Ultralight Hike
Since thoughts in the Bushcraft/survival/trekking forums among users increasingly revolve around ultralight gear, I wanted to explain some of the UL approaches and share some basic knowledge I have learned over the past few years. Swapping your existing gear for lighter alternatives does not necessarily have to be the expensive route. There are cheaper and more sensible ways to reach the goal.
One thing upfront: it is not the gear that makes UL (otherwise there would not be so much junk that has UL in its name but has nothing to do with UL), but rather the critical questioning of your own habits. Changing habits is much more tedious and difficult than the search for new gear.
What the hell do habits have to do with pack weight?!
Humans are and remain creatures of habit. I have always done it this way, so it has proven itself and I will do it the same way in the future. Thus, very few people have ever thought about everything they haul along on multi-day trips. The complete Trangia 25 set — after all, it was also good for a family holiday with 3 people, so it should be perfect for me too, right?! The winter sleeping bag keeps me warm in every season. I surely do not need to tell you that you do not necessarily get wet under a tarp when it rains. Or that you do not need a three-legged chair to rest, but that the BW folding mat against a tree does the job just as well. Why not try a Gore-Tex NL bivy bag and tarp separately for once? Does it have to be a 3x3 m tarp per person, could 2 or 3 people not sleep under it? Do my legs need less insulation than my back? Does my head have to lie on the sleeping pad or is a shorter pad and the backpack as a pillow enough? All these questions are meant to inspire you to think more carefully about the usual habits and draw a new conclusion.
So what are other typical UL thoughts?
Another typical UL line of thought is that of multi-use – the multiple use of a piece of equipment for several tasks. There are many overlaps with survival/bushcraft where the poncho tarp, for example, serves as rain protection on the person during the day and as rain protection for the campsite at night. Unneeded clothes are also used as a pillow for the night in the warmer seasons, the rain skirt serves as a “beak” (an extension to the tarp to be able to close off more area in bad weather conditions). The tent peg serves as a shovel, the rain jacket as weather protection for the foot end of the sleeping bag in the tent. There are many ways to reduce the number of equipment items needed. And the less you take, the more weight you save.
Whoever hauls less needs less food, and thus has to take less with them again, saving twice. A light backpack causes less friction on rain jackets through the shoulder straps. Thus, these can be made from lighter material.
