The SUL Wanderer (Video Series) – Episode 1: Gear

[David Chenault]

"I think, like never carrying bear cans, going with a hatchet instead of stove and fuel is location dependent SUL technique"

Yes. Folks need to keep in mind that the whole of Montana has about as many people as the city of San Fran. Especially outside the national parks it's a different world up here.

[Luke Schmidt]

"If you consider that some cutting tools allow you to build a fire in any weather (wet/frozen) and that having a fire in the evenings allows you to leave behind warm camp gear and you don't have to carry a stove + fuel, I think the weight is well justified.
You just need to consider if the cutting tools you bring are really necessary to build a good fire easily and efficiently. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't."

My reasoning behind carrying a sturdy folding knife was (is) that it allowed me to carve up wet wood and get to the dry stuff on the inside. That usually works but I had a situation where that didn't work. The wood was very knobby with a twisted grain so trying to split it or make shavings just wasn't working.

I'm probably going to carry more/better tinder next time. Of course out west you can normally find some dry wood or wood that will split. Its harder in the east with our knobby hardwoods that don't drop lots of nice little twigs all over the ground.

As a last resort I've doused most of my toilet paper in alcohol gel and burned that. It works.

[Ken Thompson]

"Yes. Folks need to keep in mind that the whole of Montana has about as many people as the city of San Fran. Especially outside the national parks it's a different world up here."

That process works both ways. One look at the member map will show you where the largest audience is. It's not Montana.

[Anonymous]

I'm very stoked on this video series! Can't wait to see more.

[Dale Wambaugh]

"That process works both ways. One look at the member map will show you where the largest audience is. It's not Montana."

But they may go to Montana :)

Other than the weight, that nice Gransfors Bruks hatchet that Ryan was packing is a cool $100 or more. Elegant and shown in trained hands, but it is this really practical on a SUL diet? That hatchet is about 20% of the remaining base weight!

FYI, Vaughn makes a light hatchet that you can find for $20 or so, but I think all of these small axes are miserable tools. They bounce and slide around, and if one ricochets off your cutting target, it can make a righteous mess of your shin or lop off a finger with great ease.

For a small cook fire, there are plenty of lighter and actually more useful alternatives.

Show below:

Gerber sliding saw. 4.8oz and about $12. The blade is 6" long and cuts very quickly with light effort. A tired or inexperienced user won't do major body damage with one far from help as they might with a hatchet.

Mora Robust knife. 4.8oz and about $16. Useful enough for preparing fire wood alone, but I think it makes a perfect paring with the sliding saw. You can use this one to clean a trout or pare an apple, which would be interesting to try with the hatchet. I'm not a fan of heavy batoning with a knife (where the hatchet excels), but I would by fine splitting the small stuff shown in the video with it.

Victorinox Farmer knife. 3oz and about $32. I think this is the most elegant alternative in the pile. You get a saw, a rather thick folding blade (thicker than other 91mm models), a very good awl, and the typical SAK can opener and bottle opener. If you want tweezers and toothpick, you can get the very similar Hiker model at about the same weight and less expense. You could baton small, dry straight-grained stuff with it within reason. This knife with scissors would be incredible. I carry a 3/4oz SAK Classic to get scissors, nail file, etc.

Wenger Handyman. 3.2oz and $35-$40. Much like the Farmer above, but a few more tools— notably a nice pair of scissors, and you get tweezers and toothpick too.

Victorinox Trekker. 4.6oz and about $35. You get the larger saw, a locking blade, plus awl, bottle and can openers, tweezers and toothpick. Big on my go-to list for an all-around trail knife. The plain blade version would be better for fire building. I wish Victorinox would dump the screwdriver/bottle opener and add ***scissors***. BTW, the blade on the one hand model is much thicker than the other 111mm models.

Cutting tools aside, I do applaud the incredible simplicity of this setup: go for a nice walk in the wilderness on a summer day, throw your bivy down, have a nice little fire, cook your dinner and sleep under the stars, just the way the Creator made you. Good stuff.

[Justin Baker]

"go for a nice walk in the wilderness on a summer day, throw your bivy down, have a nice little fire, cook your dinner and sleep under the stars, just the way the Creator made you. Good stuff."

Yup, the best way to camp! So simple and peaceful.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I do like to hang my hammock instead. I like swingin' in the trees with the birds singing and the little animals running around– 2' below :)

[Mike M]

thanks Ryan- I like episode 1 :)

I have to agree w/ Dale, for the weight a Farmer SAK (or if you can find one- Bushcrafter-blade, saw, awl) is a pretty darn good tool for a small fire or a wood stove; the saw works surprising well and the blade can whip up nice fuzz sticks and holds up to light batoning w/o issue

the gear list shown should more accurately reflect what you're showing in the video imo- so what if it doesn't meet the 5# mark, it's just an arbitrary number that has no real meaning

[J-L]

Nice list that's inspired me to simply try taking fewer items next weekend. I already don't take very many big items, but all the little stuff adds up and is where I have some trouble. For example, some things I see missing from your list that I might take are:

Compass/map
Water bottles
First aid kit
Gloves
Sleeping socks
Leg rainwear
Hand sanitizer
Toothbrush

I get the gist though and like the goal. In addition to packing fewer items, I'm trying to just own less gear. Even though it may end up a little heavier, I'm slowly getting together a kit that works for most conditions I hike in. I only own one pack now. It will work for day hikes and winter trips. I could go lighter, but at 31 oz, I'm pretty happy and I like the satisfaction of knowing it's all I need and that it should last me a long time.

[Nick Gatel]

Everyone's list is going to vary. There are few universal items, to include the so called 10 essentials. For example:

I often hike in familiar areas without a map or compass. I can find east, west, north and south without one. But when I need a compass, mine is heavier than most folks.

My first aid kit is a few bandaids, a few Advils, and some antiseptic.

I don't always bring gloves.

I sleep in the one pair of socks I hike in.

I almost never have rainwear for my legs.

I have never used hand sanitizer in my life.

I always bring a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Those Aquamira bottles in the video are huge. I always just bring AquaMira tablets.

My list isn't best, nor is Ryan's. What matters is that each of us bring the gear we need for each particular trip.

[Miguel Arboleda]

But when I need a compass, mine is heavier than most folks

Either that is one hell of a heavy compass, or folks themselves are getting SUL these days. Cuben skin implants?

[Dale Wambaugh]

I threw all caution to the wind and carry a Suunto MC-2G that is a whopping 2.6 ounces– without the batteries mind you ;) I use magnetic flux batteries, so they don't weigh much.

[Ryan Jordan]

This is super fun.

Because we all have different approaches that we can learn from, but we all pretty much agree on the same things: seek simple, go light, take less. I love that.

Erik: the bear canister thing with SUL. Just add 2lb to your SUL limit, so 5+2=7 lb. No big deal. It's like taking a mulligan. For an SUL pack that can accommodate a bear can, I just sew a top strap to my packs and strap it over the top. It works even on tiny packs, and I do this in some parts of Glacier and Yellowstone. My choice for an "SUL" bear can is this. Because it's smooth, you have to add some epoxy or tape "runnels" so the strap doesn't slide side-to-side causing the canister to slip out from your top cinch strap.

Also, don't get caught up on the whole XL clothing thing. They're just numbers, you know. I said 5 lbs in 2003 because I was a medium. Adjust accordingly. It's just a number.

I can't believe how much discussion there is on the hatchet.

OK, so the hatchet is either:

1. Valuable as a cutting tool.
2. Totally fun to use.
3. A neat middle finger to the "UL" establishment.
4. All of the above.

I like 4.

I carry a saw in the winter when I'm building snow shelters because it's more useful for cutting long bowed blowdowns that I use for my snow shelters. See here for details.

I use the Laplander. Great choice, beautiful saw. Light enough.

A knife is as useful as an axe for batoning limbs into dry kindling (see here) but is not so hot for limbing dead twigs off of trees, which is where the best dry wood is. And see #2 above.

Map & compass: I leave them behind when I'm visiting an area I know. I also leave them behind when I'm game for a rousing adventure. Sometimes I replace them with a sat phone so I can call my wife and say, "Hey, can you pull up the mapping software for a second…?" or "Can you pick me up? I'm on a dirt road by a red house…" Maybe we should write an article about that relationship dynamic. It makes for good stories and gives my mom and wife common ground to meet on.

Really excited for coming episodes. Filming a bunch in the Tetons this weekend for upcoming ones…

RJ

[Dale Wambaugh]

To tame a slippery bear can, cut some "ranger bands" from a large inner tube. Remove them when "deploying" the can and put therm inside so they aren't lost.

The Laplander saw is good (same as a Kershaw), but it is 2 oz heavier than the Gerber.

As far as fun, the SUL puzzle is fun, although your video showed ideal conditions with a lovely bed of pine needles and a clear sky. Add three days of drizzle, rocks and mud with a little stream running under your bivy and it turns into a bathtub whenever you need to get out. NOT SO MUCH FUN NOW, EH? :)

How about a new lable and paradigm to match? I propose ALAP: As Light As Practical. That promotes packing for the conditions rather than an arbitrary weight, sending the Innocents afield with the right gear rather than just the light gear.

[Ryan Jordan]

Dale —

My camp on that trip was a dry bed of pine needles under a spruce tree.

It rained 2.5 inches that weekend.

SUL is still about skill — with a bivy, I opted out of expansive views of big sky and into dry shelter under nature's tarp.

RJ

[Justin C]

I really enjoyed the video and look forward to the series. I like seeing BPL returning to its roots. Good job and keep these coming!

[Michael Ray]

I find it BPL SUL heresy that the AM wasn't repackaged and you resorted to using TP. :)

[Rodney]

Ryan,

Nice video. I look forward to the remainder.

I would suggest you use gear that is currently available on the market. The benefit to viewers is diminished when you utilize gear that is no longer available. Your gear list includes several items no longer available like:

500 ml Firelite pot
Beartooth merino hoodie
Thoroughfare pants

You certainly can use them in your gear but it would be helpful to viewers for you to list a couple of similar products available today.

Otherwise a great video and article.

Thanks,
Rodney

[Mike V]

Ryan,
I am really excited about this video series! Your focus on SUL being about combining skill and a simple kit, as opposed to a black and white base weight number is very refreshing. I hope future videos will focus on the SUL skill set needed to best utilize a smaller array of tools. I am particularly curious to know what skills you are employing that allow you to go from your kit in your article Backpacking Checklist
to your SUL kit.

[spelt with a t]

>>I am inspired by the mention of the word "discipline" at around 5:29.

Hey, now, this is a family site…

[Dale Wambaugh]

"It rained 2.5" that weekend."

Ryan, I know you grew up in the PNW and you know what the conditions can be like. There is rain and then there is rain.

2.5" is an impressive amount of precipitation. I assume that there were some heavy thunder showers. What was the duration of the rain you experienced? I didn't see rain pants on your list. Did you just tough it out hiking in wet pants? How do you handle heavy rainfall and a bivy without a tarp?

I can't imagine PNW multi-day drizzle with just a bivy and no rain pants. Cooking and getting in and out of the bivy in the rain and hiking in cold wet pants doesn't sound very practical if not just plain miserable. Things would be wet, muddy and just slimy after the first night.

I get the beauty of the simplicity of a minimalist kit, but the example fits a narrow region and climate. Years ago you chronicled your Lost Coast hike with a poncho tarp setup and it got pretty wet. Some would have been hypothermic. Do you think that the SUL gear lists encourage hikers to tackle conditions that the equipment won't provide safe protection?

Some mentioned skills needed for such a trip with SUL gear. I don't see any specialized skills other than campsite selection, fire building and navigation without map and compass. The rest looks like basic camping and hiking to me.

I think there is some luck with weather and perhaps having the youth and vigor to put up with the conditions you did find. I'm not sure that many hikers could (or should) handle it.

[Robert Cowman]

does the pack have padded shoulder straps?

[Eugene Smith]

Right on.

This video series is a solid reintroduction of past information on going light revamped in a new medium. Video is the way to go for presenting this sort of information, especially for beginners who want to get a peak inside pack contents.

[Jamie Shortt]

Well done Ryan Jordan well done!

This is an absolutely brilliant piece of work. You will never know how much you have inspired me at a time when I truly needed inspiration and what a debt I owe you for it. This video is just icing on the cake.

…so I don't care if the gear matches the list, I really don't care how much it weighs, I love the hatchet, and no tarp once again makes me ponder new possibilities. I am SUL and I consider the weight of everything I take so that I don't have to worry about the weight of anything I carry. When I hit the trails with my tiny pack it means nothing to me. This is the way I want it to be.

Your video brings me back to a 3 day trip I took last October. The site for my first night was just below the summit of cold mountain in NC. I walked to the top to watch the sun set. When it was time to sleep I just tossed out my bivy, pushed in my pad, and stuffed in my quilt. I made some notes about the day then drifted off. It was so simple. Not much gear to worry about… and for a moment not much in life to worry about. Unfortunately a rare thing for me these days.

Please keep this up, I eagerly await the next one.

Jamie

[Sam Snell]

Thank you, Ryan.

I appreciate your insight and your recognition that we each surmise our own unique valuations of 'meaning' in the outdoors. Just as we may each elect to take a different path through a common wilderness, we each find meaning within that wilderness in our own unique way. Finding and meeting at the intersections of those paths is what makes reading BPL, sharing trip reports, and perusing these discussion replies so fundamentally valuable: they emphasize our value and agency as explorers and wanderers, individually and collectively.

For instance, I sympathize with the “totally fun to use” and “neat middle finger” motivations that drive you to carry a hatchet. While the proximity of wilderness areas with open-flame bans precludes inclusion of a hatchet in all but a few of my journeys, these same motivations bias many of my own decisions. For instance, I commonly bring a set of juggling balls. While they are wholly unnecessary, they are darn good fun and they throw a nice middle finger that neatly derails any dreary attitude on wet, muddy, or slimy days when I am having difficulty appreciating the beauty surrounding me.

I eagerly await the contribution of your next video to this individually filtered collective experience.

[Author]

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