Weight vs. Simplicity/Time Issue

[Marko Botsaris]

I would be very interested in hearing other people’s thoughts on the issue of weight vs. simplicity. I have found that after a number of years of ultralight backpacking that my “light” metric has begun to shift away from “lightest-weight”, and more towards “simplest” – simplicity in terms of fewest number of items to do a certain job, as opposed to lightest set of things to do the job, and simplicity in terms of least time or complexity of dealing with gear. IMHO “light” should contain some metric relating to simplicity as well as weight. Obviously ultralight and simplicity go hand in hand most of the time, but I’d like to hear how different people feel about the choice when they are in conflict. We hear almost exclusively about how to do it lighter, as if weight is money, but what about the time factor as in “time vs. money”. You could walk into the wilderness with a titanium axe, and a bag of gorp, and some matches, and each night you could build a shelter out of tree branches, rocks, vines and dirt – maybe a fireplace as well, and this would be very light. Actually take that back, leave the axe behind and use your bare hands – anyway, you get the idea.

Some examples to make this concrete:

– I used to use a tarp with a minimal ground sheet, and a bivy since I use a down bag. Now I use a free-standing single-walled tent that is a bit heaver. The tent is much easier to set up at the end of a long day, has a smaller footprint than the tarp, and has better bug protection, all of which save on *time*, not just comfort.
– I now carry a 4-ounce sea-to-summit kitchen sink because for that extra 4 ounces it *simplifies* the who process of getting water and clearing up kitchen and self at the end of the day.

There are lots of other example I could add. Of course it is also great when the lightest is also the easiest, like throwing away your water filter and using aqua mira. The point being that when you start getting things really whittled down you reach a point where you stop having to *do* less as things get lighter and now have to actually pay for less weight in terms of extra time and effort.. I think this is a bit different than the weight vs. comfort issue. I would be interested in hearing how different people feel about the relative trade offs.

[Josh Gallamore]

I am 100% with you on the simplicity ethic, it is more important to me than weight when it comes to what is in my pack. Thankfully, as you mentioned, lightweight usually coincides with simple,but not always which is why my 3 season 7 day base is 17 lbs. Its the little things like knee length zippers on 8 oz rain pants that allow me to take them on/off in seconds when storms pop up, compared to a 4 oz Reed pant. I understand your thought with the kitchen sink, you might want to consider a Stearns solo sun shower. I saw one on REI and the listed weight is 3.5 oz, nice for camp chores and if you were feeling really decadent you could have a hot(warm)shower.

[J R]

A little background…

I used to be a wilderness survivalist. Very “Tom Brown” about the whole thing. Survive for a week in the woods with just a pocket knife, or make bows and arrows from saplings and cattails.

Then, I joined the Army, and though I prefered playing hunter/getherer, turns out a standard load out was a bit heavier (around 80lbs)… in a culture where your ability to ruck more than the next guy is a good thing. I got it in my head that it was cool to haul a giant ruck full of gucci gear – 2 sleeping bags, and a bivi sack, and a tent, and a poncho, and Gore-Tex rain suit, and and and….

Then, I realized that hauling all that crap was stupid. Enter the lightfighter. My pack dropped from 100lbs, to about 25… before food, water, and ammo. Not too bad… dropping off 75% of my load.

When I got out, I started dropping the weight of individual items, but kept buying more stuff… so the pack weight never dropped.

About 1-2 years ago, I started to realize that just like in the Army, I was carrying “100lbs of lightweight” and started getting rid of alot of gear I didnt need. I started using my old survival skills to meet many needs, and started replacing the gear I “needed” (items I COULD do without, but having them keeps me from needing to use too many natural materials) with durable, multifunctional items ala a “lightfighter”.

Now, my packweight is about 10lbs. My “big three” weigh about 7lbs… so my extra “snivel gear” is only 3lbs. Im still looking for lighter gear that remains durable AND multifunctional, going so far as to design my own items… but the point is, Im coming back to my “roots” and relying on items that weigh a little more, but work a little harder, and filling any gaps that may exist with skill and knowledge.

[Alex Lee]

Joe Robbins: Do you mind listing what’s in those 3 lbs?

I’ve been working out a gear list to help me transition to a lighter weight backpacking style, and I’m finding that simplicity from reduced gear (not just the weight of each item) also helps.

[J R]

To be honest, the 3lbs is for “hinge” seasons (cold weather, ok… snow, not likely). I carry a smaller pack (16oz MS Boogeyman) and smaller bag (MontBell #7) for summer, and obviously I up the cold weather items when the mercury drops….

knife (2oz)
spectra line (2oz)
SAS survival kit (7oz)
A homemade knee lenght wind shell (h20 resist) (9oz)
Trashbag “poncho” and “kilt” (2oz)
OR Sitka Sombrero (2.5oz)
Beanie cap (3oz)
Spare socks (2oz)
Liner gloves (2oz)
Personal kit (5oz)
Homemade stove (.5oz)
Fuel bottle (1oz)
Titanium Seirra Cup (2oz)
Princeton Tec Scout (2oz)
100oz camelbak bladder (3.5oz)
Thermatec leg warmers (3oz)
Homemade Silnylon gaiters (2oz)

Thats about it.
It obviously doesnt list pack, sleeping bag, or G-T bivy sack. Nor does it include worn items, food, water, or fuel. Most of this gear is, as I said, just carried because it makes life easier and doesnt require that I use natural resources. I dont reccommend that anyone go this light unless THEY KNOW HOW!

[Alex Lee]

Yeah, I figured that it’ll take some skill to do it with 3 lbs of gear, but I wanted to get an idea of things.

Thanks!

[Marko Botsaris]

Your reply reminded me of another feature of this simplicity vs. weight. On longer trips I tend to shift even more towards simplicity. I find about 3-4 days out, just about the time my “monkey-mind” starts to calm down I start to get less willing to enjoy dealing with fussier aspects of ultralight.

An example would be tarps. A few days out and no way do I want to untangle my tarp lines or fuss about tying down my tarp in wind and rain. On the other hand, like communting to work, it can be fun the first 100 or so times.

There are lots of other examples, but I think for longer trips there are some simplicity consideration simply because the routine gets more routine, if you know what I mean.

I think for some personality types holding on to this routine is part of the attraction, but as for me, I’d just as soon get rid of it as much as possible.

[Courtney Waal]

I’m mostly a bike-packer and I carry relatively heavy Ortlieb waterproof panniers because I really like the simplicity of just rolling the top and buckling and then forgetting about it. I use them as around-town bags and don’t worry whenever I put the laptop in. I don’t have enough room under my poncho tarp to bring the bags in, and all I have to do in the morning is shake them off before I open them. Also, the attachment mechanisms can’t be beat, I just pull on the handle and they smoothly come off, but nothing can budge them when they’re on. Oh, the luxury! I just have to convince myelf they’re worth it when I’m grinding up a hill :)

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