Ultralight Backpacking Guide

;NHTFI\I

Shedpounds from your pack using these UITRAUGHT STRATEG|ES TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RYAN IORDAN I t ) a I embersof Montana'sVenturing Crew 2001are traveling along the crest t of the infamousChinese Wall in the BobMarshall'Wilderness. To our left,1,000-foot cliffs drop offsharply. I 'We I areon the ninth dayof a nvo-weekexpedition. \flhen our uek began,our packsweighed about 50 poundson average.And, yes,we werepracticing ultralight backpacking techniques. Twoweela'worth of food andfuel amountedto about28 poundsper person. rVe also carriedpackrafts - inflatablesolo whitewater boats (with paddles,life jackets,helmets, repair kits and dV b"gr) - that let us covermore than half our trip alongrivers. The packrafting kitweighed less than 10pounds. So the baseweight of our personal andshared goup gear(camping cooking and more)was only about 12 pounds each. It's true You and your Scoutscan do more - and go farther - with less. Ultralightbackpacking lets you do somuch morewith gearthat is light, functional,com- fortableand safe. But oftenthis techniqueis met with skepticism.Tum the pageand leam how to debunkcorunon ultralight-backpackingmytlu.

SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER2O15 t SCOUTING Myth No.1:Ultralight Myth No.2: Ultralight backpackingis for expertsonly. backpackingis uncomfortable. Somethink ultralight backpacking Somepeople believe hunger, wilder- is for otherworldlyexpeditions, not nesssurvival, and pain and suffering weekendtrips in your localwoods. go hand in hand with ultralight back- However,ultralight sryleisn't just packing.That's simply not true. for experts! Advancesin materials,technology My sonwas 12 years old and 78 and equipmenthave dramatically poundswhen he completedhis first increaseda persontequipment 50-miler - an eight-daytraverse across choices.High-performance ultralight Montana'sBeartooth Mountains. rJfle gearis widely available.There's no trekkedat altitudesup to 12,000feet needto sacrificecomfort. acrosstalus, snow and trail with six For example,a down sleepingquilt other Scouts.Our basepack weights with 3 inchesof loft (anda 30degree Fromglacier tnverses, a 100-mile-plus packrafting joumey, mountain biking excursions (not including food and water,but temperaturerating) can weigh aslittle as andmo& theVenturus in Crcw2001 have includinggroup gear)averaged less 16ounces. Compare that to the S-pound nckedup the mileage wi$ lessgear on their than 13pounds. syntheticbags that dominatethe shelves 'With back becauseof th uhnligtt backpacking the right training and prepa- ofyour local sportinggoods store. techniques$ey use,like shadng llgft{weffi ration,even the youngestScout can Of course,the bestproof that ultra- 810upgear. benefitfrom ultralight backpacking light backpackingcan be comfortable: - a lighter packwill servehim well 20 pound5on your backas opposed WATffAV|DEOfi,ornGen, during long-or short-distancetreks. to 40 - especiallywhen you re faced 20013latesterpedtim ild ftd with a 3,000-footmountain hike qren|Ixx€ dtali$t bad

SCOUTING+ SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER2016 andpack accordingly. How light you go raingearand shelter; socks as mittens; or THESEVEN STEPS TO willdepend, in part,on your experience onepot for boiling,eating and drinking, andskill - sodon't cut it tooclose. But @ Don'tjust take a bunchof stuff - grab ENUGHIENMENTat least a last-minuteweather report builda system.Exploit the synergies your 0 Weighyour stuff. Geta digitalscale andadjust equipmentlist accordingly. amongitems to achievemaximum practice! andweigh your old gear. Add up the And Backyardand KOA camping performance.This is especiallytrue when in badweather great your poundsand ounces, and then make a is a wayto tune planningyour clothing, sleep and shelter gear you beelineto yourlocal outdoor shop for some andtake risks normallywouldn't system.For example, ultralight hikers who lightergear. Ounces add up to pounds,and takein the backcountry. weartheir sleeping bags around camp as pounds addup to discomforton the trail, @ Considerfunction first. Takethe insulatinggear (or thosewho opt for a @Trimthe fat. Campchairs, GPS lightestpossible item that will do the lightersleeping bag and combine it with devices,espresso makers, the latest job.Rethink your equipment list. Most an insulatingjacket at night)are able to novel- do youreally need this stuff? backpackersthink they need more than savesignificant weight over backpackers You'regoing into the backcountryto theyreally do. For example: "l needa whobring a jacketfor campand simply getaway from it all,so don't bring it all tent."In reality,you might only need an useit asa pillowwith a too-heavy withyou! Remember, we're interested overheadshelter on a summerhike in the sleepingbag. desert.Solution: an 8-oz.silnylon tarp that in experiencingthe benefitsof ultralight @ Learnto be an outdoorsman.Develop youpounds. backpacking,not in transferringa car- saves a solidfoundation in backcountryskills, campingphilosophy to the wilderness, @ Considermultiple-use items. Taking andyou will lighten your load. Dealing @ Planyour trip and limit your multi-usegear reduces the numberof withweathet injuries, route-finding contingencies.Do yourhomework and itemsyou carry and can dramatically challengesand natural hazards depends assessyour destination's terrain, climate, simplifylife on thetrail. Some classic asmuch on yourbackcountry skills and weatherand natural hazards. Then plan examples:using a ponchoas both abilityto improviseas it doeson yourgear.

Myth No.3:Ultralight backpackingis expensive. Makeno mistakeUltralight gear can be BRAND/MODET WEIGHT expensive!Itt not hard to drop several thousanddollan on a completekit by Backpack JansportKataMin40 I lb.,12oz. buying new gearmade with state-oFthe- $so art materials.(Thousand-dollar sleeping bagsand $500backpack arenot uncom- Sleepingbag UruO.r.*OO 2lb.,8oz, mon.) Howevel that'snot necessary. $80

Sleepingpad t* ,,ffi*o**Gear*ffiffi wuo Rainjacket *rr*rrrDriDucks 5oz.jacket,5oz,pants$22 andpants ffi ffi Gasstove EtekcigGcstweoo..r---., $r4 ffi

Cookingpot OpenCountry 2-qt. kettle 9 oz. W-" \ $15 fl";t q'# Find a list of new ultralight gearat i budget-friendlyprices at right. -:'' Waterbottle EmptyGatorade32-oz.bort$e 2cz. $3 In mostcases, the difference L"# betweenspending a few hundred FT dollarsand a few thousanddollars on AsicsGel Venture 5 22oz. (pair) a completekit can be measuredin $ss ounces,not pounds. Challengeyour Scoutsto do their Tarpshelter $rs0 research.Consider function first and encouragethem to takethe lightest

SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER2015 t SCOUTING possibleitem thatwill do the job. ateuse ofgear, get advancedskills Discussthe costsavings compared to instructionand practice,carefully plan weight savings. your trip, be physicallyfit and have Savefurther by shoppingat thrift qualifiedsupervision. storesin towns with an outdoor rec- Practicemakes perfect. You reationindustry or salesat outdoor cant weathera storm in a light tarp equipmentretailen and outlets.You without havingmastered this skill can evenbuy usedgear through online first. Solicitexperts to teachthese hikingforums. skillsin a safeenvironment, and then practicethem ruthlesslyuntil Myth No.4: Ultralight you havemastered them enoughto backpackingis unsofe. teachothers. Once you build your Packraftinggoes hand in handwith uhmlight \7ith sucha light pack,how canyou skill setand havepracticed in a backpackingbecause the lighterpack leb haveenough gearto be preparedfor varieryof inclementconditions, hikersmake room for a l0-poundmft andits adversity?This is hands-downthe you'll be readyfor biggerand jacket, accesories,like a paddleand lifu most common misconceptionabout bolderexpeditions. t Thesewatercrafts allow €rew 2001 to take ultralight backpacking. thehadventures to thenext level. Memben of Crew2001 include (fiom left, at top):Ryan Managingrisk requiresa well- RYANJoRDAt{, an EagleSmut, is the Jordan,clurtered organization representative planned,comprehensive program that programdirector of theMontana Htgh andauthor; Chase lordan; Nikolas Torgerson; startsas much asa yearin advanceof AduentureBase and thechartered organi' WalkerRop Justen Torgerson, aduh leader a trek. The programshould go well z.ationrepresentatiue of Venning Crew AidenFink Andrew Meyer; Frank Meyer, adult beyondthe weightor quantityofgear 2001in Bozeman,Mont. He is a licensed leader;Eilck lawrcnce; and Eric Vann. takenon a trip. It's just asimportant wildernessskilk instructorand guifu, and to know the limitationsand appropri- the fo un der of backpackinglight.corn

SCOUTINGt SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER2OI5 (f BackpackWhen you lighten @ Clothing:Pack only the @ Stove:White-gas stoves are @ Food:Don't neglect the the load,you can get away with clothingyou can wear at once. heavy,inefficient and prone to valuablemetric of caloriesper a lighterpack! Simple packs "Extras"are nice but notreouired flare-ups.For four- or five-person ounce(CPO) when planning your withoutcomplicated suspensions for wildernesstravel. Rinse socks groups,consider a canister menu.High-carbohydrate foods, andharnesses weigh less than andunderwear en route,and dry stovelike the MSRWindPro and suchas riceand pasta, have a 2 pounds.Compare this to themby hangingthem off your analuminum 4-quart pot, In lowCPO (50 to 70).while high conventionalbackpacks designed packwhile hiking. Three layers of normalsummer conditions, this fat foods,such as peanutbutter for loadsof 50 poundsor more, clothing- hikingshirt and pants, systemconsumes less than half andnuts, have a highCPO (150 whichcan weigh 8 pounds.But baselayer (long underwear) an ounceof fuelper person per or higher).A balancedmenu is don'tmake the rookiemistake top andbottoms, and rain gear day(compared to morethan 1.5 best- makesure you have a of cuttingthe handleoff your (jacketand pants) - plusan ounceswith whitegas). reasonablesupply of protein, toothbrushwithout lightening insulatingtop layer(fleece, down, aswell - buttry to minimize @Water:Water filters can the restof yourgear and or high-loftsynthetic appropriate your pack beheavy (11-plus ounces) and waterweight in foods, expectingyour still-heavy load to yourlocale and weather) are portion proneto cloggingwith silt. a healthy of high{at to becomfortable in a frameless allyou need during the summer. Theyalso require tedious field caloriesand target a totalCPO 12-ouncepack. your @ SleepingBag: You don't maintenance.Classic i-liter in the120{40 rangefor Q Shoes:Mountain boots with needa wintersleeping bag for hard-sidedwater bottles and overalldiet. lugsoles have their place, but summercamping. A 750+down hydrationbladders weigh 5 to 7 @ Shelter:Floorless shelters if mostof yourhiking program fill,3O-degreerated bag weighs ouncesper liter of waterstorage. suchas tarps and pyramids involveslight packs on trails, lessthan 2 pounds,and when Switchto chemicaltreatment requiremore campsite selection bootsare overkill. U.S. Army combinedwith the clothing (considerliquid or tabletchlorine andpitching skills, but are researchshows saving a pound youare carrying (which will dioxidekits) for lightertreatment poundslighter than double- fromfootwear is equalto saving addat least10 or 15degrees of of largevolumes of water.One walledtents. They are also drier 5.7pounds from your backpack! comfort),it will keepyou warm 3-ounceAquamira kit treats30 dueto increasedairflow (less Sotake the poundsoff yourfeet enoughanywhere you spend the gallons.Use soft-sided water condensation),roomier and can andhike in trail-running shoes. nightoutside between the Fourth bottles(a l-litersoft-sided bottle accommodatean entire patrol of Julyand Labor Day. To save weighsabout 1 ounce) to shave or crew. evenmore weight, try a hoodless poundsoff of yourgroup's water downquilt or higher-loft(e.g., systems. 850 cubicinches per ounce)

downbags. SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER2016 + SCOUTING