Onestep's Ultralight Backpacking Resource HOME
HOME Section hiking the Appalachian Trail with a "10 pound pack"...
My base pack weight is 8.8 pounds.
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This includes the weight of all my gear except food, fuel, and water. The weight of these three items are variables dependent upon the length and duration of my trip. As each day passes, their weight decreases, while my "base pack weight" remains constant.
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Once I decided that I was going to reduce my pack weight, the first thing I needed to do was figure out how much weight I was actually carrying! To do this, I brought arm loads of gear to work and started weighing everything that I owned. I used the UPS scale in the warehouse, and the Postal scale in the front office, weighing each item to the 1/10th of an ounce. It was only then that I could start making decisions about what gear to take, and what items needed to be replaced with something lighter. Often I found I allready had lighter gear that I could be using, but didn't realize it! 
This is an application that Chris Ibbeson wrote to allow you to easily see the total weight of the backpacking gear you own and will be carrying in your pack. It allows you to enter descriptions and weights of your gear, then select various items to see their total overall weight, and weights by categories.I have found this to be a valuable tool to keep track of my gear weight. It makes it easy to evaluate various combinations of gear so that I can pack the lightest load possible.
You can download this free program, just like I did, from BackpackingGearWeight Calculator.
* September 2001: Version 4 released.
What follows is my current 3 season 8.8 lb gear list:
ITEM
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WEIGHT OZ
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GROUP TOTAL
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CLICK FOR MORE INFO
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WM UltraLite, 25 Degree down bag
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26.9
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Ridge Rest, 20" x 36"
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6.2
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Stuff Sack
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0.6
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33.7
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Silnylon Tarp, 8'x10'
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13.3
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Ground Cloth, 2 mil plastic
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2.6
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Triptease, 50'
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1.5
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Stakes, plastic, 8
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3.2
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Stuff Sack
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0.5
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21.1
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Chamois Shirt, Polartec
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12.6
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Wind Pants, Nylon
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6.4
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Wind Shirt, Nylon
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4.8
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Fleece Hat
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1.2
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Socks, Nylon, 2pr
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1.6
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Gloves, Polyester
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1.2
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Stuff Sack
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0.5
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28.3
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Pack, Homemade
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14.7
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14.7
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Alcohol Stove, Trangia
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3.5
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Wind Screen
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1.3
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Pot Stand
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0.4
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Fuel Bottle, plastic 1pt
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1.2
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1QT Aluminum Pot
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2.8
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Pot Gripper
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1.2
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Plastic Cup
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1.0
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Spoon, Lexan
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0.4
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Knife, Swiss Army Classic
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0.7
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Bic Lighter, small
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0.4
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Stuff Sack
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0.4
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13.3
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Umbrella, GoLite
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9.4
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Rain Hat, OR Sahale
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2.9
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12.3
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Misc (first aid, hygene, TP, etc)
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9.0
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9.0
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Gravity Filter, SWA
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4.6
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Brush, cleaning
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0.3
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1 Ltr Platypus
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0.9
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2.5 Ltr Platypus
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1.4
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7.2
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Pack Towel 11"X19"
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1.6
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1.6
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Flashlight, Photon II
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0.3
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0.3
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TOTAL OZ:
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141.5
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TOTAL POUNDS:
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8.8
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SLEEPING.....33.7 oz
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Sleeping accounts for the single heaviest group of gear that I carry.
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The sleeping bag I first used for Ultralight Backpacking was purchased years ago from L.L.Bean.
It was down filled, rated to 40 degrees, and weighed 38.9 oz. It served me well.
I planned on replacing this bag with hopes of reducing weight and increasing warmth.
Two bags I considered where the Ultralite, and Iroquois, from Western Mountaineering.
The UltraLite weighs 1lb, 12oz and is rated to 25 degrees.
The Iroquois weighs 1lb, 8oz and is rated to 38 degrees.
I purchased the UltraLite. I now have full 3 season warmth in a bag weighing less than 2 lbs!
I am so impressed with Western Mountaineering. They conservatively rate their sleeping bags for warmth, not just "survival", and their advertised weight was accurate! See "A Critical Review of the Western Mountaineering UltraLite" by Ryan Jordan for more information.
My sleeping pad is a full length Ridge Rest that I cut in half.
At 36" long it supports and insulates my shoulders and hips from the cold ground while offering a degree of comfort.
Under my legs and feet I sometime place clothing and / or my mostly empty pack for comfort and insulation. I find I sleep far more comfortably under my tarp on the soft forest floor than I do on hard lean-to floors.
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SHELTER.....21.1 oz
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I've owned a single wall department store tent, a bomb proof mountaineering tent, and others that fall somewhere in between.
Today I get the most ENJOYMENT from my TARP.
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In 1997 I backpacked the New Hampshire section of the Appalachian Trail carrying a lightweight single wall hoop tent that weighed 62.6oz complete.
That lightweight shelter is 2-1/2 times heavier than what I carry today!
I now use a silicone impregnated nylon tarp that I purchased from Campmor.
This is the same stuff that hot air balloons are made of. It's almost half the weight of a normal nylon tarp but still very strong.
To pitch the tarp I use Kelty Triptease line. It is very strong, doesn't stretch, and is made with reflective yarns for nighttime visibility, and 50' weights but 1oz.
To knot carry an item is the ultimate in weight reduction. I no longer use those guy line sliders to pull tent/tarp ropes tight. I've learned to tie a taught line hitch, and a clove hitch. Both weight absolutely nothing!!
One rainy day I spent time at L.L.Bean weighing stuff in their camping department. I found a big difference in the weight of tent stakes. A set of 8 ranged from 3.2oz to nearly a half pound! Be careful, that magic metal titanium is not always the lightest!
Right now I use a 2mil sheet of plastic for my ground cloth. Various alternatives exist which I will be looking into. Tyvek is light weight as is a Mylar emergency space blanket. I've also heard of people using 1mil plastic! Time will tell...
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CLOTHES.....27.3 oz
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This is an area where I saved a lot of weight. It has also been the most difficult area for me to do so. Here I had to come face to face with the great unknowns. The what-if's... what if it rains, snows, gets hot, or cold? What-if my clothes get wet, torn, smelly, dirty...
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To find my answer all I had to do was look back at my actual experiences, and the fact that while section hiking the AT, most of my time is spent HIKING, and not sitting around at "camp".
Once I became honest, open minded, and willing to try something new, the
what-if's disappeared.
I hike wearing a North Face tech-tee, and Columbia lightweight nylon sport shorts. I wear 1 pair of thin nylon socks and sneakers/trail runners. If I become chilled I put on my light weight nylon Zephyr wind shirt from L.L.Bean and my nylon wind pants (with lining removed) from K-Mart. It has to be REALLY COLD to hike with the micro-weight polartec chamois on. In addition, I put on and take off my balaclava and liner gloves as temperature dictates.
Once in camp for the night, IF I CHILL, I retire to my sleeping bag from where I continue to do whatever it is that I want to. This is really a small price to pay for Ultralight hiking comfort and mobility.
This system of clothes is really adaptable for me. The more I use it, the more amazed I become. Last October I hiked Mt Katahdin in a freezing rain. The trail above treeline was "closed" due to ice and snow. My niece was wearing a wicking base layer, and gore-tex over that. I was wearing my tech-tee, microfleece, and light weight wind shell. (had my umbrella too!)
The rain stopped an hour prior to us getting back to Katahdin Stream Campground for the evening. Upon our arrival I was "dry" and warm, and continued to wear my clothes for the rest of the evening. Laurel had to change because she was "soaked" and cold.
From My March 2000 Massachusetts AT hike:
I've been hiking without using the waist belt on my pack. I find I am able to ventilate to a degree never before possible..."Saturday morning there was ice in the waterbottles. I started out that day wearing my short sleeve TNF tech-tee, light weight polartech chamois shirt, Zephyr wind shirt, & fleece hat. As I warmed up while going uphill, it was a simple matter to first remove my hat, then open the chest zipper on my windshirt, undo a few top buttons on the chamois, THEN I had the absolute luxury of being able to uncinch the draw string "hem" of my Zephyr and allow cool air to flow unobstructed by a waist belt from the bottom of my loose fitting windshirt and chamois right up thru and out the chest zipper! As I cooled it was a simple matter of reversing the process. I hiked the remainder of the trip wearing my chamois without overheating and having to stop and remove layers and chill and stop and add layers and overheat... well you get the idea."
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PACK.....14.7 oz
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In 1976 I attempted a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. For that trip I purchased a Camp Trails Ponderosa external frame pack. At 3lb 12oz
I was concerned it was "heavy"...
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Today the pack of choice among AT thru-hikers would appear to be a certain Internal Frame Pack large enough to carry a winter time load of gear and weighing over 7lb's empty! How times have changed.
My first lightweight pack was an old L.L.Bean "Day and a Half" pack. It weights 1.6lb's and was "just" the right size for my ultralight style of backpacking. I would guess it to be around 2000 cubic inch capacity.
There are several packs available that are even lighter and have greater capacity!
I purchased a GVP-4 which weighs somewhere around 13 oz and holds 4400 cubic inches. This allows me to carry my sleeping bag inside the pack, and saved me another 3/4 pound or so!
To keep my gear dry I no longer use a rain cover for my pack. The one I used with my CampTrails pack weighed 6.2oz and wind driven rain always seemed to find it's way around / under / or thru it anyway. Today I use plastic garbage bags to keep my gear dry. Works well and saves me a quarter pound or so in weight!
Inspired by Ray Jardine, and Glen V Peski, I have made my own Ultralight backpack.
What follows are my e-mail posts to BackpackingLight briefly describing the pack:
05-04-00
I can't get the grin off my face!
Tonight I finished my pack and took her out for a spin. I loaded it up with 35 lbs and went for a 5 mile walk. I am soooooooo pleased with the results of my first real sewing project!!
The pack weights 14.7 oz untrimmed, and is constructed of 1.9oz coated ripstop nylon on the front and sides, and "pack cloth" (weight unknown) on the back, bottom, and 4" up the sides and front. The shoulder straps are padded and it has a waist belt. It also has three outside pockets, one each on the back and sides, made from "fiberglass window screen". (wanted something more durable than no-see-um netting).
Total calculated capacity is 3874 c.i. (4391 with extension collar)
Total cost of materials, "just under $18.00".
This will replace my LLBean day and a Half Pack (25.6oz). I gain around 2000c.i. and lose 12 oz!
My base pack weight just went under 10 pounds. AHHHHhhhhhhhh......... :)
Onestep
Onestep's Ultralight Backpacking Resource
http://onestep4me.tripod.com
and
05-05-99
Ryan / Don,
There is no pattern for my pack per say... it's a mixture of the pack Jardine illustrates in his books, and the G3/4 from GVP.
I followed Jardines design for the pack and shoulder straps from pages 480 thru 482 in his latest book. The dimensions are roughly the same at 11.5" wide, 9" deep, 22" tall, with a 12" extension collar. Being a 'newbie' at sewing, all pieces that make up the pack are straight cut. I did not want to bother with rounded bottoms or tapered sides for the sake of simplicity. I also allowed myself a fairly wide 'seam allowance' of 1/2 inch to again simplify stitching (plenty of room to triple stitch).
I borrowed from Glen's GVP the upper and lower shoulder strap attachment methods as shown in the Lightweight Backpackers "make your own gear" section (the 4400 cu. in. backpack). I also sized, and attached, my three outside pockets as per his methods. Simple/functional/strong.
The only original idea of mine was the choice of fiberglass screening for use as mesh pockets!
As far as weight goes, I did not carefully choose my materials, but rather, just purchased what I could find locally. This pack could easily weight a few ounces less had I been patient and ordered lighter materials. (the straps I used are really overkill , ie heavy). Still, 14.7 oz is o.k. in my ultralight book.
The pack carries weight well do to rather thick shoulder strap padding (thanks to my winter Ridge Rest for the donation), a two inch wide waistbelt that I'm used to, and the simple but effective method of rolling up my sleeping pad/ inserting it into the pack/ and unrolling it into a tube into which I place my gear.
I do not own a digital camera, and I am heading off to Acadia National Park tomorrow, but when I get back I do want to find a way to post some pic's of the pack. It is a simple, functional, well designed pack. I encourage all who have a desire to make their own gear to... Just do it. One stitch at a time.
Onestep's Ultralight Backpacking Resource
http://onestep4me.tripod.com
Well there ya go... I hope to have pic's posted soon, along with some measured drawings.
The total cost of this pack, including buying a sewing machine at the local Wal-Mart, is less than $120.00
Prior to making this pack, my sewing experience consisted of 1 ditty bag, and a stuff sack!
If I can do this, 'anyone' can.
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COOKING.....13.3 oz
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The first book I read about the AT was Ed Garvey's Appalachian Hiker, adventure of a lifetime. That book fueled a fire that burns inside of me to this day. In it he describes using wood cooking fires during the first 700 miles of his hike...
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RAIN.....12.3 oz
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You know the feeling, you've been slogging away all morning hiking in the rain when suddenly you spot that perfect overhanging branch to take a break under. Ahhhhhhh to be out of the rain for a moment!
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MISC.....9 oz
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You know that kitchen drawer at home where all sorts of stuff tends to migrate to... you know, the junk drawer...
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That is the way my miscellaneous items can accumulate if I don't be careful and keep things in check. What follows is what I take with me in a one gallon zip lock bag:
This list, like everything else on this web site, is not to be considered a recommendation. This is just what I take. Each person need to find his / her own safety / comfort level.
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camp soapWATER.....7.2 oz
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My thru-hike in 1976 ended in Waynesboro, VA as a result of drinking bad water along the trail. I don't ever remember treating or filtering water back then. I'm not sure if Giardia had been 'invented' yet...
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I replaced my Sweetwater filter with Potable Aqua iodine tablets and saved
11 oz in weight. I now use a homemade Gravity filter which has added 2.4 oz back to my packweight.
My hiking style is to carry a minimum amount of water with me. Whenever possible I tend to follow the supersaturate style of drinking. Each morning before I break camp I drink 1 qt of water in addition to any used for breakfast. Again at my midday lunch stop I filter and drink another full quart. This I repeat again during the evening at camp. In between these drinking binges I filter and drink water as I come to it. I only carry water if I'm on a 'dry' streatch of trail, and then only enough to get me to the next water source.
This system works for me.
I saved a lot of weight by using empty soda bottles in place of my Nalgene water bottles. I have since taken this a step further by now using only Platypus containers. An example, a 1 ltr soda bottle weighs 1.7 oz Vs a 1 ltr platypus at 0.9 oz. As an added benefit, an empty platypus is flat. Takes up less space in an otherwise small pack.
I am now using a homemade Gravity Water filter. This set-up uses an inline water filter from Safewater Anywhere. This filter is typically used inline with a water bladder but I use it suspended between a 2.5 ltr platypus that holds "untreated water" and a 1 ltr platypus that receives the "filtered" drinking water.
*06-20-2003: As far as I know, Safewater Anywherer is no longer in business. Many people are now using an inline filter from Seychelle. Check out the reviews of this filter at BackpackGear Test.
Here is the breakdown in expense (Jan 2000), and weight, of my homemade
in-line Gravity filter system:
Total cost of set-up $37.80.....weight 6.9 oz, complete for "filter" and "water bottles". (Tubing came from my sweetwater handpump)
Regardless if I use my Sweetwater pump (13.1 oz), or iodine & neutralizer (2.2 oz), I still use both Platy's so the
actual weight of my 'gravity' filter is 4.6 oz and cost is $27.90
I found it takes 1-1/2 min to filter 1 liter of water. As an added bonus, I can also drink from the system directly just like a Hydration Unit...
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LIGHT.....0.3 oz
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I use to carry a Solitaire Mag-Light as my only source of light. It weighs 0.9 oz.
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The Solitarie flashlight uses a single AAA size battery which provides enough light to do my around camp chores at night. I have not tried to night hike with it, but it does get me to and from the outhouse at night if needed.
There is a promising new technology available for an even lighter, brighter, and longer lasting flashlight. That is the LED (light emitting diode) flashlight.
I now use the Photon II LED micro-light. It weighs 0.25 oz and throws a very bright light. Much brighter than the Solitaire Mag-Light that it replaced.
If you plan on night hiking, you may want to carry a more substantial light source. I prefer not to. If I find myself short of my anticipated camp site as darkness arrives, I just stop and "stealth" camp for the evening.
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BOOTS.....
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In the fall of 1998 I took my last extended "traditional" backpacking trip. This was the last time I wore my Heavy All Leather hiking boots. You know the ones... they are next to ski-boots in stiffness and will protect your ankles while carrying an 80 lb pack...
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Today I hike in sneakers!... Well actually trail running shoes.
My first pair was made by Nike . They have over 400 backpacking trail miles on them and have stood up better than I thought they would considering the Rocks/Roots/&eRosion typical of New England trails.
After the umbrella (or maybe tied with it), backpacking with sneakers was high on my skepticism list. At first I just did day hikes with them, no weight on my back. As I gained confidence that I wasn't going to break my ankles, I started to carry more and more weight on my week end day-hikes, (training hikes). Before long I had hiked to the summits of Katahdin and Washington in them carrying double the weight than I planned on carrying while ultralight backpacking.
I found the key that allows these trail sneakers to work properly is Heel Stiffness (support). A sneaker with a stiff heel area will keep your foot centered over the sole preventing your foot from rolling over.
My traditional all leather heavy duty boots weigh almost 4 lbs. per pair.
My trail runners, 1.5 lbs.
What an incredible freedom... this alone adds more miles to my day with less effort than any other single thing I have done.
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I've allways been bothered by blisters.
Even after reducing my base pack weight to less than 10 pounds I would get them. Jeezzzzz, ya'd think with less than 20 pounds total pack weight I'd be off the hook. Nawwwww...
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On my Sept. 2000 AT section hike I decided to try something different. Blister prevention. I know... I tried duct tape prior to the start of a hike... but this time I had a different plan.
During the first 8 days of my hike I averaged 19.75 miles a day. EVERY hour, I would take a 10 min break and sit down to remove all weight from my feet to allow them to rest. I also removed my sneakers and socks to allow my bare feet to 'air out'. I did this 10 to 12 times a day! Then at night in camp I would remove my sneakers and socks, once again, and go barefoot the rest of the night, making sure to wash my feet prior to crawling into the sleeping bag. The net result, only 3 small blisters formed and none of them required any care on my part. Absolutly amazing!! Last year in Vermont on a trip of similar length and pace I was plagued with blisters. Not this time.
The other thing I did different was to wear only one pair of socks. These where thin nylon socks. I wore one pair, and carried two additional. Each day I would change to a 'fresh' pair of socks, while washing out the previous days pair and hanging them from my pack to dry. One pair on my feet, one pair drying on the pack, and a third waiting to be worn the next day. AHHHHhhhhhhhhh my feet never had it so good on a long hike!
(by the way, three pair of thin nylon socks weigh less than a single pair of 'light' weight Thorlo's...)
In addition to thin nylon (Wrangler Hero) socks, I have tried polypro liners, and polypro/silver thread (X-Static), socks. My favorites are the thin nylon dress socks. They are inexpensive, dry quickly, and with daily 'washing' remain stink free. I questioned their durability upon first inspection but have found them to be acceptable.
I've also experimented with wearing one, vs two, pair of socks. I have settled on wearing one pair finding my feet seem to stay cooler and they dry quicker than when wearing 2 pair.
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