How do you define ultralight?

Scott,

As I understand it, the generally accepted definition of ultralight is a base weight of 10 lbs or less.

This is your pack and all the gear/supplies that you would take on a trip of any length, less the consumables of water, fuel, and food.

How you get to 10 lbs or less is up to you.

Hike your own hike as they say.

Nothing wrong with full rain gear…some people go "heavy" as conditions dictate and make up for it by going lighter in other areas.

My advice is shoot for your UL goal, but not at the expense of your comfort and safety.

After 2.5 years of of "this", my own base weight hovers between slightly under 10 lbs to 11.5 lbs.

So I consider myself more light weight, but frankly, I am not too worried about having the UL bragging rights.

All I know is that I am not hauling 90 lbs or 40 lbs on my back and I am enjoying my time on the trail pain free…well, pain free due to not having to lug a heavy load on my back and shoulders.

With a bit of effort like make a gear list and a postal scale, you will see what everything you are carrying weighs and you can quickly figure out how best to spend your hard earned money wisely and effectively to cut your weight.

More importantly, get experience using your new and lighter gear by using it and see what works for you….try not to try more than two things new at a time to give you a margin of error and safety when experimenting.

Oh, lastly, buy a new pack LAST….once you have dialed in your other gear, you can determine how much pack you will really need…be it smaller or lighter, etc.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure!

-Tony

Thanks, that sounds like good advise.

I have been struggling with what pack to carry too. The problem is my current pack is a 5.5 lb 70+ liter pack. Twice the volume I now need…

Marketing term for people who want to feel superior because they have a small arbitrary number at the end of a spreadsheet.

It's just a label. You pack what you need and then get out there any enjoy!

I define ultralight as being the minimum weight I can carry that allows me to be mostly comfortable without spending lots of money or labor on custom equipment. For comparison, super ultralight would require a significant amount of discomfort and lots of custom equipment.

"I plan on carrying things like full rain gear (jacket & pants), tent (tarp tent), and sleeping bag (vs. a quilt). That some people might not consider ultralight…"

It can be amazing how light you can go while still using a lot of 'traditional' style gear. For example, my baseweight is sub 10 lbs and I'm using a framed pack, double wall 2 person tent, full rain gear and packing a lot of stuff for two people (ie. larger pot).

To me, an ultralight baseweight is 6-10lbs and 'ultralight gear' is gear that is designed to be as light as it can be while still maintaining the intended function. It may not be the lightest piece of gear because it's easy to shave weight by compromising performance. It's about achieving a lot of performance for the weight. You individually need to decide what function you want (ie. sleeping bag over a sleeping quilt) and then find the lightest way to achieve that. As you experiment, you'll fine tune what function you want (ie. that piece of gear wasn't durable enough, or that quilt was drafty I want a bag). With that said, quilts are pretty awesome for 3 season use. Even if there wasn't a weight savings I would use one because I love how easy they are to get in and out of and how easy it is to regulate your warmth. Quilts are a lot like using your bed at home.

You individually need to decide what function you want (ie. sleeping bag over a sleeping quilt)

Be sure that you identify your goal correctly, and don't mistake some perceived solution for the goal. For example I doubt that your goal is to have either a sleeping bag or a quilt. More likely, your goal is to have a comfortable night's sleep under whatever constraints matter to you personally (temperature, do you want to wear clothes to bed, etc). Once you are sure you understand the problem, then go looking for the lightest way to solve it. In the end, thinking that through may evaluate to a solution that is light weight and either a sleeping bag or a quilt.

Note that several of us are defining UL more generally than just specifying a weight — rather as the lightest way that meets a well thought out set of needs for a particular kind of trip. For a summer non-technical backpack in the Western USA mountains, that may well be sub 10 lbs. IMHO should probably be a bit less for a summer AT hike. Will be more for extreme conditions — say winter, high altitude mountain trek, or a 6-week Arctic canoe trip.

–MV

The ultralight definition has changed a bit since I first started doing this prior to 1982. Back then, there really weren't many companies who manufactured gear that was called ultralight. Instead, it was more a matter of going minimalistic that kept the weight low.

* Feathered Friends Swallow sleeping bag 1 lb 15 oz
* Bubble-wrap as a mattress
* 3 oz of plastic painter's drop cloth as a rain shelter
* 2 oz of water ladle as a water boiling vessel, twig fire
* Alpenlight 1500 cubic inch pack 1 lb
* minimal clothing and rain gear
* 2 lb of food for three days

The whole thing was initiated by two events. One was Rheinhold Messner's ascent of Everest with minimal gear. One was the article in Backpacker Magazine about the Ultralightweight Challenge. Prior to 1982, I was going out for three days with a 14.5-lb total loaded pack. That was awfully radical.

–B.G.–

As I see it ultralite is first defined by carrying the minimum amount of gear needed to be reasonably safe on your trip. Then, once you've determined what you need, finding the lightest items that fulfill those needs.

Therefore a Goliath sized individual can still meet the requirements. In similar fashion so can a person who needs to bring professional camera equipment and the like. IMO it's more a philosophy than a number. As someone once told me, "Methods are many, principles are few. Methods can change, principles never do."

Being able to hike for 12 or more hours with the ability to easily cover 20 miles on most terrain. And at the end of the day having no shoulder/neck pain from the pack, no sore hips, the ability to walk around your night camp without sore legs, and having "fresh" legs in the moring.

If I meet you on the trail, you are happily moving along the trail at a good clip, with a big smile on your face.

Now I wouldn't consider myself an "ultra light" BPer….I think I fit in the category of lightweight. I use a Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter, Aether 70 pack (4.5 lbs), a 3.5 lb 25 deg. sleeping bag, and a BA Insulated Air Core(long). No ULer would be caught dead with any of that…yet I also dont have the hundreds of dollars to replace any of it….nor do i care to right now. I still manage to keep my base weight under 20 lbs which is good enough for me. I dont really care about high mileage days. I find that if I push to fast I miss what I like most about BPing….getting out and relaxing in nature.

Lightweight is a way of thinking about backpacking in general. It is evaluating your gear and removing the things that aren't necessary. It is a way to get more enjoyment out of your hike so that you aren't burdened by the weight you are carrying.

Going "ultralight" normally involved a couple extra steps and an entire new set of gear. You can be a Lightweight BPer with standard gear that you most likely already have…just being more careful about what you take.

"Ultralight" is several pounds lighter than whatever load I happen to be carrying at the time.