The gear is absolutely more expensive, from the pack to tent/hammock to stove to everything else.
It's a never ending game of compromise and expense.
this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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Overnight backcountry backpacking/hiking in the spirit of taking less and doing more. Ask yourself: do I really need that?
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It depends how you do it. Ultralight gear is definitely more expensive because the designers use more expensive materials and really sweat the details. It's also a lower-volume niche market than traditional camping/hiking gear.
Though you can also lighten up by just carrying less. This grandma thru-hiked the AT multiple times with little more than a shower curtain, blanket, bag of food, and sneakers.
Generally, yes, often an order of magnitude more expensive. A 4 pound tent you can probably get for a few bucks at a yard sale, but a 1 pound tent is probably $500. Walmart probably has 4-5 pound backpacks for $50, but a 1 pound backpack is going to be like $200-300.
That being said, a lot of it is mentality. Carrying lighter food, not carrying too much water, not bringing extra clothes.
Also, it's totally possible to make your own ultralight gear for a big discount. I got into sewing and have made several decent 1.8 pound 50L packs for only about $80 a pop. Check out https://learnmyog.com/
I think it depends on the choices you make. For each expensive option there is usually a decent cheap option. Most people associate ultralight with over-engineered DCF and carbon fiber tents that cost $1000, but a sub-$100 tarp can work as well.
OTOH a Harbor Freight vinyl tarp is about $5 but will add several ounces vs a silnylon tarp.
I’d say gear is more expensive, often much more expensive. But UL often means less gear, so I guess that should be considered too. What I means is that you don’t need to buy a whole Triangia kitchen - just a burner, you don’t need a whole wardrobe of clothes - just the bare essential, etc.
For me ultralight became a compromise of cost and enjoyment. I have a pretty small frame a slight shoulder injury. A lighter pack isnt as painful and much easier for me to balance. My first trip I had over 1/3 of my body weight on my back and that certainly took its toll and took away from the experience I wanted.
As much as ultralight gear is expensive, I do find its quality to be pretty good. Taking care of your ultralight equipment will often lead to a lifetime of service.
Agreed, and glad to hear ultralight helped you enjoy your trips more. What resources did you find helpful in lightening up?
I lurked the ultralight subreddit to help me with mindset and brands to look for. My first trip i had like 2 or 3 knives, a saw and a hatchet but didnt even have a fire. My best resource was buying my own scale and weighing all my gear and putting it into a spreadsheet. Then i could plan trips and get a good idea for weight just using the spread sheet to add up my estimated weight.
Yes, I would say it generally costs more. But it doesn't have to.
For example, ultralight tents are expensive, so I embraced tarp life. My tarp and bivy are lighter than most UL tents and cost hundreds of dollars less.
My individual pieces of clothing cost more, but adopting an ultralight approach means I don't carry needless extras, so I don't buy as many clothes in the first place.
UL stoves can cost a lot, but the BRS stove or an alcohol stove are cheap and weigh less. Eating cold food is even lighter.
You get the idea. It costs exactly what you spend on it. It can be done affordabley if you are strict about what you are carrying and strategic with purchases. Leaving unneeded items at home will have a bigger impact on your base weight than any $700 tent.
well said. got a lighterpack handy? :)
I did at one point. Let me see if I can track it down. Fair warning, part of my UL motivation is saving weight for luxuries like a kindle and deodorant.
We had a baby in March so I haven't been on a trip since last fall. Hoping to do a few more sections of the MST this September.
Edit: I found my old lighterpack account, but the most recent packing list is from a few years ago. I should probably be responsible and make one for current trips. I'll send you another reply in a day or two with an update.
In the meantime here's my lighter pack from a lightweight hammock trip.. I've since decided I prefer the ground and switched to a quilt, pad, tarp, and bivy. I traded the pocket rocket for an alcohol stove (safe over here in the super damp southern US). I also cut some unnecessary weight from the FAC, cooking tools, ditty bag, etc.
This one is a good start, I'd be interested in seeing the updated one. I'm best in the northeastern US and have considered learning hammocking but am somewhat intimidated. Any good resources you know on getting started?
I found a lot of good resources on the UL hammocking subreddit. It can be a little tough to sort through because a lot of hamockers are not focused on weight.
I would avoid the "cloud" material I bought from dutchware. Mine never broke, but a lot of others have. They revised the weight limit downwards after I had bought mine, and now I don't trust it. If I could make that choice again I would choose the next level of durability.
You can get a hammock set up to be pretty light, but no matter what you do it will be heavier than an equivalent investment in ground equipment. After trying it for a while I decided I wasn't really sleeping any better, so I might as well get back on the ground and be lighter. My wife is still team hammock though.
I will say that nothing beats a hammock in the rain. The ground is so wet and cold, but the hammock is cozy.
Thanks for the response, some food for thought. I'm a bit worried about all the complexity needed to get it just right and then, yeah, maybe it doesn't work as well. It seems ideal for the woods but maybe not worth it. I'll have to think some more, thanks!
I still owe you a lighterpack and I've been slow about getting around to it. I pulled out all my stuff in preparation for an upcoming trip and weighed it.
It's not down to ultralight weights, but it's not far off if you drop the luxury items and some extra clothes. I'm debating switching to a smaller pack. I've carried all this same kit in a Cotopaxi 20L climbing pack that weighs about 10 oz less. The gorilla is more comfortable though, especially if it's dry and I have to carry more water.
Here's the WIP on the current pack. https://lighterpack.com/r/7okvil
Edit: Here's a version without the unnecessary extras. It comes in at just over 9lbs base weight. Depending on the weather I would need to switch back to a real rain jacket. This is what I carried on a 3 day skateboard trip last year. https://lighterpack.com/r/j7iwjy
both are great kits. i like the 3-day skateboard kit the best :) how do you like the Yama tarp? i’ve considered getting one from them and now they don’t make them anymore, think i missed my chance. how’s your sleeping pad, looks like a cheapo inflatable? anything you didn’t use on your trip? love the idea of a trip by skateboard, i’m a fan of all human-powered travel — where’d you go and where are you headed next?
I really like the Yama tarp. I'm pretty sure I bought the last one they had because it switched to "out of stock" after I placed my order last year. I had been considering Borah Gear for a long time, but when push came to shove the lead time was too long.
I haven't had any heavy rain with the Yama, but I did use it in some bad ass winds last fall. It required 12 stakes and tying the ridgeline to trees instead of my poles, but it held up. I've had similar winds flatten tents so I was worried about a tear. I've also used it as a sun shade on the beach and it stood up to strong winds there as well.
The sleeping pad is fine. It was very cheap and has no insulation. Not a good pick for cold weather. My body doesn't handle foam pads as well as it used to so I wanted to try an inflatable. I'll use this until it breaks or I plan a trip in the cold. I cut it short and sealed it with an iron to save weight. It is similar to the cheap uninsulated Klymit pads. I've got somewhere between 10 and 15 nights on it and I'm officially sold on inflatables over foam.
Last year I started section hiking the MST. I did section 9 and 10. Section 9 includes about 45 miles of road hiking, and I used a skateboard for as much of that as I could. Section 10 is all on trail so I ditched the board and used the larger pack so I could carry more food.
On that trip I used everything on the list except for the sunscreen. I could carry less pocket knife but I like the stubby little morakniv. I use their larger knives in my normal life and they can really take a beating. I also didn't use most of the first aid kit, but there's nothing in there I would leave at home.
Using the little 20 liter pack has me GASing for something ultralight and about 30L in size. That would give me all the space I need with enough room to swap to different rain gear and sleeping bags as weather requires.
I forgot to mention what's next. I've got a weekend loop at Mt Rogers in VA planned for next month. I'm also trying to take down another MST section, but I might have to settle for biking or skating a road heavy section due to time constraints.