The SUL Mindset, Part 2: Less vs. Lighter

So for a long dry stretch just carry you water in a zip lock bag. And just be extra safe don't carry a map or compass.
This all crosses the line into stupid light. Admittedly I was set off by the second paragraph "If you have to buy new stuff, … ultralight hypocrisy." A couple of years ago my lightest sleeping bag was 3 lbs and the lightest pack that could hold it 7+ lbs empty. No way are you going to go SUL with that gear. Then to follow that with the suggestion of using a zip lock as your water carry for "long dry stretches". Please!

Some of Ryan's advice just seems inconsistent to me, that's all.

"If you have to buy new stuff, then regardless of your pack weight, consider that you may have transcended away from the ultralight philosophy and into ultralight hypocrisy." Seriously: hypocrisy? This is the kind of bombastic verbiage I'm talking about. Are we all hypocrites for getting rid of our 7 lb Dana Design packs and getting frameless packs, regardless of the load carried?

In a certain way it reminds me of Twight's whining back in the day about how the summit didn't really matter anyway. Everyone knew that HE knew it was crap but he did it anyway to cause a stir and get more press. I doubt Ryan is looking for press but I believe that he likes to throw whoppers out there just to stir the pot, knowing that the statements are over-the-top and not really consistent.

While Googling I found this comment regarding Twight's writing and it almost seems apropos here: "he has said elsewhere that he doesn't really bother justifying his positions rationally and that most of his writing is more manifesto than treatise".

Maybe that's how we should interpret some of Ryan's comments: in spirit, not in substance.

James,

It's hard for me to reconcile the seemingly endless acquisition of ultralight gear and promoting the virtues of ultralight philosophy in the backcountry while living a consumer-centric lifestyle and living in a consumer-centric culture.

I own way more backpacking gear *options* (and thus, more pieces, and more mass) now than I ever did before discovering the ultralight thing.

That's not…progress, is it?

If this hypocrisy isn't part of your journey, no big deal, just pretend the "Hypocrite!" finger isn't pointing at you. But it's certainly part of mine, and I see that finger pointing at me.

I see a lot of people on this site blindly follow what someone else suggests they do, especially certain someone else's who are staff writers for BPL. I took this article as a suggestion to experiment with taking less of what you already own. If you've been getting out into the wilderness a decent amount, then presumably you've gotten a chance to see what of your gear works in different situations. And presumably you've gained some confidence in yourself in a wilderness setting, and thus an ability to parse the advice that you read in internet articles and forums.

Its not like now that Ryan had fun using his heavy CCF pad and no tarp or map that its the 'cool' way to backpack. Get outside more and figure out what works for you.

I'm lucky enough to live super close to a beautiful wilderness area (40mins to my profile pic). After taking enough trips, geeking out over routes on google earth and studying the terrain from various peaks, its no longer necessary to bring a map or a compass. This is no major feat of wilderness know-how–Its a small area and I go there a lot. If you've reached that point of familiarity, there's no question if you need a map or not. If you are questioning and thinking about what RJ wrote in this article at the trail head, then you should probably just bring one.

I think its pretty clear that RJ is not issuing general wilderness guidelines. He's trying to get you to think outside the box about applying a minimalist SUL ethic.

I think we're better at resolving potential contractions then we give ourselves credit for.

Thanks Ryan, it's a great article series.

I won't blindly copy your advice, (as I'm 100 percent sure you're not advocating), but i helps me to think outside my own personal "spreadsheet-box"

It reminds me of this TED talk clip:

It’s very important to remember that backpacking, lightweight backpacking, is all a game– which is in no way to denigrate it. There’s nothing more serious or more useful than play. Play makes us sharper, more able to handle the unexpected event, less apt to get in ruts, enables us to establish and function in stable hierarchies in social subgroups, refocuses our gazes outward, etc.

Typically a game is established by an inventor who creates the game and enrolls others in playing it. Unsurprisingly, the rules initially favor the skill set of the creator. But as the game gets absorbed by its surrounding culture, the rules change to keep it interesting— playable by more people, and unlikely to be dominated by some uninteresting subset of players. For example, in auto racing, engine size is limited to keep races from being dominated by the inelegant behemoths of super-rich sponsors.

The process of making the rules is inherently political, and subject to the surprises and reversals typical of politics. As with the engine size analogy, if the LW backpacking game had a cost-no-object flavor, the boards would ultimately be dominated by posters crowing about their latest $4,000 sleeping bag, and might ultimately devolve into the game of “what do I buy next?” (Thus losing sight of a fundamental initial play function, to reduce the gap that separates us from the natural world). As in any good game, the rules evolve to optimize the nature of the play.

Interestingly, before LW backpacking, the backpacking game was often (usually covertly) about “heavyweight” backpacking. People delighted in how much, not how little, weight they were carrying— hefting each others packs, bragging rights going to the heaviest load. So the shift to LW was a complete reversal. And perhaps the shift away from a consumerist approach is another reversal. (And just in time—I’m running out of room & money!)

Clayton — I wore the old HMG expedition pack out toting heavy loads while guiding, it ripped out at the hip belts. I notified HMG about it, and they've retooled it so it's no longer an obvious failure point, so the pack I'm using in the new vids is my warranty replacement.

I personally like some of Ryan's ideas and have been doing a few of them myself previously. His series actually got me interested and willing to join as a member for another year again. I have often thought about buying new gear but usually instead just used what I had or came across. I own a used Rainbow for when it is really buggy and cowboy camp the rest of the time using a large garbage sack, my rain skirt and my rain jacket. I have an Evernew UL Ti 1.3L pot that i use on my stove at home also. I am not going to spend the extra $45 to buy a slightly smaller one to save ~1oz. If I take my Ridgerest Solar Deluxe I use the Granite Gear Vapor Trail, if I take the Klymit Static V, I use a generic school backpack. Not always the lightest but at 6'5" I will never make the SUL 5# measurement and keep my gear costs way down. So I dirt bag it, take less and come close to both.

All this talk of philosophy… I don't give a hoot for philosophy, I just enjoy having less weight on my shoulders.

I got the message about "don't take what you don't need" a while ago. What I like about this article is the way it uses the circumstances to finesse "what you need". There is a reliable supply of thick trees for shelter? OK, no bivy. There is water every hour all/most of the way? Leave the containers, improvise over the gaps. You have extensive wilderness skills? Live off the land, bring less. On the downside… Can't keep down dry? Use heavier fleece. A 4400cu pack is what you've got? Bring it.

If it was canyoneering somewhere hot and dry, and the hiker couldn't tie a knot let alone build a fire with wet wood, the same logical process would lead to a different set of gear.

This isn't philosophy, this is engineering.

I love this kind of article. Even though some folks might not want to try certain things, this stimulates thought about what is really necessary in your kit, what's possible, etc. Keep 'em coming, Ryan!

Thank you for producing these articles and Wanderer videos Ryan.They are worth the subscription I just paid for. I'm looking forward to more.

The cowboy camp advice reminds me of my my last trip up San Gorgonio a couple weeks ago. I split the weight of a GoLite SL3 with all stock parts plus an all-weather space blanket between my buddy and I. At night, his GF who was part of the group was tossing back and forth making the small space in the SL3 extremely awkward between the three of us- especially me being a back sleeper.

There were six other people in our group, 5 of which were cowboy camping- one of which was a first timer. After huffin and puffin I thought to myself, why suffer? If they can cowboy camp why can't I? I've been backpacking a few years. We were in a windy, flat below treeline with fast flowing water 30 yards away. The flying insects didnt worry me. We were lying near downed logs and I was using my EE quilt. I got over my irrational fear of spiders, termites and other creepy crawlies. It was amazing to fall asleeo eyes wide open staring at the stars. I didn't even wear my head net and I'm alive to tell the tale.

I will cautiously cowboy camp from now on even if I take my MLD ProPoncho. : D

Great series, Ryan. Really enjoy your discussions of techniques, gear, and looking at SUL in different and/or new ways.

Thanks!