The SUL Mindset: Redefining SUL

Lightweight, UL, SUL….labels are goals to strive for have their place in conjunction to a goal of enjoying the outdoor experience.

Any assigned value of the label associated with inflating someone's ego is indicative of that person's short comings.

Going lighter is merely means to an end, not an end all to itself unless gear is your porn….gear masturbationf for gear's fetish sake.

However, discussions about labels gets away from the point of it all.

What does the SUL backpacker have to offer the rest of us?

What skills, knowledge, or wisdom have they learned that they care share with the rest of us to help us evolve on our own lightweight evolution?

The fringe always influences the center.

UL was the crazy fringe at one point, which influenced the mainstream, which has seen a light weight revolution of its own.

Perhaps the bar has been moved and SUL is now the new fringe, which can teach us some new tricks?

I will likely never become SUL, but my mind is always open to new ideas to consider and to see what works for ME. HYOH.

I am excited to learn more and here more about SUL backpacking.

Maybe I will think that 98% of it is crazy for ME, but if I can learn one useful thing that helps me on my our lightweight journey, then it is all good!

-Tony

"But then how do I quantify how cool I am?"

By publishing a gear list with the price of every item beside it. Add it all up and, VOILA, instant coolness. Sort of like the rich kid in high school that drove a rag top BMW to school every day.

While my pack is now at the weight and comfort level with which I'm quite happy, and I have no real desire to work harder or spend more $$$ on reducing it further, there's always something more to learn, and I'm hoping to pick up some ideas from these articles. If I can get rid of another pound or two of pack weight without reducing my comfort or going broke, fine. If not, that's fine, too! I've looked at the "SUL" stuff for ideas but rejected much of it as too spartan for my old bones and joints (which require increasing warmth and cushioning as they get older). However, I figure that if I ever stop looking at things "outside the box," it's time to curl up my toes and die. Lord willing, I'm not there yet!

Even if I don't change a single thing, these articles will still be interesting, and I look forward to reading them.

I'm surprised this has been so provocative for people. I don't think that it was Will or Ryan's intention to re-assert SUL as an important social category, but rather, as the article says, as a mindset. If you fixate on the concept as a public form of distinction, then it quickly becomes a petty way to differentiate yourself by the gear you carry.

When I come back from a trip, I just say I went backpacking. Its not important for me to differentiate in most situations. However, when I'm packing and planning for a trip, the mindset is everything. Similarly, if I'm planning a big trip with a friend, and I have a 6 lb base weight and they have a 10lb base weight, you can bet that I'll be doing what I can to balance that out or take more of the load depending on their fitness. Its not because I care if my partner is 'UL' or 'SUL', its because depending on the terrain and the mileage, it might be the difference between finishing the trip or bailing, or at least the difference between pleasure and suffering. I'm skiing a peak in RMNP tomorrow with a forecast of T-storms in the early afternoon. Its a good day to leave behind the thermos.

So, yeah, the attitude between UL and SUL is of the same category, but there is a difference in degree thats makes a practical and experiential difference in the mountains. Knowing the types of trips that Will does, and having traveled the same terrain, I've got no doubt that the difference between a 6 and 9 lb base weight is an important one, not for blabbing about here in the forums, but to carry on your back along with 4 days of food while you scramble up a remote pass in the Weminuche. It might literally be the difference between fun and suffering.

Its likely that I'll never use the word M-SUL again in my life (unless I hike with one of ya'll!), but for sure its a poignant concept that I already use. For me its just about being as light and mobile as possible while maintaing a healthy degree of safety and protection in the mountains. With modern lightweight equipment, I can carry a kindle, a fry pan, an SLR and a spacious tent and still be under a UL 10lb base weight (which is awesome!), but for the majority of the trips I've been looking at for this year, I will definitely leave that stuff behind in favor of a faster and simpler setup. For me, 6ish lbs is a good target weight.

Miguel, I think there is very little true honesty in gearlists. People hide weights so they can appear SUL or lighter. The easiest category to hide items is the worn/carried weight where items are stuffed into pockets so they won't show up in a packed base weight. Also, journaling items (cameras, etc) may not be included in weights. So, take most posted gearlists with a "gram" of salt ; ).

Below are the only items that I think should be included in a worn/carried weight, and sometimes I wonder whether trekking poles really should be there.

Hat
Eyewear
Baselayer/Shirt
Gloves
Wristwatch
Underwear
Pants
Socks
Shoes
Trekking poles

Yeah, I also wonder about the worn weights…it does matter how much you have to hoist up the side of a mountain no matter where it is on your person.

But then, looking forward, at what point do we start paying attention to, say, "spine-out" weights? Sure it's easy to drop some serious coin on lots of fancy cuben gear (mmmm….cuben…….), but if you are carrying 20 extra pounds around your middle, talk about some serious weight savings! So at what point, if we wish to include EVERYTHING you are carrying, do we need to consider BMI??

I'm so completely with Mary's point: I have done such a good job thanks to all of you guys trimming my pack weights, even though I am currently in the absolute worst shape of my life I can hike hikes twice as far as I could with my 40 pound pack and my marathon-running legs, still leaving my more fit friends panting in the dust. I make some amends to my aging and a bit arthritic bones (yeah downmat!!) but that makes me happy. If I learn new ways to trim a bit more, then great! If not, that's great too.

Now if I could just manage to drop those 20 pounds…..

Mags, I've aways wondered what was up with your avatar.

That's hilarious! We took a few Eastside Deli (mmmmmm!) sandwiches on the Wonderland with us. Two days in to the hike having a deli sammich?!? Yessss!

Here's my buddy with the watermelon he hiked up Mt Defiance in the Gorge. Did it with a cantaloupe last time. Fresh melon is the best! Kinda sugary for just two people though.

///

or unless after 3 miles they are exhausted and whining about how they need a break and not sure they can make it as far as you planned.

Miguel,
One reason to separate your clothing weight from pack weight is due to the fact that 5 pounds of clothing has less of an impact on you than 5 pounds in your pack. Since the pack sticks out further from your center of gravity than clothing it exerts a greater effect (the bending moment increases 8 times with just twice the distance from your center). Just take your pack then hold it either close to you than extend your arm to see the effect.

I'm extremely excited to see a series on SUL. I really like this first article and want to see more. I particularly connected with the statement "I get far more personal satisfaction about practicing skills when faced with a challenge, than when relying on an advanced piece of gear to meet that challenge." If there is one thing I have found that SUL means to me is simplicity more so than weight.

I admit I don't always have the exact piece of gear to cover every situation. I also admit that I am not always comfortable. But these are not the reasons I travel the mountains. Heck if I wanted every item for every situation and I wanted comfort then I'd stay home. The discomfort and reliance on my skills over gear has taught me a lot about myself and it brings me great joy.

I also admit I worked hard to make achieve my first 5 lb trip and having a target was extremely helpful. Some of you may even remember my post some years ago. I was and am still today truly humbled by the responses I received from this community. That included one that I will always remember from Ryan himself.

I do to this day keep a detailed list of each item I carry for every trip. Its just part of my planning process. I still use the information to learn and teach myself. I only get to backpack 3-4 times a year so its not a big deal. Yes I can pack a 5 lb pack in probably 5 minutes for a 32 degree trip without any spreadsheet, but I still spreadsheet because its part of the fun.

The only part of the article and responses I had trouble with was a reference to competitiveness and words like "cheating". You guys can see my gear lists on my website. I post them out of gratitude to those that have taught me so much, a way of giving back. Gear lists from Ryan and others helped me so much. I have just never felt like I was in a competition or trying to beat anyone or brag about how much I do or do not carry. I have only felt gratitude.

In all candor I have been hanging back not posting much over the last year because the atmosphere seemed to be changing. Instead of helping and challenging and learning, I read more and more posts with references to "stupid light", "cheater", and "you can't do that". Heck there was recently a post from someone asking about bivy and 5×8 tarp and the first responses were NO YOU CANT DO THAT. I wanted to reply YES YOU CAN, but just said what's the use things have changed here.

I hope this is the beginning of coming back to saying YES YOU CAN. And stopping all this talk about competition. There never was a competition and I don't care if you list your chap stick in your pocket. These things don't matter to me.

What matter's to me is to continue to learn and support others in enjoying the great outdoors in ways that I never knew was possible…before I found BPL.com.

Keep these articles coming.

Jamie

I like to camp exposed with big scenery. I'd rather carry suitable gear that makes my vacation enjoyable, than functional gear for traveling from A to B that compromises what I enjoy most.

SUL seems to be a lot of "skill" instead of gear.

Cold in the morning ?, break camp and use your skill at walking in the dark to warm up.

Want an epic storm photo ?, use your google skill to download one from a heavyweight photographer who posted up in conditions your kit won't take.

Need to save weight in water treatment ?,use your skill at evaluating the water by eye and use too few drops for a couple of minutes as needed.

Want to enjoy your camp ?, use your skill to convince yourself your happier walking than watching.

I think SUL is a mindset, but I see lots of people enjoying themselves with double or triple a SUL base, and not struggling to carry it.

"The gear really hasn’t changed that much. Down sleeping quilts are still down sleeping quilts, and they’re still light. Backpacks made with whisper thin fabrics that tear to shreds in brambles and can’t hold sewn seams when they’re loaded with food are still around. “SUL” tents still don’t hold up to mountain storms very well. There’s been no drama in materials engineering for titanium, carbon fiber, or fabrics that weigh less than 0.5 oz per square yard."

I'd disagree. Innovations in materials and gear over the past few years have definitely changed the landscape. The main one being cuben fiber. Lightweight gear is now finally becoming readily available from mainstream manufacturers as well (particularly, of note, rain jackets and down jackets). Innovations in shelters have turned out more unique shaped tarps, such as the Hexamid and Trailstar, which provide a lot more coverage, stormworthiness and ease of setup than previously used tarps, but yet are not pyramids, which tend to be heavier and isolated from the environment. There are a TON more choices in terms of backpacks available from cottage manufacturers as well.

That being said, I agree with the rest of the article.

"seriously?"
Fair enough :)
I guess that speaks more to how obsessive I can be about packing, than to a real situation. It does come up when I'm going with someone less experienced, and I want to shoulder more of the load. I'm also planning some oz sensitive ski tours where its well worth convincing my friend that the hexamid twin is in fact a two person shelter.

Somewhere along the way I got the idea that challenging myself physically in the wilderness was fun and beneficial. That means when I look at a map, I'm most attracted to routes that I don't really know if I can finish. It keeps me more engaged with the process from packing to nutrition and fitness, and the element of uncertainty adds to a sense of adventure. I've bailed enough that I want to give myself (and partner) the best chances of finishing. So, I save the fried chicken for afterward. There's no glory or recognition in these types of trips (and certainly not in my gear list), but I get a lot of personal satisfaction from them. Its a particular approach thats not for everyone, and not one I always practice, but its where I find the M-SUL concept most useful.

I haven't drank alcohol in a long time, and given my personality type, if I start bragging about how much I pack in, you have full permission to worry about me. And please, lets not shift the measure of 'coolness' from lack of oz to abundance of alcohol or heavy delicious fruit. Human powered travel in the mountains is pretty cool in general, eh?