looking for the first chance to dump the thing and relax at a campsite. When I am travelling light, I stop when and where I want as long as I want, but am mostly on the move enjoying the country I am moving through. My camps have become necessary (but enjoyable) bivuouacs along a continual journey.

You don't have to do any of this. If you want to carry heavy loads, cover less distance, and spend more time in a luxurious camp, by all means do so. What I am finding that I really enjoy far more though is being on the move and being active. My camps tend to be simple and adequate and when the sun rises I am off and on the move again. This may not be your style; all I can tell you is that I am getting a lot more out of my trips doing things this way.

Why do the ultralight thing?

First and foremost, to make backpacking more enjoyable! Even a strong young hiker, able to tromp along with a heavy load, will have more fun, move faster, and be able to cover more ground with a light pack. Older hikers, particularly those with joints that ache and protest with a heavy load (like me) will be much happier when they learn to operate with a ligher pack. Going light opens up new possibilities. Several times, I have been frustrated by the limits of my body while hauling a heavy pack. Twice now, I have looked over a ridge into a basin I wanted and intended to visit and realized that it was out of reach the way I was doing things. On the flip side, I have returned to areas where I visited years ago with a heavy pack and hiked much further on the first day than when I was young and strong, but burdened with a heavy pack. My goal then is to carry a lighter pack, and use my finite daily "energy quota" to extend my range, not to mention have more fun.

When and Where am I going?

To travel light, you need to be more in tune with the wilderness environment. What is the weather forecast? What have recent conditions been like? Are there reliable water sources or must water be carried? What night and day temperatures are expected? Is rain impossible, unlikely, probable, or certain? What extremes of unexpected conditions should realistically be planned for?

Ultralight is ultra-unprepared?

This clever slogan was blazoned on a trailhead sign at a popular spot in the High Sierra in 2011. I took offense at it. I ran through the entire list of 12 or so items on the sign and had every one of them -- and was carrying a 20 pound pack. The place where preparedness takes place is between the ears, not in the pack. But I thought a bit more and cut them some slack -- I am sure that clueless individuals attempting to go light have gotten themselves into trouble and needed to be rescued (or worse). On the other hand, clueless individuals with heavy packs have also gotten themselves into trouble and needed to be rescued (or worse).

But I feel macho with that 80 pound pack!

If that gives you satisfaction, by all means go right ahead, but there are other ways to be macho if that is your thing. When I think of carrying huge packs, the kind of macho dude that comes to mind has one big eye in the center of his forehead. Some hard core mountaineering and expedition loads may demand giant packs. If that is you, you know who you are, and you deserve our respect. Odds are though, dear reader, this ain't you.

I recently found myself in a discussion with a fellow at a local outdoor gear store. It quickly became clear that he saw no virtue in reducing pack weight. He derived great satifaction and "bragging rights" from carrying heavy loads, so any discussion of ways to go light were pointless to him. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that, he was happy and enjoying the outdoors. Until a person either has had enough with heavy packs, or realizes that they can do so much more with their energy than haul heavy loads, they probably aren't going to get interested un ultralight backpacking.

Wilderness skill is a higher virtue than brute strength. If you are looking for something to feel cocky about, let it be having the skill and judgement to move comfortably and safely in the wilderness with a light and carefully crafted load. Going ultralight may mean pushing your comfort limit in some areas, and you have to know how far you can go and still have fun, be safe, and get a decent nights sleep. A good nights sleep is not a luxury, it is essential in order to enjoy yourself in the wilderness and perform well on a multi day trip. (I understand that some trips have goals other than "a fun time outdoors" and that a greater satisfaction can be reached by achieving a goal than from sheer creature comfort). I sleep cold and need more insulation that other people. Also I am old enough that I have a hard time sleeping on hard ground with a minimal pad (They tell me that Ibuprofen can help). You may be different. Each person has to find an overall way of operating that works best for them.

Trail Running

A great way to develop the mindset I am trying to describe is to do some trail running. This is not as crazy as it might sound. I have been amazed to take off on runs and in under two hours cover a distance that I had previously spent all day hiking. Most often with no pack; just light shoes, shorts and a light shirt. What a sense of freedom! Why did I once carry all the stuff that I did?

Longer outings add a minimum of extra gear: water, some food, maybe a windbreaker and a light layer. The emphasis is always on travelling light, moving fast, and covering ground. I do not find that I miss anything travelling fast. In fact I gain a different perspective and enjoy my surroundings all the more. Long trips grade into overnight backpacks with an absolute minimum of gear, only what is needed to spend a comfortable night out. It is good to start this sort of thing in familiar areas during familiar weather.

A mindset

As a man thinks, so he is. With every ultralight trip I do, I find my thinking shifting more and more. I am doing these trips to enjoy being out in the wilderness, and the less gear I have, the more I am immersed in (rather than isolated from) the environment. The lighter my load is, the more rested I am and the more tuned into the country I am hiking through. And I can hike through more of it! By carrying less and leaving things behind I am gaining rather than loosing.

An end in itself

Some people have made it a game to go as light as humanly possible. This has spawned the SUL "super ultralight" crowd with a baseweight under 5 pounds. This can only be done under pretty much ideal summer conditions in places with abundant water sources.

There is certainly nothing wrong with this, and it can probably provide valuable insights to those of us who want to reduce our gear weight for purposes of comfort rather than attempting to set new records.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org