Ultralight Backpackin' Tips by Clelland, Mike -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Copyright Contents Acknowledgments The Manifesto

1. Get a scale 2. Comfortable and safe are vital! 3. Scrutinize everything! 4. Make your own stuff, and making it out of trash is always best! 5. It’s okay to be nerdy 6. Try something new every time you go camping 7. Simply take less stuff! 8. Know the difference between wants and needs 9. Cut stuff off your gear 10. Document your gear

Basic Starting Points

11. Know the lingo 12. THE MODEL TRIP, our example expedition 13. Get Lighten Up! by Don Ladigin 14. Don’t expect specific gear recommendations 15. Most of the pack weight is in a few items 16. Never say, “It’s only a couple of ounces” 17. Never EVER guess the weight of something 18. Create a spreadsheet 19. Some items weigh zero! 20. There’s no such thing as “just in case” 21. Think in systems 22. Learn to sew 23. Teammates help lighten the load

The All-important Mind-set

24. The human factor 25. Appreciate the wilderness 26. Take care of your equipment 27. Don’t lose anything! 28. Define success 29. Learn from your mistakes 30. Is going ultralight more expensive? 31. What does in camp really mean? 32. Be present on the trail (a simple exercise) 33. Ditch the watch, wallet, money, cell phone, iPod, and car keys! 34. It’s okay to stink! 35. Make a friend of the night 36. Sew your headlamp right onto your hat 37. Mosquitoes and karma 38. Take a little test trip 39. Break the 5-pound base weight: going SUL (Ryan Jordan) 40. Cross the line—go out too light 41. Have a GO-box ready 42. An overnighter doesn’t have to be perfect 43. Share your UL skills with friends 44. Practice Leave No Trace (LNT) camping 45. Pick up other people’s trash

Decision Making

46. Simplify decision making with the UL pack 47. How to make decisions in teams

Gear

48. Down vs. synthetic 49. Upper-body clothing 50. Lower-body clothing 51. The humble bandana 52. I went camping with no stuff sacks! 53. What! No knife? 54. Make your own toothpaste dots 55. Prepare a simple first-aid kit 56. Carry a simple repair kit 57. Trim your maps 58. Multitask with the mosquito head net 59. Collect cute little bottles 60. Select your luxury item

Comprehensive Gear List

61. Everything you might ever need

Backpack Tips

62. The backpack as a foundation 63. Packing the backpack 64. Pack up with a buddy

Travel Techniques

65. Choose bold routes 66. Trekking poles (Glen Van Peski) 67. Find your traveling speed 68. Start hikin’ early! 69. Quit hikin’ late! 70. Eat dinner on the trail 71. Eat breakfast on the trail 72. Napping is a skill 73. Hike a 20-mile day 74. Take a break! 75. The art of off-trail travel 76. Scrambling is much easier with a dinky pack 77. Traveling on snow as a skill 78. No car shuttle? Use your thumb!

Feet

79. Wear lightweight hiking shoes 80. Lace ’em nice ’n’ loose 81. Do you need gaiters? 82. Prevent blisters before you need to treat ’em 83. Thwart blisters with Hydropel 84. Upgrade your foot beds 85. How many socks? 86. Sleeping socks 87. It’s okay to have wet feet! 88. Wear neoprene socks for soggy hiking 89. Plastic bags on your feet in wet conditions

Camping Tips

90. The joys of the tarp & bivy combo 91. Staking out your tarp 92. Stealth camping as a skill

Sleeping as a Skill

93. Find the ideal sleeping spot 94. Employ the LATS technique of weather prediction 95. It’s okay to sleep under the stars 96. Sleeping bags, quilts, & bivy sacks—what’s the difference? 97. The essential sleeping pad 98. Sleep warm with minimal gear 99. Wear it all to bed 100. The humble pillow

Water

101. How much water should be on your back? 102. What’s the lightest tool for carrying water? 103. Filling a water bottle 104. Add electrolytes when you need ’em 105. Should you drink untreated water? 106. How I use Aquamira

Soggy Conditions

107. Don’t stop hiking just because it’s raining 108. Waterproof your gear 109. How to dry wet socks 110. Rain skirts: the functional fashion statement

Desert Travel

111. Desert travel skills 112. Make the most of desert water sources

Bears

113. Camping in bear country 114. Hang your food at night 115. Keep the bear spray handy

Pooping in the Wilderness

116. Liberate yourself from toilet paper 117. Clean your butt!

Stoves

118. Stoves and cooking—keep it light! 119. What size pot do you need? 120. Make your own alcohol stove 121. Calculate your alcohol fuel needs 122. Minimize your stove’s impact 123. The humble Esbit tab 124. Woodburning stoves mean no fuel weight 125. The tried & true mini-BIC 126. Advanced lighting techniques 127. Carry a redundant fire starter 128. Kitchen cleanup

Coffee

129. Turkish and cowboy coffee 130. Enjoy coffee on the trail

Food

131. You CAN eat well in the backcountry 132. Three initial steps to food planning 133. How much food do you need per day? 134. Food weights and glossary 135. Create a food spreadsheet 136. Determine the number of days 137. Snacks vs. meals 138. How many calories do you need? 139. Factors that increase the need for food 140. Trip duration influences food needs 141. Stuff adds up over time 142. Balance your food items 143. Bag it all up 144. Go stove free! 145. What if you run out of food? 146. Make an insulating cozy

Recipes

147. Groovy-biotic recipes 148. Dinners 149. The magic of instant mashed potatoes 150. Sauces 151. Breakfasts 152. Snacks

Final Thoughts

Suggested reading Resources About the Author