Ultralight Luxury Backpacking? 3 words that shouldn't go together but... they do.
A case for Lightweight Luxury backpacking, even on a budget with the Gossamer
Gear Mariposa
Take less, do more, with style, comfort and ease. That is
what I’ve found ultralight techniques and gear can do. Make for a more enjoyable,
and I dare say, luxurious, experience on the trail. Luxurious!?! In ultralight?!? Allow me to
explain as I share some reflections after stumbling across the trail of the
ultralight community. But please be advised, ultralight backpacking by it's very nature requires a cautious approach and an experienced backpacker to be safe. The inherent risks are many and ultralight gear requires a level of care and handling that goes beyond that of regular gear. Advance into it at a cautious pace and do not put yourself at unnecessary risk.
I’ve always hiked. Grew up with it and have continued most of my life.
However, I slacked a bit for a while as life got busy in my 30’s. Didn’t get
the kids out as much as I could have. I’m sure some of you can relate. There
was just always something in the way. Fed up, I began anew. The mental
obstacles were easy to overcome; it was the physical ones that needed some
tweaking. The old school gear just has its limitations. Asking an 10 year old
to carry everything she needed for a weekend up and down desert canyons in the
Arizona heat, seemed a bit much, especially if you want it to be a positive
experience. And guess where all the stuff she couldn’t carry went? Yep, that’s
why we’re called “dad”.
So there I was a couple of years ago with my old school pack and gear (about 60
lbs.), two youngsters at my heels, looking at a six mile hike, thinking,
‘there’s got to be a better way’. And right after that hike is when I went online to see if there was lighter gear I might be able to
afford. Low and behold, like everything else on the internet, there was an
entire world of nuts out there who were blogging and chatting on forums about
lightweight toothbrushes, base weights and alcohol stoves. They had built an
entire industry along-side the existing camping world. A bunch of weirdo,
sub-culture fanatics who count in grams and have discussions about lightweight
gear at length and in detail far beyond that of any rational person.
Just my kind of people.
In truth, I’ve always been a gear nut. We didn’t call it
‘ultralight’ back in the 70’s when I was figuring out what could be a
multi-use gear choice that would allow me to ditch two other items. My brothers
and I just thought it was practical. And leaving luxury items at home was just
an excuse to use our ‘bush craft’ more (another term we never heard of back
then). Trimming existing gear down to the bare bones was just a way to ensure
my big brothers wouldn’t take it because I had, “Messed it all up”. And who
needs all those straps, hooks and tabs anyway? In the 80’s when I was doing
weeks at a time in the woods or months in Europe on a one man tour, light
weight was just a necessity. I have always fiddled with my gear. So, when I
found the UL crowd, it was kind of like meeting another branch of my
dysfunctional family tree for the first time, if ya know what I mean. (Maybe,
‘overly-functional’ is a better term). But enough backstory.
What does UL mean to somebody like me? Somebody a bit older,
that treated their body like they were going to get a new one at some point and
wants to hike and camp in comfort? It means you can.
YOU CAN go farther, faster and with more ease. And that last
bit becomes pretty important as you rack up the mileage in life. The ease of
hiking with less weight on your back means you are feeling better the whole way
and that bum knee or whatever isn’t such a bummer anymore.
YOU CAN take with you those extra items that make for a more
enjoyable experience. That camp stool to make cooking a lot more comfortable
(see above pic) or that little survival hatchet you love for splitting logs or that
nice little kite because, well, why not? Once embracing a good set of UL
techniques you’ll quickly find you’ve lightened up your pack in so many other
areas that you have weight (and space) to spare for some of those extra
“luxury” items if you are so inclined.
YOU CAN, maybe most importantly, do this without compromising
safety or comfort. And what’s really important is, having an enjoyable safe
time.
Now, right off the bat I knew full well I was never going to
have a 12 lb. load. I live and hike mostly in the Arizona desert. 12 lbs. is
what my water weighs for a weekender. In addition, most of the time I take
people out who have never backpacked and I want them to have fun and enjoy some
little “extras” that are always nice on the trail or in camp. And really, when
it comes down to it, I like having stuff with me. I mean, what’s Batman without
his utility belt? I realize this is not really the main objective of
“ultralight’ principles but, that, is my point.
(As a side note; you have to take it with a grain of salt
when you read these forums and blogs of UL packers carrying a dot of dried
toothpaste, a thimble, a strip of duct tape and 2 oz. of water in their 1 ½ lb.
total weight pack, planning their trip from watering hole to watering hole
along the suchandsuch trail. That doesn’t happen where I live. I commend them,
even envy them in some ways but I’m not cooking in a thimble and sleeping on a
piece of duct tape. I did that when I had a lot less mileage on me.)
I’m talking about using ultralight techniques and gear to
facilitate ease and a more comfortable camp experience than you can get with
old-school gear of equal weight. After some fun tinkering with my gear I now
hover right around 30 lbs. and I find that that is the sweet spot for me. I
carry stuff no UL packer would dream of carrying and I acknowledge that. But it
works for me and that is a healthy approach to everything; learn from what
others do and modify it to fit your own needs. Of course, the lure is to just
buy the best UL item and I’ve given in to that at times. Drastically lightening
your pack weight isn’t the easiest thing to do on a budget, but it can be done.
In fact, it can be fun. If you get creative and search a little more with a UL
mentality (some might call it, ‘psychoses’), you can do it, even on a
budget. You may want to make some key purchases to drop some big pounds to get
started. For me this meant a Gossamer Gear Mariposa backpack and eventually a
Six Moons Gatewood Cape poncho/shelter. But after that, the rest of the stuff,
for the most part, I’ve found on the cheap; making it, modifying it or finding
less expensive alternatives online or at Wally World, eBay or thrift stores and
modifying those.
Here are some examples of inexpensive lightweight
alternatives for gear.
- ·
World Famous Sports 40 degree sleeping bag.
Purchased for $29. 1.3 lb. after taking the string out and excess unneeded
tabs. It packs to the size of a Nalgene. Not going to work for winter but
again, I’m in the Sonoran desert. I rarely even zip it up. My old school 20
degree bag weighs in at 3.4 lbs. so I may want to change that out for cold
weather at some point.
- ·
Tyvek bathtub ground cloth. Its about 9 oz. We
call it, the coffin. I Purchased the Tyvek on eBay for about $19 then got a
roll of Tyvek tape at Home Depot for $7 and added a little elbow grease. It
fits in my Gatewood Cape perfectly and shock cord loops attach to the Cape’s
stakes. Oh yeah, add about $1.50 of shock cord.
Note coffin shape and pole kicked out to sleep two
Bathtub "coffin" groundcloth in Gatewood Cape
|
- ·
Stool. Ya’ know, to sit on. Everything I saw out
there was too heavy, too short or too expensive. I thought the Grand Trunk
micro stool looked nice but it looked a little short and was a bit pricey at
over $30. (if you think that’s being too freaked out about price you’re not
raising kids) I found a small similar stool on eBay for $11 (fold up but not
collapsible). I just unscrewed the thing, pulled the top tubes out and put the
screws back in. Then just replace the tubes and, viola! Just over 10 oz. (same
as the Grand Trunk) and it’s almost twice as tall because the upper tubes are
now resting on the screws in the legs. It even collapses down to a U-shape for
packing. Great for star-gazing. Here; http://www.ebay.com/itm/131169766531?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
There is something fulfilling about modifying and making
gear, testing it and knowing you’ve created something functional for an
adventure. Granted, some of these, like the tent, are not the quality of your
nice $400 ones on the market, but they work and work very well in some cases.
And you’re spending a fraction of the cost of the big name items. Of course you
want to assess your particular needs; climate, terrain, duration of trip, weather,
fellow campers you have along, etc. But for weekenders with the kids or
whatever, wow. But BEWARE; it is very easy to get carried away and start
thinking about every gram of everything you see, every day and how it could be
multifunctional or modified. Believe me, that rabbit hole is pretty deep and
there are lots of shiny things out there to distract you. But ultralight
doesn’t have to mean ultra-expensive. Get creative, watch some YouTube videos
to get ideas and have fun lightening up your load.
I just got back from a trip up the West Fork of the Gila
River in New Mexico and the new Tyvek coffin ground cloth I made worked like a
charm for the Cape. Back yard testing was crucial and paid off. The stools (did
another one for my girlfriend) were a great addition to camp and held up
wonderfully. Next I’ll be taking one of my kids and a couple of his pals up to
canyon country by four corners. We’ll test out some UL gear I’ve been helping
him with for his set up.
 |
| Mariposa at 30.5 lb. w/ essentials and crazy stuff |
As of this writing I’m at a 30–32 lb. pack. That’s a 19 lb. base
weight plus 4 or 5 Liters of water and food and fuel for a two nighter. And
that’s with
all the essentials
plus things like the
aforementioned stool, a monocular, water shoes, a hatchet/trowel, solar
charger, Luminaid solar camp light, large first aid kit, fishing gear,
libations and yes, a kite. I’ve played around with a 17 lb. total weight
version of gear for solo trips that I will be trying, just to see what all the
fuss is about. But there is no looking back fondly at any ‘good ol’ days of a
50+ lb. pack. The GG Mariposa is holding up great, even maxed out sometimes at
35+ lbs. and I love that it has a familiar design to some of the old school
packs, just way more efficient. It has enough room to carry more than enough
gear and combines lightweight with accessibility and comfort that is unmatched.
Plenty of loop anchor points for shock-cord lashing to customize the way you
carry your gear. Shoulder straps and hip belt that support it for a comfortable
ride. Even load lifters should you need them, rare in UL packs. The attention to
detail Gossamer Gear has given to the design makes for a quality rugged pack in
the world of UL gear. When I was doing my research for a UL pack, a service
person who seemed to know his stuff at the local Recreational Equipment store
mentioned how “Gossamer Gear packs are light but just aren’t that tough” and
steered me towards others. I looked at those but ended up purchasing the
Mariposa and I am very glad I did. I think he hadn’t seen a GG pack in a long
time maybe and was basing his advice on outdated knowledge. Maybe their old
packs weren’t as tough, I don’t know. I find it more than tough.
I’m happy and hiking light with a bunch of gear in my
‘posa’. It may not be “Ultralight”, but it’s way confortable and when I make
camp it’s an awesome camp. Now I just gotta get me one of those cool looking
Airbeam Sleepers XL because it looks a lot more comfy than the damn CCF pad
that isn’t enjoyable anymore and is taking up way too much room in my pack
anyway. I guess that’s the next purchase. But it will add 5 oz.!!!! OH NOOOOOO…
See what I mean? Every gram.
Hotshot Johnny Mincks
Trail Ambassador to the stars
P.S. Oh, yeah, BTW. The Gatewood Cape CAN sleep two IF, you
add 2 or 3 inches to the pole, kick it out a bit, stake it and like the person
you’re with. It’s tight but that makes it more fun. ; ) I’ve since found a
person I like and she likes backpacking. Cheers.
--
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I am not a ultralight backpacker but I use UL gear to help
make for a more luxurious experience on the trail. For the last couple years I
have been working hard at lightening my pack and my sleep system has needed
some serious attention. I have used CCF pads for well over 30 years of
backpacking, mainly because they are inexpensive, bomb-proof, lightweight and I
always felt able to endure the nights on them with no problem. I recently
started backpacking again, after not getting out much for a while, and found
that having more mileage on me now made the nights harder than I remembered.
CCF was just not cutting it in the comfort department. It was obvious, I needed
an air pad. I preface my review with this so you know I am NOT an expert on air
pads. This is the opinion of somebody who is moving from closed cell foam to
air.
I have to admit, I was looking at the Gossamer Gear Air Beam
Sleeper XL the whole time I did this research because I had purchased the
Mariposa Backpack from GG and have been extremely pleased with its quality,
design and performance. My search for an air pad started just a little after GG
came out with the Air Beam and there were not many reviews on them I could find
but the ones there were strengthened the argument for them. But I kept looking,
all the while having nights that were never really comfortable enough. Then… I finally
made the leap.
My girlfriend and I ordered 2 of the Air Beams in XL and L.
When they came I thought that GG had made a mistake and only sent one because
the box was so small. The pads are about the size of a coke can when rolled up
in the included sack, taking up about a sixth of the space my old CCF pad did. They
are easy to blow up and extremely comfortable. We just spent a night on them
and the difference is amazing. Before these, it always felt as if I was
enduring the night, but now, I can honestly say, it is enjoyable. Truly, I feel
like I could practically live on this pad. I never felt as if I would roll off
and the pad is quiet as it keeps your shoulders and hips well of the ground
even rolling around. The length is more than enough (I’m 5’10”) and I woke
feeling great. No owies, stiff neck or lower back problem at all. I cannot say
enough good things about them. My girlfriend was skeptical about what a
difference an air pad would make but woke with the same conclusion as I had
come to. Why didn’t we try this before? The quality is what I expected from GG,
excellent. We tie these together with the attached tabs on the sides and that way there is no slippage during the night. Time will tell how tough they are but I am ready to take a little
extra care with my pad when it is offering such an incredible benefit to my
outdoor experience. A thin 0.5mm CCF pad with aluminum insulating on one side
cut down to 35 in. placed under the torso will help for insulation from hot or
cold ground when needed. I carry this as a multi-use item anyway (sitting on the
trail, a mat for cooking area or changing wet clothe, etc.) so it’s nice to
have another use for it.
