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If you believe that in order to practice SUL (a.k.a., "SuperUltraLight", the affectionate acronym that defines hiking with a pack containing an absurdly small amount of gear most commonly, yet arbitrarily defined as less than five pounds) that you need to invest in an entirely new kit, then you are woefully missing the point, not only of the ultralight philosophy in general, but the basis of the entire mindset of SUL.

One important goal of SUL is to take less stuff, not buy new stuff. 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.

This article considers the option of taking some of the "heavier" stuff that's already in your gear closet (a big pack, a warm mummy bag, a big and trusty foam pad, and a fleece jacket), combining it with a few lighter essentials, and simply keeping the number of items in your pack low in order to work towards an ideal of simplicity as embodied in SUL philosophy.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

  • Introduction
  • Take Less Stuff
  • 1. Use whatever pack you want.
  • 2. Camp like the cowboys.
  • 3. Cook on fire.
  • 4. Sleep on a big foam pad.
  • 5. Skip the rest.
  • Gear List

# WORDS: 1760
# PHOTOS: 6

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