Becoming an ultralight backpacker
I moved to the Bay Area a couple of years ago and was invited to go camping with a couple friends. I hadn't been camping since my summer camp days in Maine. So I went to my local REI to gear up (tent, sleeping bag, backpack, etc.). I bought a standard package for a weekend hiker. After getting all geared up, my friend had to cancel our weekend trip. She called and said I could probably return my gear.
But two things had happened. First, being at REI brought back fond memories of backpacking with my dad and I definitely wanted to do more. And second, Hurricane Katrina had hit New Orleans. It made me realized I need to be prepared (especially for a major earthquake in San Francisco).
The camping I have done in the past two years has been mostly car camping with friends. The amount of gear people bring to car camping is really unbelievable. On one trip (literally 200 feet from car to campsite), we spent as much time moving stuff back and forth to the cars as we did actually enjoying the outdoors.
So I wanted to do more backpacking to get away from the cars and the campsites full of gear. But I realized that my REI standard weekend gear was going to hold me back. It was fine for car camping - I could bring everything I needed in one trip (max half-mile from car to campsite), but for 5-10 mile backpacking, it seemed very uncomfortable at over 60 pounds!
A good friend told be about a company called GoLite that specializes in ultralight camping. I discovered the whole world of ultralight and I was hooked. GoLite does a nice job of summarizing the philosophy:
GoLite is far more than a collection of products. It is a mindset, a mission, an ideal that infuses every design, concept and idea. It is as much a philosophy as it is a commandment to do much more with much less. GoLite is about freedom, about being unburdened by the superfluous, the over-engineered, or the obsolete. And it is about being connected to nature in the purest way. It is about going lite on the trail, in one’s life, and on the planet.
I aslo discovered that a good friend of mine, Francis Tapon, had turned into an extreme professional ultralight hiker. He has hiked the Appalachian Trail (2,160 miles), the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles) and is currently yo-yoing the Continental Divide Trail (5,800 miles).
His current fully-loaded dry pack (without food and water) weighs just 6.6 pounds! I figured if my friend could hike almost 6,000 miles in 7 months with 6.6 pounds of gear, there had to be a better way to do 5-10 mile 1-2 night weekend hikes.
So I started my quest to assemble an ultralight gear list. My goal was to get my dry pack weight under 20 pounds and full weight (with two days of food and water for two people) under 30 pounds. After a few weeks, success! My pack is 12.9 pounds, about 25 with food and water. You can see my gear list here.
A few comments on my gear choices (i.e. why my pack weighs more than Francis' pack!):
My pack: I started with the GoLite Lite Speed because of the way it opens (and allows for easy storing of the BearVault). It is extremely comfortable and I like that it is only 3,000 cubic inches, which forced me to consider size for each item as well as weight (which are of course related). I really like carrying a smaller pack as well as a lighter pack, with all the gear inside. But then I tried the GoLite Jam 2 Pack, and it really is lightner. I was worried about the lack of solid frame, but the soft frame plus the resevoir work well together. And I definitely can feel the difference in weight.
My tent: I really love the Squall Classic. It weighs only 28.8 ounces with poles, stakes and bag. But is has the three things I think are essential: total bug enclosure, bath tub floor and good ventilation. Here's a picture of Francis in his shelter, which is extremely light. But it would not make my girlfriend very happy on a weekend trip.
My sleeping bag: this little guy started it all (the Lafurma 650). When I saw this on sale at Sports Basement, I didn't believe it was a sleeping bag. It was just too light and small. I bought one and used it on an overnight to the West Point Inn. It's only about a 2 mile hike to the Inn, so I used a small day pack. When I arrived, I told my friend Marshall that my goal was to get all my gear into the day pack. That's when he told me about GoLite and lead me to ultralight nirvana.
My sleeping pad: I tried closed foam pads, and there are extremely light versions, but the Therm-a-Rest Pro Lite 3 short version is a good trade-off. I like that it works great in the Trekker chair and that is rolls up small enough to fit inside my pack.
My chair: When my friend Tim showed up with a one the first time we went camping together, I knew I had to have one. The Trekker Chair works great, but a really innovative ultralight chair design could use the rear and front poles of the Squall Classic tent as the two side support poles, which would save some weight. But I really won't sacrifice a comfortable chair at the end of a good hike.
My water purification. From what I can tell, most ultralighers use tablets to purify water, but that leaves residue. My girlfriend drinks more water than anyone I know, so I want to make sure she is very happy with our water. The MSR SweetWater does a nice job and the water it produces is clean and safe to drink, but I am going to try the Pristine water purification system, which is not iodine, but chlorine dioxide.
My stove: My friends Summer & Tim gave me a Jetboil and I really love it. It is the type of design that I love - compact, integrated, efficient. But then I discovered the Fire Fly stove, Esbit fuel and the Evernew titanium cup. It is an insanely light combination.
My BearVault. In California, Bear Vaults are required in some parks (Yosemite, the Sierras) because they have bear populations. But it turns out they are required in other parks like Big Basin because of racoons and other animals. I was initally put off by the weight of the BearValut 350 Solo (33 ounces) and its size. It takes up a ton of room in my 3,000 cubic inch Lite Speed pack. But part of the reason for Bear Vault requirements is to protect the bears. When a bear successfully breaks into a human campsite, it learns that humans are easy food, so the rangers will kill there bear (otherwise they risk more attacks). So it seemed like a reasonable trade-off: I should carry the extra weight to protect the bears. And it does feel nice knowing that I will wake up with my food intact.
Fresh Bath wipes. These things aren't light (10 oz.) but they really make missing a shower tolerable. When I have given them out to first-time backpackers and they really appreciate it. And they are environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
Counter Assualt pepper spray. I really hope I never have to use this thing, but it does feel nice to have something in case of a bear or mountain lion attack. They are rare, but I would rather not fight off a moutain lion with a pen.
