Ultralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing and Inexpensive Tips for Extremely Lightweight Camping Book

Acknowledgments ix

The Manifesto

1 Get a scale 1

2 Comfortable and safe are vital! 1

3 Scrutinize everything! 1

4 Make your own stuff, and making it out of trash is always best! 2

5 It's okay to be nerdy 2

6 Try something new every time you go camping 3

7 Simply take less stuff! 3

8 Know the difference between wants and needs 3

9 Cut stuff off your gear 4

10 Document your gear 4

Basic Starting Points

11 Know the lingo 5

12 The MODEL TRIP, our example expedition 6

13 Get Lighten Up! by Don Ladigin 7

14 Don't expect specific gear recommendations 8

15 Most of the pack weight is in a few items 8

16 Never say, "It's only a couple of ounces" 9

17 Never EVER guess the weight of something 9

18 Create a spreadsheet 10

19 Some items weigh zero! 12

20 There's no such thing as "just in case" 12

21 Think in Systems 13

22 Learn to sew 14

23 Teammates help lighten the load 14

The All-important Mind-set

24 The human factor 15

25 Appreciate the wilderness 15

26 Take care of your equipment 16

27 Don't lose anything! 17

28 Define success 17

29 Learn from your mistakes 18

30 Is going ultralight more expensive? 18

31 What does in camp really mean? 18

32 Be present on the trail (a simple exercise) 19

33 Ditch the watch, wallet, money, cell phone, iPod, and car keys! 20

34 It's okay to stink! 21

35 Make a friend of the night 22

36 Sew your headlamp right onto your hat 23

37 Mosquitoes and karma 23

38 Take a little test trip 24

39 Break the 5-pound base weight: going SUL (Ryan Jordan) 25

40 Cross the line-go out too light 26

41 Have a GO-box ready 26

42 An overnighter doesn't have to be perfect 27

43 Share your UL skills with friends 27

44 Practice Leave No Trace (LNT) camping 28

45 Pick up other people's trash 28

Decision Making

46 Simplify decision making with the UL pack 28

47 How to make decisions in teams 29

Gear

48 Down vs. synthetic 30

49 Upper-body clothing 31

50 Lower-body clothing 31

51 The humble bandana 31

52 I went camping with no stuff sacks! 32

53 What! No knife? 32

54 Make your own toothpaste dots 33

55 Prepare a simple first-aid kit 33

56 Carry a simple repair kit 34

57 Trim your maps 34

58 Multitask with the mosquito head net 35

59 Collect cute little bottles 36

60 Select your luxury item 36

Comprehensive Gear List

61 Everything you might ever need 37

Backpack Tips

62 The backpack as a foundation 42

63 Packing the backpack 44

64 Pack up with a buddy 45

Travel Techniques

65 Choose bold routes 46

66 Trekking poles (Glen Van Peski) 46

67 Find your traveling speed 47

68 Start hikin' early! 48

69 Quit hikin' late! 48

70 Eat dinner on the trail 49

71 Eat breakfast on the trail 49

72 Napping is a skill 50

73 Hike a 20-mile day 50

74 Take a break! 51

75 The art of off-trail travel 52

76 Scrambling is much easier with a dinky pack 52

77 Traveling on snow as a skill 53

78 No car shuttle? Use your thumb! 55

Feet

79 Wear lightweight hiking shoes 55

80 Lace 'em nice 'n' loose 56

81 Do you need gaiters? 57

82 Prevent blisters before you need to treat 'em 57

83 Thwart blisters with Hydropel 58

84 Upgrade your foot beds 59

85 How many socks? 59

86 Sleeping socks 60

87 It's okay to have wet feet! 61

88 Wear neoprene socks for soggy hiking 62

89 Plastic bags on your feet in wet conditions 62

Camping Tips

90 The joys of the tarp & bivy combo 63

91 Staking out your tarp 65

92 Stealth camping as a skill 66

Sleeping as a Skill

93 Find the ideal sleeping spot 66

94 Employ the LATS technique of weather prediction 68

95 It's okay to sleep under the stars 69

96 Sleeping bags, quilts, & bivy sacks- what's the difference? 70

97 The essential sleeping pad 71

98 Sleep warm with minimal gear 72

99 Wear it all to bed 73

100 The humble pillow 74

Water

101 How much water should be on your back? 75

102 What's the lightest tool for carrying water? 76

103 Filling a water bottle 76

104 Add electrolytes when you need 'em 77

105 Should you drink untreated water? 77

106 How I use Aquamira 79

Soggy Conditions

107 Don't stop hiking just because it's raining 81

108 Waterproof your gear 82

109 How to dry wet socks 83

110 Rain skirts: the functional fashion statement 83

Desert Travel

111 Desert travel skills 84

112 Make the most of desert water sources 85

Bears

113 Camping in bear country 86

114 Hang your food at night 87

115 Keep the bear spray handy 89

Pooping in the Wilderness

116 Liberate yourself from toilet paper 90

117 Clean your butt! 96

Stoves

118 Stoves and cooking-keep it light! 97

119 What size pot do you need? 99

120 Make your own alcohol stove 99

121 Calculate your alcohol fuel needs 100

122 Minimize your stove's impact 101

123 The humble Esbit tab 103

124 Woodburning stoves mean no fuel weight 103

125 The tried & true mini-BIC 103

126 Advanced lighting techniques 104

127 Carry a redundant fire starter 106

128 Kitchen cleanup 107

Coffee

129 Turkish and cowboy coffee 107

130 Enjoy coffee on the trail 108

Food

131 You CAN eat well in the backcountry 109

132 Three initial steps to food planning 109

133 How much food do you need per day? 109

134 Food weights and glossary 110

135 Create a food spreadsheet 110

136 Determine the number of days 111

137 Snacks vs. meals 112

138 How many calories do you need? 113

139 Factors that increase the need for food 114

140 Trip duration influences food needs 114

141 Stuff adds up over time 115

142 Balance your food items 115

143 Bag it all up 116

144 Go stove free! 117

145 What if you run out of food? 117

146 Make an insulating cozy 118

Recipes

147 Groovy-biotic recipes 119

148 Dinners 120

149 The magic of instant mashed potatoes 122

150 Sauces 122

151 Breakfasts 126

152 Snacks 127

Final Thoughts

153 Ultralight skills can simplify the rest of your life l31

Suggested reading 132

Resources 133

About the Author 134