Support CleverHiker.com Video Series on Ultralight Backpacking

[Jolly Green Giant]

Dave Collins of CleverHiker.com in Portland Oregon reached out to me and asked me to spread the word about a project he is working on regarding an Ultralight Backpacking Series. I wrote a brief article about it on my blog in case anyone is interested (http://jolly-green-giant.blogspot.com/2012/12/support-cleverhikercom-video-series-on.html).

After taking a look at Dave’s website (indiegogo.com/cleverhiker), I knew this was a project I could stand behind. Essentially, it is his goal to spread the word of ultralight backpacking both in gear and technique by video. He intends a series and beyond to spread the gospel of ultralight backpacking, educate, introduce the topic to those who may not see ultralight gear at their favorite gear shop, and to debunk some myths. There is a video at Ultralight Backpacking Series which gives you a visual on what he is trying to accomplish and also looks to you to help fund the project with a goal of $10,000.

A couple quick things I picked up from the site.

1) Dave is an Eagle Scout as are his three brothers and his parents are both Scout Masters. He even has a dog named Scout. Oddly enough, so do I.

2) He hiked the PCT in 2009. That’s enough for me to know he is experienced enough at putting one foot in front of the other and experiencing real world, long-term backpacking challenges on a solid trail.

3) I was a fan of Dave’s stated beliefs. He said, “Our belief is that backpacking provides some of the most rewarding experiences. Our goal is to improve those experiences and inspire you to plan your next trip.” A noble goal if you ask me.

When I started backpacking, there were no videos about ultralight backpacking and only a handful of written resources. I spent a lot of time and money on junk I didn’t need. As this industry grows, it’s nice that people like Dave at CleverHiker.com are willing to put in the time and effort to lead the growth of the industry so others can enjoy that which you and I likely already discovered – a lighter pack is more enjoyable and can be equally safe.

With the holiday season in full swing, stop by the fundraising arm of Ultralight Backpacking Series and offer up some of your hard earned money for a worthy cause. There is a time limit, so the sooner the better.

Thanks.

[John S.]

Why do those sites use deadlines? It comes across bad to me. The last guy that did this has disappointed many who contributed.

[Mary D]

I hate to sound like the Christmas Grinch, but this is not the first time we've been asked to support a video series on ultralight backpacking. We are still waiting for most of that first batch. How many video series does the world really need?

[Jolly Green Giant]

I get your reference and trust the other guy will still come through even if a little slower than desired. My personal perception is that these kinds of things are an amateur effort. So my expectations are lower and if something more than an amateur product is provided and within a reasonable time, I think of it as a bonus. Consequently, I think timelines for fund raising is required by the sites which drive them to keep everything moving and to motivate fee for service scenarios as not to screw guys who gave on the front end even if everyone could potentially get screwed if the product is never delivered.

And to Mary, let's not hold everyone hostage for the way one did business who still is very likely to complete his project even if a little slower than some of us wanted. The difference is that the first project was to compare gear. This project introduces and compares gear, then adds the element of – technique and may be a little higher end as well as offer follow-up projects.

[michael levi]

I have reported this post, asking people to donate money is not allowed. HYOH.

[Konrad .]

Huh? Since when is soliciting funding and donations illegal? Did I miss something? Curious, can you point me to the BPL policy that states this?

[Roger Caffin]

BPL does not have a policy banning people from seeking donations for relevant causes. However, they do need to be relevant to BPL. Postings deemed irrelevant may be removed at our discretion.

If you are not happy about a posting, feel free to report it. It will be checked.

Cheers

[David Collins]

Hey Guys,

This is Dave Collins from CleverHiker. I saw this post and wanted to reply to some of the questions and statements above.

First of all, thank you Jolly Green Giant for spreading the word of my project and for all of your kind statements. I do fully believe in my UL video series and my goal is to create a tool that will help spread the word of UL backpacking to the community that I love.

I can't speak for any other UL video series projects, but I can assure you that I am a man of my word. I'm not doing this to get rich and I'm not doing it because I think it will be a fun hobby. I am doing this because this is my dream and there is nothing more that I would rather do with my life. I can assure you that if my project reaches it's funding goal, I will make the video series and put my whole heart into it. That is a personal guarantee.

As for asking for monetary support, I wish I didn't have to and I'm not trying to upset anyone. Creating professional quality videos is very expensive and requires lots of time, equipment, and resources. There is a lot more that goes into creating this type of content than you might think. My indiegogo campaign is essential for both generating financial support and telling people about my project. I promise that the quality of my videos and information will be well worth the investment.

In closing, I would love your support in helping me to reach my dream. If you are able to support me through donations to my campaign, I promise that you will not be disappointed. I can't wait to build this resource for the backpacking community and spread the word of ultralight backpacking.

You can learn more about my project and help out at – http://www.indiegogo.com/cleverhiker

Thank you so much and I'll see you on the trail!

Sincerely,

Dave Collins

[Kyle Meyer]

As a backer of Hendrik's mostly-failed video series, I'm still backing this one (maybe part of it is that I'm also in Portland and can go knock on his door if he disappears, hah). The public needs more education on lightweight backpacking. This seems like a good avenue to do it.

My only hope, Dave, is that you try and espouse more of the philosophy behind lightweight backpacking and focus less on the gear. People need to understand the amazing experiences you can have with a light pack full of simple gear. Storytelling short trips, backpacking with your heavyweight friends and filming a time-lapse of packing up in the morning, filming a couple of friends hanging out under a spacious tarp during a rainstorm—this is what you need to help communicate to move the lightweight philosophy forward. Not gear reviews.

All that said, I'm up for helping if you need it! I'm a web developer and photographer in NW Portland. I'd love to help make something like this a reality.

[Rick M]

del

[David Collins]

Rick,

Good questions and thank you for your interest.

In my professional carreer I have been a customer satisfaction consultant for the past five years. I help companies to better connect with their customers and change their business culture for the better. I like working with business owners but I have not felt very passionate about my carreer path.

One of my very close friends owns a video production company in Portland. He has spent the last four months touring the country with a feature documentary called "Chasing Sarasota." His name is Matt Mastrantuono and his company is Blurred Lens Productions. He'll be shooting the UL video series and his work is excellent. Expect an HD, clean, well-edited, and engaging product.

We do not need to acquire any new equipment for filming. We are also not currently expecting to need to hire any additional help for filming or post production. We have a production schedule planned and we hope to be able to deliver our first video series in April of 2013. We will need to reach our indiegogo funding goal before we can be sure of the timing. I do not want to promise anything that I cannot deliver.

The ultralight video series that we are building will be professional-quality video content. It will be shot in HD and close attention will be paid to the aesthetics of our product. We want to build a resource that is informational, beautiful, and inspiring. There are a lot of free resources on the web with great information about ultralight backpacking. That being said, there isn't anything that currently speaks to the information and aesthetics that I would like to create.

I hope that answers your questions and I hope you can support our mission.

Thanks for inquiring and happy holidays!

Dave Collins

[michael levi]

"There are a lot of free resources on the web with great information about ultralight backpacking. That being said, there isn't anything that currently speaks to the information and aesthetics that I would like to create. "

Then what is the difference between the other 1000's of videos out there and yours?

Nothing new here, sounds like your just doing it to get away from your job, no offense.

Maybe yours will be a little more professional and longer but thats all i'm getting.

I think if you aimed for the stars and tried to make it a top contender for the LA film festival, making an awesome documentary that would be better than just compiling a bunch of Youtube clips telling people about how they are inferior with thier 50 pound packs.

Point is, take constructive criticism when you can get it, i'm not normally this blunt.

[Rick M]

del

[David Collins]

My good friend will be giving me a very discounted price for his professional services. That being said, his quote for the first video series (10-12 videos about 10min each) is around $6,000. We are currently estimating that It will take 385 hours of planning, filming, editing, and post production to complete the first series. Ideally, I would like to raise enough money to have a good start on my second series as well. On top of that, I will have to build a website and pay for an online store, copyrighted music, graphics design, logo design, and probably more. The costs are sure to add up and I will be putting my own savings on the line as well.

If you would like to get a rough idea of the quality of our video production, check out our promo video at indiegogo.com/cleverhiker. That being said, I expect the final product of the UL video series to be better than our promo video. We will be paying for graphics design and taking more time to complete the UL video series.

I understand that this product will not be for everyone but I do believe that it can help inform people about UL backpacking. If this type of product was around when I started learning about UL backpacking, I definitely would have paid for it. My primary goal is to reach out to backpackers who do not know about UL gear and techniques in the beginning.

If you are involved with this forum, you probably already know a lot about ultralight hiking and this series might not be for you. My hope is to spread the word to backpackers who do not already know the tricks and tools that we do. I would love the support of the ultralight backpacking community for this project because I am trying to teach people about what we are all incredibly passionate about. Again, I am a man of my word and I am not trying to do wrong by anyone.

Thank you for listening,

Dave Collins

[Nick Gatel]

Gosh, I don't know why some people need to be so mean. Okay, I am not that interested in UL videos, or even "getting the message out about UL."

But if Dave wants to make them, and if people want to pay money to support his efforts, then great.

And it people have specific questions to help them decide whether or not they should contribute, then that seems okay to me.

But unsolicited criticism is not necessary. Seems BPL gets meaner every day. Can't we be nice?

Good luck on your endeavor, Dave.

[Jacob Smith]

Yet another way to reinvent the wheel.

Show me a startup that looks to take your everyday backpackers or even non hikers introduces them to UL principles and takes them out in the woods for a walk. Not for the drama or "reality television" effect, but to show how simple life and the outdoors can be. Put that on film and I'll put my money where my mouth is, but the last thing we need is another UL guy putting out blanket vids in an attempt to tell the world how to do something that we here on BPL can rarely agree on how to do.

The first attempt at this was awful and I'm sad to see money spent on something so poorly put together. Just my .02, nothing personal

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