How would you give a presentation on UL Backpacking?

I’ve done a talk along these lines informally for Boy Scouts and more formally to BSA parents interested in backpacking. I stressed how much stuff I don’t need to bring with me and how getting to a 10 or 12 pound baseweight is pretty easy and relatively cheap. i was sure to have my pack loaded up and passed it around the room with a liter of water and a few meals for an overnight trip. They were all amazed that a pack could be that light.

Mike Clelland makes a good model for how to introduce lightweight gear.

Matthew: Thanks.  Bringing in a trad pack and a UL version, each packed for a weekend trip and letting people heft two packs that achieve the same thing would be dramatic.

Hi David,

I agree with Matthew. I think that presenting the possibility of going from a 40+ pack to a 10-12 base weight is the best way to approach the subject. Your idea of the full packs for similar conditions, is excellent. Most of us can see the benefits quickly of shaving our pack weight virtually in half, and do not need to learn a lot of knew skills per se to make the transition, as the gear overall is rather similar, simply lighter. As Matthew says, leave stuff at home, and with some changes, you can still have a framed pack, a double wall tent, thick pad, and a traditional sleeping bag, etc, and still achieve the 10-12 base weight, virtually shaving the weight a traditional setup in half.  And maybe show some different approaches: quilts & down hoods, hammocks, etc.

You ask about particular gear suggestions, and I think that introducing them to cottage manufacturers would be the single most important thing in general, particularly when discussing the big three. Except for my Xlite pad, I feel that I found better options for pack and tent outside of the traditional outdoor stores. Plenty of quality bags there, although not very good options for quilts. I think some people still want to stay within the major retailers, and you can maybe show they can get light packs from Osprey, Exped and Granite Gear, and light tents from several manufacturers. But I feel that my two pound VX-42 pack and Big Sky tent or hammock setup are more robust (despite its comparable weight) than what is offered in the stores and not always at a higher price.

I think the two most important tools starting were the kitchen scale and the spread sheet. Show those :)

You mention UL, and that could be trickier, as that requires a steeper learning curve and gear that challenges traditional tenets, so be prepared for that. I thought twenty minutes for questions should be enough, but if go UL, then you may need more… :) Heck the hour may not be enough…

Finally, besides the paper, maybe somebody at the college can put up a link to the talk (maybe ppt & handout) on their news page or some other place. Easier for people to spread the info among non attendees. We want to spread the word, right?

Good luck!

Show them what some simple MYOG can achieve. Stoves and kitchen seems most obvious.

Here’s an example. Look closely and you will spot some BPLers

David,

Just my $.02 but I wouldn’t bother with the negative example of the heavy pack and definitely don’t waste time showing the contents of it. I’d rather keep things positive and just show the good pack and the benefits. Everyone knows what a heavy backpack is even if they aren’t really a backpacker. The general perception is going backpacking means a LOT of weight.

One teaching technique that I frequently use is I try to employ the pre-class time in a meaningful way. If there’s a markerboard write “pick up the grey backpack on the chair by the door” in big letters. Or maybe “guess the weight of the backpack…” You can make a point, get people thinking, break the ice and build anticipation all in one move.

David,

I would recommend starting out with a typical (traditional) backpacking setup. From there, I would emphasize reducing redundancies (you don’t need to bring 2 flashlights,3 liters of water, 2 jackets, extra clothes and so forth). Then I would strip out luxury items like lanterns and  frypans.  By doing that , you can demonstrate a safe and reliable way to reduce a 40 pound bag down to a 25 pound bag.  That way they do not have to buy anything but get into the mindset of bringing exactly what they need.  This might cover 80% of the population.

Then you can transition to key items that give you equivalent protect/service at a reduced weight.  My 2 cents

Who is your audience? How many people in the class?

Start out with a handout of a “traditional” gear list without weights. Break it into sections; sleeping, shelter, kitchen, clothes, FAK, etc. Break the class into groups and have each group estimate the weight of an assigned section.

Now hand out the list with the weights.

Using a Point Point presentation show pictures of traditional items and UL items in use… tent vs mid, Whisperlite vs. Caldera cone, etc. Discuss the use. You might want to display some contrasting items on a table. Buck knife vs SAK, sleeping bag vs quilt, etc. Discuss function, skills, and of course staying wam, dry and safe.

Now hand out a UL gear list without weights and have each group estimate weights. Now hand out UL list with weights.

Now have people put on the heaving pack and then the UL pack.

Finally hand out a list of sources for UL gear. Or even something like this

http://popupbackpacker.com/you-can-get-an-ultralight-backpacking-kit-at-rei/

I would have a power point showing the usual spreadsheets and lighterpack.com pie charts along with some examples of hikers with their UL loads and camp/shelter setups.

From there I would have an UL kit and a scale(s) for hands on demonstration and handouts with a gear checklist, and sample spreadsheet, web resource links and a succinct statement of UL philosophy. A pack with a dummy UL load and another with a 50 pounder should bring it home.

Appeal to several kinds of learners and go easy on the spreadsheet section. Slides with beautiful landscapes should keep them awake.

Wow!  Lots of really good advice here. I want to attend all of your presentations!

As someone who has taught for more than twenty years, I would suggest the following:

1. Begin with two packs.  One of them is going to be traditional, with traditional gear.  The other one will be UL.

2.  Literally pack each pack as you go—discuss each item as it goes into the pack;  Traditionally, we would take this kind of tent–weigh it, discuss its merits briefly, and then do the same with a UL version.  Point out that each item is only a small percentage of the total.

3.  As you go, keep a running tab of the weights on a screen where the class can follow you.  This allows the class to see how those small savings in weight add up.

4.  By the end of class, you will have two packs, fully assembled, at widely varying weights–but hopefully with similar functionality.

Your goal should not be to convince everyone to go UL on their next trip.  But you will certainly give them ideas for how they can reduce pack weight.  And the final weights will be quite dramatic—always a good touch in a teaching environment!

And you will win lots of friends if you bring a printout of the final weight comparison for them to take home and study!

@David,

A lot of good ideas above, especially the show and tell and the two types of packs.

I am not going to say anything you probably don’t already know.  Who is the audience? Even when I have a carefully prepared pitch, unless there are 150 people in the room, I like to poll the audience by asking questions.  Why did they come to the workshop. What kind of backpacking do they do today, if any? How much weight do they carry (if they know). How far do they go in any one day?

What is your goal with the session? What are their goals. In other words, focus on how going lighter leads to a richer experience.  (The Gossmer Gear tagline, goes something like take less do more). We carry less do be able to do more (fishing, beak bagging, etc) with more energy, yes?

For what’s it’s worth, if you are going to bring in two packs for comparison then the traditional pack HAS to be modern and of a brand that someone walking into an REI, for example, would purchase.  You also need to be willing to accept that some just might find the traditional pack a little more comfy.

@balzaccomm

1.  Why a traditional pack with traditional gear?  I mean, I am assuming you mean “all heavy stuff” here, no?  A lot of “traditional” gear is now in the lightweight category these days and most people tend to go with the lighter option anyways.  Put it like this:  if someone is shopping for a sleeping bag and are shown two options, both of equal rating and price, but with one weighing 3 lbs and the other clocking in at a pound and a half, most will instinctively go with the lighter bag.  Another thing is with boots.  The days of 3 – 4 lb hiking boots are gone (for the most part) with some modern day hiking boots now coming in at just over a pound per pair.  Sure, still twice as heavy as trail runners but no longer as heavy as many still believe.
2. Of course, but also be honest and discuss the cons….to both.
3. True, but keep in mind that not everyone feels that what is saved in weight is made up for in comfort.  Also, be realistic.  For example, I’ve hiked with a 4 lb pack, 3 lb tent, and a 3 lb bag for many years.  But often times, outside of a “real” knife, I don’t take much more other than adequate food and water.  So, because I am such a darn minimalists I am “ultralight” by default with my “traditional” gear.  Look, I’ve reviewed perhaps 100 ultralight packing lists on the Internet and while the total pack-out weights may be ultralight far too many people love to carry a heckofalot of stuff.  Ironic as that is often what is attributed to “traditional” hikers.  I often wonder if these people go ultralight simple so they can bring so much stuff.  You may have hacked your sleeping pad down to a quarter of its original size and you may only hike with pair of socks to save on weight but do you really need that coffee filter?  Selfie stick? And on and on.

Your final assessment is spot on:  do not attempt to convert anyone.

David,

I’ve done a few of these talks, geared towards women only. Generally I bring my backpack fully loaded for a weekend trip, with everything I’d really take. I start by passing it around. I cloud pack, so it still looks like a big pack- until someone picks it up. Then all of a sudden there is interest in what I’m doing differently. Then I unpack and start going over the items, why I pack what I pack, why I don’t take certain things, how to select good UL gear, and we’ve even gotten into women-specific things like the She-wee and such.

I like Paul’s idea of doing two packs side by side, conventional vs. UL. That’s a good one.

~D

Two ideas that Ive used –

If you know someone who will be attending the class ask them to pack their own gear the way they would for X days and bring their pack.  Open the class by telling them you asked so-and-so to bring her pack so now lets weigh them and look at the differences.

The other thing Ive done is use something to give perspective on the weight difference.  Maybe when you start, your pack has a couple of dumbells or something so it is about the same weight as the heavy one.  Pass them around and get everyone to agree they are about the same weight (or actually weigh them), then pull the dumbells out for the shock-factor and proceed to show how your light gear is as functional/save/comfortable.

I have considered starting a Los Angeles Sierra Club group to offer seminars a few times a year on this topic. I would want to have many examples of equipment on hand, and a panel discussion of issues. This post can serve as a call for interested and knowledgable Angelenos to contact me and let’s see what we can put together. I think that a UL discussion and class can go to three levels:

-One can replace all equipment with lighter equipment. This is super easy.

-One can take less. This is more difficult because the topic will cross many boundaries of what some people consider safe, prudent or desirable.

-Equipment can be carefully dialed in for the specific trip and anticipated conditions. This is very hard because most people do not have enough experience in varied conditions to make educated decisions, and then number of permutations is huge.

I offered to make a general presentation to the Los Angeles Wilderness Training Course (WTC), and there was no interest. I believe that many teachers and leaders in this group consider UL to be too esoteric and even dangerous for the neophytes who take the WTC course.

Thanks for the all the good ideas.  I’m not trying to convert people, but rather give them choices.  Some people will never change, but even if someone adopts a single piece of gear or philosophy, they could save several pounds.

The audience will be some 20-somethings but more middle-aged outdoors people.  Many of them do NOT “play with their food” (catch & release) but kill and fillet various mammals, fish and invertebrates.  Some serious hikers and randonnee skiers as well.

I like the idea of a (quick) MYOG gear demo.  Some of my favorites are the bottom of a gallon milk jug as a SUL (and free!) bowl/plate.  And 2-liter pop bottles beat anything else for weight/volume and cost/volume.  Other ideas???

And the low-cost items:  Mini Bics.  Bamboo spoons for $0.80 (or a Taco Bell Spork).  $5 TSA-seized Victorinox Classic Swiss-army knives.  Trash-compactor bags for rain gear.  Tyvek for ground clothes.  Other suggestions in that realm???

-David

Fancee Feast stove.

Dave, after your seminar make sure to leave them with the BPL web sight. That way long after the seminar they can get real time help with issues that are sure to arise. Maybe print up a list of resources such as cottage mfg.’s, BPing blogs/books and some not so well known retailers who often deeply discount.

I like the UL scavenged gear idea. Plastic yogurt containers= coffee cups/oat meal cups, soda bottles=nalgene replacements, dollar store garden kneeling pad=1$ sit pads etc.

You could talk a little on dual purpose, heck you could do 15 min. alone on all the uses for a cotton bandanna.

Maybe take along a cat can or some thing like a starlyte stove and as your doing your intro nonchalantly fire it up and let it heat a couple cups of water as you continue. Then pour yourself a hot tea and impress the crowd with what a sub 1/2 oz stove can effortlessly do :)

Sam C:

in response:  traditional vs. UL.  I think you are assuming that the audience is composed of people who have not backpacked before, and are considering it.  So they have no equipment right now.  I think it’s more likely that these are folks who DO currently backpack, at least occasionally, and already have some equipment–thus the traditional equipment that I mention in my post.  So the focus here is not to compare current versions of backpacking gear, but to compare what people might already be using to gear that would reduce weight considerably.  That’s why I suggested this approach.   Of course, the approach also introduces the concept of UL gear as an alternative–which will also help those who are just getting started.

2.  You can’t be an effective teacher if you don’t discuss the pros and cons of any approach.  Why would you think otherwise? What teacher wouldn’t be honest?  You seem to think that I have a dog in this fight.  See below.

3. I am confused by your point #3.  I am not an UL backpacker.  I do try to keep my base weight around 16-18 pounds, but that includes some fishing gear, a bear can (required where I travel) and a few other comfort items.  My big three are light, under six pounds,  But I also take two sleeping pads, a Z-rest and a NeoAir.  Did I somewhere suggest that my goal for David was for him to convert everyone to UL gear?  I don’t think so.  I don’t think it should be, and I clearly said that.  I think that ALL of us make considered decisions on how light we want to go, based on a trade-off  between expense, comfort, and weight.  And by addressing each item on the list in terms of those three elements, David would help anyone attending his session to make decisions based on their own priorities, and the three considerations of weight, comfort, and expense.

I think you agree.

I’m not trying to convert people, if for no other reason than a hard sell is the worst sales job!  I’m just putting choices out there.  I’m also telling a story.  My story.  The transitions I made in the mid 1980s and what lighter-weight gear let me do.  The transitions I made once we had young children and weren’t so young ourselves but wanted to go backpacking as a family.  So I see it as more tools in one’s tool kit: Here are some ways to go lighter for those times when you might choose to.

There’s also a safety angle:  If your whole kit is 4-6 pounds, you could have it with you on a day hike in case you are benighted, in your bush plane (pilots LOVE to save weight), or on a hunt.

It also dawned on me that I should invite Scout leaders because (1) trad gear can be such a large fraction of a 12-year-old’s body weight, (2) I sure remember remember hating that weight on my back as a scrawny kid, and (3) those negative experiences might turn a kid off to what might otherwise be a life-long pursuit.

David, On the Boy Scout topic, I think that is an excellent idea.

Scouting introduces thousands of young men to backpacking every year and I think many of them have awful experiences because they are carrying WAY too much weight and consequently do not have FUN.  Below is an extract I wrote up about BSA policy for a workshop I did for my Troop. Most younger Scouts of course weigh less than 100 lbs!

“What is BSA Policy about Pack Weight

BSA policy statements vary. The BSA Medical FAQ states that Scout packs (total including consumables) should be 20 to 25% of Scout’s body weight for high adventure activities. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Resources/MedicalFormFAQs.aspx The Guide to Philmont (2007) states that pack weight should be less than 25 to 33% of the Scout’s body weight. If we assume for a 2 night trip that the Scout is carrying 2 liters of water (4.4 lbs), 4 pounds of food (2 lbs per person per day), 0.75 pounds of isobutane fuel, that makes 9.15 lbs of consumables. So with the 20% guideline for a 100 lb. Scout the pack before consumables should weigh 10.85 lbs. If we assume 33% is the guideline, the pack before consumables should weigh 20.85 lbs.”