How would you give a presentation on UL Backpacking?

I think you should touch on the concepts of camping-centric and hiking-centric backpacking.

UL has appeal to those whose aesthetics tend toward the minimalist. It also has appeal to those who just like the brain-teaser aspect of making the numbers lower… the scavenger hunt too…

This is all fun, but.. for most practitioners, UL gear is ultimately about enabling the most efficient and sustained movement through nature.

I hear you that you aren’t trying for conversion, but I would argue that the experience of this efficient and sustained movement through nature is key to understanding UL gear.

Note, in this context, stupid-light is the exception (to the idea that lighter is better) that proves the rule… apologies…. here it comes one more time… efficient and sustained movement through nature.

David,

As a former high school teacher I believe in the old dictum,

1.”Tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em.” 2. “Tell ’em.” 3. “Then tell ’em what ya done told ’em.”

i.e. 1. Intro overview 2. body of demo/talk 3. summary

As to the ordering of the talk, you could take them through a typical day starting with breakfast and finishing with The Bedtime Story. All the time illustrating with the gear you use.

“Once you go light pack, you never go back”

Actually, we went more UL than we are today. We’ve decided that comfort in camp is more important than saving ounces on the trail. Base weight for me is about 16 pounds…including some fishing equipment, and about 12 for my wife. Yeah, we could go lighter. But we take two sleeping pads and love them. We take PJs because we like how they keep our bags clean and ourselves warmer. We take more in the FAK than most people. etc….

I think that it is a mistake to assume anything about your audience. Since they are not being forced to attend the presentation, you can reasonably assume that they have thought about and have some interest in the subject. As to their skill levels, there is no way of knowing that until you meet them. I think that it is reasonable to assume that most will be interested in short trips rather than long trails, but there is no certainty. Some of this might depend on how you title the presentation.

Personally, I’m a very visual person, so comparing and contrasting actual lightweight equipment with conventional equipment makes sense to me.  A visual dichotomy.

Somebody recently told me about an AT thru hiker making a presentation to a Boy Scout troop, and in his presentation, he did some light weight cooking, baking, freezer bag, etc. Food and eating were involved and the kids were highly impressesd. Might not work with your logistics but I’m just throwing it out there.

Good luck – Russ