UL ideas that Died

[Jake S]

Just 10 years ago (Or 5, or 15!) the UL backpacking landscape looked very different than it does today. In fact, when I look through old posts of this site I can see some people using some very different kit! It seems that there was an entire range of UL ideas, some of which are still common, but some of which seem to have fallen out of favor with today's posters and hikers.

e.g. When I was first thinking about this topic, I was thinking of extra socks. Some older style bags and some DIY kits left little pockets on the inside of your shoulder straps where you could stuff your extra socks with the idea being to multiuse them as padding! Ingenious idea! But I don't commonly see this practice recommended any longer, nor do I see cottage companies providing those little pockets on their packs any more. Who would have guessed that jamming stinky old socks 4 inches under your nose wouldn't be an everlasting idea!

e.g.2 Spinnaker fabric. I don't think this was ever as seriously touted as silicone impregnated nylon, but it was offered in a number of products. I guess it just proved to be too delicate and not as desirable as cuben.

e.g.3 Packs without waist straps. I know this was a Jardine idea, and I've seen it suggested that his history as a rock climber gave him enough upper body musculature to get away with this idea, but that not everyone could. Heck, even companies like MLD have a padded hipbelt on their smallest packs by default. So what happened to the waistbelt-less pack? Only the craziest of the SUL guys seem to go that route anymore.

What are some other UL ideas that just haven't seemed to catch on and continue to be common in current use?

[Max Dilthey]

I haven't been here that long, but Aarn-style torso packs come to mind…

[EndoftheTrail]

The name escapes me… but there was this "taco like" backpack where you lay the pack flat, then place atop it your pad, bag, everything else — and then fold up, cinch and clip everything tight…

EDIT: OK, it came to me finally… the Moonbow Gearskin pack.

[EndoftheTrail]

Also LuxuryLite backpacks.

[Ken Thompson]

"Who would have guessed that jamming stinky old socks 4 inches under your nose wouldn't be an everlasting idea!"

They never dried either. So wet and stinky socks under your nose.

Spinnaker fabric Super loud, didn't hold up.

Packs without waist straps. Just bought one. Not SUL either.

Balloon beds.

Tent's seem to be more popular than ever with the poncho tarp and bivy set ups being in the minority of minorities anymore.

Lots more plush setups for sleep pads. Don't see very many Zrests or cut up Ridgerests on people's lists.

[Ken Thompson]

Are actually back in production after a short absence.

[Brad Rogers]

The reason they quit using Spinniker fabric is because the vendor could no longer supply Spinn that was waterproof. You have to understand that it was never intended to be waterproof, it was intended to be a shelter fabric but intended to use as sails.

I have a Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter that has a couple of hundred nights on it and it is still in good shape and always been waterproof (at least as much as silnylon) It wasn't a terrible shelter fabric but not as good as cuben.

Now spinniker or silnylon packs however seem to have disappeared for good reason.

[Franco Darioli]

"taco like" backpack …
Moonbow Gearskin, still in production.

[David Thomas]

>"Packs without waist straps. "

With 30 pounds in a framed pack, I definitely want a good waist belt.

At 10 pounds, I don't want the weight and bother of a waist belt.

At around 20 pounds, I can take it or leave it.

30 years ago, there just the start of a conversation about UL – we were mostly on our own. MSR white-gas stoves dominated so UL meant (for me, anyway), going stove-less. Alky cat-cans and esbit weren't on my radar till much later.

Tarps we all understood and used, but they were urethane-coated nylon and just flat recant angle. Jardin did a lot to popularize beaked tarps.

We also grasped that while people thought us crazy to go without a stove, tent or sleeping bag, it would have been stupid to go without a thermarest. The lightest model they had ("ultralight, short" brown, 48x20x1), but inflated, insulated air mattresses were such a revolutionary improvement in comfort, R-value and compactness, that it was part of all our kits, especially when when sleeping in all your clothes in lieu of a bag or quilt.

We also did pretty well on clothing – at least the concept that on the coldest night, you should be wearing all your clothes, give or take the pair of UW and socks being washed. Typical for me back than: expedition-weight polypro tops and bottoms, patagonia baggie shorts and long pants (to layer over the PP), pile jacket for warmth at night, Goretex parka for wearing at night and in the rain. Those weights could be half as much, now, but without relying on down, about as good as we could do then.

My biggest failing (area for improvement) back then was my pack. It was a external frame with a good suspension system, but was maybe 4 pounds versus the 1.5 pounds one could buy today. Internal frames were at least as heavy and hotter to carry.

[J-L]

Gossamer Gear still sells the G4. Did they get rid of the removable foam in the shoulder straps?

Here's a neat thread to read through (before my time):

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=1435

[Justin Baker]

tump lines.

[Hikin’ Jim]

Gossamer Gear still sells the G4. Did they get rid of the removable foam in the shoulder straps?

The Gossamer Gear website says that the hip belt has removable padding. I assume the shoulder straps still do too.

I still see G4's out on the trail. On the PCT this past summer:

Here locally in Southern California:

HJ
Adventures in Stoving
Hikin Jim's Blog

[Barry Cuthbert]

Golite…

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Jim; I bought one late 2013, padding in shoulder straps was definitely built in, waist belt removeable (didn't come with it at all). I only tested it at home, sold it on. The G4 really is in an interesting category…it is very large volume for the abilities of its harness, the only way to really fill it properly is with a winter load that has large amounts of puffy gear.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

MYOG Pepsi can stoves. Good at the time, but so many far far simpler, lighter alternatives now that are just as efficient on fuel.

[Brad Rogers]

There are many UL ideas and types of gear that are no longer that common. Here are my observations and mind you some of these are not dead but not as prevalent as they used to be:

Packs with UL materials: I know z packs still makes cuben packs but ten years ago most major UL companies and even major brands like REI, Golite, and Gregory had packs made of silnylon or Spinniker. Most packs use more durable but heavier fabrics nowadays such as 210 dyneema x grid.

Tarps and bivies: it used to be that if you wanted to go SUL you used a tarp but now with full coverage UL shelters coming in lighter than a tarp and bivy you don't see them as much. The quality of lightweight shelter designs is light years ahead of where it was 10 or 15 years ago. I remember when the Gossamer Gear The One came out and it was remarkable to get a shelter with a floor and bug protection as light as a pound.

Closed Cell Foam Pads: I love the ridge rest. I think it was the best pad made for years and you used to see ridge rests,z lites, and mt Washington pads on everyone's lists but these have been widely replaced by air pads just as light (or close) with comparable warmth and much more comfort. When I was using a ride rest ever trip the lightest air pad was the heavy and cold big Agnes insulated air core. The neo air changed everything.

Frameless packs: every ultra lighter seemed to be using frameless packs ten years ago and now most UL pack makers don't even offer a frameless pack. I still have a few in my gear quiver that see use but not near as much as they used to. They were killed by better lighter framed designs and as much as anything the neo air. With fewer people using cc foam pads needed for the pack frame people moved to light framed packs.

Torso pads: I know shortie pads are still out there but you don't seem to see as many 3.5 oz torso pads as you used to. Perhaps it is because we are all getting older and need more comfort and warmth.

[Owen McMurrey]

"some of which seem to have fallen out of favor with today's posters and hikers."

You mean like the idea of backpacking gear being used for backpacking, instead of as the basis for another collector hobby where it's often researched, discussed, bought, and resold in new condition, all via internet?

What I find interesting is how the idea of what ultralight IS has changed with the advent of modern materials and fabrics, and more sophisticated designs.
I thought I was going ultralight 15+ years ago with the purchase of a 4.5lb tent that weighs almost 3x what my current "lightweight" one does, a 50oz sleeping bag that isn't as warm as my 20oz quilt, and a 7oz canister stove that weighs more than my entire cook kit does now(including a canister stove).
I'm still always double-checking my pack before leaving either home or camp, because it weighs so little that it's hard to believe I haven't forgotten something!
I'm not even "ultralight"…

[Andy F]

Simplicity… almost anyway.

spreadsheets, ounces, grams, fabric weights per yard, debates about changing gear configuration to save 8 ounces, and…. clo calculus! (or is it feathery math?)

:-)

[Monte Masterson]

Bradford, you really nailed it.

I still use my SMD Feather for total pack weights under 12 lbs, but for anything more I want a rigid frame and hip belt. I found out the hard way about frameless packs and heavier loads.

Recently a lot of people have suffered shipwreck on thru hikes with flimsy pack materials (especially with a bear can). For overnight peak bagging the light materials might work, but I think many UL backpackers are starting to see why the more durable 210 is worth the extra weight.

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[Diane Pinkers]

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[Owen McMurrey]

[jscott]

"LuxuryLite packs"…I'm not sure that these were ever popular. But I use the frame, with a GG pack strapped on. It's very nice; terrific for carrying a bear canister. Two and a half pounds. When I bought it used many years ago the notion of needing a hip belt to transfer weight off of your shoulders was pretty much ridiculed. Now, people recognize that this is a good thing–again! Everything old comes around…Still, I sometimes feel like a walking anachronism with my pack get up.

[Miner]

I must not be getting out enough for people to see me since some of you say the gear I'm still using isn't used much anymore. I'm a Torso Pad sleeping, tarp and bivy (12 oz total weight so keep your heavier UL tents to yourself) UL backpacker. Perhaps the reason some of you aren't seeing the tarps is because many of us cowboy camp unless it's raining so we tend to blend into our surroundings since there is nothing standing up very high. If it's raining, you aren't likely to be looking for us unless we are next to you.

Silnylon backpacks do seem to be an endangered species that are rarely spotted. Cuben Fiber seems to have replaced it like it did Spinnaker. Parts of my old Granite Gear Vapor Trail used silnylon to save weight, but I never trusted the stuff for use on an entire pack, preferring the frameless packs from ULA and MLD which are more durable.

I'm seeing less Alcohol stoves. They are still being used, but not as often as many are now going stoveless or willing to carry the weight of a cannister stove.

Where I see the most weight gain in people's packs over the past 5 years is the amount and weight or electronics people bring into the backcountry. You can easily add more than a pound that way. That area is probably the next area awaiting the UL revolution since it's going the wrong way.

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