Mike Clelland's Tiny Manifesto of Ultralight Backpacking Tips

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Apr 21, 2011 at 12:27 pm #1272634

Daniel Paladino
BPL Member

@dtpaladino
Locale: Northern Rockies

Companion forum thread to:

Ultralight Tip of the Week

Addie's note: Since we'll use the same URL for the tip each week, the forums will simply carry over from one week to the next. If you want to quickly see which comments are new since you last checked in, simply click "Watch this thread" to get email updates when new comments are posted.

Apr 21, 2011 at 2:04 pm #1727628

Jerry Adams
BPL Member

@retiredjerry
Locale: Oregon and Washington

Those are great tips

And great cartoons

Now I'm going to have to look forward to Thursdays asw ell as Tuesdays

Apr 21, 2011 at 3:03 pm #1727655

Mary D
BPL Member

@hikinggranny
Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

I also will be looking forward to Thursdays! Even though I disagree with MikeC on a few issues (we all know what one of them is), we are still coming from the same place (or at least where he probably will be 40 years down the road, hee hee).

I love the cartoons and his lighthearted approach! I also appreciate that these are free to all so we can refer beginners to them! Thanks to both MikeC and BPL!

Apr 21, 2011 at 7:18 pm #1727769

Kathy A Handyside
BPL Member

@earlymusicus
Locale: Southeastern Michigan

I will be looking forward to these tips each week, Mike. The cartoons are fantastic and the tips are great, too! Thanks so much.

Apr 21, 2011 at 7:19 pm #1727770

Kathy A Handyside
BPL Member

@earlymusicus
Locale: Southeastern Michigan

I can't wait to get my copy of your new book, Mike!

Apr 21, 2011 at 9:12 pm #1727820

Michael Haubert
BPL Member

@socalmike
Locale: So Cal

~6. Try something new every time you go camping

I dig it, Mike. I don't get out very often, but Tip 6 is something I take to heart. I think of each trip as an opportunity to experiment with a new idea–a different style of stove, a new packing method, different fire starting techniques, etc. Until you actually put that thought into a real outdoor experience, it's just a hypothesis; it still needs to be tested.

Looking forward to the book, Mike.

(Edited for brevity)

Apr 22, 2011 at 7:34 am #1727904

Curt Peterson
BPL Member

@curtpeterson
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Ordered the book 5 minutes ago. Thanks, Mike!

Apr 22, 2011 at 9:26 am #1727953

George Matthews
BPL Member

@gmatthews

Great tips and toons! I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of your book in a few days.

Apr 22, 2011 at 9:21 pm #1728257

T.C. Cromie
Spectator

@yogru
Locale: Land of too much rain!

Really enjoy reading these Mike C! I'll be looking forward to this, along with the rest, each week.

Apr 23, 2011 at 2:47 pm #1728496

Guy Laden
BPL Member

@gl

This is great stuff Mike! Is the book going to be available in any electronic format?

Apr 23, 2011 at 10:26 pm #1728638

Dan @ Durston Gear
BPL Member

@dandydan
Locale: Canadian Rockies

Trimming that ring off of plastic bottles is genius. I wish I'd thought of this sooner.

Apr 24, 2011 at 4:53 am #1728679

Hiking Malto
BPL Member

@gg-man

"Trimming that ring off of plastic bottles is genius."

The thing I love about the internet is that you can go online and see others who are as crazy as you, only now you are not alone and the crazy activity no longer seems crazy.

As I packed my PCT resupplies I used little 8 oz. water bottles. Of course, like any good ultralighter I removed the label. But I thought I took it a bit too far when I hid in the basement and removed all those little rings. (Luckily, the neighbors didn't see.) But now I know I'm normal!

If I bleach all my clothes will they weigh less? Hmmmm

Apr 24, 2011 at 9:06 am #1728730

Mike Clelland
Member

@mikeclelland
Locale: The Tetons (via Idaho)

Ha!

About the act of trimming off the little plastic ring on the water bottle.

Whew – I am deeply relieved that nobody is rolling their eyes – or at least addmiting it!

As I state in the text, it is less an act of weight savings (because it's so minimal) but more an act of mind-set.

Huge thanks for all the kind words!

peace from idaho,
Mike C!

Apr 24, 2011 at 10:05 am #1728743

Jim Colten
BPL Member

@jcolten
Locale: MN

"Trimming that ring off of plastic bottles is genius." …
now I know I'm normal!

You've come to the wrong place if normality is what you crave!

Apr 24, 2011 at 3:03 pm #1728853

Mary D
BPL Member

@hikinggranny
Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

Actually, trimming the plastic ring is not so much for weight-saving, but to make it easier to rinse the neck of the bottle, especially if you're using powdered drink mix. I get rid of the rings even at home because they inevitably work up into the threads for the cap, interfering with a proper closure.

Apr 25, 2011 at 9:04 am #1729138

John Coyle
Member

@bigsac
Locale: NorCal

One of my ultralight friends suggested getting a haircut and trimming my nails before a backpack. He almost had an aneurysm when I pulled out my GobSpark firesteel to light my Caldera Cone on a recent trip. The only thing I can beat him on is clothing. Having grown up in a colder climate, (Upstate N.Y. near the Canadian border vs California), I don't seem to require as much as him. Yes sometimes I do roll my eyes at fanatic ultra-lighters. But still, I'm glad you do what you do. It makes us all a little lighter, and that's not a bad thing

Apr 26, 2011 at 10:44 am #1729671

George Matthews
BPL Member

@gmatthews

Exceeded my expectations. More comprehensive than I thought it would be.

Love the humour and cartoons mixed in with the valuable and comprehensive information specific to lightweight backpacking.

Tip 117 alone is worthy of a prestigious publishing awards. : )

Apr 26, 2011 at 4:38 pm #1729809

Mike Clelland
Member

@mikeclelland
Locale: The Tetons (via Idaho)

George – Do you wanna be my publicist?

Apr 26, 2011 at 7:37 pm #1729879

Jared Dilg
BPL Member

@village
Locale: Texas

I just finished the book last night, and then thanks to this thread, watched Mike's "poo poo clinic": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwmwxkD86Ec. Now I feel the need to read it again, only with Mike's animated voice in my head :-)

It's a thoroughly entertaining and helpful book! What struck me is how well a simplified cartoon can instruct. I've read pages and studied photographs here on BPL, but it was Mike C's pictorials that continued to deliver "ah-ha!" moments.

Great job!

Apr 27, 2011 at 11:49 am #1730145

John Chong
BPL Member

@johnch

Just read through this last night.

It really is a book of just tips that I think all ULers can learn from. For me the last couple of tips talking about PPPPD is great. I need to go back and read it thoroughly to understand it.

The illustrations are fantastic and informative.

Apr 28, 2011 at 12:52 pm #1730578

Ben Egan
Member

@benjammin21
Locale: The Grid, Brooklyn

ALRIGHT NICE JOB BPL AND MIKE/TOGETHER YOU'VE MADE ME GIVE IN

I'm buying the book. "for my dad". then I'll steal it from him.

Apr 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm #1730580

Jason Elsworth
Spectator

@jephoto
Locale: New Zealand

Ordered mine form Bookdepository, only to be told the next day that it was out of stock and my order was being funded ?? Will have to try Amazon.

Apr 28, 2011 at 1:11 pm #1730587

Evan McCarthy
BPL Member

@evanrussia-2
Locale: Mid-Atlantic

Mike C,

Your book is a masterpiece of well-explained, simple, and important tips (not all of them obvious). I didn't think I'd get much out of it but found exactly the opposite to be the case. I feel like having extra copies around to evangelize.

Apr 28, 2011 at 2:48 pm #1730623

Mary D
BPL Member

@hikinggranny
Locale: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge

On behalf of all the folks like me who like to stop in mid-afternoon, I'd like to say there is nothing at all wrong with going light and doing what Mike calls "traditional" camping! Your backpacking schedule is a matter of individual preference, not pack weight, although definitely more comfortable with a light pack.

Some of us prefer to stop early before the afternoon thunderstorms get going (call it a safety measure to avoid lightning), especially if the next stretch of trail is exposed. Some of us want time to fish. Some of us want to stop early to explore an area close to where we camp. Some of us enjoy staying in an extra scenic campsite and will stop when we find it. Some of us are getting too advanced in years to enjoy hiking more than 6-7 hours a day, even with an "ultralight" pack. Many (unless retired like me) whose backpacking is limited to weekends and holidays may have to stop early to find a campsite at all (I'm thinking of some of the brushier areas of the Pacific Northwest where places to pitch a shelter are quite limited, resulting in cutthroat competition for sites on holiday weekends). Hike your own hike and don't let Mike convince you that it's wrong to stop early if that's what you want!

Apr 28, 2011 at 9:27 pm #1730764

Rob Vandiver
Member

@shortbus
Locale: So Cal

I gotta say, Mike, I read this tip when you posted it to the forums some time earlier, and it really changed the way I will approach solo trips from now on. I have usually called it quits late afternoon, and after setting up camp and puttering around, would suddenly find myself a little bored. I have been stuck in a pointless routine since my 35-pound pack days when weariness would force a stop after X time and Y miles. Also, thanks to you I haven't had a wristwatch out in the back country for the last couple of months and I haven't even missed it! Or a headlamp, now that I think about it.

-Rob
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