Articles (2020)

The Weird Science of Night Vision: Lighting Considerations for Lightweight Backpacking

Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps.

Turn night into day (use bright light), or preserve night vision (use low light)?

Because of the eye’s physiology, it isn’t possible to both use a bright flashlight and preserve your night vision. Our eyes go through chemical changes in response to light, and these changes take time to reverse. It can take as little as several minutes or as long as several days to recover maximum night vision following exposure to bright light. Note that each person’s night vision potential is different, with age, presbyopia, smoking, medications and selection of parents among the many factors that affect how well anybody can potentially see at night.

In very dim (scotopic) conditions, when the cones aren’t contributing to vision, we do not perceive any color or details. We can see objects in black and white only, like on our grandparents’ TV. This is a common experience on starlit or overcast, moonless nights. As mentioned earlier, the eye responds differently to different parts of the wavelength. But it’s even more complicated than that. The cones, which give us our acute and color vision (photopic), are most sensitive at 555nm (yellow-green). This is the reason, by the way, for the newer fire truck and ambulance colors – it’s the color we see most readily during the day – not “fire engine” red. The rods, on which we rely for our night vision, are most sensitive at 505nm (blue-green). One result of this phenomenon is that blue-green light looks brighter at night than red. Unlike the cones, which can see all of what we humans perceive as the visible spectrum, rods essentially cut off all wavelengths greater than about 640nm, the red portion of the visible spectrum. What this means to us is that for all colors other than red, as they are gradually dimmed there comes a point – called the cone threshold – where color is no longer perceived but light still is. At this point only the rods are contributing to vision. With red, however, the cones and rods lose perception simultaneously, and the red light simply winks out.

How can the lightweight backpacker take advantage of this technical gobbledygook?

Most people think they want a flashlight that gives bright, even, white illumination to emulate daylight conditions as best as possible. This approach keeps us in familiar territory perceiving both detail and color after dark. The bright-‘n-white approach, however, is not the most efficient one, either for power management or for making use of our eyes’ natural capabilities.

For example, if you want to see the most detail possible you need to maximize stimulation of the cones because they provide detail along with color. Using yellow-green LEDs in your flashlight accomplishes this, while simultaneously using less current.

Or perhaps you want to use the least amount of light you can get away with for navigating in the dark while, again, using the least power possible. In this case you might want a blue-green light source that maximizes rod sensitivity..

The third approach is to do everything possible to maximize and maintain your night vision potential. This means either using no light at all, or sparingly using a very dim red light. If you must use a light, even briefly, covering one eye will protect that eye’s night sensitivity while sacrificing the other’s to the temporary “flash blindness.” Flashlights sold to astronomers are universally red, despite some thought that green might be more effective. Rigel Systems makes a continuously variable LED flashlight, powered by a 9-volt battery, that’s available in several color variations. The all-red or red/white light is marketed to astronomers, and green versions are sold to folks who use night vision gear. A simple thumbwheel adjusts the light output.

Red or Green-Yellow?

The two theories might be summarized like this:

  • To read a map or star chart you need to use your photopic (cone) vision because your scotopic vision will not allow you to read the details. Because you want to minimize flash blindness, you want to use the least amount of light possible, which means a dimmable yellow-green (555 nm) light source turned just high enough to read by. The downside is that you’re affecting the rods along with the cones at this wavelength.
  • Because you’re going to experience a limited amount of flash blindness no matter what, you can limit the effect on your cones by using a wavelength (deep red) that your rods can’t see and won’t respond to. Again, turn up the light only as much as needed to read your map. The downside is that the light required to see will be much more intense than if you were using yellow-green. (Editor’s Note: On many non-military maps, important lines are often printed in shades of red and will be invisible under a pure red light).

Astronomy groups generally forbid the use of anything but red lights after dark at star parties, so they’ve cast their vote. If you’re interested in experimenting for yourself, Rigel can make a red/green dimmable light on special order. Note: a green light will not allow you to distinguish the wooded (green) areas on a topographical map.

Daytime Strategies.

Extensive research with pilots has ascertained that a day spent in bright sunlight can significantly affect night vision. Studies have shown that ten consecutive days of sunlight exposure cut our nighttime visual acuity, visibility range, and contrast discrimination in half. With enough daily exposures to sunlight, normal rod sensitivity may not be reached at all, something to consider if you’re vying for the job as cabana boy at Club Med, Bora-Bora. Fifteen percent transmission sunglasses with full spectrum (gray) lenses are recommended to best protect night vision. An ironic note to summiteers and alpine fans is that high altitude negatively affects night vision, diminishing it a reported 5% at 3,500 feet, 20% at 10,000 feet and 35% at 13,000 feet. Tying up the package are the facts that advancing age and, for all you backpacking smokers, the carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke also degrade night vision. With all these factors working against us, it’s a wonder we can see at all in the mountains after sundown, so you might want to take a light along on those two a.m. bathroom breaks to keep from wandering off that cliff.

Buying an LED Torch: Headlamp Design Considerations to Help Guide Your Purchasing Decisions

Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps.

Introduction

If your brain isn’t overwhelmed by all the variables in our primer on LED headlamps, it’s time to go shopping. Your first priority should be to define your needs, then come up with a list of headlamps (or handheld flashlights) that match them. Try to test them all before selecting. If you’re a fair-weather backpacker who hikes mostly in the summer, you might be able to get away with a button cell microlight such as the popular Photon II or III. Weighing mere grams, it will still provide enough light to rummage through your pack or stir a pot of food by, and can be modified to attach to a cap for hands-free use (use self-stick Velcro or a binder clip). However, if you’re caught on the trail after dark, only those with owl-like night vision will find it possible to navigate anything but boulevard-like trails using one.

For non-technical trail navigation, a photo cell headlamp such as the Black Diamond Ion or PrincetonTec Scout give a brighter beam and hands-free operation at a little more than an ounce or two.

One of the compact LED headlamps driven by three AAA batteries can be considered the next step up. The Petzl Tikka and Zipka series, the Black Diamond Moonlights, the Princeton Tec Aurora and similar lights are still lightweight, while giving plenty of light for non-technical nighttime navigation and in-camp chores, such as hanging a bearbag – tasks for which button cell lights are overmatched. Used prudently, a single set of batteries can last a season and the light, with batteries, only weighs about three ounces.

Bigger, brighter headlamps come in a vast array of configurations. If you’re a predawn climber, a nighttime explorer, or go on long hikes on short winter days, you’ll probably want a hybrid headlamp or a multi LED multi mode headlamp that puts out serious light for traveling and frugal (battery-saving) light for your time in camp. We’re in a transition period during which more-sophisticated and powerful voltage-regulated LED lamps (like the Photon Fusion) will likely displace incandescent and even hybrid headlamps as the backcountry standard.

Design Considerations

Headlamps vary in layout. Here are some design options to consider while shopping.

Straps:

Headlamps have either a single, adjustable elastic headband or a band plus a top strap. Some straps are only large enough to fit around the head, while others can be sized to allow fitting on a helmet. The top strap helps stabilize the light and keeps it from slipping while you’re on the move, but some folks find them annoying. In response, some headlamps have a removable top strap – perhaps the best of both worlds.

The Battery Pack:

The batteries sometimes are stored in front, inside the lamp unit itself, sometimes in a battery pack attached the back of the head connected by a cable, and sometimes kept in a remote battery pack that’s not part of the headlamp itself, also connected by a cable. Bulk, balance and battery warmth are all considerations when selecting which configuration. The simplest, smallest models have everything in the lamp unit. The Petzl Tikka, Petzl Zipka and Princeton Tec Aurora are all examples. These tend to be a bit front-heavy in use and, because they don’t have center straps, can slide down your forehead while you’re active. But they’re also the lightest and most compact available. Informal field observations lead us to believe that the batteries don’t stay as warm in these lamps as they do with back-mounted battery packs.

Back-mounted batteries are generally the standard configuration for larger, higher powered headlamps. With the weight divided fore and aft and with a center strap, the headlamp will tends to stay in place on your head. When it’s cold, you can keep the batteries warm by wearing the headlamp under a jacket hood, increasing their life. Some headlamps put as many as three AA batteries up front but use a combination headband and over the crown strap to solve the slippage problem.

Remote battery packs allow you to keep the batteries warm and out of the way inside your coat, pants pocket or backpack. Very large battery packs, such as those using multiple C-cells, are too heavy and too bulky to keep on your head. Routing the connecting cable so that you don’t snag it at an inopportune time can be a challenge, though.

The Lamp Head:

Lamp heads vary in design: some can be aimed by changing their angle, while others are fixed. The aimable (pivoting) ones are quite handy. Incandescent lamp heads generally have adjustable beams, focusing from spot to flood; LED lamps have fixed focus (unless they have switchable LED arrays). An LED lamp head that sits too close to the head can create annoying glare, especially for glasses wearers, because stray light can hit glasses lenses or even the eyes. Compare, for example, the Princeton Tec Aurora with the Black Diamond Moonlight. The Moonlight places the LEDs farther from the forehead, reducing the possibility of stray light hitting the face. Some headlamps are waterproof while others are open to the elements. While intruding rain won’t necessarily spell ruin to an LED light, sweat or saltwater certainly may – plus there’s the possibility of switch failure.

Beam Pattern:

As noted earlier, LEDs come prefocused, so the lamp maker controls beam pattern by selecting and arranging them in the headlamp. Hybrid lights, whether LED/LED or incandescent/LED generally switch between a bright narrow high beam and a floodlight style low beam. With incandescent high beams, the beam itself is usually adjustable. Simpler lights – single or multiple LED with no options – have non-adjustable patterns that range from a spot to a circle to an oval, depending on model and maker. Also note that the beam thrown by a white LED generally has some intensity and color variation. It’s common to see a blue or purple fringe around the center white pool of light. This can be annoying for activities like reading. Some multi LED lights use a combination of focused and wide beam LED in combination with a reflector to have a lighting pattern that has a bright central beam but also good peripheral illumination.

Switches:

There are pushbuttons, slide switches and twist switches. Lights having multiple modes may have one switch that does everything, or two switches – one for power and one for mode selection. Ideally, a switch will be easy to reach and use in all conditions, waterproof and won’t accidentally switch on in your pack. In practice, most switches are compromises from this ideal. It’s difficult to test switches in the store with cold, gloved hands, but you should at least keep the possibility in mind when shopping. (Editor’s Note: The true test of the usability of a winter torch? The ability to operate the switch while wearing mittens.)

How to Test?

The best way to decide which light is right for you is to borrow several and try them out. Next best is to read comprehensive, sometimes amusing, and sophisticated reviews online. In-store testing helps, but has its limitations. First, the store is brightly lit and your eyes will be daylight adjusted. Second, you have no way of knowing the battery condition in the various lights. Even so, playing with them in person means you can test whether they fit well, see their beam patterns and decide whether you can easily operate their switches, at least at 75 degrees. Be sure to move your head and bounce up and down to find out whether they stay put.

When REI first opened Gear Nirvana – their Seattle flagship store on Yale Avenue – they had the perfect solution: an enclosed diorama for their bicycle headlights. You stood at a rail in this darkened room and pressed buttons to switch on the various lights, illuminating the display (which had bushes, rocks, critters, etc.). The lights were powered by transformers, so that you knew you were comparing them all at full power. Something similar would be fantastic for comparing flashlights and headlamps. Retailers?

Western Mountaineering Flight Vest

Introduction

The Western Mountaineering Flight Vest provides one of the highest warmth:weight ratios of any garment on the market. You can use this vest for cold rest stops, to boost an underrated sleeping bag, or to throw in your daypack for a cold and windy summit. The vest stuffs down to a ball about five inches (13 cm) in diameter (about the size of a grapefruit). Like most down garments, the Flight vest is ideally suited for staying warm when you’re not too active in dry weather. Conversely, it is not applicable for aerobic efforts (you’ll rapidly overheat) or when exposed to wet weather (wet down loses its insulating capacity). In addition, with its very light 0.9 oz/yd2 (30 g/m2) shell fabric, the Flight should not be subjected to a lot of abuse.

Our men’s medium sample of WM’s Flight Vest had 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) of single layer loft. Surprisingly, for this weight (our sample was 6.0 oz / 170 g), you still get a full-featured garment—a nice down filled collar, insulated handwarmer pockets, a full front zipper with down filled draft tube and an elastic drawcord hem with dual cordlocks

An insulating vest offers other advantages over a jacket, besides just saving weight. While there is no question that a vest is not going to keep you as warm as a jacket, a vest does concentrates all of its warmth where it does the most good: around your neck and torso, and thus, provides a higher warmth:weight ratio. A vest works better than a down jacket for light aerobic activities, since the armholes on a vest allow for some moisture venting. In addition, you can wear the vest in situations where you might tear the abrasion-prone fabric on the arms of the jacket. Finally, with no puffy arms to get in the way, you get great freedom of arm motion.

Note on Availability: Western Mountaineering expects the first Flight vests to ship to retailers in late November.

Specifications

  • Garment Style – Ultralight full-zip down vest.
  • Weight – 6.0 oz (170 g) in a size Men’s Medium, as verified on our scales. Note: Our sample was 1.0 oz over WM’s current weight specification of 5.0 oz, apparently resulting from some down overfill in our pre-production sample. Western Mountaineering told us to expect production vests to be about 5.0 oz / 142 g (Small), 5.5 oz / 156 g (Medium), 6.0 oz / 170 g (Large), and 6.75 oz / 191 g (Extra Large).
  • Insulation – 850+ fill power goose down in sewn-through baffles.
  • Loft – We measured single layer loft to be 1.7 in (4.3 cm) at the baffle midpoint. This figure is the average from six “double layer” measurements of the vest on two different occasions. The maximum double layer measurement was 4.0 in (10.2 cm) and the minimum double layer measurement was 3.3 in (8.4 cm). (See the “About Measuring Down Loft” section in Lightweight Down Jacket Comparison. Note: the loft measured in this sample may be slightly higher than the loft of production vests that begin shipping in late-November, due to apparent overfill in our sample (see notes above about weight).
  • Fabric Class of Shell – Wind and water-resistant downproof polyester
  • Fabric Description of Shell and Liner – The outer shell fabric weight is 0.9 oz/yd2 (30 g/m2). The construction is a 15 denier by 20 denier woven polyester taffeta with durable water repellency (DWR). The outer shell fabric is very quiet and has a nice hand. Liner fabric is a 0.9 oz/yd2 (30 g/m2) 20 denier woven nylon taffeta (Pertex Quantum) Note: Sometime in early 2004 Western Mountaineering will change the outer shell fabric to a 0.9 oz/yd2 (30 g/m2) polyester taffeta made up of 22 denier/18 filament yarns in both directions with a high thread count (362 threads/in2). At this filament count, the fabric nearly approaches the construction of a true microfiber. Western expects slightly better moisture and abrasion resistance for the new fabric.
  • MSRP – $150
  • Manufacturer Contact Information –
    Western Mountain Sports
    1025 South 5th St. San Jose, CA, 95112
    PH: 408.287.8944 – FAX: 408.287.8946 http://www.westernmountaineering.com/

    • Features

    Insulation

    The Flight Vest is filled with 850+ fill power goose down and uses sewn through baffling construction. Down has the most loft per weight of any insulation material available. It compacts more and retains its loft longer through multiple compressions than synthetic insulations. Down excels as an insulating fill in dry and cold temperatures. If down gets wet, it loses almost all of its insulation and dries far slower than synthetic insulations. In comparison, synthetic insulations absorb less water, retain significantly more insulating value when wet, and dry faster.

    Temperature Regulation

    The Flight Vest has an insulated collar and full front zipper. The collar makes an excellent seal around the neck due to slight compression of the down in the collar as the vest is completely zipped. True handwarmer pockets are fully insulated, providing warmth for both sides of your hands.

    Usability

    The Flight Vest provides a good balance between features and weight. It has a snug down filled collar, insulated handwarmer pockets, a full front zipper backed by a down filled draft tube, and an elastic drawcord hem with dual, “one-handed” cordlocks. The front zipper is a very light #3 one-way coil from YKK. The full front zip provides the most versatile temperature regulation (relative to pullover-style garments with half-zips) and simplifies doffing and donning the vest rapidly at rest stops. Fully insulated handwarmer pockets are un-zippered with a simple elastic trim. There are no internal storage pockets on the Flight Vest.

    Sizing and Fit

    The Fight Vest fits fairly trim over a base layer shirt and thin shell jacket (a common scenario for use, as the vest is donned to prevent heat loss at rest stops), without restricting movement or compressing insulation (our male model for evaluating fit was 5’8” / 173 cm and 145 lbs / 66 kg with a 38 in / 97 cm chest and 34 in / 86 cm waist). The hem length is just below the belt level – don’t expect the vest to provide much butt or thigh coverage. The collar fits snug over a 200 weight fleece balaclava layered over a 16 in (41 cm) neck.

    Performance

    Storm Resistance

    With a down insulated draft tube and a snugly fitting collar the flight vest is a good insulator dry and breezy conditions. Not surprisingly, strong winds and even light activity results in heat loss from the armholes. The vest should be combined with insulating headwear and layered under a roomy shell jacket for maximum performance in cold, windy conditions.

    With its very light shell, the Flight Vest is more prone to outside moisture penetration than down garments with more robust shell materials. With its effective DWR finish, the shell material of the Flight can withstand brief periods of mild moisture , as might occur when you brush up against the condensation-soaked wall of your shelter, but it is not appropriate as outerwear in wet weather. Although we noticed that a pool of water placed in a fabric depression away from seams did not penetrate the fabric for several minutes, moisture readily penetrates the seams and easily wicks into the insulation.

    Breathability

    The lining and shell of the Fight Vest are uncoated, highly breathable fabrics . Thus, moisture vapor emitted via evaporative cooling can easily pass through the garment. The Flight’s significant quantity of down fill, however, inhibits the breathability enough so that it is not useful for sustained periods of activity. You can extend its use during periods of activity in very cold conditions by opening the zipper and by allowing heat to escape from the armholes, though this risks the accumulation of moisture in the vest and subsequent reduction of its insulating qualities.

    Warmth

    In the field, we found the Flight vest suitable for staying warm at short rest stops in temperatures of 25 to 40 degrees,with no or little wind. In windier conditions, we needed to layer a hooded shell over the vest (or if not too cold, to layer the vest over a shell we were already wearing). Typically, we were comfortable performing camp chores in temperatures near freezing wearing a lightweight wool base layer, the Flight Vest, a 200-weight fleece balaclava, and a hooded shell jacket.

    For temperatures around freezing we found the vest comfortable to wear as a hiking warm-up (on level ground or downhill!) by using the zipper to control ventilation. It should be noted that one of our reviewers hiked downhill for several miles in very windy (up to 25 mph), sub-freezing (25 °F / -4 °C) conditions in a Flight Vest and remained comfortable without excessive moisture buildup. Thus, we would expect the vest to be suitable in similar conditions as an “emergency” hiking layer, as long as your level of exertion was not high enough to expel too much moisture into the garment.

    Warmth as Part of a Sleep System

    We tested the Flight Vest as part of a sleep system (combined with an overfilled Rab Top Bag (2001 model, 21 oz) and an Epic/silnylon bivy sack) down to temperatures of 28 °F (-2 °C) and remained comfortably warm. We wore the vest with other clothing while sleeping that included a 200 weight fleece balaclava, lightweight wool baselayer, and a lightweight soft shell jacket. One advantage of the vest over the jacket is that it takes up less room when worn inside a narrow sleeping bag. However, one advantage of the jacket is that it can be more effectively layered (rather than worn) over the chest area, providing some draft protection with the arms of the jacket strategically wrapped around your neck. This type of layering provides uninhibited loft of the insulating garment and is the warmest method of incorporating it into your sleep system. The vest can also be effectively layered in this manner, but is somewhat cooler without the additional insulation provided by arms on the garment.

    Climbing Performance

    While the Flight Vest is not a climbing garment by any stretch of the imagination, we can envision it being used for a quick belay in mild and dry conditions, or as a warmup garment for general mountaineering use. Without arms, we found this a good garment for scrambling in cold weather provided there was little potential to scrape the front of the vest on sharp rocks or brush. Again, make no mistake – the Flight shell material is not very abrasion or rip-resistant, and it is probably inappropriate for use in belayed climbing.

    Recommendations for Improvement

    One reviewer complains, “The two big cord locks and bungee at the hem are like 36″ mud tires on a Mini Cooper.” Western Mountaineering reports that “we have asked quite a few of our vendors & customers and our response has been strong enough that a drawcord is necessary.” While we recognize the value of a drawcord at retaining heat, we also recognize that there are lighter elastic cords and cord locks than the ones on the Flight. Better yet, in keeping with the ultralight style of the garment, a simple Lycra-bound elastic hem would be even more appropriate. For the hardcore ultralighters, it should be noted that it’s not hard to cut the cord and cordlocks off the vest, if you so choose!

    Frameless Backpacks: Engineering Analysis of the Load Carrying Performance of Selected Lightweight Packs

    Introduction

    The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the load carrying performance of several frameless packs available to the ultralight backpacking community.

    Frameless backpacks tested in this study include:

    • Granite Gear Virga
    • GoLite Jam
    • Six Moon Designs Moonlight
    • Wild Things AT
    • Equinox Katahdin
    • GoLite Dawn
    • Osprey Aether
    • McHale Supbop*

    The McHale Subpop was used as a control, to illustrate the difference in load carrying performance for a pack with and without its aluminum frame stays, and comparing the differences between a flat foam back panel and a foam cylinder rolled inside the circumference of the main packbag.

     

    Analysis of Pack Torso Lengths

     

    As a foundation for understanding the methods described herein, the reader will be repeatedly referred to the detailed methodology described in the article, Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance, published previously.

    The pack torso length was measured in an unweighted state as the vertical distance between the centerline of the hip belt and the apex of the shoulder straps (e.g., for packs without load lifters, the seam at which shoulder straps are sewn into the back panel, and for packs with load lifters, the seam at which the load lifters are sewn into the back panel).

    Suggested torso lengths and the pack size (e.g., “Small”, “Medium”, etc.) were derived from the marketing materials provided by each manufacturer. In addition, we defined an arbitrary “optimum” user torso length, as the pack torso length minus three inches (to account for suspension collapse) plus one inch (to account for the optimum location location of the hip belt centerline, which usually occurs about one inch below the iliac crest). This definition is equivalent to the definition of user effective torso length defined in the article Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance.

    This definition is based on a combination of observing industry averages of highly-rated packs, acceptable design conventions among reputable custom pack designers, and experiential observations of performance from our testing staff. It should be noted that this arbitrary definition does not impact the shape or extent of the torso collapse curves illustrated later in this article, nor does it impact the relative comparison of performance factors between different manufacturers. However, it does alter the derived value of a pack’s load carrying capacity (also presented later). More important, this arbitrary definition of optimum user torso length does not alter the comparison of load carrying capacities of packs among the different manufacturers.

    Pack torso lengths (Tpack,unweighted), manufacturer-reported torso lengths (Tmanufacturer), and optimum user torso lengths (Toptimum) are outlined in Table 1.

    TABLE 1

     

    Pack Size Pack Torso Length
    (Tpack,unweighted)    		 Manufacturer
    Suggested User
    Torso Length
    (Tmanufacturer)    		 Optimum User
    Torso Length
    (Toptimum)
    Virga M 21.0″ 18-22″ 19.0″
    Jam L 20.5″ 20-22″ 18.5″
    Moonlight M

    17.0″

    		 n/a 15.0″
    AT L 21.5″ n/a 19.5″
    Katahdin L 22.0″ n/a 20.0″
    Dawn L 19.0″ 19-22″ 17.0″
    Aether 30 L 23.0″ 20-22.5″ 21.0″
    Subpop Custom 20.375″ 18.375″ 18.375″

     

    It should be noted that Granite Gear (Virga), Osprey (Aether 30), and McHale (Subpop) suggest torso lengths that are in sync with industry guidelines (as do Wild Things and Equinox, although specific recommendations were not available from these manufacturers), while GoLite (Jam and Dawn) underestimates user torso lengths for their packs by a half to full size (1.5 to 2.0 inches). Six Moon Designs (Moonlight) appears to be an unusual anomaly, with an optimum user torso length (15.0″, size M) that is one and a half to two full sizes below the industry standard of 18-20 inches (size M).

    1. Comparison of Techniques for Improving Frameless Pack Load Carrying Capacity

    Manufacturers employ a variety of techniques for improving the carrying capacity of their frameless packs. Such techniques include hip belt load distribution fins (e.g., Jam) or hip belt “snugger” straps (e.g., Katahdin), wide hip belts (e.g., SubPop), fixed foam padded back panels (e.g,. Jam), etc. Some pack makers (e.g., GVP Gear and Six Moon Designs) have also added external pad pockets, into which a sleeping pad can be folded against the back and remain accessible without unpacking the pack (i.e., as a sit pad at rest stops).

    In addition, manufacturers use other techniques that are less important at load transfer, including load lifter straps for the shoulders (e.g., Virga). Load lifter straps are often designed to transfer load between the hip belt and shoulders, but in a frameless pack, tests in our lab have shown that they do not contribute significantly to load transfer unless an internal frame is in place – i.e., a foam back panel or a foam pad rolled as a cylinder are insufficient to allow load lifter straps to work effectively. Many pack designers are quick to admit (and ask to remain anonymous) that load lifter straps are used on frameless packs primarily to extend the torso range of a pack and make a particular size fit a wider range of people, thus allowing a company to deliver a limited size range of packs to the market and keep production costs down.

    Users also employ various techniques for improving the carrying capacity of their frameless packs. Packing gear tightly (or using smaller packs) and using a sleeping pad rolled as a cylinder in the main packbag are the two most fundamental and popular of these techniques. Some users opt to fold a sleeping pad and insert it into the pack against the back panel.

    Herein, we evaluate the effect of rolling a sleeping pad and inserting it into the pack’s main packbag, and packing gear into the interior of the rolled cylinder. This is the most common method used by ultralight backpackers for improving a pack’s load carrying capacity.

    Many ultralight backpackers (and ultralight pack manufacturers) claim that the “rolled cylinder” method is “just as good as a frame” for transferring loads between the shoulder straps and hip belts. We hypothesize that these types of statements comprise unjustified hyperbole that needs to be challenged. And so, herein, we offer objective evidence that challenges these assumptions and illustrates the differences in load carrying comfort in the same pack (McHale SubPop) with different methods of load suspension:

    1. Two 7075-T6 aluminum frame stays (1/8″ x 1/2″) with closed cell foam (1/2″) back panel
    2. Closed cell foam (1/2″) back panel only
    3. Closed cell foam pad (7/16″ thick x 20″ wide x 45″ long) rolled as a cylinder inside the pack.

    Using the method of packing and measuring defined in Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance, we collected torso collapse data and derived the suspension performance factors (also defined in that article) for these three suspensions. This torso collapse data is presented in Figure 1.

    FIGURE 1

    Figure 1 shows that the use of a rolled cylinder vs. a standard foam backpad has little impact on the load carrying performance of this particular pack. This was not surprising, since other observations with this pack (not discussed herein) have shown that the hip belt construction is a major feature contributing to load carrying performance. The data does show, however, that the use of a rolled cylinder may slightly improve load carrying performance at lighter weights (less than 20 pounds), and that it may actually hinder load carrying performance at heavy weights (greater than 35 pounds). Our observations are consistent with our intuition – at lighter loads, a rolled cylinder packed tightly maintains excellent load stability, while at heavier loads, collapse of the cylinder and reduction of its surface area in contact with the user’s back results in poor load transfer performance. However, the reader is cautioned that the data for loads less than 20 pounds is not statistically significant for the pack using a rolled cylinder vs. standard foam back panel.

    Clearly, Figure 1 shows that gear packed* inside a rolled cylinder results in very poor suspension performance relative to the same load density packed in the same packbag with two internal frame stays. The differences become statistically significant at loads in excess of 15 pounds, and correlates to substantial differences in perception of user comfort at loads greater than 20 pounds (data not shown, cf. Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance).

    * Even at a relatively “tight” soft goods density of 2.1 oz/L, with the majority of additional weight distributed as flat steel plates along the inside back panel.

    2. Comparison of Suspension Performance of Various Backpacks Using Closed-Cell Foam Rolled Cylinder-Based Suspensions

    The second objective of this study was to compare the performance of various frameless packs available to ultralight backpackers using the ‘rolled cylinder’ technique of improving the suspension performance of the packs.

    All packs were packed to a soft goods density of 2.2 oz / L (+/– 5%) in their main packbag, with additional weight added in the form of flat steel disks secured to the inside back panel and distributed evenly along the back panel (refer to Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance for more detail). The rolled cylinder foam pad used for this portion of the study was the same pad used above in Section 1. The only pack for which the rolled cylinder method was not employed was the Moonlight, which is designed with an external pad pocket on the back panel, into which a foam pad can be folded and inserted into the pocket. For this pack, an 8-section Z-Rest was folded accordion style and inserted into the pad pocket, as per manufacturer recommendations.

    Figure 2 compares the collapse of pack torso lengths for each pack.

    FIGURE 2

    Figure 2 shows that no pack using a frameless, foam pad suspension was able to resist torso collapse to the extent of a pack with a frame (McHale Subpop w/frame) at weights meaningful to most lightweight backpackers (15 to 30 pounds). At 30 pounds (considered by many to be the very upper limit of frameless pack load carrying capacity), no frameless pack was capable of resisting a torso compression of less than 10%, which generally equates to a full frame size reduction (e.g., “medium” to “small”), and is a point at which comfort is severely compromised. Near the edge of this boundary are the Subpop (no frame), Jam, Moonlight, and AT packs, which appear from Figure 2 to be among the best at resisting % torso collapse at this load range.

    A more telling comparative analysis of suspension performance can be made from the data shown in Figure 3, which compares the performance factors of each pack (see Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance for a discussion of how performance factors are derived).

    FIGURE 3

    Performance factors are proportional to the ratio of torso collapse in a loaded pack relative to the torso length of an unloaded pack. They are normalized such that a performance factor = 1 indicates zero collapse (i.e., at a load of zero) and a performance factor = minus infinity indicates total collapse of the torso length to a length of zero (i.e., at a load of infinity). The performance factor = 0 axis (indicated by the red horizontal axis in Figure 3) is the point at which the pack torso length collapses to the user effective torso length (defined as the optimum user torso length for the purpose of this comparative study, as defined earlier in this article) and load can no longer be distributed off the shoulders completely to the hips. See Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance for a detailed discussion of the mathematical and engineering basis for defining the performance factor.

    In short, the weight at which a particular pack’s performance factor curve crosses the performance factor = zero axis is arbitrarily defined as the pack’s load carrying capacity. Although we have previously correlated the load carrying capacity as defined in this manner with perception of user comfort (in Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance), the reader must understand that other factors can influence load carrying comfort and capacity.

    Thus, Figure 3 shows four distinct (statistically significant) groupings of backpack load carrying capacities.

    1. Katahdin (11 pounds). This pack had a significantly lower load carrying capacity than other packs tested. Two reasons for this are its very large circumference and capacity, and the use of hip belt snugger straps that pivoted through a sliding loop at the hip belt attachment point, causing the pack to sag downward in response to added weight. The snugger mechanism on this pack did an inadequate job of transferring load from the main body of the pack to the hip belt and preventing packbag sagging in the vertical plane.

    2. Dawn (15 pounds), AT (16 pounds), Aether (16 pounds). The Dawn has a large circumference:torso height ratio (increasing the length of the load moment arm around the spinal plane) and a thin (1″) hip belt that prevents adequate load transfer around the hip bones. The AT pack is a very tall pack that is subject to a greater extent of torso collapse than packs with shorter vertical heights. The Aether hip belt-to-pack attachment point failed to prevent excessive sagging of the packbag in response to weight.

    3. Virga (23 pounds), Subpop/No Frame (27 pounds), Jam (28 pounds). These three packs performed above the acceptable industry standard for frameless pack load carrying capacity (typically, 20 pounds). The Virga is hindered by load sagging resulting from load lifter straps and an unnecessary “detached flap” to which shoulder straps are sewn in. Without these “features”, it could carry a heavier load. Otherwise, the Virga offers unremarkable load carrying features, and is an acceptable performer. The Subpop carries loads well in its frameless mode as a result of its very wide hip belt (5 inches) and padded lumbar region (made of Cordura-based surface contact materials that are “sticky”) that allow the entire hip contact surface area to be used in load transfer to prevent packbag sagging. Finally, the Jam is a narrow, trim-profile pack with well-designed hip belt fins that provided the best load transfer (most resistant to sagging) of all packs that employed webbing belts.

    4. Moonlight (34 pounds). The Moonlight performed significantly better than all other frameless packs in this study. The external pad pocket is placed between the pack’s back panel and the user’s back. Further, and most notable, shoulder strap attachment points and hip belt attachment points to the pack are behind the pad pocket. Consequently, as the shoulder straps and (especially) the hip belt are tightened, the entire load can be compressed against the user’s back. Clearly, this load transfer system is very effective. Subjectively, we observed this system to be very effective even when only the hip belt was tightened, and the shoulder straps were left loose. Unfortunately, the Moonlight suffers from a very short torso length that is a full size or more shorter than conventional industry standards. We hope that Six Moon Designs elects to produce taller packs that are more in line with conventional torso sizing conventions. It should be noted that Six Moon Designs claims that the Moonlight can carry a load of up to 35 pounds. Initially, we viewed this claim with incredulity. Based on the results presented in this study, we cannot dispute this claim. However, the reader must be cautioned that the load carrying capacity that we derived (34 pounds) is based on a user sizing up at least one, and probably two, sizes over Six Moon Designs recommended torso sizes.

    Conclusions

    1. Using a rolled cylinder closed cell foam pad relative to a closed cell foam backpad does not appear to improve load carrying performance of a McHale Subpop without its frame stays. The effects of the rolled cylinder method of packing are unknown for other packs. However, there appears to be no justification that the rolled cylinder method is comparable for resisting torso length collapse relative to twin aluminum stays, thus providing evidence for disputing common user claims that a “rolled cylinder pad is just as good as a frame”.

    2. Four of the eight frameless packs tested herein (excluding the McHale Subpop, which is not designed to be a frameless pack) exceeded conventional expectations of a 20-pound load carrying capacity using a rolled cylinder foam pad technique for improving backpack suspension performance (except the Moonlight, which uses a folded pad back panel).

    3. The suspension system of the Six Moon Designs Moonlight appears to offer substantial increases in frameless backpack load carrying performance relative to packs that employ the rolled cylinder foam pad technique, with a load carrying capacity that was 66% higher than the average load carrying capacity (20.4 lbs, n = 7) of all packs (excluding the Subpop) in this study.

    A Final Note About Pad Type. It should also be noted that differences in the type of pad used in the rolled cylinder technique may influence backpack suspension performance. We have been objectively testing various pad and pack combinations to examine these effects. The most effective combinations have been pads that have the highest friction coefficient between the pad and the pack fabric (e.g., “sticky” pads and “sticky” inner pack fabrics). The reason for this is that the overall load is less likely to “slip” at the pad-pack fabric interface.

    In this study, the best performing pads have been a very sticky version of EVA foam (and also very heavy – with a 2/3 length pad weighing 14 ounces) with a sticky surface combined with polyurethane-coated Cordura pack fabrics. The worst performing combinations have been self-inflating sleeping pads with “slick” outer surfaces combined with packs made with silicone-impregnated nylon fabrics. The most remarkable conclusion from these studies is that for pack weights greater than 15-20 pounds, the pad and pack fabric combination (and thus, the friction coefficient between the two) made little difference in the pack’s load carrying ability.

    Field evaluations and reviews of these packs will appear soon at BackpackingLight.com. Please check our Editorial Calendar to check the publication schedule.

    Simplicity, Harmony, and Opportunity: Freedom Born From an Ultralight Ethic

    “Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity” – Albert Einstein’s Three Rules of Work

    This short quote summarizes my philosophy for both life and ultralight backpacking. I take only what I need in order to enjoy the journey. Each piece of gear is simple and light, and is integrated as a component of a harmonious system. Over many years and thousands of trail miles, my needs and wants have been redefined (or eliminated), resulting in a decreasing pack weight. In this constantly evolving process, any difficulty in the journey brings both opportunity and confidence born of hardship.

    My ultralight attitude, developed over time, can be further illustrated by another quote:

    “How many a poor immortal soul have I met well nigh crushed and smothered under its load, creeping down the road of life, pushing before it a barn seventy-five feet by forty, its Augean stables never cleansed, and one hundred acres of land, tillage, mowing, pasture, and wood-lot! The portionless, who struggle with no such unnecessary inherited encumbrances, find it labor enough to subdue and cultivate a few cubic feet of flesh.” – Henry David Thoreau

    The idea Thoreau presents is not to carry anything too big: it just drags us down. Yes, we want “enough” – but it should be just enough. Fewer material goods do not necessarily indicate poverty but rather, a power of personal restraint, which is both a lifestyle and backpacking ethic that leads to freedom. Embracing this philosophy may require an adjustment of attitude for most Americans – who are typically raised to believe that two chickens are needed in every pot, that two cars belong in every garage, and that a home with only one bathroom is substandard.

    My ultralight philosophy demands that I exercise personal power over my choices in the interest of self-sufficiency. I do not borrow gear, food, water, fuel, or guide pages from others. I will not advocate that anyone go to a trail ill-equipped or unprepared because they want to eliminate extra pack weight and figuring that they will come across a good Samaritan or trail magic to bail them out. My goal as an ultralighter is to carry all of my essentials, or learn how to improvise without them. It would not be fair for me to put others at risk or as an object of dependence, obligation or inconvenience, because of my lack of planning! Ultralighters have sometimes been disparaged as ‘moochers’ as evidenced by commentary from some outdoor writers. I feel duty bound to shake that image by never borrowing or accepting anything, except for rare trail magic. On a more practical note, a hiker may not meet another for days – or even weeks, and self-sufficiency is mandatory.

    As a petite woman, I carry clothes that fit me. Nothing is baggy, too large or too long. All can be layered harmoniously for maximum warmth with minimum bulk. It means keeping my body weight down, which has two practical effects: (1) by staying lean, I feel better and can climb hills more easily, and (2) the volume and weight of my pack is reduced because of smaller clothes and sleep systems.

    My shelter is a minimalist, single-wall silnylon structure, just large enough to sit up in, and sleep. I critically analyze each gear item, both for weight and volume, replacing them with substitutes that are smaller and lighter. As an example, my only knife is a five gram cutting tool found at office supply stores, and it has performed admirably for over 5,000 miles.

    My food is adequate and simple, requiring minimal cooking time with less fuel on an ultralight alcohol stove. I utilize town stops by eating a lot of extra calories, and carry about a pound of food per day on the trail. I take advantage of natural daylight, to cook, clean, write or read, and avoid doing anything that requires batteries. The two exceptions are a waterproof watch, and photon light, both still have the same battery after 5,500 miles. I use well-made gear that can be repaired with superglue, electrical tape, or needle and dental floss.

    “…conceding the failures and enjoying the margins of success contribute equally satisfying results in the long run.”

    Ultralight living and backpacking are natural for me. Curiosity and love of personal challenges inspire me to try new ideas. And so, instead of collecting material goods, I collect experiences. Sometimes there is significant discomfort in these new adventures – and conceding the failures and enjoying the margins of success contribute equally satisfying results in the long run.

    The most important piece of gear a backpacker carries is his or her brain. The knowledge you carry in your head can save you many pounds of pack weight, prevent miles of missed trail and wrong turns, give you options and back up plans, and the confidence to press beyond your preconceived emotional, physical, and spiritual limits.

    About the Author

    Carol “Brawny” Wellman is the proprietor of Dancing Light Gear (http://www.trailquest.net/), a manufacturer of ultralight backpacking equipment. She is also the author of My Journey to Freedom and Ultralight Backpacking (ISBN 0-9728154-0-6, Fire Creek Pass Publications, March 2003), a personal account of her journeys on the Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, and Appalachian Trail. It details her practical journey from car camper to ultralight backpacker, and a more spiritual journey to personal freedom. Originally from the midwest, Brawny now lives in the Georgia mountains. She spends her non-hiking time designing and sewing ultralight gear, writing, and performing trail maintenance on a section of the AT south of Bly Gap in GA.

    Lightweight Backpacking with Young Children

    Introduction

    Introducing your child to the wonders of nature is one thing­–helping them enjoy themselves while preserving your own sanity on a backpacking trip is quite another.

    Backpacking with kids offers an opportunity for bonding, teaching, and escape from a world littered with too much social stimuli.

    Most parents view backpacking with a child as an arduous, masochistic experience by which Mom carries her screaming infant or drags her whining toddler (or both of them!) up a dusty trail, while Dad shoulders a hundred-pound pack containing gear for the entire family. While this style of family hiking may not lead directly to divorce, it’s certainly going to be unpleasant.

    So, let’s do it a different way: we’d like to offer some ideas and insights for parents that have not yet made the plunge into backpacking with their kids and are still blessed with naiveté. At the same time, maybe we can help those that have already experienced the pain and rage of doing it the hard way. And hopefully, even you moms and dads capable of planning and executing flawless adventures with your kids can extract some tidbits to help you on your next hike. (Note: if you fall into this last category, don’t tell anybody – they won’t believe you).

    Click here to download a copy of a gear list (Adobe PDF format) from an overnight backpacking trip in cold, snowy conditions, taken by Ryan and Chase in October, 2003

    Hiking Considerations

    Hiking Pace

    Infants can’t walk, and letting them crawl to your destination is neither timely nor hygenic. So that means that Mom’s going to carry the baby in a backpack and Dad’s going to shoulder the rest of the gear. Dad may be shocked at the realization that he’s not going to get to carry the same sub-twenty pound pack that he gets to carry on a summer trip with his buddies, but rules are rules! The bottom line: you’re both going to be shouldering some weight, so slow down, take it easy, and lower your mileage expectations.

    Toddlers, on the other hand, can walk. There are two major problems when hiking with toddlers. First, they hike more slowly than adults, and can tire quickly. Second, they have ideas of their own about the route you carefully planned at the kitchen table–distractions like bugs, moss, and maybe even decaying animal carcasses can all cause deviations from your path.

    Our experience is that as a result of these issues, you can only count on hiking about two to four miles per day, a little more for older school-age children or if you are carrying your infant on your back, and perhaps, a little less for preschoolers.

    More important than the number of miles you hike is the amount of time you spend on the trail.

    If your family can walk five or eight miles a day, great! Realistically, however, you probably should try to limit your time on the trail. You don’t want to rush to flee camp in the mornings, and you don’t want to be setting up camp and cooking dinner in the dark. Give your kids the time to enjoy camping and playing in the wilderness, not just hiking in it. A good rule of thumb for summer: spend about four to five hours on the trail, with plenty of trail time built in for breaks and play.

    Lighten your kids’ loads and adhere to lightweight backpacking principles for your own, and your entire family will appreciate it.

    Packs for Parents and Kids

    Face the facts, Dad. You aren’t going to fit your family’s load into the latest 30 liter fastpacking rucksack, nor should you be shouldering all that weight with a frameless pack. But all is not lost. There are plenty of large-enough capacity backpacks that weigh less than four pounds and easily carry a 40-50 pound load. Try a Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone (60 liters and 48 ounces), the GoLite Infinity (50 liters and 37 ounces), or a custom-fitted and made-to-order pack from the McHale Pack Company (50-80 liters at 40-60 ounces).

    When hiking with an infant, Mom will usually carry the baby in a backpack. The most popular models are made by Madden and Kelty and are absurdly heavy at seven to nine pounds. Unfortunately, this remains one of the last uncharted markets for lightweight gear, so your choices are limited to something in the six to eight pound range. Get a baby pack with enough additional capacity for a few extras like diapers, baby wipes, and a water bottle for Mom. Plush models have room for a sleeping bag stowed into a lower compartment, which frees up a lot of space from Dad’s pack for denser (and heavier!) items.

    Toddlers aren’t going to be too enthusiastic about carrying a “fair share” of gear for the family, and you’re not going to be enthused if they poop out a quarter mile from the car and refuse to carry their pack or walk one more step! So, give the little ones a break and set them up with tiny packs like the CamelBak Skeeter, a hydration pack with a 35 ounce capacity ideally suited for preschoolers and kindergartners. For younger school age children, step up to something with some cargo capacity like the CamelBak Scout (35 ounces and 10L cargo). Older kids can graduate to a 20L rucksack and carry their own sleeping gear and clothing with a liter of water and some snacks, usually not to exceed ten pounds.

    The authors’ son, five-year-old Chase, traces the day’s route on his own map.

    Trip Planning and Navigation

    It’s important to involve your children in trip planning. Bring out the maps, show them some photos, and let them select some options (that you have previously screened, of course) that give them some ownership in the itinerary. For toddlers and older kids, destinations are very important– they give the child a sense of accomplishment. Destinations involving water (streams, lakes, or swamps) can save a parent’s sanity by giving the child endless opportunities for exploration of aquatic life, rock throwing targets, and sailboat races (see below). Always remember, of course, that parents must pay special attention to the safety of their children around any water body.

    On the trail, involve your children in navigation decisions. If they know the difference between right and left, then show them trail junctions on the map as you reach them on the trail, and help them figure out the right way to go based on the route (it is helpful to trace your route with a highlighter on the map prior to the trip). As your child reaches the age of five or six, you can begin introducing the use of a compass. Orient the map for them, and help them choose between obvious directions like east and west. Best of all, whether your children know how to use a compass or not, arm them with small compasses on their wrists or around their necks, and they will feel like hikers.

    Inclement Conditions

    When we talk to other parents about backpacking with children, their greatest fear, by a large margin, is always: “What do we do if it rains?!” Prior to backpacking trips, many moms are often glued to the Weather Channel, secretly hoping for a hurricane-class forecast so they can justify cancellation of the trip, rather than face the challenges that come with cold and wet conditions.

    These fears are not irrational. It can be difficult enough staying warm and dry in inclement conditions without having to worry about your kids. Parents’ protective instincts instill a sense of responsibility to make sure your kids remain warm and dry, which can be very challenging. In this section, we offer some advice to deal with wet and cold conditions, as well as the midday heat of summer.

    My Favorite Things About Backpacking

    An Interview with Chase Jordan

    RJ: Chase, I need to ask you some questions about an article we’re writing for BackpackingLight.com.

    Chase: Oh.

    RJ: I want to chat with you about lightweight backpacking.

    Chase: OK. Are you going to take my picture and show the Internet?

    RJ: Sure, buddy. Whatever you want.

    Chase: OK. I want it to be a BIG picture.

    Chase Jordan, at the age of three, enjoying wilderness in the Gallatin National Forest on a backpacking trip that brought freezing temperatures, constant rain, and a little snow!

    RJ: How old are you, Chase?

    Chase: I’m five.

    RJ: Do you like backpacking?

    Chase: Oh yes!

    RJ: What is your favorite place to go in the wilderness?

    Chase: Yellowstone National Park. I love to see buffalo by my tent.

    RJ: What is your favorite thing to do when you go backpacking?

    Chase: Roast marshmallows!

    RJ: What do you like to do when it’s raining?

    Chase: Get in the tent. I like to read stories and play with my trucks in the tent with my Dad.

    RJ: Do you have a rain jacket?

    Chase: I have a poncho, but I don’t really like it. It’s black. My dad made it. Black was all he had. I like my winter snow coat the best. It’s red.

    RJ: Do you like it when it snows on backpacking trips?

    Chase: Yeah. I like making snowmen and igloos!

    RJ: What’s your favorite food that you like to eat while hiking?

    Chase: Let’s see here…peanuts and raisins, I think.

    RJ: What’s your favorite dinner food when you are in camp?

    Chase: Macaroni and cheese, with no hot sauce.

    RJ: Do you carry a backpack?

    Chase: Yeah – a water backpack.

    RJ: What kind of stuff is in your backpack?

    Chase: Water and stuff. But I like to carry one of my dad’s trekking poles – they’re really, super light – and my whistle around my neck – that’s my favorite thing to put around my neck because the scarf my mom and dad make me wear is way too itchy.

    RJ: Wow, all that stuff sounds heavy. Is it heavy?

    Chase: Yeah but my dad carries all the really heavy stuff like the tent, and food and, ummm…oh yeah, my trucks.

    RJ: I suppose you think you need some new lightweight backpacking gear, right?

    Chase: Oh yes! I would like a new water pack – a big one. I’m going to put water in it, and also, my snacks, my notepad (I bring just a little one), and maybe a can of pop. Does a new pack cost a lot of money?

    RJ: It depends, buddy. You see, there are Spectra fabrics that tend to be rather expensive due to the cost of fiber construction, difficulty in cutting and sewing, etc. And then, you have ultralight silnylon, which is very slippery, and that can drive up the cost. Or, you can go to a new high tech X-Pac from Dimension-Polyant that offers unparalleled rip resistance and very good abrasion resistance at a paltry four ounces a yard. But I think you need a custom McHale, which can run upwards of $600 by the time you add shovel pockets, ski slots, fanny-compatible top pockets, multiple frames for different loads, and several hip belts to suit a particular trip style – and – you may want to consider a sewn-in hydration pocket rather than a removable one since—

    Chase: Do they have red ones?

    RJ: Oh, yes!

    Dealing with Rain

    Hiking in the rain can be a wonderful experience for a child. Rain brings out wildlife of all sorts, from big game to slimy worms. But being wet, and especially, being wet and cold, can be a miserable experience for a child. A little preparation and an understanding of a child’s low tolerance for discomfort can improve everyone’s disposition dramatically.

    A rain poncho made from silnylon is an easy homemade sewing project, costs less than $10, and works great for kids.

    First, dress to get wet. Combined with a fleece balaclava and some waterproof mittens, a hooded poncho (nylon is far more durable than plastic) worn over a fleece jacket and long underwear, can keep a child warm and dry for hours. On the bottoms, synthetic long underwear and waterproof or water-resistant pants are usually sufficient. For the feet, a pair of thick wool socks for warmth and some water-resistant (not mesh) shoes are a far better alternative than rubber boots, especially while hiking.

    Try to encourage your children to minimize their natural “sprint-and-stop” technique for hiking. Hiking slowly and continuously will minimize sweating and the subsequent chilling that results when taking a break. If you are taking longer breaks in inclement conditions– a lunch break or simply to wait out a storm–consider setting up a tent or tarp, and even the child’s sleeping bag, to give them a warm and safe refuge that minimizes their discomfort.

    When camping, nothing provides better refuge from the elements, including cold, and rain, than a tent. Most children (and parents) feel safer and more secure when surrounded by fabric, and during an intense storm with high winds, a tent will keep your little campers happy campers.

    Above all, remember that, unlike adults, small children shouldn’t be expected to just “deal with it” when the weather turns bad and they become uncomfortable. You bear 100% of the responsibility to keep them warm, dry, and comfortable.

    Dealing with Cold

    Dealing with cold requires that your child have proper clothing and a warm sleeping bag. Consistent with lightweight backpacking principles, there is no reason not to combine the two while sleeping to take advantage of available insulation at the lightest weight. We’ve come up with a recommended list of clothing and sleep gear that will keep most children warm in conditions down to freezing during the summer.

    • Clothing worn while hiking: Supplex nylon shirt (long sleeve) and long pants, to protect them from sun, brush, and wind; wool socks with comfortable shoes; wide-brimmed hat for sun protection; sunglasses.
    • Base layer: lightweight synthetic long underwear, top and bottoms (consider doubling up on these two items if your kids have bed-wetting challenges or you are expecting very cold or wet conditions).
    • Mid layers: 200 or 300 weight fleece jacket; consider 100-200 weight fleece pants for cold conditions.
    • Additional mid layer: this is an extra layer that gives you the flexibility to adjust warmth according to expected temperatures and can range from a 100-weight fleece vest to a high-loft synthetic insulating jacket.
    • Outer layer: nylon rain jacket or poncho with water-resistant (paired with a poncho) or waterproof (paired with a jacket) pants.
    • Sleeping bag: synthetic bag (e.g., Polarguard, PrimaLoft) with at least two inches of loft for conditions down to freezing. Our choice: the Integral Designs Assiniboine.

    If temperatures drop dramatically, parents can further increase the comfort of their kids by using their sleeping bags as quilts and sharing body heat.

    Dealing with Heat

    One experience that may have a higher misery factor than dealing with a child that is cold and wet is dealing with one that is hot, tired, thirsty, and cranky!

    One item you can arm your child with is a hydration bladder, complete with a hose and bite valve (for safety reasons, be sure to follow manufacturer recommendations about age appropriateness). Kids love to drink out of their own container, and if they carry it themselves, you can be assured that they will get plenty to drink. Add some flavor to that drink, such as pre-sweetened Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, or Flavors-2-Go drops, and they’ll thank you for it. Not a fan of sweetened drinks at home? Make an exception while backpacking. The additional calories and flavors motivating your child to remain hydrated might far outweigh the disadvantages of the sugar they provide.

    Above, we recommended long sleeve shirts and long pants for clothing. We are big advocates of keeping your kids’ skin exposure to the harmful rays of UV light at a bare minimum, especially in the thin air of the mountains. If temperatures are too hot and your child is uncomfortable wearing this type of clothing, then maybe you should consider shadier trails, cloudier weather, or some hardcore sunscreen, frequently applied. Regardless of your hiking clothing choices, make sure your child has a wide-brimmed sun hat and a pair of sunglasses.

    Some other tips for hiking in the heat:

    • Let them cool off in a creek or lakeside at midday.
    • Arm family members with spray bottles or squirt guns and have occasional “water fights” along the trail – getting your clothing and skin wet will aid evaporative cooling.

    Cooking, Food, Water, and Hygiene

    Meal Planning and Cooking

    One of the great challenges of backpacking with kids is ensuring that they consume plenty of nutritional calories. For anything shorter than week-long excursions, place more emphasis on calories than nutrition. Like adults, children need to maintain steady caloric intake to offset their daily activity and fuel their metabolic engines.

    Only experience will tell you about quantities of food to pack, types of foods your child will eat on the trail (a safe bet is to bring them the things they like at home as well), and timing of meals. Emphasize frequent snacks rather than three squares served rigidly at 8 am, noon, and 6 pm.

    For parents new to hiking with children, a good rule of thumb for quantity is to bring 12-16 oz food per day (dry weight) for toddlers 3-6, 20 oz/day for young children age 7-10, and 24 oz/day (sometimes more if your child is a prodigious eater) for children in rapid growth spurts that commonly occur between the ages of 11 and 13. All bets are off for teenagers, who can seemingly fast for days and then eat three pounds of food at the drop of a hat.

    As far as types of food to pack, err on the side of maximum variety rather than gamble on the improbability that your child will be able to extract his entire caloric needs from a huge bag of gorp. Likewise, as much as you want your children to consume organic foods, whole grains, and hormone-free dry milk, cut them some slack and toss in some red licorice or Jolly Ranchers – they will thank you for it with their wide eyes and you will thank yourself for their good morale.

    And as far as timing is concerned, go with small meals for breakfast and dinner, with plenty of variety snacks that the child can freely access throughout the day. Children burn calories in spurts. Likewise, they tend to eat in spurts.

    Parents with infants have to deal with other issues. Breastfeeding moms have it best (although some may argue) – ready to eat food that doesn’t have to be packed! For infants eating soft foods, parents are limited to baby foods sold in very heavy jars. For short trips, these foods can be repackaged into small plastic containers, which are far lighter. For maximum weight savings, repackage the foods in zip-closure bags (such as O.P. Saks), but keep in mind that repackaging baby foods compromises their sterility and shouldn’t be practiced for trips longer than a weekend in warm temperatures.

    For bottle-fed babies, parents have two options: washable bottles or bottles with disposable liners. Bottle “cages” with enough disposable liners for a weekend trip are lighter than bottles by 50%. Better yet, disposable liners can be pre-filled with formula or dry milk at home, so mealtime – and cleanup – is about as simple as can be.

    Water Purification and Hydration

    We tend to be more cautious about the quality of water that our children drink than the quality of water we drink. Children have immune systems that tend to be more susceptible to foreign organisms, simply because of their lack of previous exposure to them. Parents should not allow their children to drink untreated water in the wilderness.

    The safest and most effective form of water treatment technology for immuno-compromised patients continues to be ceramic element filtration. Only two companies make water filters that offer uncompromised performance: MSR (cf. the WaterWorks II filter) and Katadyn (cf. Pocket Filter). Combined with low doses of chlorine dioxide (cf. Aqua Mira) on post-filtered water, one ends up with water quality that often exceeds that coming out of your tap at home. We recommend this form of treatment for infants.

    As children get older, their immune response strengthens. Thus, chemical treatment alone may be sufficient in mountain areas with good (low organic and silt content) wilderness water quality. Our recommendation is Aqua Mira (chlorine dioxide) over iodine-based solutions. It has greater efficacy against bacteria and lower incidence of harmful byproduct creation. Both chlorine bleach and iodine can form these byproducts (some of them carcinogenic) through oxidation of organic matter.

    Many parents are lured into buying so-called water purification products that are promoted by the health food industry. These are sold under the description of “stabilized oxygen” and marketed under the premise that they are “chemical-free treatment alternatives for safe drinking water.” After extensive research, we have been unable to find any reasonable scientific evidence from a credible research institution supporting a claim that they are appropriate for wilderness water quality treatment, and cannot recommend them as a viable water treatment alternative, especially for immuno-compromised patients, infants, or children.

    Toilet and Personal Hygiene

    Diapers. Parents of infants are often stricken with backcountry diaper terror when faced with the prospect of family backpacking. In reality, however, dealing with diapers can be a rather simple affair.

    The choice between cloth and disposable diapers is the primary issue. Cloth diapers require washing, rinsing, and drying – an often problematic and time consuming task when faced with your own underwear – not to mention a pair that’s been covered in fecal matter! It doesn’t take long to realize that the time required to properly deal with washing a dirty cloth diaper while minimizing the environmental impact of disposing of the wash water is worth it only for those parents that ascribe to a stringent philosophy that for one reason or another prevents them from purchasing and throwing away disposables.

    For us, the choice was a matter of convenience and hygiene. Fecal matter is simply cat-holed like your own, and then the disposable diapers are set out for a few hours each day to allow moisture to evaporate, thus reducing their weight. Transport is accomplished by placing the diapers in an odor-proof plastic bag with a secure zip-closure (we recommend 12×15 O.P. Saks from Watchful Eye Designs). The process of using disposables in the backcountry is a no-mess, no-fuss, low-impact, and healthy process for both baby and parents.

    Trepidations of Wilderness Toilets. As children get older, they get to pee and poop like us big kids. For our son (and we are told, for most boys), there is little trepidation involved in letting it rip in the backcountry. Dad and son can make it competitive with distance contests. And, the prospect of pooping in a hole that you dug with your foot, toy backhoe, or sand shovel, is high on the list of very cool things to do as a young boy.

    We are told by other parents, however, that some boys and many girls experience a bit of performance anxiety when it comes to wilderness toileting. For these kids, some parents have even resorted to bringing potty chairs with a real toilet seat and plastic bag for the catch basin. At up to four pounds apiece, such chairs aren’t high on the list of things lightweight backpacking parents like to bring into the backcountry. The alternative: some psychological skill in dealing with children, and a whole lot of patience. Barring rewards of chewable candy by the pound and promises of extra toys at Christmas, we’ve heard parents having good success by doing the side by side thing with Mom or Dad, which may give rise to a new axiom: “the family that poops together, stays together.”

    The Magic of Purell. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that more incidents of gastrointestinal illness in the backcountry can be attributed to poor hygiene than to inadequate water treatment. We would logically infer, then, that children are more susceptible to illnesses resulting from poor hygiene than adults, simply because hygiene is not ingrained in a child’s daily habit! Consequently, we recommend that parents frequently ensure that their child’s face and hands are clean, especially after using the toilet and before meals. While soap and water is most effective at removing dirt, alcohol hand gels (cf. “Purell” brand) provide more effective disinfection of microorganisms, can be used anywhere (even in the absence of water), and air dry effectively. Most parents will find some combination of washing with soap and using alcohol hand gels useful. We use alcohol during the day, and then have a hands-and-face (and sometimes, whole body) wash while having access to water in camp in the evening.

    Baby Wipes, Washcloths, and other Towels. Baby wipes are a godsend to parents with infants. For diaper changing, wiping up food messes, dealing with spit-up, and cleaning up other liquefied masses well-known to baby-parents, moist baby wipes are an ideal solution to cleanup. Because they are water-saturated, however, they tend to be heavy –lighten the load by repackaging them in a zip-closure plastic bag. The upside is that they can be dried or burned while on the trail, and thus, can be considered a consumable. The biggest advantage of baby wipes are that they can be treated as a disposable, and thus, are consistent with good hygiene practices.

    Dry wash towels that can be moistened and used for more rigorous cleanup chores can also be useful. Fortunately, those made of viscose are very light and dry quickly. Check out the Pack-Towl line from Cascade Designs, or our favorites, the 0.5-ounce ultralight towels available from Light Load Towels.

    Shelter Considerations

    A tent can go a long way to improving family morale in inclement conditions.

    Tent, Tarp, or Both?

    Most parents,even those who normally practice what we consider lightweight backpacking techniques, would never consider taking their kids into the backcountry without a tent. Let’s take a closer look at the rationale for this decision and assess whether or not tarp camping is something that can be appropriate for parents with young children.

    Parents possess a natural protective instinct that engages whenever cold, wet, windy, or snowy weather comes within miles of the warmth of a car heater. Consequently, the walls of a tent provide a sense of security and home for a backpacking family that gives them a tiny environment in which they can be safe, warm, dry, and content. Having backpacked with our son in both tents and tarps, I can recommend without reservation that a lightweight tent should be the first choice for beginning parents or parents of infants and/or small children traveling in backcountry areas with the potential for foul weather.

    Tarp Camping with Kids

    Unless you have an exceptional level of skill and experience tarp camping yourself, please do not consider subjecting infants and young children to the rigors of exposure to wind, blowing rain, and drifting snow while camping in a tarp. If you – and your kids – are tarp camping aficionados (and we certainly are) do so in the midst of a fair weather forecast, with the opportunity to bail out readily available. There is no worse misery while camping with kids than having them be cold, wet, and cranky because wind and rain are blowing into the protective space that should provide complete comfort and shelter.

    A small tarp set up as a tent porch keeps the tent more livable as well as provide some space to play, cook, store gear, or stretch, while it’s raining.

    A Small Tarp for Refuge

    During prolonged periods of inclement weather, both parents and kids can go a little “shacky-wacky” in the confines of a tent. A light tarp, brought as a supplement to the primary shelter, can provide some fresh air during rainy periods, as well as some refuge for cooking or playing. We have often brought a 5×7 silnylon tarp in addition to our lightweight tent when we knew there would be a good chance for foul weather. Set up as a vestibule across the front of our tent, it served as an ideal “porch” for refuge from the rain.

    Sleeping Pads

    Some naïve parents believe that a sleeping pad no thinner than a toddler bed is required for backcountry camping. Common sense, however, dictates that children lose heat to the ground similarly to their bigger counterparts, and that no additional insulation from conductive heat loss to the ground surface is necessarily needed. In fact, there is some scientific evidence that supports a higher level of cold tolerance in children than in adults – attributed to something akin to a survival mechanism. For the lightweight backpacking family, this is all good news. Further, smaller pads are needed for smaller people, so there is weight savings to be made in this department as well!

    The choice between inflatable sleeping pads (cf. ThermaRest brand pads) and closed cell foam pads is more a matter of parent’s desire for children’s comfort than a matter of safety or warmth. We tend to compromise between the two, using a thicker (1/2”) closed cell foam pad for our son, after learning that nighttime migratory behavior inherent in children means that they easily slip off the slick nylon surfaces of inflatable mattresses. You can alleviate some slippage by adding “stripes” or “dots” of McNett SilNet or SeamGrip, but such measures are not likely going to arrest the migration of your child throughout the night unless she sleeps between you.

    Camping Activities

    Stockpiling an arsenal of “lightweight” activities to keep children busy in camp is not as hard as it sounds. Parents often think that they have to “bring their home to the wilderness” by packing a multitude of toys, favorite stories, and handheld games for the purpose of ensuring constant entertainment for their children. For most backpacking families, however, children are often entranced by what nature has to offer and are creative enough on their own (perhaps with some parent facilitation) to make the outdoors an ideal playground sans props.

    Collecting leaves, bugs, and rocks has probably entertained more children visiting the backcountry than any other activity. As children grow older, you have an opportunity to teach them about the natural world that can help them appreciate their collecting habit even more.

    Looking for animal tracks is one of our favorite activities, and a plaster of Paris cast kit weighs only a few ounces and provides a memento from the trip. After the plaster has dried, it can even be painted in the backcountry–or you can wait until you get home.

    If you are near running water, a great way to spend creative time is to make sailboats from natural materials. We sometimes bring along some extra string or wire and a few 6-piece sections from an egg carton to serve as the hull. This activity can occupy our son for hours, as he builds a boat and sends it down the “rushing” waters of a tiny brook.

    For school age children, photography can be a great way for a child to record their own trip. Combined with their own paper journal and pencil, encouraging them to write about, draw, and photograph their memories helps them appreciate their backpacking adventure more fully. Disposable cameras and cheap, hand-me-down digital cameras are our lightweight favorites for kids.

    Fishing a lake or creek in camp that is filled with mountain brook or cutthroat trout, of course, can require little more gear than a stick, a six-foot section of line, and a bushy fly. The simplicity of such a fishing kit means that young children can operate it by themselves, and you won’t be burdened carrying large amounts of heavy fishing gear if your child loses interest.

    We still love to read to our son when away from home. We often let him bring his choice of one book, and we supplement that with a small field guide to local flora and fauna. During the day, we can use the field book to identify flowers, insects, or birds, and then before bedtime, review what we saw by looking at pictures in the book (and often, redrawing them in his own “notebook”).

    Campfires, of course, provide great security for children. Where permitted, and when conditions warrant, a campfire before bedtime helps the family unwind from a long day, relaxing, sharing their favorite things about the trip, stargazing, and perhaps roasting a few marshmallows.

    Safety Considerations

    Safety need not be compromised while taking your children into the backcountry, and thus, lightweight equipment is just as applicable for backpacking with kids as it is for backpacking with adults. However, safety must always be considered first. Don’t use the same standards for safety with kids that you would use for yourself.

    Preparation for inclement weather is perhaps the most important consideration when backpacking with kids, because you, as parents, are solely responsible for your child’s safety and appropriate use of their clothing. Parents having no experience dealing with inclement weather on their own should not gain those first experiences with their children without a suitable “bailout” option (e.g., backyard or car camping).

    The Whistle

    Arm your child with a loud whistle, worn at all times on a lanyard around her neck, and instruct her on how to use it. We have ingrained in our son what it means to be lost (when you can’t find Mom or Dad), and what to do: stop, blow your whistle three times, and listen for a response from our whistle – then repeat.

    Bears aren’t the only animals to worry about. Bug-proofing your children is important to their enjoyment as well. You also have to keep an eye out for ticks, poison plants, and human-habituated rodents.

    Bear Country

    Hiking in grizzly country with young children who cannot defend themselves – or are unable to defend you – is not recommended. Grizzlies are simply too unpredictable. When is a child old enough to hike in grizzly country? This question is impossible to answer, as there are plenty of ignorant adults out there that are unprepared for hiking in grizzly country! Our rule for hiking with others that want to bring their kids into grizzly country: both parents and children have to be well-practiced in the use of bear spray, and the parents have to be able to trust their child’s skills enough to defend THEM in case of an attack. In our experience, the age at which this occurs is usually between 12 and 15.

    Backyard and Car Camping Practice

    The best way for families to learn how to backpack is to get out and do it. When reducing your pack weight and evaluating lighter gear, you may want to practice using it, especially in inclement conditions, while car camping or in your backyard. Most children who enjoy backcountry camping get a kick out of backyard and car camping as well, and they offer the family an additional outlet for outdoor enjoyment without the commitment and logistics associated with entering the backcountry.

    Conclusion

    This article cannot hope to deal with all of the issues involved in backpacking with young children. We hope that we’ve offered you a framework that encourages you to introduce your kids to the backcountry using lightweight gear and techniques that do not sacrifice your family’s safety. Further, we are confident that with experience, you will develop your own style and make smart decisions about your gear.

    Our final rule of thumb for hiking with kids: know when to bail. Whether you are camping in your backyard, out of the trunk of your car, or are at 10,000 feet in the Sierra wilderness, you’re bound to encounter conditions, situations, weather, and environment that contribute to the demise of morale. If nobody’s having a good time, go home, regroup, and try again. Family backpacking should be fun. Lighter weight gear can make it even more fun – especially the hiking part. But the key is to enjoy the wilderness together, not just endure it.

    Blake Morstad

    Blake Morstad was killed in an avalanche on January 1, 2005, while backcountry skiing in Montana’s Centennial Mountains. Please visit the Blake Morstad Memorial at BackpackingLight.com.

    Blake Morstad recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University where he studied avalanche engineering as part of one of the country’s most prestigious avalanche research programs.

    He currently lives in Bozeman and has been spoiled by the multitude of outdoor activities right at his doorstep. He enjoys lite and fast summit ascents, backpacking, technical canyoneering, rock climbing, mountain biking, and trail running. Blake has competed in several local trail races including the grueling 20 mile Bridger Ridge Run.

    Ryan Jordan

    Visit Ryan’s Personal Website: RyanJordan.com

    Dr. Ryan Jordan is the Publisher at Beartooth Media Group and co-founder of Backpacking Light.

    Ryan has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Washington State University, and a Ph.D. in Biofilm Engineering from Montana State University’s Center for Biofilm Engineering (http://www.erc.montana.edu/). Ryan spent seven years at Montana State University as a Senior Research Engineer managing a research and industry testing program in biofilm science, focusing on backcountry water quality and treatment, moisture transport in next to skin performance textiles, and anti-infective medical device coating performance. Ryan is the co-founder of the Biofilm Institute (http://www.biofilm.org), where he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Biofilms Online (http://www.biofilmsonline.com/), the Internet’s leading clearinghouse for information and research about biofilm science and engineering for medical and industrial communities. Ryan remains on Montana State University’s adjunct faculty and serves on the Management Team as a Senior Partner for Cytergy (http://www.cytergy.com), the largest U.S.-based provider of scientific e-learning programs in biofilm science and engineering to Fortune 500 corporations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, federal agency, and higher education sectors. Ryan also remains active in corporate consulting and training in the area of biofilm science, and is a co-editor of Advances in Biofilm Science and Engineering.

    Ryan’s wilderness travel background is rooted in his experience as both a Scout and Scouter in the Boy Scouts of America. Ryan is both an Eagle Scout (Troop 360, Burien, WA) and a Philmont graduate, and served seven years on the staff of the nation’s oldest continuously operating Scout camp, Camp Parsons (Chief Seattle Council), located on Washington’s Hood Canal at the base of the Olympic Mountains. While at Camp Parsons, Ryan was the director of the highly acclaimed Silver Marmot High Adventure Program, renowned worldwide for its rigor and challenge. As the High Adventure Program Director, Ryan began introducing ultralight backpacking techniques to the Scouting community, incorporating lightweight travel as an integral component of the Parsons’ high adventure experience. Ryan then became Camp Parsons’ Program Director, where he developed and taught the nation’s first formal adult leader program dedicated exclusively to empowering Scout leaders with the skills and gear for ultralight backpacking. More than 175 adults graduated from Ryan’s “Ultralight Backpacking Leadership” program in its inaugural year, 1992. It was at Camp Parsons where Ryan met his wife-to-be, Stephanie Krack, in 1987. Stephanie was also a member of the Camp Staff. They were married in September 1992. Today, Ryan and Stephanie are the co-owners of Backpacking Light and continue their Scouting involvement as Den Leaders for Pack 676 in Bozeman, Montana. Their son, Chase, is a Cub Scout in their Den.

    Growing up in the Seattle area, Ryan’s home wilderness range spanned the Olympics and Cascades of Washington State. Now a resident of Bozeman, Montana, Ryan tramps around the Northern Rockies most often, including the Beartooth, Teton, and Wind River Ranges. An accomplished climber, Ryan has been an alpine mountaineering guide and glacier / ice climbing instructor, with several mountaineering achievements to his credit, including winter ascents and ski descents of Mts. Hood, Baker, Rainier, Adams, Glacier Peak, St. Helens, and Olympus. Ryan has also enchained the Grand Traverse (Tetons) and Ptarmigan Traverse (Cascades), as well as winter ski traverses of the Bailey Range (Olympics), Teton High Route, and Wind River Range from Togwotee Pass to South Pass. Between 1988 and 1991, Ryan completed trekking circumnavigations of Mts. Rainier (Wonderland Trail), Baker, Adams, St. Helens, and Olympus, all without resupply. In 2006, Ryan attempted the longest wilderness traverse in America (624 miles) without support, from the Chukchi Sea (west coast of Alaska) to the Alaskan Oil Pipeline Highway with Roman Dial and Jason Geck. More information about that trek can be found at Arctic1000.com.

    ryan in action

    Ryan and Stephanie Jordan founded Backpacking Light (http://www.BackpackingLight.com) in the fall of 2000. Since that time, Backpacking Light has been recognized as a leading authority in the area of ultralight backpacking and has been featured in the LA Times, New York Times, Associated Press, Travel Channel, and the Christian Science Monitor. Ryan is a co-author of both Lightweight Backpacking 101 and Clothing and Sleep Systems for Mountain Hiking, as well as several articles on the subject of lightweight backpacking that have appeared in various outdoor industry trade publications.

    Ryan teaches ultralight mountain hiking seminars and guides clients into the field on a regular basis, with a focus on training Scout leaders, search and rescue personnel, land management agency staff, the media, outdoor program leaders, and adventure travelers. Seminars and field outings focus on self-sufficiency and solo travel, skills for managing ultralight gear in inclement conditions, increasing navigation and travel efficiency in complex terrain environments, and long-distance ultralight hiking with less than five pounds of equipment.

    RSS: Subscribe to Ryan’s Journal via RSS or view the feed at BackpackingLight.com.

    Carol Crooker

    Carol Crooker, Backpacking Light Editor at Large

     

    Carol served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1977 until her retirement in 1996. After earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981, she went on to hold various leadership positions in undersea surveillance.

    In 1988, Carol received M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Engineering Acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School. She then served as a project engineer for the worldwide undersea surveillance system at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in Washington, D.C. where she managed eight contracts, valued at over $70 million, to develop, build and maintain undersea surveillance equipment. Carol next served as the Electronics Maintenance Officer for a year at an undersea surveillance facility in Norfolk, VA, followed by two years as Director of Operations at the same facility. As Director of Operations, Carol was responsible for the daily work performance, training, and professional development of 300 sailors, officers, and civil servants. Her command won the Operational Excellence Award as best of six undersea surveillance facilities while under her leadership.

    Carol moved to California in 1994 to become Officer-in-Charge of the Navy Training Center at Treasure Island. She managed 150 people with a $2.2 million budget responsible for training 9000 sailor students each year in leadership and shipboard damage control, maintenance and repair. During her tenure she became certified as a Master Training Specialist. Upon her retirement from the Navy in 1996, Carol moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

    From 1996 through 2003, Carol’s focus changed. She developed and taught a series of courses called the Life Success Group which used meditation as a tool to help hundreds of people bring order and joy to their lives through conscious choices and decision-making with integrity. Carol also taught one-day workshops and hosted a 13-week radio show devoted to the same subject.

    During the same time period, Carol began her backpacking career in earnest. Carol grew up in upstate New York and spent her childhood summers roaming the countryside surrounding her family’s dairy farm. Always dreaming of a deeper wilderness experience, events, and eventually work commitments, conspired to keep her from living her dream. Retirement from the Navy opened the door to freedom for her. Soon after moving to Phoenix, Carol started exploring the backcountry areas of her adopted state in earnest. She took her first real backpacking trip, solo, in 1997 to test the new gear she’d acquired for an upcoming group trip into the Grand Canyon. A light load was essential since 24 pounds of water would be part of the pack weight for the initial trek to Horseshoe Mesa. Thus began the start of three traditions for Carol: solo backpacking, lightweight backpacking, and gear testing. Following a wonderful experience in the Grand Canyon, Carol was hooked on backpacking.

    In July and August 1999, to celebrate turning 40, Carol embarked on the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 27-Day Field Course. Established in 1968, BOSS is the oldest and largest traditional living skills / survival school in the world. The Field Course put an emphasis on traditional techniques over modern technology. The course consisted of six phases. Instructors guided the trekkers during the first two phases, but students were on their own in small groups or solo, for the remainder of the course.

    During the first five days of the course, called Impact, gear consisted of little more than a jacket, knife, compass, and cup. Days were spent hiking over the rugged terrain of the southern Utah desert and nights were spent huddled together buried under forest duff for warmth. There was no food, and no water carrying vessel, so travel was definitely lightweight. Water was found only from natural sources and the first five days of Carol’s course included one, day and a half stretch, without water.

    After the Impact phase, participants were allowed minimal gear. Total pack weight was less than 25 pounds. Shelter and rain protection came from an Army poncho. A wool Army blanket formed the pack and sleeping bag. Participants were not encumbered by modern conveniences such as flashlights, matches, and lighters. Fires were started for cooking, light, and warmth with bow and drill constructed from native materials. Food consisted of staples such as brown rice, potatoes, onions, and oatmeal.

    Carol and six adventurers survived all six phases of the course to emerge more comfortable and self-reliant in the natural world and weighing quite a bit less than at the start. The experience taught Carol how to be comfortable in the backcountry with less conveniences than she would have imagined possible, further enhancing her lightweight backpacking mindset.

    Since her first solo overnighter in 1997, Carol has spent over 30 nights in the backcountry each year. She loves backpacking in the desert and forests near her home in Phoenix. Since discovering the joys of mountain travel in 2000, she has spread her backpacking range to include the Sierras in California, including summiting Mount Whitney, the Beartooths in Wyoming, and the Sawtooths in Idaho. She has also backpacked in Oregon’s Columbia Gorge on two occasions, successfully escaping an excess of dry, sunny, beautiful weather in her home state. In 2002 she tried snow camping for the first time. After an educational five-day solo snowshoe backpack trip to Mosquito Flats in the eastern Sierras, she was hooked and makes sure to get in a few snow camping trips each year.

    Carol began organizing backpacking trips in 2000 for new backpackers that, of course, included an emphasis on “lightening the load.” In 2004, she began teaching pack “weight loss” techniques to groups, with an emphasis on women new to backpacking. Her vision is to help women who might have been intimidated by heavy packs in the past to give lightweight backpacking a try.

    Carol’s engineering background and problem solving nature lead her to lots of at-home and on-trail experimentation and testing of new gear, altered gear, and gear she creates. She is on a never-ending quest to find the perfect blend of gear so that she carries the lightest pack whose contents include adequate safety gear and essentials for just enough comfort in camp. Carol formalized her gear testing habit in 2002 when she began testing gear and writing reviews for BackpackGearTest.org (http://www.backpackgeartest.org/tester_reviews/cmcrooker).

    Carol’s typical base pack weight for a three-season trip is under 10 pounds. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

    Alan Dixon

    Alan Dixon, Backpacking Light Editor at Large

    Alan has a MS in Engineering from Swarthmore College. He worked seven years in aerospace engineering (yes, a rocket scientist) before going into the public sector. He currently does computer-based probabilistic risk modeling for the Environmental Protection Agency. Alan supported himself through college as a professional photographer. Environmentally concerned, in addition to his work at the EPA he does volunteer environmental fieldwork-water quality monitoring and bird surveys-and supports work on preserving the canyon lands of the southwest.

    Alan grew up in northern California and at age five carried his own backpack into the Yosemite backcountry. In the ensuing 40 years he has been on a variety of trips in California including climbing walls in Yosemite, and many backcountry ascents in the Sierras including the Ritter range and the Palisades. Alan has also done a winter ascent of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Shasta, climbed in the Tetons, completed a winter traverse of the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains, and winter climbed in the Presidential Range. He’s done sections of the PCT, CDT, and AT and been backpacking, climbing in the Rockies, Sierras, Cascades, and adventuring all across the US.

    His most memorable climb was a 38-hour single-push attempt on the Middle Teton. He and Ryan Jordan, publisher of BackpackingLight.com, made it to within a few hundred feet from the summit before a storm forced them to abandon the climb with an ensuing hallucinatory nighttime decent in snow and ice with inadequate clothing, no food and water, little hardware, and a very short rope. Both are glad they are alive.

    A jack-of-all-trades, Alan has been a winning category III bike racer, and an accomplished free diver and flyfisherman. In the past year he’s completed a multi-day paddling trip in the Florida Everglades, a winter backcountry ski tour in Yellowstone, a traverse of the Wind River range in winter conditions, climbed volcanoes in Indonesia, and bagged Munro’s (summits) in Scotland. The canyons of the Southwest are a new interest and Alan’s spent considerable time learning the ins and outs of technical canyoneering and desert travel.

    Alan loves to share his knowledge of backcountry travel. He’s guided trips and organized seminars on lightweight backpacking, climbing and canyoneering. Some of his favorite topics are couples backpacking and backpacking with children. Alan’s a navigational geek and spends quality time with his multiple GPS units and custom maps. He prefers mountainous routes that get him into remote and inaccessible palaces in the Sierras, Rockies and canyons of the Southwest. For his kit gear Alan is down to less than 5 pounds of gear for solo long distance travel. His favorite trips are very light and very fast sometimes covering 20+ miles a day off-trail.

    Alan co-founded Backpacking Light with Ryan in the spring of 2001. He’s the editor and a contributor to Backpacking Light 101 and co-authored Clothing and Sleep Systems for Mountain Hiking. Alan’s latest article, Waterproof Breathable Fabric Technologies: A Comprehensive Primer and State of the Market Technology Review is already heralded as a classic of scientific analysis in a little understood field. Alan works as a consultant to Bozeman Mountain Works, a design and manufacturing company dedicated to bringing the lightest high performance mountain gear available to the consumer.

    Alan has two children age 19 and 22. He lives in Washington DC with his wife Alison, their tandem bicycle and a ton of gear.

    Jay Ham

    Jay Ham started backpacking in 1990 and went lightweight in 1995. Wanting his children to experience and share in his love of the outdoors, he became obsessed with reducing the family’s base weight to make backpacking with small children possible. He and his wife began designing and making much of their family’s gear (including kid-sized frameless packs and top bags), as lightweight gear was scarce at the time. With a Masters in Soil Science, Jay now manages a 2.5 million acre Soil Survey project in remote Northern Arizona, where he spends multi-day, “work related” time in the backcountry. He and his family continue to frequent the outdoors near their home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

    Don Wilson

    Don Wilson joined the Backpacking Light staff as Clothing Systems Section Editor in April 2004. While hiking the John Muir Trail in 1978 he got his initial taste of long distance hiking and rock climbing and has been as avid practitioner of both ever since. His many recent trips with his family are among his most memorable. He aspires to hike very long distances with a very light pack.

    Andrew Skurka

    7,800 miles of walking found Skurka in Bozeman, MT as part of the Backpacking Light team.

    Andrew Skurka worked at Backpacking Light Magazine (http://www.backpackinglight.com/) in Bozeman, MT during the Fall of 2005, and is now a part of Backpacking Light’s Ambassador’s Corps, a group of adventure athletes educating the outdoor community about ultralight backpacking techniques. He’s now embarked on a 120-stop Sea-2-Sea slide show tour throughout the U.S.

    Skurka recently completed a 7,800-mile 11-month transcontinental hike on the Sea-to-Sea Route in July 2005, the first person to traverse the entire distance in a single push. The 24 year-old graduate from Duke University has also hiked the 478-mile Colorado Trail (15.5 days in June 2004) and 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail (93 days in 2003), which he started with a 50-lb pack. “I have come a long way,” he remarked. Skurka’s efforts on the C2C were noted by Backpacker Magazine, which named him their 2005 “Person of the Year.”

    Doug Johnson

    Doug Johnson joined BackpackingLight.com in October 2003 and is both a reviewer and the Trekking Systems editor. He lives in Redmond, Washington, with his also-adventurous wife Amy. Doug is an outdoor fanatic and has loved the freedom of exploring ever since his folks taught him to ride a motorcycle at the age of TWO (his dad welded up the custom training wheels!) These days, Doug loves to mountain bike, whitewater canoe, snowshoe, trail run, and cross country ski…but he is especially passionate about backpacking and mountaineering.

    His journey to ultralight began when he and a friend took off on a week of the PCT in high school – with behemoth packs of 70 pounds! From there he started cutting weight (and toothbrushes) until discovering Ray Jardine’s approaches to the sport 4 years ago. Since then, his packs have trimmed to less than 10 lbs. and he has enjoyed many ultralight trips- especially in Washington, Utah, and Montana.

    Doug is also a gear freak (this comes from his dad) and has always loved researching, selecting, and fiddling with gear. When he found Backpackinglight.com he had a major life breakthrough- “There are other people out there that think like me!” This is his favorite site and he is totally stoked to be working with such great people who are as obsessive about gear and the outdoors as he is.

    Steve Nelson

    Steve Nelson, Winter Systems Editor, has been backpacking and playing in the snow since he was a kid growing up in upstate New York. Now living in California, he backpacks throughout the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, and has a special love for winter camping, snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. He travels fast and light, is always on the lookout for ways to safely shave ounces from gear, and never met a storm he didn’t enjoy.

    Mike Martin

    Longtime BPL Forum contributor Mike Martin joined the Backpacking Light staff in 2006 as Sleeping Systems Section Editor. Mike holds a Bachelors Degree in Engineering and currently teaches Engineering and Physics at North Idaho College. If pressed, he will confess to heavyweight backpacking “a long time ago” in the Sierras. But, inspired by Ray Jardine’s Beyond Backpacking, he started lightweight backpacking in 2000 and has been a lightweight proponent ever since. In the winter, he enjoys backcountry skiing and snowshoeing in the Inland Northwest. In the summer, he switches to backpacking and fly-fishing, often accompanied by his young son.

    His passion for lightweight backpacking revolves around the gear as much as the trips. He is actively involved in homemade stove, sleep system and shelter design and is always looking for “optimal” gear – even if it means tearing apart and rebuilding perfectly good commercial products.

    Photo Courtesy of James Hannibal

    Rick Dreher

    Rick Dreher is interviewed by Bruno the Dalmatian.

    B. So, now that I’ve had my kibble (AGAIN with the kibble!) we can get down to business. Why backpacking?

    R. At this point I’ve been doing it long enough that I can’t say, it’s simply something I like doing.

    B. Lame answer.

    R. I know.

    B. How did you get started, and how did you finally learn to enjoy the outdoors as opposed to tolerating it?

    R. Boy Scouts was where I learned camping, although we mostly day-hiked as a part of monthly camping trips. We’d go for long trail walks when we weren’t conquering the woods with out various shelter-fashioning and earthmoving projects. Then there was the annual summer big hike in the Olympics, with the canvas backpacks and pup tents, the kapok sleeping bags and the axes. We survived, but I can’t say the walk itself was all that fun. But in junior high I started going on overnight backpacks with friends, and that group lasted through high school and our summer breaks from college. The trips were fun and truly adventures for young pups away from home for the first time in our lives.

    I think, though, that the biggest breakthrough for me was taking a class called alpine travel through the U. of Washington while I was in high school. It was taught by the remarkable Ome Daiber, a noted Pacific Northwest climber (e.g., first ascent of Mt. Rainier’s Liberty Ridge), a mountain search-and-rescue founder and an arctic surveyor. Ome shared his considerable knowledge and more importantly, his infectious zeal for the mountains. I’ll bet the rent money that there are several thousand folks out there who can say the same thing about Ome’s positive influence. (He also invented the Penguin sleeping bag and Sno-Seal–his name probably still graces every can and tube of the stuff sold.) Anyway, from him I most importantly gained confidence that allowed me to relax and really take in my surroundings; In western Washington state that meant the beautiful Cascade and Olympic ranges.

    B. Hey, you’ve never taken me to either of those places!

    R. I know, we’ve lived in California your whole life. That’s why you’ve only been to the Sierra Nevada and the coastal mountains.

    B. You just backpack in California now?

    R. Pretty much. I try to get into the Sierra as often as I can, which isn’t often enough now that I think about it.

    B. Where do you go?

    R. Primarily the Tahoe Sierra, between Highways 20 and 88, but when I can carve out the time I like going farther south into places like the John Muir Wilderness.

    B. What’s special about the southern Sierra?

    R. The scale of the place–it’s shocking, awe-inspiring. There’s something special about those big, big peaks and the high, lake-strewn hanging valleys that makes the northern part of the range seem almost dainty by comparison.

    B. Why the fuss over lightweight backpacking?

    R. I never shied away from lugging lots of gear and food on my trips, and couldn’t help but notice that on day hikes I could cover nearly twice the ground as on my overnights, so I began eyeballing my gear and supplies to see where I could shed some pounds. I began doing this during the lightweight boomlet of the early ‘80s. My problem was a lot of my gains were offset by my growing camera kit—I’d replace two lost sleeping bag pounds with another lens. A more important influence on losing pack weight was having both my ankles surgically repaired due to repeated sprains. The underpinnings simply don’t allow me to carry the weight I once could, even if I wanted to (which I don’t).

    B. Let me get this right, you have crappy ankles and you like to backpack? Helloooo!

    R. I know, dee-you-em-bee. But with a lighter pack, trekking poles and, ironically, trail shoes I seem to be mostly getting away with it.

    B. Mostly?

    R. I still have bad-ankle days, but that’s why they invented drugs.

    B. Just say no!

    R. NSAIDs–you know the drill, what with your twice-a-day Rimadyl.

    B. Oh, yeah. So what makes you think you can be the lighting and navigation systems editor, Einstein?

    R. It’s all about the gear, fuzzbutt! I approach any new item as a gearhead who wants to decide whether or not it’s worthy of a place in my backpack (a most holy place) then I dig further, into the technology and performance.

    B. Huh?

    R. As a veteran consumer and longtime backpacker, I can quickly size up a piece of gear as to whether or not it’s even worth considering. I can be a stickler on this point because with my overstuffed gear vault, I don’t actually need anything. Any new item must also kick aside an existing piece of gear to make it into my pack, so it has to be superior in some way—performance, user interface, weight, hopefully all three. But, like every other consumer, I really can’t know after just a few minutes whether it works well over the long haul or, for that matter, whether it’s really the solid performer I believe it to be. Demo’ing a headlamp in a well-lighted store tells me bupkis. As a tester guy, I get to take the needed time to poke, probe and dismantle the item, then test it in controlled conditions using instrumentation. Oftentimes I can also compare test data against those for similar items. I can share the findings with our readers, doing my little part in spreading some needed knowledge.

    B. You must be exciting company at dinner.

    R. I’m absolutely riveting.

    B. Speaking of the gear vault, doesn’t having all this extra camping stuff around the house get you into, well, trouble?

    R. Not if I get home first after a box arrives.

    B. And you are qualified to do this, how?

    R. Primarily by being a gearhead. That, and working with a head-spinning array of topics and scientific disciplines as a technical editor and writer at an engineering firm. Keeps the brain somewhat elastic, plus I’m fairly accomplished at asking uncomfortable questions.

    B. So you’re not some science degree guy?

    R. Nope, I began college as a bio major but strayed into communications and business during my second year. I blame it on rock and roll and the pursuit of coeds. In any case, I did stay awake in the science classes I took. I’ve also been a working and amateur photographer, which means I know a lot about light and lighting, knowledge that lends itself handily to evaluating flashlights.

    B. And GPSs?

    R. My expertise there is strictly from having used and researched them for several years now, as well as mapping software. And GPS technology blends rather well with wrist-top computers, which will be another area of focus for BPL.

    B. Hey, I just realized you haven’t taken me hiking in years!

    R. Well bud, you’re fifteen. Remember the Rimadyl?

    B. Oh, yeah, but you’re no spring lamb yourself.

    R. No, and thanks for reminding me, I’m quite forgetful these days.

    B. Don’t mention it.

    Bruno the dog lives in Sacramento with Lighting and Navigation System Section Editor Rick Dreher, toddler Molly and the very tolerant Valerie (Rick’s wife). He does other stuff, including bicycling, when he’s not testing flashlights or at the office.

    Campmor (Equinox) Silnylon Tarps

    See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters

    Configurations Reviewed: 6′ x 8′, 8′ x 10′

    Photo Caption: Campmor/Equinox’s Ultralight Backpacking Tarp: In addition to a number of perimeter tie-out grommets, the tarp has three center-tarp tie-out points (white nylon straps). One of these tie-outs is shown in use to decrease side deflection and increase interior room. Campmor’s “Ultralight Backpacking Tarp” and Equinox’s “Tarp Ultra Light” are one in the same. Order a tarp from Campmor and you’ll get an Equinox tarp with a small Campmor barcode stuck to the Equinox label.

    Campmor/Equinox tarps offer good performance and an excellent value. They use 1.3 oz/sq yd (36.9 g/sq m) silnylon ripstop fabric [most likely the same 1.4 oz/sq yd (47.5 g/ sq m) that other manufacturers use]. Edge seams are rolled and sewn. Center seams are rolled and sewn with a double top stitch (similar to a flat felled seam). Perimeter tie-out are brass grommets inserted into the reinforced edge seams. Both tarps use 5/8 in (1.6 cm) white webbing for and additional 3 tie-outs in the center of the tarp.

    The Campmor/Equinox tarps have a good number of tie-outs – more than enough to make a variety of pitches, including a stable storm pitch. The 6×8 tarp has 15 tie-outs (12 grommets along the perimeter, and 3 webbing tie-outs in the center of the tarp parallel to the short dimension.). The 8×10 tarp has 21 tie-outs (18 grommets along the perimeter, and 3 webbing tie-outs in the center of the tarp parallel to the short dimension.).

    Campmor/Equinox tarps offer a great value but to do so they cut a few corners. Their construction/design is not at the same level as higher priced tarps like Oware’s or Integral Design’s. While they may be less expensive, we’re not so keen on grommets for tie-out points. Grosgrain webbing bar tacked to a nylon reinforcement patch is stronger, will last longer, and more evenly distributes stresses in the tarp making for a better pitch than plain grommits. Webbing loops are also easier to use. For instance, webbing tie-outs make it a breeze to pitch a tarp edge to the ground. And yes, you can tie small loops of cord to the grommets and have essentially the same thing.

    Also, we’d like to see a few more center tie-outs on the 8×10 tarp. Four center tie-outs, two on each side would add more stability to the larger tarp in strong winds. These tie-outs would also allow for a particularly useful storm pitch. In this pitch, three sides of the tarp are staked to the ground and the two center tie-outs on the rear of the tarp are lifted to raise the foot section. (You end up with the flat-tarp equivalent of something like a GoLite Lair shelter – e.g., see photos in the Oware Flat Tarp Review). Finally, we’re not fans of the two un-looped webbing tie-outs on the tarp. We’d much rather see a single webbing loop sewn to a nylon reinforced patch.

    We’ve used the Equinox/Campmor tarps in many types of weather-steady spring rains, strong summer thunderstorms, and dewy meadow campsites. In the hands of a skilled tarper, these light and simple shelters are excellent performers. Their few flaws are minor and they are one of the best ultralight shelter values out there. If you want to see if tarping might be your thing, a Campmor/Equinox tarp is a great and inexpensive way to get started.