The ‘Wild’ effect Hikers are flooding the Pacific Crest Trail

[Greg Mihalik]

"An educated consumer is the best customer."

Educated –

By their local shop?
By REI?
The Scouts?

Only if they have heard of "UltraLight" would they think to google it.
Then they have to toughen up and wade through the crap here.
Hopefully they can build a "paramaters tree" based on where they'll be going.
Then find a gear list that would serve as a starting point.

Very doable if you're an INTJ.

But it's not straight forward for most.

Their best bet is to stumble onto a UL "mentor", get things sorted, and start ordering.

[Jake D]

Not sure if PCT keeps stats like AT

2014- 2500 started NOBO, 1200 made it half way, 650 finished

240 started SOBO, 76 completed.

[Ken Thompson]

Searching lighter weight backpacking yields many helpful results. I can't believe that anyone with a half hour to do some searching around the web won't come across the term ultralight backpacking and have a whole world unfold before them.

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

And your evidence to support this?

Meanwhile back on the trail ….

[Ken Thompson]

"And your evidence to support this?"

Really? I don't want to get into an argument. Spend 10 minutes on Google for yourself. Doesn't seem like you.

[Dave P]

Sure, if one looks up " lightweight backpacking", the forum is the first thing.

But if I was to type in "backpacking", the first thing that came up are MEC's and REI's checklists. Not to mention numerous guiding services. Along with Backpacker magazine. From what I can see, the checklists don't really jive with UL backpacking.

Example:

MEC Backpacking Checklist

What they recommend for lightweight backpacking and the gears they offer in their catalogues, it's comical.

Even national parks have exhaustive lists as well.

I have to go back about 5 pages to even find a reference to lightweight backpacking which is this one:

Dream Backpacking Gear List.

And having categories for "Best bang" and "No. 1" isn't exactly ideal either; especially when some of the gears picked for UL category are ridiculously priced compared to BB when there are alternatives comparable in price. It's almost like they deliberately picked the highest priced item possible.

And on the sixth page, there is this:

Ultralight Backpacking Checklist

Seriously? That list look like it's for Z-Day or something.

[Ken Thompson]

"Searching lighter weight backpacking"

[Aaron Sorensen]

However, we're not talking about just backpacking. If you're interested at all in lightening your pack, it really is easy to find.

[Greg Mihalik]

Ken,
My apologies for the terse post. No harm intended.

I agree with you…. It should be easy. But given the overwhelming number of heavy packs out there it is clear that it is not easy enough.

And I don't think it's sloth as much as it is unintentional misdirection,as mentioned above.

Otherwise we would be seeing change.

[Dave P]

"However, we're not talking about just backpacking. If you're interested at all in lightening your pack, it really is easy to find."

Well, yes, if one backpacks frequently, then there is incentive to lighten up over time.

But it's really difficult to get people to part with their money since they worked hard for it. Then they get told that their stuff weighed too much.

[Ken Thompson]

Thanks.
Well I guess they carry the packs they deserve.
HYOH, HTFU,LYOL,SITFU, and all that.

[Dave P]

Nah, I prefer them to become wet and miserable to learn their lesson.

My girlfriend bought a Fjällräven Akka Endurance 3 because that was used in Iceland and Antarctica. She was quite proud of it, and it was doable with two or three people. She insisted on carrying the tent instead of using a tarp. Because you know… Mosquitoes, which were non-existent.

Well… it rained the whole month with minimal sunshine. Tent got moldy. She got sick. So, we got an Asolo Astro 3 (which became our car-camping tent) on clearance sales at the last moment. It dried out better than the funky behemoth for the rest of the trip.

Same thing with her Marmot Angel Fire. That thing got wet from her sweats, and it never dried out during the summer either. It was rated for -7 or -15C, I forgot. Meanwhile my 0C synthetic bag was dry as a bone the whole time.

Hopefully this summer, I will be able to show her how quilting in the summer is better than wallowing in sweats.

But the whole thing is not really because lightweight backpacking was hard to find. It was because when she read up on it, she ran into Clelland and many of the suggestions in the book and on the website sounded irrational. Then some of the more conservative backpackers in her area started bashing German ultralight backpackers for being stupid and getting themselves into trouble.

But I didn't really faced that problem of the anti-UL reactions because I read a lot about wilderness travels in Siberia and Canada, and those people went light when they could travelling 15 to 20 miles or more a day. So, ultralight backpacking was a natural bridge from there. Just exchange nylon for cuben, exchange the axes for carbon fibre poles, get rid of the whittling knife for a multitool… Oh, and that Enfield or Mosin for a proper stove and food for 2 weeks. And same thing really. The principles are the same.

[Dave P]

Mind you, trial by fire doesn't work when both people are suffering or if the person suffering by him- slash herself. They just become more conservative as a reaction.

It does work when they see that you're in a happier mood than they are though.

SHOW THE LIGHT!

[Katherine .]

Can a retailer do UL at scale and for the average consumer? I dunno.

Only read the book. You'd think people would be like "Oh, that's not the way to do it, better to be like those guys she mentioned who kept talking about some Jardine guy." Guess not.

[Kiel Senninger]

I was at REI yesterday to take advantage of their sale to pick up a climbing helmet. Twice I heard people say "whoa!! So cool! And it's only $xx dollars, but will I ever use it….?" After some staring at the item they take it off the shelf and go. I bet that's the most common internal conversation and outcome had at those stores.
If it looks like it may make life in the woods more like life in our stucco'd boxes, why not? Especially if they haven't ever lugged 50lbs around all day before.

[Inaki Diaz de Etura]

The problem I see with some newcomers is that they get to attempt a PCT thru with no previous backpacking experience. Fair enough but they're condemned to carry a heavy weight among other ugly things. This is actually well depicted in "Wild" but it's probably easily forgotten after the happy ending. Then it's easy to romanticize about recreating it.
I wouldn't start backpacking by thru-hiking the PCT but to each his/her own.

[James holden]

I was at REI yesterday to take advantage of their sale to pick up a climbing helmet. Twice I heard people say "whoa!! So cool! And it's only $xx dollars, but will I ever use it….?" After some staring at the item they take it off the shelf and go. I bet that's the most common internal conversation and outcome had at those stores.
If it looks like it may make life in the woods more like life in our stucco'd boxes, why not? Especially if they haven't ever lugged 50lbs around all day before.

Actually if gear swap is any guide, many of us here likely arent much better

Tons of barely or unused gear we keep on swapping out

;)

[Monte Masterson]

There are some lightweight options available at REI if one knows what to look for.
For example:
Osprey Exos Packs, Marmot Plasma and Hydrogen bags, BA Fly Creek UL tents, S2S Escapist tarps, and Thermarest Neo-Air pads. Granted their big 3 items aren't quite as light as what we're used to here at BPL, but they're still pretty darn light.

The problem at REI is that 90% of the staff doesn't try to steer novice buyers toward lightweight gear, and many of them don't really understand UL principles themselves. Most don't even know what cuben fiber is. There are some exceptions though.

[Alexander S]

Just glad the mainstream hasn't discovered tall ship sailing yet.

[Frank T]

I have friends who are well aware of UL and its benefits, based on direct interaction when we do trips together. And they are perfectly capable of upgrading, financially. But they don't want to part with their "nap time" hammocks, full-size leatherman tools, 1-L bottles of booze, camp chairs, 3-lb. super cushy mattresses, skillets and grills, etc. Lots of friendly razzing back and forth, but no judgement.

[USA Duane Hall]

I'm approaching retirement in a few more years, have given some thought to help out bpers along the PCT that is a few miles from where I live up north on the Plumas NF (Feather River country) when I retire. Maybe a ride to town, trip home for a shower. Would be nice to talk a little, of course they might have to listen to me talk about my stoves. :)
Duane

[Bob Gross]

"Old Ways Die Hard"

I believe that was the title of the most recent Bruce Willis movie.

–B.G.–

[Dwight Mauk]

I'm a trout fisherman in Michigan. It took years for the River Runs Through It effect to go away. I rarely fished those years. Mostly because I camped when I fished and the state campgrounds were just too crowded.

[Bob Shaver]

If more people start hiking and backpacking, due to Wild or for any reason, its fine with me. They are voters, and will become advocates, and caretakers. In general, there is less backpacking (in some places) now than there was 40 years ago. I have sat in my camp at the top of Aasgard Pass in the Enchantments of Washington, and counted 120 people strolling through my camp in one day. Of course now its regulated by a permit system, but there seem to be far fewer backpackers these days.

What is remarkable about the "Wild" story, if its true, is that she stuck it out after showing up with the wrong gear, and no experience. If that story inspires others to give it a try, so be it.

[Bean]

Maybe the reintroduction of grizzly bears will thin out the headcount on trails. Although, that probably won't start for another 10 years, if it ever happens.

[Author]

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