1
Is ultralight more expensive?
(lemmy.world)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
1 points (100.0% liked)
ultralight
790 readers
2 users here now
Overnight backcountry backpacking/hiking in the spirit of taking less and doing more. Ask yourself: do I really need that?
Rules:
- Be decent.
- Stay on topic.
Resources:
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Yes, I would say it generally costs more. But it doesn't have to.
For example, ultralight tents are expensive, so I embraced tarp life. My tarp and bivy are lighter than most UL tents and cost hundreds of dollars less.
My individual pieces of clothing cost more, but adopting an ultralight approach means I don't carry needless extras, so I don't buy as many clothes in the first place.
UL stoves can cost a lot, but the BRS stove or an alcohol stove are cheap and weigh less. Eating cold food is even lighter.
You get the idea. It costs exactly what you spend on it. It can be done affordabley if you are strict about what you are carrying and strategic with purchases. Leaving unneeded items at home will have a bigger impact on your base weight than any $700 tent.
well said. got a lighterpack handy? :)
I still owe you a lighterpack and I've been slow about getting around to it. I pulled out all my stuff in preparation for an upcoming trip and weighed it.
It's not down to ultralight weights, but it's not far off if you drop the luxury items and some extra clothes. I'm debating switching to a smaller pack. I've carried all this same kit in a Cotopaxi 20L climbing pack that weighs about 10 oz less. The gorilla is more comfortable though, especially if it's dry and I have to carry more water.
Here's the WIP on the current pack. https://lighterpack.com/r/7okvil
Edit: Here's a version without the unnecessary extras. It comes in at just over 9lbs base weight. Depending on the weather I would need to switch back to a real rain jacket. This is what I carried on a 3 day skateboard trip last year. https://lighterpack.com/r/j7iwjy
both are great kits. i like the 3-day skateboard kit the best :) how do you like the Yama tarp? i’ve considered getting one from them and now they don’t make them anymore, think i missed my chance. how’s your sleeping pad, looks like a cheapo inflatable? anything you didn’t use on your trip? love the idea of a trip by skateboard, i’m a fan of all human-powered travel — where’d you go and where are you headed next?
I really like the Yama tarp. I'm pretty sure I bought the last one they had because it switched to "out of stock" after I placed my order last year. I had been considering Borah Gear for a long time, but when push came to shove the lead time was too long.
I haven't had any heavy rain with the Yama, but I did use it in some bad ass winds last fall. It required 12 stakes and tying the ridgeline to trees instead of my poles, but it held up. I've had similar winds flatten tents so I was worried about a tear. I've also used it as a sun shade on the beach and it stood up to strong winds there as well.
The sleeping pad is fine. It was very cheap and has no insulation. Not a good pick for cold weather. My body doesn't handle foam pads as well as it used to so I wanted to try an inflatable. I'll use this until it breaks or I plan a trip in the cold. I cut it short and sealed it with an iron to save weight. It is similar to the cheap uninsulated Klymit pads. I've got somewhere between 10 and 15 nights on it and I'm officially sold on inflatables over foam.
Last year I started section hiking the MST. I did section 9 and 10. Section 9 includes about 45 miles of road hiking, and I used a skateboard for as much of that as I could. Section 10 is all on trail so I ditched the board and used the larger pack so I could carry more food.
On that trip I used everything on the list except for the sunscreen. I could carry less pocket knife but I like the stubby little morakniv. I use their larger knives in my normal life and they can really take a beating. I also didn't use most of the first aid kit, but there's nothing in there I would leave at home.
Using the little 20 liter pack has me GASing for something ultralight and about 30L in size. That would give me all the space I need with enough room to swap to different rain gear and sleeping bags as weather requires.
I forgot to mention what's next. I've got a weekend loop at Mt Rogers in VA planned for next month. I'm also trying to take down another MST section, but I might have to settle for biking or skating a road heavy section due to time constraints.