Why Ultralight Backpacking?Practical Answer—Ultralight backpacking does not mean being deprived and uncomfortable. When you adopt the ultralight philosophy, you can be perfectly comfortable in the wilderness using alternative lightweight gear and techniques that meet all of your needs. Instead of complexity and burden you can enjoy the freedom and scenery. For many reasons, simplifying and lightening backpacking makes it a lot more enjoyable. When we backpack together we hike at a comfortable pace and enjoy the scenery. In the local area we "work" as Forest Service volunteers, hiking the trails as "Wilderness Information Specialists", chatting with other visitors about Leave No Trace principles and providing local information. Carrying light packs allows us to easily hike more hours and miles per day, and not feel as tired in the evening. After we make camp, we usually hike around and explore the local area. We don’t feel a bit deprived of comfort. Our packs contain everything we need to be well fed, comfortable, dry, and warm. Will has backpacked for 47 years. From the beginning he was a lightweight backpacker, just because it made good sense. As he gets older, going ultralight has become the logical way to keep doing what he has always enjoyed. He loves to backpack solo and cover a lot of country, especially off-trail in the alpine zone. Going ultralight makes it a lot easier. He averages 3 mph on trails because its easy to hike fast and enjoy the scenery at the same time. When he gets off-trail he slows down to enjoy the "good stuff", and takes time to explore the nooks an crannies. Carrying a light pack enables him to rack up a lot of miles and elevation before he gets tired. Technical Answer—Backpacking is work. Physics defines work as moving an object in a vertical direction against a force. Work = force x distance. The force (upward) required to support a backpack against gravity is the weight. Distance is the vertical distance the object is moved. Units of work are normally foot-pounds. Specifically: Work (ft-lbs) = total weight (lbs) x vertical distance. (Unfortunately, physics does not provide an easy way to measure the force required to move a backpack in a horizontal direction, so we will ignore that component.) To keep things simple, we will compare the work of carrying a heavy pack versus a light pack by focusing on the vertical component only, i.e., elevation gain. In the mountains, it is not unusual to gain 3000' of elevation in a single day. Carrying a 50-pound pack 3000 vertical feet is 150,000 foot-pounds of work. In contrast, carrying a 15-pound pack 3000 vertical feet is 45,000 foot-pounds of work, i.e., less than one-third the effort. Obviously carrying a light pack is much less work. Realistically, when your pack weight drops to about 10-15% of body weight, pack weight becomes almost inconsequential and it becomes a matter of how far you care to walk in a day. Factors like boot weight also come into play. Carrying a light pack allows you to go to lighter boots. Taking one pound off of your feet is equivalent to taking 6.4 pounds off your back. So, although the equation gets complex, ultralight backpacking is plainly a lot less work than carrying a heavy pack the same distance. Its no wonder we feel less tired and have more energy at the end of a day on the trail! The issue is not if you will get tired, but when you will get tired and how tired you want to be at the end of a day of hiking. When you carry a light pack you can either (1) hike many more hours and miles in a day before you eventually get tired, or (2) hike a modest distance more easily and still have energy left at the end of the day. The choice is yours. Either way, carrying a light pack makes backpacking more satisfying and enjoyable. Our point is that going ultralight opens up a lot of possibilities. Everyone has a different style or different preferences. You can hike faster, longer, or simply have more energy to do extra things and enjoy backpacking more. For people with disabilities, like a bad back or joint problems, it enables them to continue enjoying the backcountry. Differences
Among Ultralight, Lightweight, and Conventional Backpacking
Ultralight backpacking is not for everyone. We find that many people are satisfied with the gear and techniques they have used for years, and see no need to change them. Other people are attached to their gadgets, and can't do without them. Still others need to be prepared for any possible need or contingency, so they carry everything they might need--just in case. The break-through comes when they are laboring under a heavy pack on a steep climb, and they are passed by some of us upstart "ultralighters". They finally have a revelation and ask "Why am I doing this?", and start thinking about how they can reduce weight. Probably the best approach is to "lighten up", and see how far you want to take it. For many people, going to the "lightweight" category feels right; they can reduce the burden, but still take some of their gadgets and comfort items along. Also, it's less expensive to "lighten up" rather than "convert" and purchase a new set of gear. If you don't do that much backpacking, it may not be worth the cost of new or more expensive equipment in order to save weight. Or... you can be an ultralight fanatic, like us, and do bizarre things like cut half the handle off your toothbrush. Warning: it's addictive! It's pretty darn nice to backpack and feel like you are on a day hike. The decision is yours. We suggest that you do lots of homework to educate yourself on all of the options, then choose what you feel most comfortable with. It all gets down to personal preference. You will end up with a system that meets your own personal needs and the kind of trips you want to do. |
||||||||||