Thank you for watching! I hope this is helpful, or at least provides some ideas. The majority of these were thought up while looking at my own gear lists, thinking of my past experiences, and what has worked. As always, carry what you want! It is your trip to do as you please and what you enjoy.
@@LRChronic "Trail Life: Ray Jardine's Lightweight Backpacking" formerly known as 'Beyond Backpacking' which is virtually the same book just an older version in black and white. It was first published as 'the pct hikers handbook' I believe. None of these are easy to find but it is without a doubt the greatest resource I have ever seen when it comes to backpacking skills and is worth looking for.
Jupiter, one hard part about what clothes to bring is the unexpected extreme bouts of weather that occur now due to climate change. It's real. Example: I live close to and hike and ride (horses, donkeys) in the Sierras. The weather used to be somewhat predictable in summer - you just expect afternoon thunderstorms that end fairly quickly. One day ride on my horse in later July, by 10 a.m. the thunderheads were already building (odd) fast, but the storms didn't end until the next day! That is not typical and was not predicted. The temp went down to 40 degrees mid day rapidly, w wind and thunderstorms raging, creeks became raging muddy obstacles between me and my warm truck. Fortunately I packed JUST enough clothes on my horse to survive this assuming I got back to the truck within a couple hours. If I had been headed out to camp, and I went by the typical weather for the area as well as the forecast, I would've been in trouble. Maybe. I don't know, I suppose I could've thrown up my tent and gotten in my sleeping bag and waited it out for 36 or 48 hours. But I'm more inclined to prepare for worse case scenario but maybe my problem is I need to learn exactly how much clothes will keep me warm when having to sleep out w my newest gear. Idk. I just feel I can't trust weather to be "normal" or predictable at all anymore.
@@BurroGirl you are very right! I'm places where you can bring less with minimal risk that's great, but if the risk is too high I am all for being safe. Just a matter of assessing the probability in regards to each trip and location. I guess that's why I always speak so much about gathering experience near home, and planning heavily for the trip to come. It's nice to learn on the fly sometimes, but in some cases as you mention can be dangerous to do so.
I almost wet my pants, but this comment brings up an interesting point. If two people hike together they can share quite a few items of gear lightening both their loads.
I'm going with someone, and we're sharing a tent, a stove and pot, first aid, a knife, bear bag, and navigation (maps cut up by region along with disassembled guidebook).
My tip would be get in shape. It's miraculous how much getting a little stronger and healthier will make you feel on trail, no matter your pack weight.
Agreed, i lost 60 lbs iver the last three yeara and i put each of them back into my pack and gear. Never noticed the difference, and i travel and hike in total confort with my 80lb pack. Its not about the burden, its about your capacity to sboulder it.
Little late ot the party but I would like to add to the sleep clothes thing you mentioned. I love this peice of advice you gave, but depending on where you're hiking and for how long, having a wet kit and a dry kit will save you a lot of turmoil. Wear your wet kit during the day, and your dry kit when you sleep to allow your skin time to dry and heal, this will help mitigate things like chaffing, trench foot, sweat rash, and subsequent infections from these injuries. Adding this to your evening routine is also a great way to check for leeches and ticks. Remember, your skin is the largest organ of your body and is your first line of defense against infection, look after it and it'll look after you.
@@davidward4827 You flatter me good sir. But no I'm a student nurse that enjoys the outdoors and hyper-focuses way to much on learning about these kinds of things.
In my area, Tasmania, Australia the brutal environment as far a cold temps and rain you can save weight using 75% of what this vid spoke about, but no way could you SAFELY use light weight wet weather gear, shelter of footwear,our bush just destroys it, if you can get the total weight down to around 12-15kg you are going well for a 7 day walk. Seriously I have lost count the amount of times I been involved in rescues involving overseas traveler who have said I have done this or that walk in USA or Europe and did it carrying 7kg.
My tip is for women and researching the most suitable backpack design. In general men can carry more weight on their shoulders thus making it easier to go without a hip belt. Women tend to be built to carry more weight on our hips. I hiked half of the pct last summer having fun designing the perfect pack for women and talked with so many women out there who found these backpacks with skinny shoulder straps and minimized hip belts super uncomfortable. We anatomically have a dip (suprascapular notch variation ) in our shoulders where men do not so thinner straps tend to hurt our shoulders. I switched to a Gossamer Gear g420 (for example) and the carrying comfort was night and day and it's still ultralight. They have a very decent hip belt with great pockets (so no need for a fanny pack) and wide shoulder straps .... I am an older woman so I could go 20 miles per day whereas my young friends can go upwards to 30 or more..... This means carrying more food and water for longer than faster hikers. So know that older ladies out there are particularly badass. :D 👊 The atom pack has some good features, the lightest six moons design packs (altho heavier) even have a vest option for shoulders straps if not too busty. ... . There's room for the ultimate ultralight womens pack to be designed. The Osprey makes a 'womens' pack -- lumina but somehow it fit weird on me when I tried it.
I was wanting the g4-20 but got so bent out of shape when their order thing online rejected my card and my PayPal because I was having it delivered to an address different..I understand the issue but after the emails I thought they could solve it.. tarptent did on my stratosphere li...so I have a used arc haul that will go with me
I think girls are underestimated... Plenty of girls hike the AT, and go well over 20km every day. 5 days in a row, before they take a single day break..! I once hiked 23km with a 15kg backpack (Osprey Rook 65 - which is very comfortable with heavier loads), and i was very happy i got a ride back home the next day, because my shoulders and hips were so sore that i could barely walk for several days 😅
I appreciate you bringing this up! Most male ultralight youtubers fail to mention this important difference in center of gravity between sexes. (Though I still luv ya, Jupiter! :))
Great video. I’m older and an ex-long range recon scout from military. I’m learning this ultra-lightweight stuff because our packs were typically in excess of 100 pounds. Just one small thing to add: unless you can engage your core muscles at will, don’t cut off your waist belt. Use the belt to press your core (stomach) muscles against to prevent lower back injury.
As someone with lower back issues, I agree fully. When packed properly and straps adjusted, most of the weight should be riding on your hips. When I've got my backpack on, it feels like I've got a back brace on and is more comfortable than most people can imagine.
The first that I heard of this was from GruntProof. He said to use the hip belt like a weight lifters belt across the belly button in order to support the spine, at least when carrying heavy loads.
So true. I knew a couple of fanatic bikers who incessantly discussed how to lose 100, 50, 10 grams from their bicycles (at significant cost) while being satisfied with carrying 10-20 pounds of extra fat. (I sincerely confess from experience it is easier to spend money on stuff than to lose weight.)
This. People recommend lightweight gear to me and say "I can belive how you can be arsed carrying such heavy pack and gear..." like bro... I'm 35 kilos overweight I need the exercise and couldn't care less if my tent is 300 grams heavier or not 😄
for the ultralight fearful, go out for an overnight close to home, in your backyard, or close to your car. take as little as you can and see how it goes. it's good practice and will help you ditch things you may never need.... also, keep notes of what worked and what didn't after your trips so you can avoid over-packing or simply packing the wrong items for that next trip.
Interesting how half the logic of ultralight is dumping backup such as batteries or extra toilet paper, relying on flimsy items like plastic bags and spoons, and overall self-endangerment in regard to weather preparation. Sure it probably works on highway trails where everything goes according to plan, but if ur out in the real backcountry and don't have other hikers to save you or lend a spare, you're dead. And when u try to fend off a wild animal with a 1 inch swiss army knife blade, tell me how it goes
my tip: if you add 1-2lbs of things that help you have a lot more fun, your winning. I use ultra-lite methodologies to make up for the weight of stuff I like to have. As a CPAP user, learning ultra-lite lessons is critical.
I have an oral appliance and have never able to get it to do the job. My go to is now bullet proof: A Transcend Mini with 3 P8 batteries and solar charging panel. Not cheap but I get a total of 6 nights out of the batteries and am able to charge on the go by hanging the solar panel off the top of my pack. Of course each battery is 1 lb. And the CPAP is 1 lb. And the hose and mask add almost another lb. , but I can go.
Good video Man! I'm a hiker in Australia, and there isn't a massive amount of videos about conditions there, mostly north America, however your tips are applicable to most hikers here. If you do end up doing some international hikes here, I can recommend the Australian Alps Walking Track as the most picturesque, and probably the most similar to North American conditions. Other great, long distance hikes are the bicentennial national trail, and Heysen trail among others. For any Aussie hikers seeing this video and wondering what applies here, here's a few tips in my experience: 1. For outback hikes, a tarp will almost always do better than a tent. Optimal ventilation, and very very unlikely to encounter bad weather. On the east coast, a lightweight tent is probably a safer bet. 2. Never ditch snake/spiderbite treatment. Go hellbent for leather cutting down ibuprofen etc., but never ever get rid of a proper compression bandage. There are highly venomous snakes and/or spiders in every single part of Australia. 3. Water is easier to find on the east coast than you think. I've never done an east coast hike where I've carried more than 2-3L at a time. 4. Odor proof/animal proof food protection is unessacary. Possums won't get food if you keep it in your tent, and only possums at major campgrounds are game enough to try take it from right next to you if using a tarp. The only possible exception to this is where dingos have become accustomed to humans like on Fraser Island. For most places though, a shopping bag is absolutely fine. 5. Sun protection is more important than close to anywhere else in the world. Long sleeve shirts and broad brimmed hats always, and just enough sunscreen for your face and legs. 6. March flies don't give a rats arse about deet. Leave the deet at home and bring a headnet and long sleeve shirt instead.
March flies, whatever they are, on top of everything else makes it sound like hell on Earth. Tell me again why Australia has such a strong anti immigration policy.
@@billgreen576 tell me how on earth Australian can simultaneously have anti immigration policies and have one of the highest non native born percentages of their populations on earth? As for the wildlife, March flies are hell but I miner annoyance. Again, if one actually takes a look at statistic and facts one will find that indigenous Australian animals cases minuscule fatalities when compared to all other causes of deaths. At the bottom of the list of death are those caused by animal life of all types and yet again, indigenous wildlife is at the bottom of the list. I haven’t looked recently, but horses typically top the list of deaths and serious injuries in this sector in developed countries. Personally, I am Australian and at 54 have known or known of hundreds of people that have died. Excluding cars, I have known at least a dozen people killed by them, being biggest non natural killer, I know one woman killed by a cow, several bitten by snakes, (they were farmers or working in the bush), none of them died. An uncle of mine was bitten several times, he was probably trying to kill the potentially deadly snakes. He didn’t bother going to hospital, just lay down and rested. Spider bites are not uncommon. I don’t know of a single adverse outcome. Anyway. Go look at the stats. You will find dying of thirst and drowning , introduced animals, cattle horses and dogs, outweigh deaths by indigenous wildlife by at least several hundred to one. There’s just one massive exception to the, little danger rule. If you swim where there are crocodiles you are unlikely to live to talk about it. So guess what. Only tourist, who needless to say never return home, swim with crocs.
I'd agree with most of this but a few of the places I've hiked and camped in Queensland have had warnings about wild boar and rats coming after your food and destroying tents to do so. Probably a good idea idea to check first.
@@ktm9292 yer definitely a potential problem. Introduced animals yet again, but the pigs are extremely dangerous if cornered. Which is the overarching truth with almost all wild animal encounters in Australia. If you don’t bother them they don’t bother you. Surprising a venomous snake is the biggest risk. They understandably lash out when they think that they are being attacked. Growing up in the bush it’s second nature to never put any part of your body anywhere you can not see clearly. You don’t have a consciously thing about it so it’s not taxing. The only time I can close to being bitten was as a 12 year old. I was running very quickly across a paddock of very short grass in summer. I didn’t slow down for the fence, with long grass growing up between the wire. I stumbled upon the biggest king brown snake you can imagine. It reared up to my height, but didn’t strike. If it had I would probably have died. If I had been traveling at walking pace the snake would have moved out of my way and I would never have known it was there.
Additional tip for repair tape on trecking poles: Roll it round your pole at the depth your waterproof footwear gives out. That way. when fording water, you'll know if it's too deep or not. This has saved me wet feet countless times.
I think bear spray or a pistol, or a hatchet if in bear country. A black bear charged me and the only th8nk that sopped it was me banging my sheathed hatchet on a tree stump as hard as I could. I tried to be big, wave my arms, yell, stomp and spit. The hatchet shook the stump just enough for it to run away. Three other people 10-20 feet from me never even saw the bear coming. It stopped walking about 30 feet from me. That when it ran towards me. It never stopped and stared.
It may have been bluffing I’ve seen black bears on videos charge people and back off before they get here. They test you. They also jumó up a tree and will star at you in between charges. I have no clue about giant bears is like I’ve see. Them and they are like twice as big. Maybe way more. A moose is the biggest animal I’ve seen.
Why don't your shoes have Goretex lining? Your feet are the most used body part on a trek and wet feet can be a huge issue especially with blisters etc. Healthy happy feet is key.
As a "final" tip, the best items to lighten your pack are experience and physical strength. The right experience allows you to decide which items are worth saving weight on and which aren't, or how other attributes of an item allow you to experience that weight. Getting a backpack that fits you well makes carrying the same weight more comfortable, knowing the terrain and weather allows you to decide which items are absolutely necessary (even if they seem too bulky / heavy) and which aren't. And being stronger / fitter allows you to either carry more weight or carry the same weight further. It's up to you how you use that advantage but having "extra strength" in reserve is always useful for unexpected situations when you need to hike longer to get to the right campsite or off the mountain, carry additional gear (distributing the gear of an injured group member among peers) or hiking the same hike even when conditions have changed (like muddy ground after unexpected rainfall). Also, don't fall victim to fads. Lightening your pack is always a good idea but don't jump on that train solely because you want to be an "ultralighter". Similarly, ergonomic and feature-rich packs like Osprey mountaineering bags are cool and useful but don't get one just because all your friends have one, you don't need an avalanche-airbag pocket or an ice axe carrying system if you're not hiking in terrain that warrants that gear. These are also things that are easier to recognize with experience.
Jupiter my addition is meditation before I go. I think through the emotions I may experience on my solo hike such as self doubt and loneliness. This strengthens my resolve when I walk. Secondly I adopt a One Meal a Day fasting regime for 3 months before I walk focused on low carb which generates ketone which in turn enables me burn my own fat as food. This also gives enhanced energy similar to what our Hunter Gather ancestors would have experienced. This cuts down on the food I need to carry as I can easily go 24 hours without food. I read Ray Jardins book when it was first published this set me on superlite walking. Jardine, you are a modern Ray Jardine and thank you so much for your informative clips. I am still walking long distances in my early 70s and I intend doing this in my nineties by clean living and getting my kit as light as possible.
You already touched on it a bit when talking about drying out gear, but I'll add a little to it for people looking to hike in wetter, more rainy conditions. It won't show on your scale, but carrying gear or clothes that can't or won't absorb as much water as other items can save you a lot of weight while actually on trail. Dyneema is an obvious example of fabric that can't absorb water, i.e. weight. Another good idea could be to recoat waterproof gear (that will eventually soak through) before a long wet trail. A soaking wet backpack on long rainy days can be a real bummer. Thanks for the great tips!
My tip is to focus on comfort only AFTER going as light as you can. The experience of going ultralight will cure you of bringing all the stuff you don't actually need or even want for, but instead you will only then realize what you -actually- want for extra comfort. For me, it was my pack - namely becoming picky about how it carries weight for longer sections. In the end it didn't add much weight to find the right one, but for me that was the comfort item I cared enough about to take on the extra ounce.
I have travelled all over the world and trekked in many mountain and wilderness areas. One of the best rules I learned was to only have two sets of clothes:one wet set for use during the day and one dry set for night use. On a typical three week trek I'll take at least one rest day to wash and dry clothes, write up journals, read etc. Same as when I served in the army, where in the field we only had one spare set of clothing.
Great stuff. Lots of useful tips which has helped me look at my kit a bit closer than usual. For me the lighter my load the more I can enjoy my hiking. The Highlands of Scotland are boggy, wet and very cold. A sunnyday can change in an instant becoming a rain fest with strong gusts. This weather can push one into taking a heavy pack with lots of " WHAT IF " extra gear. I'm 54. My pack weighs in at 11kg for a 5 day fully self sufficient hike. I got the low weight mainly by buying the lightweight kit. Very expensive. About £2000. Not being a wealthy person that hurt a little. The benefits though outway the prices. I can enjoy my extreme hiking. My pack never bothers me. My hike doesn't become a march of pain or a challe ge so great I can hardly get up the next day. May I offer one great tip too. No matter what are fitness level may be training, building up stamina and eating healthy foods prior to hitting the trails makes for a lighter experience in so many ways. 😀 Mind and body. Great video.cheers mate. Oxford 🇬🇧
2nd tip - When I suddenly got my period out of schedule while backpacking (which apparently frequently happens especially when mountaineering w large shift in altitudes), I asked any women I came across for tampons. One mentioned to use a rag (since that's of course an item I backpack with), and her partner exclaimed, "Isn't that why it's called "on the rag?" And that rag saved me for those days. Washed at any clean steam crossing.
This has been the most informative video after I browse ultralight advises for the last three days. and as Chinese, the language is quite friendly to understand. Thanks!
I’m in the PNW and find it difficult to go lighter. The rain can be insane and not stop for literally days. I’ve been caught going too light and it wasn’t fun. Good video and researching your fears instead of packing them is a good idea.
I'm PNW also and deal with the rain. Last year, I switched my rain gear to Bellmont which works really well, in my opinion. I saved 8 ounces overall. The only drawback is of course it is less durable. I had a small rip in my pant leg but a chunk of duct tape took care of it until I got home and patched it with a Zpacks tent patch.
@@emileewertman5175 thanks for the tip. I've always struggle with rain gear because I sweat kind of easily inside it and get wet from the inside out at that point. And I've had so many types or rain gear just soak through after a ton of rain. Finally switched to an ultralightweight umbrella as long as the wind isn't too bad. Chrome dome umbrella for the win, not really a weight savings though. PNW can be tough!
@@manofthecloth777 I have a Six Moons but I’m just not an umbrella person. If you don’t already, Zpacks makes a clip to attach the umbrella to your shoulder strap. Works well and is 5 bucks. Happy hiking!
PNW also, during spring/summer/fall I've returned to using a poncho like we did years ago. I upgraded to a Six Moon's Gatewood Cape and now my poncho is also my tent. I stay dry all night and all day, my backpack stays drier under the poncho, and I hike drier since there is a front zipper that open for ventilation. I use gaiters to cover my lower pants and boot tops in the colder parts of spring and fall, in summer the trail shoes just get wet and it's warm enough.
Great info. Instead of toothpaste and toothbrush, I take some baking soda and water. I rub it into my teeth and gums with a finger. Then rinse. It's anti bacterial, and the bears won't smell the toothpaste. Keep up the great work. Stephen Hedman from B.C Canada.
Great video! The only thing I would say is that for some of us, the challenge of going as light as possible IS the goal. I personally love the mental puzzle of figuring out how to keep things light, functional/durable, and cheap. And then the adventure of toughing it out on the trail (safely of course). Again, to each their own for sure, but there are those who intentionally deprive themselves of “comfort” to increase our capacity for being able to be comfortable in a wider range of environments i.e. we can adapt and learn to do more with less. Anyway, super solid tips!
This is a super made video... I've been researching only a couple of Thru Hikers who touch in the area of Prepper, survival bugging out. We've been having more SHTF events happen , in the country , from Wild Fires, Droughts, Power Outages, Heat Waves, Floods, Snow Storms, Ice Storms, Tornadoes etc... People are bugging out from homes (fires, looters, flooding) , vehicle accidents & long traffic jams, and flooded out communities with longer poweroutages..., more often than ever , in the past 8 yrs .. Alot of people don't have any to no skills; on bugging out, and the gear needed to be successful on a bug out escape route....ThruHikers have a ton of experience on the obstacles they face, whether it be body conditioning, weather readiness, and tried and true equipment... I beleive that the combination of Survival skills, Bug out prepping , and Thru hiking with a touch of preparedness on homelessness mindset...is the perfect recipe for survival... Thank you for your great organized visual video presentation...super helpful ...
Save your spent chapstick tubes, they’re reusable. If you’re someone like me who uses foot balm (e.g., Joshua Tree, Bonnie’s Balms), you can melt a small portion in a double boiler and fill an old chapstick tube. Leave the large jar at home. Works great.
Thanks for the video! I was already doing OK, but after recently purchasing Durston's Kakwa40 pack and X-Mid1 tent (I am not ready to sleep under a tarp when every snake we have here is deadly), I have been inspired to continue to cut down on weight and volume further. I have always packed each day's rations together. Each ziplock bag contains my main meal for the evening (home dehydrated), my lunch (crackers and peanut butter or dehydrated hummus, or tuna pouch), plus the next day's breakfast of muesli, dried fruit, and powdered coconut milk (I add water in the morning), snacks, plus the all important coffee bag. I write the weight on each bag, then eat from the heaviest to the lightest. I alternate the snacks - e.g. an extra treat for day 3 - so that I have something special to look forward to. The ziplock bags then become my waste bags, and are shoved to the bottom of my pack.
@@happydogg312 So comfortable that I now use it as a day pack - because of the extra pockets and the comfy hip belt. I have also managed to use it for a 3 night walk.
i use a lot of these methods. what i do differently is i ALWAYS have dedicated sleep clothes. when it's cooler and your in the rain it's nice to have something dry to sleep in. also it's nice to put clean clothes on after washing up. i use the same sleep pad UNDER my inflatable pad. i could never sleep on just the 1/8" pad, it does double as my sit pad. i use a torso length pad only in warmer weather. when it's cooler the full length pad keeps my feet and calves much warmer. ALWAYS have a hot meal at the end of the day and hot coffee in the morning, tried cold soaking more than a couple of times and it don't work for me.
I use a piece of foam underlayment that goes under laminate flooring as a thin pad under my sleeping pad. It’s about 1/8” thick. I picked it up as scrap. I changed to a pyramid tarp from Luxe - Minipeak. Bought it used on eBay. Floorless with a thin tarp or plastic paint drop cloth. A wool balaclava and base layers for sleeping with sleep socks.
Hands down one of the best videos out there as far as how much is packed in there! My tip would be to echo on considering leaving things behind. I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2019, and prepped for months ahead of time by walking similar paths in similar conditions. My base weight went from around 18 pounds to around 11 when I started the hike. I had another planned for 2020 until Covid changed those plans. I had gotten my base weight down to about 6 for that one. Now I have a base weight a little over 4 pounds to accomplish the same things on the same trails! If I decided to safe money and stealth camp, I could still do it at around 6 pounds, which is amazing! Thanks to you and the books you mentioned, and doing a lot of prep work and trying things out, I have a base weight at a quarter of what I started out with (or even 1/5!). Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!
Tim, I would love to see your gear list. Walked 8 caminos and have my base down to 9.5 lbs without the high tech stuff, but always looking to cut it down more
By base weight, you mean walking the camino carrying only 6-9 lbs? Or base is the must have stuff and added on are extras, but stillcould do the hike following all the tips from experts and books.
(As someone that hiked pre-cell) Additional things I use my phone for: compass, flashlight, a signal mirror, entertainment, calculator, weather report, a level, ruler, magnifier, mirror, heart monitor, distance tracker, knot tying guide, altimeter, I use uber to day hike a linier trail (I live near the AT), store / eats finder, I stash money etc. between the cover and phone, even squashed a few bugs with it, and I even used it a phone once...
I understand the purpose of these ultralight stuff, but this should be well balanced with level of experience, by testing what exactly works for you. For a beginner, this needs to be well highlighted. Otherwise, as the UK soldiers use to say: "go light and freeze in the night" :). Nice video and tips! Greetings from the woods in Sweden 🇸🇪
I 100% agree! And always try to say multiple times to try things near home, or to try things on shorter trips before ever taking them on something bigger!
For the cold get a set of haley hansen work ware base layers Super light and work great in -27 temperature . I personally have tested the for 5 years in that climate. I have also used them at high elevations and they are the best base layers
He did mention that you have to carry your own pack...you can be as ultralight as you want...for me carrying a light weight 4 season gear base weight is what I aim for...but this isn't for everyone. I was camped out on the Verde River near Sedona Arizona...It was the tail end of March and it was 85 degrees for 3 day's I was their. I trailed up Oak Creek Canyon Sedona Arizona...I was able a mile past the lookout area and set up camp in the woods...I woke up the next day with a whole lot of snow around me...this is why I almost always carry a Ultralight 4 season base weight...if it wasn't for my gear I could have died from exposure...but I was carrying a zero down marmont mummy bag and sleeping in my Black Diamond Mega Light Mid both 4 season gear... Thank you Jesus I was prepared for cold weather...I want from 85 degrees to Winter temperatures...in one day.
@@friarrodneyburnap8680 I get your point about weather changing but I short trips it’s pretty easy to fairly accurate weather predictions. I normally carry a 20 degree quilt and while it would be cold in it I certainly would not freeze to death. Carrying four season gear year round is a little over the top.
Definitely; I'm a beginner and I know I still overpack, but I'm going on 1-2 night trips in various weather conditions i've never been in before, so I can accept overpacking as a way to get used to it. I also have a simpler tent to set up that is heavier than ultralight ones (though still under 3 pounds!) because before I bought this tent for my first trip, I had never set up a tent in my life. I'm keeping it simple and a little heavier while keeping stuff carryable until I'm more experienced
I've now learnt that a single setup is not recommended. I have a really solid winter setup, a set up for mild to cold weather and a warm weather setup. These setups each use a different pack, tent, and sleeping system. And the weights vary greatly. I'd suggest multi weight hiking opposed to just ultra light. Sleeping near the sound of water and keeping the cold out require heavier setups and this is a good thing to have. Ultra light setups make walking great distances possible and these type of videos are a terrific resource for people working on establishing an ultra light setup.
To me, often hiking in colder and unstable weather I find sleep clothes to be fairly efficient. It adds some to total weight of course, but not much as it allows for a slightly lighter sleeping bag/quilt, keep it cleaner and is also an extra layer for emergency use.
This is my experience as well. A set of very lightweight long underwear helps me sleep better, feel cleaner, and stay warmer. Also, as you said, it makes a great emergency insulating layer.
100%, I like ditching everything out of the pack and going super light but really cannot compromise on a clean(ish) sleep layer. Sleeping in your hiking clothes is truly disgusting and that's a big something to say coming from a through hiker.
I lighten my gear every decade, we just have to keep hiking. Started with a plastic tarp, 6-lb sleeping bag and pad, a canvas backpack, and a steel pan and coffee can for cooking. Now it's a lightweight pack, 3-lb sleeping bag and pad, 11 oz tent/poncho, and aluminum pot with stove (fires are mostly out here in the PNW during summer, but still good in winter). I'm wondering what I'll lighten up when I turn 70?
Thanks for the tips & for provoking so many great responses! My tip is to use alcohol stoves instead of gas. It is less waste (just think of all those canisters!), so much lighter, will work in cold temperatures & is more efficient & takes up less bulk in your pack. I only need 15ml to boil water, so I only carry what I need. My container of choice is a repurposed Listerine bottle (250ml).
This was great. And nothing has done more to reduce my pack weight than WEIGH EVERYTHING and Lighterpack. Seeing everything and its weight laid out has been a game changer.
awesome video, I am a part of the group who usually never comments on videos but I appreciate the simplicity and straightforwardness of this video. enough said.
Life changing video for me this, thank you so much sir ! I think hiking within yourself, at a steady pace where your heart rate is not too high is critical. You will eat less food, drink less water and sweat less. Its also better on your joints and muscles. Its just better for you to hike at your own pace. This is why hiking alone is truly better for you.
I use a fanny pack, and it makes a great belt for my polycro ground sheet - wrap it around your waist for a great rain skirt. Fold it over the pack, and with a rain jacket over that I shed water like a duck.
I have never heard of or watched your channel before. I click on your link. You start with "carry what you want" and "Try these things at home before going on a long trip." I'm in. Subscribed.
This was an awesome video! I'm not an ultralighter or even really an aspiring ultralighter, but there's a lot in here that is helpful for any kind of hiker. This is a wonderful compendium of a lot of tips I've heard in various places, it's great to have it all put together in an organised video like this. I also really appreciate that you're not suggesting there's a 'right' way to be ultralight, as for each individual there will be tips that work better and tips that don't. e.g. I can't go without deet because I have allergies that make insect bites much worse for me (and not only do I have to bring deet but also antihistamine tablets and creams so I'm not miserable when I do get bitten) My weight saving tip that I don't think I've seen anyone mention is that tooth powder is lighter (and easier to source) than travel sized toothpaste. You can make it yourself with a combination of baking soda and xylitol. It's even better if you can source bentonite clay to include but fine without if you can't. The xylitol makes it taste yummy and if you're feeling fancy a single drop or two of foodgrade peppermint flavour gives it that minty fresh feeling.
Thanks for all the good tips! One thing I'm implementing on my next international hike is an inflatable pillow/seat cushion/flotation device. It's super light-weight, thin and has multiple functions. And because I use an external pack frame setup, it fits in the frame, taking up zero usable space. Because my hiking trip will last 2-3 months, I've decided to use it. On a previous similar trip I didn't have one and regretted it. While I could sit on and lay my head on folded clothing, the softness/cushion doesn't compare to the inflatable cushion. And it will easily wipe off and clean up after being used in the dirt, sand and grass. Another thing I've decided on this time is strapping on a foodsafe 5-gallon bucket with watertight seal on the lid and a very small, light-weight cooler backpack to the pack frame, instead of the original pack that came on the frame. With the bucket I can wash clothing, utensils and myself, catch rain water, sit on it, use it as a drum, carry sticks, water, rocks, sand, etc. and do many other things with it. It will also float, so I can take it with me out into the water when I bathe or go fishing. Honestly, I can't think of a single item with more uses. I've lined the bucket with a 5+ gallon watertight bag so I can quickly and easily remove everything from the bucket without the need to reorganize things I've packed inside it. I had this bucket idea while I was out the last time on a similar trip to Mexico and Central America. Hopefully I'll get to update yall with how it goes. Anyway... hope that was helpful for someone.
@@c-mac2228 Picture a "Transport Freighter Aluminum Pack Frame" (can be seen on bass pro or amazon). Then a 4 or 5 gallon bucket with lid. The bucket is standing upright with the pack frame. Then I took a ratchet strap and wrapped it around the upper ridges of the bucket (below the lid) 3 times and attached both ends of the strap to the thicker vertical bars of the frame.
I am always looking for lighter weight clothing. I found a midlayer at 7oz versus my 11oz one that I was carrying. Also, I leave all my stuff sacks at home and went to a pack liner which saved some ounces. Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain on my old bones. Great video as usual Jupiter! Happy Hiking
Have never seen anyone use it in the hiking community before, so glad I got to know the tautline hitch knot, it made life so much easier while packrafting, but have also used it to save some weight on my tent :)
I like the tip on where to wrap duct tape. Ill be using that one on my trip this spring. One thing I bring in a repair kit is 2 extra long zip ties. They are extremely lite and do a better job than tape in a variety of repairs.
Good stuff as usual. I've replaced my travel size toothpaste with the tablets. Lighter, easier to plan how much to bring, less mess and can brush on the move easily. Works for me so far. Thanks for sharing the wisdom!
Thanks, you've given me some great ideas to consider. I did 1426 miles on the AT back in 2018, but injured my back and had to get off. It still bothers me a bit, but nothing serious. It's just a good reminder to be careful and pay attention. Just retired, so planning on doing the AT again in 2024. I wasn't planning on changing everything, but I needed a new pack, and decided to downsize my tent as well. I did go for a wider, higher r-value sleeping pad, but I figure the better sleep will more that make up for the few extra ounces. Thanks again. I plan to keep watching, so please keep it up...
Wonderful video. I have learned an incredible amount from your channel, and it has benefited in many ways with my time outdoors. One small item I have found that I feel is worth sharing is a battery bank with cables built in. The TG90* battery bank is 10,000 MAH with a built in iPhone, micro usb, and usb type-c cord. This item is incredibly lightweight, and having the cords always ready and available is super useful. The cords are quite short, however I have never found an issue with this Thanks again for the video!
Nice work Jupiter! I use my mosquito head net with a drawstring as my ditty bag (as you Americans call it) because it is a bag made of holes it doesn't trap air and it is a large enough bag that individual items can settle into the nooks and crannies inside my pack to save space whilst still being in the one bag that I can pull out in a moments notice
This would never work for me... when you need your head net, it needs to be in a pocket, not buried and full of small stuff. All those things are now scattered and might as well be homeless from the beginning. I use a small freezer bag as a ditty bag, so I can pull it out in any weather and not soak the contents.
I have used turkey bags both to carry out food also great for laundry in town., and keeping gear dry. Super durable and of course they weight almost nothing.
Fantastic tips for a newbie, thank you so much. Ive gone from my first pack 18kg that nearly killed me to 7.5kg. At 5ft and slim, a lighter pack is critical for enjoyment. Thank you very much, very hekpful tips ❤
Great video. Applying even just a few ultralight ideas to regular backpacking can save a lot of grief. It can also be applied to cycle touring, where you don't have the weight on your back as a reminder that you overpacked. Giving everything a long look and demanding it justify itself is important, even if it's just to make more room for your camera gear. For cutting straps off my pack, I fill it up with as much stuff as possible and then cut off the excess straps, making sure to still give an inch of extra strap. That and cutting out the liner between the top and bottom adds up pretty quick. I would never cut off a hip belt though. In the time leading up to a big hike, squeeze tubes of sunscreen and toothpaste that are only partially full get set aside for the hike, when they're down to what I'll need. I measure out my food I'll eat, including coffee, but always include one extra meal just in case something happens. Instead of a tiny Bic lighter, I carry a tiny lightweight jet lighter, because it's less effected by wind. Knives like the Benchmade Bugout (1.85oz) or Opinel Traditional #8 (1.59oz) give you a dependable blade that weighs next to nothing. If you need a fixed blade, there are some good smaller choices, like the White River M1 Pro Backpacker (3.2oz), Grohmann No.1 (3.4oz), or the Morakniv Eldris (2.8oz w/ ferro rod).
Toothpaste really isn't necessary tbh, that might sound taboo but in reality all toothpaste is is grit, peppermint flavoring and if you're lucky flouride. A toothbrush on it's own will do a sufficient job for most purposes. What's more the strong peppermint smell of toothpaste can bring in curious animals from nearby which can mean damage to your gear etc.
Hey this is a *fantastic* video dude, thanks for taking the time and effort to make it. As an evergreen resource, I hope this gets a zillion views from prospective and veteran thru-hikers in the coming years. I got some good reminders and new tips out of it. Oh, I also use a thinlight as my sleeping pad and people think I'm nuts, but I dunno... that bad boy's .5 R value has always done the trick for me! lol
I remember hiking around the atlas mountains for two weeks with a friend. The airline we flew with lost his bag so we shared all of my stuff for the time and it worked out perfectly fine ever since I have been packing half as much if I go alone lol
Not a weight saving tip, but I use a small rubber band (cut up inner tube of a bicycle) around the lighter to block the 'button' from moving. That ensure that there is no chance the lighter slowly empties when its stuffed into your pack. The rubber band may also be used in case of emergency as a fire starter. Personally I do feel a distinct difference in using an umbrella for the sun vs. having a hat and long sleeves. The umbrella is way cooler and allows you to take off your hat to cool your head a bit.
Great tips. In Canada you need more clothes, however having a thick layer will either keep you warm or keep you wet with sweat. Better to have several thin layers so you are adjusting by small steps.
Thanks for yet another good one Jupiter. I definitely recommend on "analyzing and do not pack your fears" . Combine it with 'there is no shortcut for experience' and it might make tip 102 🙂. Btw, portable bidet and a 15 ml bottle of Dr Bronner's minty soap (hand wash, toothbrush etc.) is a winner too in my book! And yes, practice at home 🙂
as a fan of the cold and wet experience, ive found a lot of these to be true but generally i find that weight can absolutely add convenience and safety. going outside is a journey and chasing a number instead of its experience is pretty silly in my opinion, so i make a distinction between minimalism vs ultralight. you definitely need a bit of both to get into really low numbers but i favor heavier gear but less of it. for instance a hot water bottle that a nalgene can produce can really make the difference on an evening thats cooler than expected. maybe its splitting the issue a bit too much but ive got quite a few friends with bags heavier than mine for a given trip with gear that on average weighs half as much. this video is a pretty balanced approach and definitely for people who are information seeking to get their gears turning. keep on inspiring and cant wait to see a video on some gear youve made.
I fully agree convenience and safety. I guess in many ways some things do ask the user to have the experience to go without the convenience, or a certain skill to replace an otherwise safer item. It's definitely a trade. Many will find that the convenience and safety wins out, but it's still fun to try other options as occasionally one of them will stick! I do agree with you though and find myself often carrying heavier items because it makes my life better. That's the journey with gear I guess
Thank you very much! I’m an octogenarian, not as strong as I once was, preparing for my first ever trek, and find your advice to be invaluable. I find ultralight to be ultra appealing.
A wise presentation. Three tips I could add: Use a self filtering water bottle when streams, lakes and tarns are available instead of carrying extra boiled or treated water. Boiling drinking water requires extra fuel so this weight can also be saved by using a filter bottle. Attach your waterbottle to the front of your pack straps. This brings weight forward and you can drink without stopping to remove your pack. Use your phone on aircraft mode with just GPS switched on. You can run your map app and camera and the charge will last 2 to 3 times longer. You may therefore be able to go without a powerbank or take a lighter unit. Only turn off aircraft mode to make a call or check for messages.
Adding to this a bit. Check whether the water is drinkable directly. In e.g. the Swedish mountains you have drinking water directly in the streams. Depending on how bold you are this may work in other places too. A colleague told me he never used any filtration system and have never had any problems, a guy he was with apparently got sick one time though. This may be a dangerous idea if you are hiking in some area with dangerous parasites or something though, so make sure you know beforehand. Have your GPS switch offed, in most cases you probably wont need it, e.g. following a trail, or stream or other natural formation that is easy to see. Bring a map too look at instead, it's much lighter. You can turn the GPS on only at intervals or when you are unsure to double check too if you want.
@@teutates619 aquitabs and likewise are super light though. People carry heavy filtration systems, but one tablet in 30 minutes can kill all of that, and you can use a tshirt or something to filter crap if it's cloudy. I always carry the purification tablets as backup - and they taste fine, not sure why people complain, it's a bit like a mild Andrews Salts.
also for phones, onviously turn on power saving and disable wifi, bluetooth, nfc and so on. then you can extend battery life even further by keeping your phone unlocked. That way checking the map only takes half the time. put the screen in light mode and greyscale. Adaptive brightness actually draws quite a bit more battery than you would think, so turn that off and adjust your brightness manually
Depending on the weather, Instead of a fleece, use arm warmers and compression calf sleeves and buffs. Besides modular, they can warm you up and even help you recover faster. Epic vídeo.
Thanks so much for sharing so much wisdom here. I'm used to backpacking in the CO mountains, so planning a trip to the Utah desert where I'll have to carry a bunch of water is proving challenging. One brand to consider for lightening clothing and sleeping bags is the Japanese company Montbell. I've had a lot of success finding stuff there that have cut a lot of weight, and their jackets come with stuff sacks that are lighter than Ziplocs!
Thanks for making this. I've tried a bunch of these out over the years with moderate success. I'd be interested in hearing about your mistakes with ultralight hiking, so I can learn more about what to avoid.
Lots of good stuff in there. Only thing I really disagree with is relying on a pack liner, I have had multiple ones fail, even the heaviest trash compactor bags. At least for your quilt, have an extra bag. It's just safer. On the hip belt thing, one thing I found out is with one, I was having knee problems on the AT. I asked my friends who are Dr's if the hip belt could be cutting off blood flow and causing knee pain. They both immediately said Yes! I stopped using them and haven't had any knee problems on the PCT, or CDT. Never going back to hip belts. Good info! Have fun out there!!
Hey Jupiter! What an epic video! All the amazing info aside, it was so beautifully edited! I really wish this video could be pinned to the top of TH-cam. There is a lot of great info for nearly all backpackers to digest, so I really hope they try a few of the items. Huge shout out to the mighty taut line hitch!!! Each time one of the line locks breaks on my tent I tie one up and we are as good as new! Open thing I started doing a few years ago is use an emergency blanket as my foot print. I really like the multipurpose nature of it. 🙏 Thanks for bringing us along today. I hope tomorrow’s miles are kind. Keep truckin’ and be well. -Grateful
I have not had a line loc break before so that is interesting to hear! I am glad you enjoyed the vid. Some people have zero desire to lighten their pack and that's great too! Whatever makes folks happy. Still it has been something I have greatly enjoyed tinkering with for many years now and am glad I can show a bunch of ideas all in one big video. I must ask as well, how does the emergency blanket fair when it comes to durability?
@@JupiterHikes I have had the same $2 Walmart emergency blanket since 2018, and as long as you address any punctures with a small piece of tape it’s totally fine. It’s a little noisy by itself, but it’s way less noisy than the thermarest pads or nylofume pack liner. I do fold it in half so it’s just under my sleeping area so it’s two layers thick. It might be all mental but I do feel like I sleep warmer with it than without it. I don’t know how well it would do under a tarp with nothing on top of it, but under a tent it works. I figure if it can make in NE and the whites and the Cimarron Range in NM, it’s good enough for most places. Thanks again for this video. Such a good resource!
@@JupiterHikes oh and the line locks aren’t like the zpack ones. They are the small “grip” ones from big Agnes. I would say the strip out, not snap, but as soon as they don’t hold I tie in the taut line. I did had a few questions: do you consider your yo-yo a luxury? Have you gone as far as taking a lighter one even if it’s not as fun? Like imperial vs butterfly, solid axle vs spool/bearing? And do you carry an extra string in your emergency kit? Be well my friend 🙏
There are more durable MIL thickness mylar emergency blankets .. super cheap ones wouldn't work here .. thicker (more expensive) ones are as durable as polycro .. basically polycro with a mylar reflective coating
@@paganed mine isn’t that thin. I would say it’s between thin and thick window film. Maybe that’s why it’s worked so well so long? I should buy a new from Walmart and see if the current ones are the same thickness. Be well 🙏
Thanks for the tips! I do a lot of fishing. Instead of bringing the whole tackle box I some times only select 3 to 5 lures of various sizes and colors which I know will be good, and they fit in a film canister. That alone saves me perhaps 100-300 grams, depending on the tackle box!
So many great tips! Biggest key I think is definitely knowing the environment, terrain, climate and then of course your objectives. E.g. those intending to go fishing will take some fishing gear. Those into photography will take filters, lenses, batteries/chargers, tripod, etc. Obviously shaving weight with many of those other tips will make it easier to carry those extra little luxuries when desired. A long distance thru-hike on the Florida trail vs a week long off-trail leisure trip to some remote alpine lakes will dictate vast differences in appropriate gear and weight. I will add regarding toothpaste, even better than a small travel tube is getting the dry toothpaste tablets available now. Just pack as many as needed and you only have to pack out the small Ziploc pillbag you may use to store them in.
Thank you for this video. You offer great tips, techniques, and overall insights. Getting my pack weight down is always on my mind. I started out at 65 lbs. and now have it down to 40. Onward and downward!
Great video, confirmed the experience I have gained over the years. What I found out new for me are the barefoot shoes, which are lighter and healthier. But everyone has to find out for themselves. Greetings from Switzerland.
Thank you for the great tips! That editing must have taken forever, it was fantastic! I like to pack my own dinners into gallon sized bags and just scoop what I want from that. It is a great way to eliminate bully trash.
My old counter died so this is all with new software as well! One silly little mess up right in the middle but other than that I'm very happy! Also that is a fantastic tip! Love the less waste and lack of extra bags
Since I discovered your channel I can say that some improvements was on my hiking style. Yes, I tested some of your recommendations and all was very useful. Thanks. Keep inspiring us.
Create your process, improve your process. Bring all you need to get to the next town, carry all you bring. I read the book 'Shibumi' by Trevanian. He mentions Shibumi as meaning "effortless perfection". We can never reach Shibumi, but we must forever strive for it.
This is a really nice video, I love your philosophy, so much ultralight talk is all about gear and going as light as possible, whereas your presentation is well balanced and lots of useful suggestions. Tips I would add are are using purification tablets instead of carrying a water filter system & learning to use a tarp instead of carrying a tent. A good tarp is versatile, I often carry mine on day trips. I don't go ultralight but have been minimizing gear and weight over the years & makes camping and hiking so much more fun. Less to carry means I can move more. I like that you emphasize the approach of mindfulness and making changes over time through experience. I love those practically indestructible plastic utensils & they feel better in the mouth than titanium. I also have had well designed sporks with a cutting edge that are compact,. Store all your gear in one container so it is ready to grab and go, if you can't do that, you probably have too much.
love theses tips, im going heavy with my sleeping pad and sleeping bag and going to use wool midlayer instead of down. but i would like to save weight in other places, Im going to use some of these tips. thank you
I have watched this video multiple times & will continue to consult it as a reference in the future, not for the UL perspective per se but solely for the wealth of useful, practical advice.
Great video. I've ditched bringing toothpaste tubes and use "unpaste tooth tabs" instead. Comes in plastic free packaging, saves weight and you know exactly how many tabs you have for a trip.
Brother….. that was a great video…. You touch on a lot of great ideas ….a COMMENT…. Over packing food or bringing way to much the pounds will start to ADD …..planning is important throughout the trip ….. trek on safe
I'm crazy when it comes to garage sale season and it's amazing what you can find at them. I picked up one thing that's in my Camelbak Mule (or is it a Mutt) that rides behind the seat of my pickup truck just in case I come across a trail I want to hike on. The neatest thing I found was a small Craftsman AM/fm radio with a flashlight as well as a plug in for a USB cable to charge things up. Oh, it's also got a small colar panel AND a hand crank for when the sun hides from you or you finally stop at night. I've got other goodies in my CamelBak and I don't think I'd ever just beebop down a multi-day trail with just that but, with the water bladder that's part of the pack and lots of small pockets, I keep it loaded with all kinds of different things to at least cover me on an over-night trip. I've got a Garmin GPS (very small) in my pack which I'm not comfortable enough to do without and rely on a cell phone for what it can do. Whether it be deciding which fork to take in a trail or a shortcut back to civilization if the need arises.. I DO have the fork kind of like what you showed but, mine has a spoon on the other end. I think you've made me think about pulling my Camelbak out and checking the inventory to see what else I need to add. Great video..
My sleep system is pretty much a 80% wool blanket these days. Weight wise it's not much lighter than a quilt or sleeping bag, but volumetric-wise, it's much easier to pack and carry. It can be rolled and tucked away or strapped up top. I've also wrapped it around the inside of my pack or worn it as a cape with a blanket pin when it's chilly. Being in Australia, I find I don't need much more than this 95% of the time and if I do, I wear something warmer on top.
This is great, but no duplicates and no packing for worst case scenarios are great ways to end up in a Mr. Ballen video lol. You can 100% solve these issues in ultralight and minimalistic ways, with enough knowledge and practice, and learning those skills is a pretty fun trip in itself. Stay safe and well
Tip 100 read through the comments of this video. I honestly think you should keep this going, like make another tip video from the comments. Make your own gear is a good tip, as well as modifying gear as well. I was going through my electronics and shaved over a pound. Mainly swapping to a dummy battery and a 12v to 9v dc converter. Also was thinking of making tripod legs with either tent stakes of maybe chop sticks.
Learn to sew! To start I was adding large pockets to the my back pack straps and making hip belt pockets bigger. Now I've sewn my own UL backpack and tent that are perfect for what I need.
I have tried all sorts of ultralight packs, frameless, etc, over the years, and have settled on the Osprey Levity for now as a compromise. For me, the way it distributes weight, it makes my pack feel weightless. Like you said, it's about what works best. +1 on the quilt, they rock! Now, as someone who loves photography and makes it a primary point of any trip, if I could just find a way to lighten the weight of my lenses...
I use the osprey daylite bag, for a camera I use my phone lol. My trips are about 1 week long in forest, desert, or jungle. I can't do cold with my set up. A big thing I bring is an umbrella 🌂, it drastically reduces heat from the sun clothing can't do. So I sweat less and can take less water. The less water makes up for the cost in weight for the umbrella, plus umbrella is also part of my tent system to sleep, with water watch catching ability.
Thanks for the tips! I am planning to make toothpaste dots for an upcoming trip - you can take exactly what you need for the trip and lose the weight of the toothpaste tube. Also a kid sized toothbrush is lighter and will work fine.
Thank you for watching! I hope this is helpful, or at least provides some ideas. The majority of these were thought up while looking at my own gear lists, thinking of my past experiences, and what has worked. As always, carry what you want! It is your trip to do as you please and what you enjoy.
Hi! What's the name of the second book please? Thank you
@@LRChronic "Trail Life: Ray Jardine's Lightweight Backpacking" formerly known as 'Beyond Backpacking' which is virtually the same book just an older version in black and white. It was first published as 'the pct hikers handbook' I believe. None of these are easy to find but it is without a doubt the greatest resource I have ever seen when it comes to backpacking skills and is worth looking for.
@@JupiterHikes thank you for the reply 🙏 love your videos, keep up the great work
Jupiter, one hard part about what clothes to bring is the unexpected extreme bouts of weather that occur now due to climate change. It's real. Example: I live close to and hike and ride (horses, donkeys) in the Sierras. The weather used to be somewhat predictable in summer - you just expect afternoon thunderstorms that end fairly quickly. One day ride on my horse in later July, by 10 a.m. the thunderheads were already building (odd) fast, but the storms didn't end until the next day! That is not typical and was not predicted. The temp went down to 40 degrees mid day rapidly, w wind and thunderstorms raging, creeks became raging muddy obstacles between me and my warm truck. Fortunately I packed JUST enough clothes on my horse to survive this assuming I got back to the truck within a couple hours. If I had been headed out to camp, and I went by the typical weather for the area as well as the forecast, I would've been in trouble. Maybe. I don't know, I suppose I could've thrown up my tent and gotten in my sleeping bag and waited it out for 36 or 48 hours. But I'm more inclined to prepare for worse case scenario but maybe my problem is I need to learn exactly how much clothes will keep me warm when having to sleep out w my newest gear. Idk. I just feel I can't trust weather to be "normal" or predictable at all anymore.
@@BurroGirl you are very right! I'm places where you can bring less with minimal risk that's great, but if the risk is too high I am all for being safe. Just a matter of assessing the probability in regards to each trip and location. I guess that's why I always speak so much about gathering experience near home, and planning heavily for the trip to come. It's nice to learn on the fly sometimes, but in some cases as you mention can be dangerous to do so.
My girlfriend firmly believes that bringing a boyfriend (pack mule) is the best thing for lightening her pack.
I almost wet my pants, but this comment brings up an interesting point. If two people hike together they can share quite a few items of gear lightening both their loads.
@@timothy7497 and bringing 2 very sweet and funny pack burros makes it all the better!
I'm going with someone, and we're sharing a tent, a stove and pot, first aid, a knife, bear bag, and navigation (maps cut up by region along with disassembled guidebook).
She’s right 😂
I do this lol
My tip would be get in shape. It's miraculous how much getting a little stronger and healthier will make you feel on trail, no matter your pack weight.
I've lost 30lbs since 2022 began. Talk about saving weight! that's like 4 of Jupiter's packs!
I second this!
Best exercise for hiking is hiking.
💯
Agreed, i lost 60 lbs iver the last three yeara and i put each of them back into my pack and gear. Never noticed the difference, and i travel and hike in total confort with my 80lb pack. Its not about the burden, its about your capacity to sboulder it.
Little late ot the party but I would like to add to the sleep clothes thing you mentioned. I love this peice of advice you gave, but depending on where you're hiking and for how long, having a wet kit and a dry kit will save you a lot of turmoil. Wear your wet kit during the day, and your dry kit when you sleep to allow your skin time to dry and heal, this will help mitigate things like chaffing, trench foot, sweat rash, and subsequent infections from these injuries. Adding this to your evening routine is also a great way to check for leeches and ticks. Remember, your skin is the largest organ of your body and is your first line of defense against infection, look after it and it'll look after you.
alternatively you could bring a sleeping bag liner and sleep naked
Obviously ex Military. We did that in the Para’s
@@davidward4827 You flatter me good sir.
But no I'm a student nurse that enjoys the outdoors and hyper-focuses way to much on learning about these kinds of things.
@@squirtdoggnot for me. Especially if you need to get out of your tent/hammock in a hurry!!!
In my area, Tasmania, Australia the brutal environment as far a cold temps and rain you can save weight using 75% of what this vid spoke about, but no way could you SAFELY use light weight wet weather gear, shelter of footwear,our bush just destroys it, if you can get the total weight down to around 12-15kg you are going well for a 7 day walk. Seriously I have lost count the amount of times I been involved in rescues involving overseas traveler who have said I have done this or that walk in USA or Europe and did it carrying 7kg.
My tip is for women and researching the most suitable backpack design. In general men can carry more weight on their shoulders thus making it easier to go without a hip belt. Women tend to be built to carry more weight on our hips. I hiked half of the pct last summer having fun designing the perfect pack for women and talked with so many women out there who found these backpacks with skinny shoulder straps and minimized hip belts super uncomfortable. We anatomically have a dip (suprascapular notch variation ) in our shoulders where men do not so thinner straps tend to hurt our shoulders. I switched to a Gossamer Gear g420 (for example) and the carrying comfort was night and day and it's still ultralight. They have a very decent hip belt with great pockets (so no need for a fanny pack) and wide shoulder straps .... I am an older woman so I could go 20 miles per day whereas my young friends can go upwards to 30 or more..... This means carrying more food and water for longer than faster hikers. So know that older ladies out there are particularly badass. :D 👊 The atom pack has some good features, the lightest six moons design packs (altho heavier) even have a vest option for shoulders straps if not too busty. ... . There's room for the ultimate ultralight womens pack to be designed. The Osprey makes a 'womens' pack -- lumina but somehow it fit weird on me when I tried it.
I was wanting the g4-20 but got so bent out of shape when their order thing online rejected my card and my PayPal because I was having it delivered to an address different..I understand the issue but after the emails I thought they could solve it.. tarptent did on my stratosphere li...so I have a used arc haul that will go with me
@@gypsywind43 oh that's too bad. Mine was actually delivered to the Yosemite NP post office no problem. The arc haul should be great. Enjoy!
I think girls are underestimated... Plenty of girls hike the AT, and go well over 20km every day. 5 days in a row, before they take a single day break..! I once hiked 23km with a 15kg backpack (Osprey Rook 65 - which is very comfortable with heavier loads), and i was very happy i got a ride back home the next day, because my shoulders and hips were so sore that i could barely walk for several days 😅
Thanks. This is very useful information.
I appreciate you bringing this up! Most male ultralight youtubers fail to mention this important difference in center of gravity between sexes. (Though I still luv ya, Jupiter! :))
Great video. I’m older and an ex-long range recon scout from military. I’m learning this ultra-lightweight stuff because our packs were typically in excess of 100 pounds. Just one small thing to add: unless you can engage your core muscles at will, don’t cut off your waist belt. Use the belt to press your core (stomach) muscles against to prevent lower back injury.
As someone with lower back issues, I agree fully. When packed properly and straps adjusted, most of the weight should be riding on your hips. When I've got my backpack on, it feels like I've got a back brace on and is more comfortable than most people can imagine.
The first that I heard of this was from GruntProof. He said to use the hip belt like a weight lifters belt across the belly button in order to support the spine, at least when carrying heavy loads.
I don't understand, everyone can engage the core at will I assume?
@@tobiasottinger5200 they can, but they don’t. Pressing into one’s waist belt make it easier.
@@scout06171 right, I'll trust your experience - myself, I do just fine bracing my core without
Lose body weight. Losing 60 lbs has been a game changer for me backpacking. I went from 10-15 mile days to 20-25 mile days.
Good shit, keep it up chunkster
So true. I knew a couple of fanatic bikers who incessantly discussed how to lose 100, 50, 10 grams from their bicycles (at significant cost) while being satisfied with carrying 10-20 pounds of extra fat. (I sincerely confess from experience it is easier to spend money on stuff than to lose weight.)
This. People recommend lightweight gear to me and say "I can belive how you can be arsed carrying such heavy pack and gear..." like bro... I'm 35 kilos overweight I need the exercise and couldn't care less if my tent is 300 grams heavier or not 😄
this is the best tip
take it another step further. backpacking is a game changer for losing weight.
for the ultralight fearful, go out for an overnight close to home, in your backyard, or close to your car. take as little as you can and see how it goes. it's good practice and will help you ditch things you may never need.... also, keep notes of what worked and what didn't after your trips so you can avoid over-packing or simply packing the wrong items for that next trip.
check night time temps where you will be traveling, take extra wool
Be willing to fail and risk being uncomfortable. It's just one night.
yup just did this! 1mile from the car and it was awesome!
Interesting how half the logic of ultralight is dumping backup such as batteries or extra toilet paper, relying on flimsy items like plastic bags and spoons, and overall self-endangerment in regard to weather preparation. Sure it probably works on highway trails where everything goes according to plan, but if ur out in the real backcountry and don't have other hikers to save you or lend a spare, you're dead. And when u try to fend off a wild animal with a 1 inch swiss army knife blade, tell me how it goes
my tip: if you add 1-2lbs of things that help you have a lot more fun, your winning. I use ultra-lite methodologies to make up for the weight of stuff I like to have. As a CPAP user, learning ultra-lite lessons is critical.
Get an oral appliance. A cpap is pretty impossible
I have an oral appliance and have never able to get it to do the job. My go to is now bullet proof: A Transcend Mini with 3 P8 batteries and solar charging panel. Not cheap but I get a total of 6 nights out of the batteries and am able to charge on the go by hanging the solar panel off the top of my pack. Of course each battery is 1 lb. And the CPAP is 1 lb. And the hose and mask add almost another lb. , but I can go.
@@Nimsrodelmy guy those things aren’t worth a damn.
Good video Man! I'm a hiker in Australia, and there isn't a massive amount of videos about conditions there, mostly north America, however your tips are applicable to most hikers here. If you do end up doing some international hikes here, I can recommend the Australian Alps Walking Track as the most picturesque, and probably the most similar to North American conditions. Other great, long distance hikes are the bicentennial national trail, and Heysen trail among others. For any Aussie hikers seeing this video and wondering what applies here, here's a few tips in my experience:
1. For outback hikes, a tarp will almost always do better than a tent. Optimal ventilation, and very very unlikely to encounter bad weather. On the east coast, a lightweight tent is probably a safer bet.
2. Never ditch snake/spiderbite treatment. Go hellbent for leather cutting down ibuprofen etc., but never ever get rid of a proper compression bandage. There are highly venomous snakes and/or spiders in every single part of Australia.
3. Water is easier to find on the east coast than you think. I've never done an east coast hike where I've carried more than 2-3L at a time.
4. Odor proof/animal proof food protection is unessacary. Possums won't get food if you keep it in your tent, and only possums at major campgrounds are game enough to try take it from right next to you if using a tarp. The only possible exception to this is where dingos have become accustomed to humans like on Fraser Island. For most places though, a shopping bag is absolutely fine.
5. Sun protection is more important than close to anywhere else in the world. Long sleeve shirts and broad brimmed hats always, and just enough sunscreen for your face and legs.
6. March flies don't give a rats arse about deet. Leave the deet at home and bring a headnet and long sleeve shirt instead.
To 6. Kevlar body armor 🙄.
March flies, whatever they are, on top of everything else makes it sound like hell on Earth. Tell me again why Australia has such a strong anti immigration policy.
@@billgreen576 tell me how on earth Australian can simultaneously have anti immigration policies and have one of the highest non native born percentages of their populations on earth? As for the wildlife, March flies are hell but I miner annoyance. Again, if one actually takes a look at statistic and facts one will find that indigenous Australian animals cases minuscule fatalities when compared to all other causes of deaths. At the bottom of the list of death are those caused by animal life of all types and yet again, indigenous wildlife is at the bottom of the list. I haven’t looked recently, but horses typically top the list of deaths and serious injuries in this sector in developed countries. Personally, I am Australian and at 54 have known or known of hundreds of people that have died. Excluding cars, I have known at least a dozen people killed by them, being biggest non natural killer, I know one woman killed by a cow, several bitten by snakes, (they were farmers or working in the bush), none of them died. An uncle of mine was bitten several times, he was probably trying to kill the potentially deadly snakes. He didn’t bother going to hospital, just lay down and rested. Spider bites are not uncommon. I don’t know of a single adverse outcome. Anyway. Go look at the stats. You will find dying of thirst and drowning , introduced animals, cattle horses and dogs, outweigh deaths by indigenous wildlife by at least several hundred to one. There’s just one massive exception to the, little danger rule. If you swim where there are crocodiles you are unlikely to live to talk about it. So guess what. Only tourist, who needless to say never return home, swim with crocs.
I'd agree with most of this but a few of the places I've hiked and camped in Queensland have had warnings about wild boar and rats coming after your food and destroying tents to do so. Probably a good idea idea to check first.
@@ktm9292 yer definitely a potential problem. Introduced animals yet again, but the pigs are extremely dangerous if cornered. Which is the overarching truth with almost all wild animal encounters in Australia. If you don’t bother them they don’t bother you. Surprising a venomous snake is the biggest risk. They understandably lash out when they think that they are being attacked. Growing up in the bush it’s second nature to never put any part of your body anywhere you can not see clearly. You don’t have a consciously thing about it so it’s not taxing. The only time I can close to being bitten was as a 12 year old. I was running very quickly across a paddock of very short grass in summer. I didn’t slow down for the fence, with long grass growing up between the wire. I stumbled upon the biggest king brown snake you can imagine. It reared up to my height, but didn’t strike. If it had I would probably have died. If I had been traveling at walking pace the snake would have moved out of my way and I would never have known it was there.
Additional tip for repair tape on trecking poles:
Roll it round your pole at the depth your waterproof footwear gives out. That way. when fording water, you'll know if it's too deep or not. This has saved me wet feet countless times.
waterproof shoes eventually get wet and take much longer to dry than similar shoe that is not waterproof.
This is brilliant.
I think bear spray or a pistol, or a hatchet if in bear country.
A black bear charged me and the only th8nk that sopped it was me banging my sheathed hatchet on a tree stump as hard as I could. I tried to be big, wave my arms, yell, stomp and spit. The hatchet shook the stump just enough for it to run away.
Three other people 10-20 feet from me never even saw the bear coming.
It stopped walking about 30 feet from me. That when it ran towards me. It never stopped and stared.
It may have been bluffing I’ve seen black bears on videos charge people and back off before they get here. They test you. They also jumó up a tree and will star at you in between charges.
I have no clue about giant bears is like I’ve see. Them and they are like twice as big. Maybe way more.
A moose is the biggest animal I’ve seen.
Why don't your shoes have Goretex lining? Your feet are the most used body part on a trek and wet feet can be a huge issue especially with blisters etc. Healthy happy feet is key.
As a "final" tip, the best items to lighten your pack are experience and physical strength.
The right experience allows you to decide which items are worth saving weight on and which aren't, or how other attributes of an item allow you to experience that weight. Getting a backpack that fits you well makes carrying the same weight more comfortable, knowing the terrain and weather allows you to decide which items are absolutely necessary (even if they seem too bulky / heavy) and which aren't.
And being stronger / fitter allows you to either carry more weight or carry the same weight further. It's up to you how you use that advantage but having "extra strength" in reserve is always useful for unexpected situations when you need to hike longer to get to the right campsite or off the mountain, carry additional gear (distributing the gear of an injured group member among peers) or hiking the same hike even when conditions have changed (like muddy ground after unexpected rainfall).
Also, don't fall victim to fads. Lightening your pack is always a good idea but don't jump on that train solely because you want to be an "ultralighter". Similarly, ergonomic and feature-rich packs like Osprey mountaineering bags are cool and useful but don't get one just because all your friends have one, you don't need an avalanche-airbag pocket or an ice axe carrying system if you're not hiking in terrain that warrants that gear. These are also things that are easier to recognize with experience.
Jupiter my addition is meditation before I go. I think through the emotions I may experience on my solo hike such as self doubt and loneliness. This strengthens my resolve when I walk. Secondly I adopt a One Meal a Day fasting regime for 3 months before I walk focused on low carb which generates ketone which in turn enables me burn my own fat as food. This also gives enhanced energy similar to what our Hunter Gather ancestors would have experienced. This cuts down on the food I need to carry as I can easily go 24 hours without food.
I read Ray Jardins book when it was first published this set me on superlite walking. Jardine, you are a modern Ray Jardine and thank you so much for your informative clips. I am still walking long distances in my early 70s and I intend doing this in my nineties by clean living and getting my kit as light as possible.
You already touched on it a bit when talking about drying out gear, but I'll add a little to it for people looking to hike in wetter, more rainy conditions. It won't show on your scale, but carrying gear or clothes that can't or won't absorb as much water as other items can save you a lot of weight while actually on trail. Dyneema is an obvious example of fabric that can't absorb water, i.e. weight. Another good idea could be to recoat waterproof gear (that will eventually soak through) before a long wet trail. A soaking wet backpack on long rainy days can be a real bummer.
Thanks for the great tips!
That is a fantastic tip and not something I had considered! Great point
My tip is to focus on comfort only AFTER going as light as you can. The experience of going ultralight will cure you of bringing all the stuff you don't actually need or even want for, but instead you will only then realize what you -actually- want for extra comfort.
For me, it was my pack - namely becoming picky about how it carries weight for longer sections. In the end it didn't add much weight to find the right one, but for me that was the comfort item I cared enough about to take on the extra ounce.
I have travelled all over the world and trekked in many mountain and wilderness areas. One of the best rules I learned was to only have two sets of clothes:one wet set for use during the day and one dry set for night use. On a typical three week trek I'll take at least one rest day to wash and dry clothes, write up journals, read etc. Same as when I served in the army, where in the field we only had one spare set of clothing.
Great stuff. Lots of useful tips which has helped me look at my kit a bit closer than usual.
For me the lighter my load the more I can enjoy my hiking. The Highlands of Scotland are boggy, wet and very cold. A sunnyday can change in an instant becoming a rain fest with strong gusts.
This weather can push one into taking a heavy pack with lots of " WHAT IF " extra gear.
I'm 54. My pack weighs in at 11kg for a 5 day fully self sufficient hike.
I got the low weight mainly by buying the lightweight kit. Very expensive. About £2000. Not being a wealthy person that hurt a little. The benefits though outway the prices. I can enjoy my extreme hiking. My pack never bothers me. My hike doesn't become a march of pain or a challe ge so great I can hardly get up the next day.
May I offer one great tip too.
No matter what are fitness level may be training, building up stamina and eating healthy foods prior to hitting the trails makes for a lighter experience in so many ways. 😀 Mind and body.
Great video.cheers mate.
Oxford 🇬🇧
I have really grown to love your content. Evocative, informative, light hearted, strong-willed. Great stuff is to be found here.
Many of us are carrying a few extra pounds in the belly! Losing weight is another great way to lose weight!
2nd tip - When I suddenly got my period out of schedule while backpacking (which apparently frequently happens especially when mountaineering w large shift in altitudes), I asked any women I came across for tampons. One mentioned to use a rag (since that's of course an item I backpack with), and her partner exclaimed, "Isn't that why it's called "on the rag?"
And that rag saved me for those days. Washed at any clean steam crossing.
This has been the most informative video after I browse ultralight advises for the last three days. and as Chinese, the language is quite friendly to understand. Thanks!
I’m in the PNW and find it difficult to go lighter. The rain can be insane and not stop for literally days. I’ve been caught going too light and it wasn’t fun. Good video and researching your fears instead of packing them is a good idea.
I'm PNW also and deal with the rain. Last year, I switched my rain gear to Bellmont which works really well, in my opinion. I saved 8 ounces overall. The only drawback is of course it is less durable. I had a small rip in my pant leg but a chunk of duct tape took care of it until I got home and patched it with a Zpacks tent patch.
@@emileewertman5175 thanks for the tip. I've always struggle with rain gear because I sweat kind of easily inside it and get wet from the inside out at that point. And I've had so many types or rain gear just soak through after a ton of rain. Finally switched to an ultralightweight umbrella as long as the wind isn't too bad. Chrome dome umbrella for the win, not really a weight savings though. PNW can be tough!
@@manofthecloth777 I have a Six Moons but I’m just not an umbrella person. If you don’t already, Zpacks makes a clip to attach the umbrella to your shoulder strap. Works well and is 5 bucks. Happy hiking!
@@emileewertman5175 thanks! I'll check it out.
PNW also, during spring/summer/fall I've returned to using a poncho like we did years ago. I upgraded to a Six Moon's Gatewood Cape and now my poncho is also my tent. I stay dry all night and all day, my backpack stays drier under the poncho, and I hike drier since there is a front zipper that open for ventilation. I use gaiters to cover my lower pants and boot tops in the colder parts of spring and fall, in summer the trail shoes just get wet and it's warm enough.
Great info. Instead of toothpaste and toothbrush, I take some baking soda and water. I rub it into my teeth and gums with a finger. Then rinse. It's anti bacterial, and the bears won't smell the toothpaste. Keep up the great work. Stephen Hedman from B.C Canada.
Great video! The only thing I would say is that for some of us, the challenge of going as light as possible IS the goal. I personally love the mental puzzle of figuring out how to keep things light, functional/durable, and cheap. And then the adventure of toughing it out on the trail (safely of course). Again, to each their own for sure, but there are those who intentionally deprive themselves of “comfort” to increase our capacity for being able to be comfortable in a wider range of environments i.e. we can adapt and learn to do more with less. Anyway, super solid tips!
This is a super made video...
I've been researching only a couple of Thru Hikers who touch in the area of Prepper, survival bugging out. We've been having more SHTF events happen , in the country , from Wild Fires, Droughts, Power Outages, Heat Waves, Floods, Snow Storms, Ice Storms, Tornadoes etc...
People are bugging out from homes (fires, looters, flooding) , vehicle accidents & long traffic jams, and flooded out communities with longer poweroutages..., more often than ever , in the past 8 yrs ..
Alot of people don't have any to no skills; on bugging out, and the gear needed to be successful on a bug out escape route....ThruHikers have a ton of experience on the obstacles they face, whether it be body conditioning, weather readiness, and tried and true equipment...
I beleive that the combination of Survival skills, Bug out prepping , and Thru hiking with a touch of preparedness on homelessness mindset...is the perfect recipe for survival...
Thank you for your great organized visual video presentation...super helpful ...
Save your spent chapstick tubes, they’re reusable. If you’re someone like me who uses foot balm (e.g., Joshua Tree, Bonnie’s Balms), you can melt a small portion in a double boiler and fill an old chapstick tube. Leave the large jar at home. Works great.
Hey that's an awesome idea! I've never considered those
Ooo I love this! I’m a sandal hiker and my feet get dry after a few days. I like thick balms so that would work perfect for carrying just enough
I'm getting ready for the AZT and use Glide for my feet. I am absolutely going to use this tip. Thanks!!
I keep my medications in a micro chapstick container
I pack solid Mitchum deodorant into chapstick container for 28 day supply. Use stubby container for 10 day supply.
Thanks for the video! I was already doing OK, but after recently purchasing Durston's Kakwa40 pack and X-Mid1 tent (I am not ready to sleep under a tarp when every snake we have here is deadly), I have been inspired to continue to cut down on weight and volume further. I have always packed each day's rations together. Each ziplock bag contains my main meal for the evening (home dehydrated), my lunch (crackers and peanut butter or dehydrated hummus, or tuna pouch), plus the next day's breakfast of muesli, dried fruit, and powdered coconut milk (I add water in the morning), snacks, plus the all important coffee bag. I write the weight on each bag, then eat from the heaviest to the lightest. I alternate the snacks - e.g. an extra treat for day 3 - so that I have something special to look forward to. The ziplock bags then become my waste bags, and are shoved to the bottom of my pack.
@@happydogg312 So comfortable that I now use it as a day pack - because of the extra pockets and the comfy hip belt. I have also managed to use it for a 3 night walk.
i use a lot of these methods. what i do differently is i ALWAYS have dedicated sleep clothes. when it's cooler and your in the rain it's nice to have something dry to sleep in. also it's nice to put clean clothes on after washing up. i use the same sleep pad UNDER my inflatable pad. i could never sleep on just the 1/8" pad, it does double as my sit pad. i use a torso length pad only in warmer weather. when it's cooler the full length pad keeps my feet and calves much warmer. ALWAYS have a hot meal at the end of the day and hot coffee in the morning, tried cold soaking more than a couple of times and it don't work for me.
I use a piece of foam underlayment that goes under laminate flooring as a thin pad under my sleeping pad. It’s about 1/8” thick. I picked it up as scrap. I changed to a pyramid tarp from Luxe - Minipeak. Bought it used on eBay. Floorless with a thin tarp or plastic paint drop cloth. A wool balaclava and base layers for sleeping with sleep socks.
Hands down one of the best videos out there as far as how much is packed in there! My tip would be to echo on considering leaving things behind. I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2019, and prepped for months ahead of time by walking similar paths in similar conditions. My base weight went from around 18 pounds to around 11 when I started the hike. I had another planned for 2020 until Covid changed those plans. I had gotten my base weight down to about 6 for that one. Now I have a base weight a little over 4 pounds to accomplish the same things on the same trails! If I decided to safe money and stealth camp, I could still do it at around 6 pounds, which is amazing! Thanks to you and the books you mentioned, and doing a lot of prep work and trying things out, I have a base weight at a quarter of what I started out with (or even 1/5!). Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us!
Tim, I would love to see your gear list. Walked 8 caminos and have my base down to 9.5 lbs without the high tech stuff, but always looking to cut it down more
I would also like to know?
@@francismccabe3265 I've been trying to link it here but have been having issues
@@oliverchalkley1187 I have been having issues replying here and linking my list
By base weight, you mean walking the camino carrying only 6-9 lbs? Or base is the must have stuff and added on are extras, but stillcould do the hike following all the tips from experts and books.
(As someone that hiked pre-cell) Additional things I use my phone for: compass, flashlight, a signal mirror, entertainment, calculator, weather report, a level, ruler, magnifier, mirror, heart monitor, distance tracker, knot tying guide, altimeter, I use uber to day hike a linier trail (I live near the AT), store / eats finder, I stash money etc. between the cover and phone, even squashed a few bugs with it, and I even used it a phone once...
I understand the purpose of these ultralight stuff, but this should be well balanced with level of experience, by testing what exactly works for you. For a beginner, this needs to be well highlighted. Otherwise, as the UK soldiers use to say: "go light and freeze in the night" :). Nice video and tips! Greetings from the woods in Sweden 🇸🇪
I 100% agree! And always try to say multiple times to try things near home, or to try things on shorter trips before ever taking them on something bigger!
For the cold get a set of haley hansen work ware base layers
Super light and work great in -27 temperature . I personally have tested the for 5 years in that climate. I have also used them at high elevations and they are the best base layers
He did mention that you have to carry your own pack...you can be as ultralight as you want...for me carrying a light weight 4 season gear base weight is what I aim for...but this isn't for everyone. I was camped out on the Verde River near Sedona Arizona...It was the tail end of March and it was 85 degrees for 3 day's I was their. I trailed up Oak Creek Canyon Sedona Arizona...I was able a mile past the lookout area and set up camp in the woods...I woke up the next day with a whole lot of snow around me...this is why I almost always carry a Ultralight 4 season base weight...if it wasn't for my gear I could have died from exposure...but I was carrying a zero down marmont mummy bag and sleeping in my Black Diamond Mega Light Mid both 4 season gear... Thank you Jesus I was prepared for cold weather...I want from 85 degrees to Winter temperatures...in one day.
@@friarrodneyburnap8680 I get your point about weather changing but I short trips it’s pretty easy to fairly accurate weather predictions. I normally carry a 20 degree quilt and while it would be cold in it I certainly would not freeze to death. Carrying four season gear year round is a little over the top.
Definitely; I'm a beginner and I know I still overpack, but I'm going on 1-2 night trips in various weather conditions i've never been in before, so I can accept overpacking as a way to get used to it. I also have a simpler tent to set up that is heavier than ultralight ones (though still under 3 pounds!) because before I bought this tent for my first trip, I had never set up a tent in my life. I'm keeping it simple and a little heavier while keeping stuff carryable until I'm more experienced
I've now learnt that a single setup is not recommended. I have a really solid winter setup, a set up for mild to cold weather and a warm weather setup. These setups each use a different pack, tent, and sleeping system. And the weights vary greatly. I'd suggest multi weight hiking opposed to just ultra light. Sleeping near the sound of water and keeping the cold out require heavier setups and this is a good thing to have. Ultra light setups make walking great distances possible and these type of videos are a terrific resource for people working on establishing an ultra light setup.
To me, often hiking in colder and unstable weather I find sleep clothes to be fairly efficient. It adds some to total weight of course, but not much as it allows for a slightly lighter sleeping bag/quilt, keep it cleaner and is also an extra layer for emergency use.
This is my experience as well. A set of very lightweight long underwear helps me sleep better, feel cleaner, and stay warmer. Also, as you said, it makes a great emergency insulating layer.
Yes me too. A thin tight fitting long sleeve tee and a pair of yoga pants. Softens my pack too making a nice pillow spot on my pack.
100%, I like ditching everything out of the pack and going super light but really cannot compromise on a clean(ish) sleep layer. Sleeping in your hiking clothes is truly disgusting and that's a big something to say coming from a through hiker.
I'm heading out in March 2024 on the AT. This video was just what I needed to hear! Thanks so much! I feel lighter already!
Thanks! I am working at lightening mypack. I am almost 60 and refuse to quit just yet, but those hills are getting steeper.
I hope the lightened pack will help with that! I always say when the walking is hard, every step forwards is a step I don't have to take back
@@JupiterHikes yes its been helpful to make decisions on what I can replace.
I lighten my gear every decade, we just have to keep hiking. Started with a plastic tarp, 6-lb sleeping bag and pad, a canvas backpack, and a steel pan and coffee can for cooking. Now it's a lightweight pack, 3-lb sleeping bag and pad, 11 oz tent/poncho, and aluminum pot with stove (fires are mostly out here in the PNW during summer, but still good in winter). I'm wondering what I'll lighten up when I turn 70?
Thanks for the tips & for provoking so many great responses! My tip is to use alcohol stoves instead of gas. It is less waste (just think of all those canisters!), so much lighter, will work in cold temperatures & is more efficient & takes up less bulk in your pack. I only need 15ml to boil water, so I only carry what I need. My container of choice is a repurposed Listerine bottle (250ml).
This was great. And nothing has done more to reduce my pack weight than WEIGH EVERYTHING and Lighterpack. Seeing everything and its weight laid out has been a game changer.
awesome video, I am a part of the group who usually never comments on videos but I appreciate the simplicity and straightforwardness of this video. enough said.
Life changing video for me this, thank you so much sir !
I think hiking within yourself, at a steady pace where your heart rate is not too high is critical. You will eat less food, drink less water and sweat less. Its also better on your joints and muscles. Its just better for you to hike at your own pace. This is why hiking alone is truly better for you.
I use a fanny pack, and it makes a great belt for my polycro ground sheet - wrap it around your waist for a great rain skirt. Fold it over the pack, and with a rain jacket over that I shed water like a duck.
I have never heard of or watched your channel before. I click on your link. You start with "carry what you want" and "Try these things at home before going on a long trip."
I'm in. Subscribed.
This was an awesome video! I'm not an ultralighter or even really an aspiring ultralighter, but there's a lot in here that is helpful for any kind of hiker. This is a wonderful compendium of a lot of tips I've heard in various places, it's great to have it all put together in an organised video like this. I also really appreciate that you're not suggesting there's a 'right' way to be ultralight, as for each individual there will be tips that work better and tips that don't. e.g. I can't go without deet because I have allergies that make insect bites much worse for me (and not only do I have to bring deet but also antihistamine tablets and creams so I'm not miserable when I do get bitten)
My weight saving tip that I don't think I've seen anyone mention is that tooth powder is lighter (and easier to source) than travel sized toothpaste. You can make it yourself with a combination of baking soda and xylitol. It's even better if you can source bentonite clay to include but fine without if you can't. The xylitol makes it taste yummy and if you're feeling fancy a single drop or two of foodgrade peppermint flavour gives it that minty fresh feeling.
My aunt always used baking soda and salt instead of toothpaste or powder.
Thanks for all the good tips!
One thing I'm implementing on my next international hike is an inflatable pillow/seat cushion/flotation device. It's super light-weight, thin and has multiple functions. And because I use an external pack frame setup, it fits in the frame, taking up zero usable space.
Because my hiking trip will last 2-3 months, I've decided to use it. On a previous similar trip I didn't have one and regretted it. While I could sit on and lay my head on folded clothing, the softness/cushion doesn't compare to the inflatable cushion. And it will easily wipe off and clean up after being used in the dirt, sand and grass.
Another thing I've decided on this time is strapping on a foodsafe 5-gallon bucket with watertight seal on the lid and a very small, light-weight cooler backpack to the pack frame, instead of the original pack that came on the frame.
With the bucket I can wash clothing, utensils and myself, catch rain water, sit on it, use it as a drum, carry sticks, water, rocks, sand, etc. and do many other things with it. It will also float, so I can take it with me out into the water when I bathe or go fishing. Honestly, I can't think of a single item with more uses.
I've lined the bucket with a 5+ gallon watertight bag so I can quickly and easily remove everything from the bucket without the need to reorganize things I've packed inside it.
I had this bucket idea while I was out the last time on a similar trip to Mexico and Central America.
Hopefully I'll get to update yall with how it goes.
Anyway... hope that was helpful for someone.
I am trying to imagine what this bucket idea looks like, it sounds interesting.
@@c-mac2228 Picture a "Transport Freighter Aluminum Pack Frame" (can be seen on bass pro or amazon). Then a 4 or 5 gallon bucket with lid. The bucket is standing upright with the pack frame. Then I took a ratchet strap and wrapped it around the upper ridges of the bucket (below the lid) 3 times and attached both ends of the strap to the thicker vertical bars of the frame.
I am always looking for lighter weight clothing. I found a midlayer at 7oz versus my 11oz one that I was carrying. Also, I leave all my stuff sacks at home and went to a pack liner which saved some ounces. Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain on my old bones. Great video as usual Jupiter! Happy Hiking
Have never seen anyone use it in the hiking community before, so glad I got to know the tautline hitch knot, it made life so much easier while packrafting, but have also used it to save some weight on my tent :)
Paul Kirtley has good tarp / knot videos.
Great video! I check most of those boxes. My tip is to bring a small piece of bubble wrap to use as a placemat.
I like the tip on where to wrap duct tape. Ill be using that one on my trip this spring.
One thing I bring in a repair kit is 2 extra long zip ties. They are extremely lite and do a better job than tape in a variety of repairs.
Good stuff as usual. I've replaced my travel size toothpaste with the tablets. Lighter, easier to plan how much to bring, less mess and can brush on the move easily. Works for me so far. Thanks for sharing the wisdom!
I've never heard of these! Thanks!❤
Less plastic waste, too! :)
Plus the added benefit that toothpaste tabs don't freeze in colder climates whereas normal toothpaste does.
you can just make dabs of toothpaste on wax paper and let them dry, boom.
Thanks, you've given me some great ideas to consider. I did 1426 miles on the AT back in 2018, but injured my back and had to get off. It still bothers me a bit, but nothing serious. It's just a good reminder to be careful and pay attention. Just retired, so planning on doing the AT again in 2024. I wasn't planning on changing everything, but I needed a new pack, and decided to downsize my tent as well. I did go for a wider, higher r-value sleeping pad, but I figure the better sleep will more that make up for the few extra ounces.
Thanks again. I plan to keep watching, so please keep it up...
Wonderful video. I have learned an incredible amount from your channel, and it has benefited in many ways with my time outdoors. One small item I have found that I feel is worth sharing is a battery bank with cables built in. The TG90* battery bank is 10,000 MAH with a built in iPhone, micro usb, and usb type-c cord. This item is incredibly lightweight, and having the cords always ready and available is super useful. The cords are quite short, however I have never found an issue with this
Thanks again for the video!
Best Ultralight Video so far
Nice work Jupiter!
I use my mosquito head net with a drawstring as my ditty bag (as you Americans call it) because it is a bag made of holes it doesn't trap air and it is a large enough bag that individual items can settle into the nooks and crannies inside my pack to save space whilst still being in the one bag that I can pull out in a moments notice
This would never work for me... when you need your head net, it needs to be in a pocket, not buried and full of small stuff. All those things are now scattered and might as well be homeless from the beginning. I use a small freezer bag as a ditty bag, so I can pull it out in any weather and not soak the contents.
@@PaulSchortemeyer Fair enough :) I rarely ever use my head net for its intended purpose - probably comes down to my location more than anything.
Also, I use it to secure my inflatable pillow to my inflatable sleeping pad. This is my favorite backpacking/camping trick
I have used turkey bags both to carry out food also great for laundry in town., and keeping gear dry. Super durable and of course they weight almost nothing.
Fantastic tips for a newbie, thank you so much. Ive gone from my first pack 18kg that nearly killed me to 7.5kg. At 5ft and slim, a lighter pack is critical for enjoyment. Thank you very much, very hekpful tips ❤
Great video. Applying even just a few ultralight ideas to regular backpacking can save a lot of grief. It can also be applied to cycle touring, where you don't have the weight on your back as a reminder that you overpacked. Giving everything a long look and demanding it justify itself is important, even if it's just to make more room for your camera gear.
For cutting straps off my pack, I fill it up with as much stuff as possible and then cut off the excess straps, making sure to still give an inch of extra strap. That and cutting out the liner between the top and bottom adds up pretty quick. I would never cut off a hip belt though. In the time leading up to a big hike, squeeze tubes of sunscreen and toothpaste that are only partially full get set aside for the hike, when they're down to what I'll need. I measure out my food I'll eat, including coffee, but always include one extra meal just in case something happens. Instead of a tiny Bic lighter, I carry a tiny lightweight jet lighter, because it's less effected by wind.
Knives like the Benchmade Bugout (1.85oz) or Opinel Traditional #8 (1.59oz) give you a dependable blade that weighs next to nothing. If you need a fixed blade, there are some good smaller choices, like the White River M1 Pro Backpacker (3.2oz), Grohmann No.1 (3.4oz), or the Morakniv Eldris (2.8oz w/ ferro rod).
Toothpaste really isn't necessary tbh, that might sound taboo but in reality all toothpaste is is grit, peppermint flavoring and if you're lucky flouride. A toothbrush on it's own will do a sufficient job for most purposes. What's more the strong peppermint smell of toothpaste can bring in curious animals from nearby which can mean damage to your gear etc.
love the minimalist aspect and the alternate use of other items!
Very nice work. Thanks a lot for the help. Love the calm and open way you explain everything in.
This video is so useful, even as an experienced hiker I founded new tricks to lower my base weight!! Thank you for sharing 😀
If nothing else I hoped it would provide a whole ton of ideas for anyone to think about or try!
Hey this is a *fantastic* video dude, thanks for taking the time and effort to make it. As an evergreen resource, I hope this gets a zillion views from prospective and veteran thru-hikers in the coming years. I got some good reminders and new tips out of it. Oh, I also use a thinlight as my sleeping pad and people think I'm nuts, but I dunno... that bad boy's .5 R value has always done the trick for me! lol
I remember hiking around the atlas mountains for two weeks with a friend. The airline we flew with lost his bag so we shared all of my stuff for the time and it worked out perfectly fine ever since I have been packing half as much if I go alone lol
Not a weight saving tip, but I use a small rubber band (cut up inner tube of a bicycle) around the lighter to block the 'button' from moving. That ensure that there is no chance the lighter slowly empties when its stuffed into your pack. The rubber band may also be used in case of emergency as a fire starter.
Personally I do feel a distinct difference in using an umbrella for the sun vs. having a hat and long sleeves. The umbrella is way cooler and allows you to take off your hat to cool your head a bit.
We all need cooler heads.
Is there a "wearable" umbrella out there or does that enter clown mode? The idea of an umbrella seems logical contrasts with having to hold it.
@@KENFEDOR22 Use a couple of 1/4" elastic cords to attach the handle and shaft to your pack straps for hands free use in non-windy conditions.
@@KENFEDOR22 six moons design sells umbrella holders that allow you to strap your umbrella to your pack so you can hike hands free
@@stormyboy129 Thanks! Six Moons looks like the solution for me!
Great tips. In Canada you need more clothes, however having a thick layer will either keep you warm or keep you wet with sweat. Better to have several thin layers so you are adjusting by small steps.
Thanks for yet another good one Jupiter. I definitely recommend on "analyzing and do not pack your fears" . Combine it with 'there is no shortcut for experience' and it might make tip 102 🙂.
Btw, portable bidet and a 15 ml bottle of Dr Bronner's minty soap (hand wash, toothbrush etc.) is a winner too in my book! And yes, practice at home 🙂
You can come hiking in Romania, we have amazing mountains here!
Thank you for the tips!
as a fan of the cold and wet experience, ive found a lot of these to be true but generally i find that weight can absolutely add convenience and safety. going outside is a journey and chasing a number instead of its experience is pretty silly in my opinion, so i make a distinction between minimalism vs ultralight. you definitely need a bit of both to get into really low numbers but i favor heavier gear but less of it. for instance a hot water bottle that a nalgene can produce can really make the difference on an evening thats cooler than expected. maybe its splitting the issue a bit too much but ive got quite a few friends with bags heavier than mine for a given trip with gear that on average weighs half as much. this video is a pretty balanced approach and definitely for people who are information seeking to get their gears turning. keep on inspiring and cant wait to see a video on some gear youve made.
I fully agree convenience and safety. I guess in many ways some things do ask the user to have the experience to go without the convenience, or a certain skill to replace an otherwise safer item. It's definitely a trade. Many will find that the convenience and safety wins out, but it's still fun to try other options as occasionally one of them will stick! I do agree with you though and find myself often carrying heavier items because it makes my life better. That's the journey with gear I guess
Thank you very much! I’m an octogenarian, not as strong as I once was, preparing for my first ever trek, and find your advice to be invaluable. I find ultralight to be ultra appealing.
A wise presentation.
Three tips I could add:
Use a self filtering water bottle when streams, lakes and tarns are available instead of carrying extra boiled or treated water. Boiling drinking water requires extra fuel so this weight can also be saved by using a filter bottle.
Attach your waterbottle to the front of your pack straps. This brings weight forward and you can drink without stopping to remove your pack.
Use your phone on aircraft mode with just GPS switched on. You can run your map app and camera and the charge will last 2 to 3 times longer. You may therefore be able to go without a powerbank or take a lighter unit. Only turn off aircraft mode to make a call or check for messages.
Adding to this a bit.
Check whether the water is drinkable directly. In e.g. the Swedish mountains you have drinking water directly in the streams. Depending on how bold you are this may work in other places too. A colleague told me he never used any filtration system and have never had any problems, a guy he was with apparently got sick one time though. This may be a dangerous idea if you are hiking in some area with dangerous parasites or something though, so make sure you know beforehand.
Have your GPS switch offed, in most cases you probably wont need it, e.g. following a trail, or stream or other natural formation that is easy to see. Bring a map too look at instead, it's much lighter. You can turn the GPS on only at intervals or when you are unsure to double check too if you want.
That’s a gamble. Any stream of water can be contaminated with ecolli bacteria that’s in animal waste. But it’s a fun gamble until you hit the jackpot…
@@teutates619 aquitabs and likewise are super light though. People carry heavy filtration systems, but one tablet in 30 minutes can kill all of that, and you can use a tshirt or something to filter crap if it's cloudy. I always carry the purification tablets as backup - and they taste fine, not sure why people complain, it's a bit like a mild Andrews Salts.
also for phones, onviously turn on power saving and disable wifi, bluetooth, nfc and so on. then you can extend battery life even further by keeping your phone unlocked. That way checking the map only takes half the time. put the screen in light mode and greyscale. Adaptive brightness actually draws quite a bit more battery than you would think, so turn that off and adjust your brightness manually
You are preaching minimalism... MY LANGUAGE !!! Thank you !!
Depending on the weather, Instead of a fleece, use arm warmers and compression calf sleeves and buffs. Besides modular, they can warm you up and even help you recover faster. Epic vídeo.
hmmm. arm warmers and leg warmers.... and neck tube thanks.
I have down leg warmers I bought on Amazon. Saves me having pants and much warmer than pants when needed.
yep, this is excellent. can pair arm sleeves with a vest.
This is The Gospel of Jupiter! So much respect for sharing all of these priceless tips!
As with just about all sports, losing body weight (fat) is the best way to lighten your load. 😁 Thanks for posting!
Thanks so much for sharing so much wisdom here. I'm used to backpacking in the CO mountains, so planning a trip to the Utah desert where I'll have to carry a bunch of water is proving challenging. One brand to consider for lightening clothing and sleeping bags is the Japanese company Montbell. I've had a lot of success finding stuff there that have cut a lot of weight, and their jackets come with stuff sacks that are lighter than Ziplocs!
The lightest stuff sack of all is no stuff sack at all! Montbell is great and I hope you enjoy!!
Thanks for making this. I've tried a bunch of these out over the years with moderate success. I'd be interested in hearing about your mistakes with ultralight hiking, so I can learn more about what to avoid.
that is a great idea though would certainly take a lot of thought!
Lots of good stuff in there. Only thing I really disagree with is relying on a pack liner, I have had multiple ones fail, even the heaviest trash compactor bags. At least for your quilt, have an extra bag. It's just safer. On the hip belt thing, one thing I found out is with one, I was having knee problems on the AT. I asked my friends who are Dr's if the hip belt could be cutting off blood flow and causing knee pain. They both immediately said Yes! I stopped using them and haven't had any knee problems on the PCT, or CDT. Never going back to hip belts. Good info! Have fun out there!!
Hey Jupiter! What an epic video! All the amazing info aside, it was so beautifully edited! I really wish this video could be pinned to the top of TH-cam. There is a lot of great info for nearly all backpackers to digest, so I really hope they try a few of the items. Huge shout out to the mighty taut line hitch!!! Each time one of the line locks breaks on my tent I tie one up and we are as good as new! Open thing I started doing a few years ago is use an emergency blanket as my foot print. I really like the multipurpose nature of it. 🙏 Thanks for bringing us along today. I hope tomorrow’s miles are kind. Keep truckin’ and be well.
-Grateful
I have not had a line loc break before so that is interesting to hear! I am glad you enjoyed the vid. Some people have zero desire to lighten their pack and that's great too! Whatever makes folks happy. Still it has been something I have greatly enjoyed tinkering with for many years now and am glad I can show a bunch of ideas all in one big video. I must ask as well, how does the emergency blanket fair when it comes to durability?
@@JupiterHikes I have had the same $2 Walmart emergency blanket since 2018, and as long as you address any punctures with a small piece of tape it’s totally fine. It’s a little noisy by itself, but it’s way less noisy than the thermarest pads or nylofume pack liner. I do fold it in half so it’s just under my sleeping area so it’s two layers thick. It might be all mental but I do feel like I sleep warmer with it than without it. I don’t know how well it would do under a tarp with nothing on top of it, but under a tent it works. I figure if it can make in NE and the whites and the Cimarron Range in NM, it’s good enough for most places. Thanks again for this video. Such a good resource!
@@JupiterHikes oh and the line locks aren’t like the zpack ones. They are the small “grip” ones from big Agnes. I would say the strip out, not snap, but as soon as they don’t hold I tie in the taut line.
I did had a few questions: do you consider your yo-yo a luxury? Have you gone as far as taking a lighter one even if it’s not as fun? Like imperial vs butterfly, solid axle vs spool/bearing? And do you carry an extra string in your emergency kit? Be well my friend 🙏
There are more durable MIL thickness mylar emergency blankets .. super cheap ones wouldn't work here .. thicker (more expensive) ones are as durable as polycro .. basically polycro with a mylar reflective coating
@@paganed mine isn’t that thin. I would say it’s between thin and thick window film. Maybe that’s why it’s worked so well so long? I should buy a new from Walmart and see if the current ones are the same thickness. Be well 🙏
I agree with pretty much everything, besides the TP thing... I ALWAYS bring a full roll of TP, and some wet wipes..
Thanks for the tips! I do a lot of fishing. Instead of bringing the whole tackle box I some times only select 3 to 5 lures of various sizes and colors which I know will be good, and they fit in a film canister. That alone saves me perhaps 100-300 grams, depending on the tackle box!
Thanks Jupiter! Your videos are the most informative and inspiring on the web! Happy Trails
So many great tips! Biggest key I think is definitely knowing the environment, terrain, climate and then of course your objectives. E.g. those intending to go fishing will take some fishing gear. Those into photography will take filters, lenses, batteries/chargers, tripod, etc. Obviously shaving weight with many of those other tips will make it easier to carry those extra little luxuries when desired. A long distance thru-hike on the Florida trail vs a week long off-trail leisure trip to some remote alpine lakes will dictate vast differences in appropriate gear and weight.
I will add regarding toothpaste, even better than a small travel tube is getting the dry toothpaste tablets available now. Just pack as many as needed and you only have to pack out the small Ziploc pillbag you may use to store them in.
Thank you for this video. You offer great tips, techniques, and overall insights. Getting my pack weight down is always on my mind. I started out at 65 lbs. and now have it down to 40. Onward and downward!
Hope you enjoy the process as much as the result! It's a lot of trying things and seeing what works for you
Great video, confirmed the experience I have gained over the years. What I found out new for me are the barefoot shoes, which are lighter and healthier. But everyone has to find out for themselves. Greetings from Switzerland.
Thank you for the great tips! That editing must have taken forever, it was fantastic! I like to pack my own dinners into gallon sized bags and just scoop what I want from that. It is a great way to eliminate bully trash.
My old counter died so this is all with new software as well! One silly little mess up right in the middle but other than that I'm very happy! Also that is a fantastic tip! Love the less waste and lack of extra bags
Since I discovered your channel I can say that some improvements was on my hiking style. Yes, I tested some of your recommendations and all was very useful. Thanks.
Keep inspiring us.
Create your process, improve your process.
Bring all you need to get to the next town, carry all you bring.
I read the book 'Shibumi' by Trevanian. He mentions Shibumi as meaning "effortless perfection". We can never reach Shibumi, but we must forever strive for it.
This is a really nice video, I love your philosophy, so much ultralight talk is all about gear and going as light as possible, whereas your presentation is well balanced and lots of useful suggestions. Tips I would add are are using purification tablets instead of carrying a water filter system & learning to use a tarp instead of carrying a tent. A good tarp is versatile, I often carry mine on day trips. I don't go ultralight but have been minimizing gear and weight over the years & makes camping and hiking so much more fun. Less to carry means I can move more. I like that you emphasize the approach of mindfulness and making changes over time through experience. I love those practically indestructible plastic utensils & they feel better in the mouth than titanium. I also have had well designed sporks with a cutting edge that are compact,. Store all your gear in one container so it is ready to grab and go, if you can't do that, you probably have too much.
My favorite tip is making your own gear! Awesome video!
Holy crap how did I forget that one!! Great idea. I guess I've only once tried a few years ago though someday I'd like to give it another go
@@JupiterHikes Or find someone to work with you on YOUR perfect pack, tent, tarp, quilt or whatever it may be. :)
An idea for your next video series! Another tip is gear from other countries! Always wash in your senchi bag!
love theses tips, im going heavy with my sleeping pad and sleeping bag and going to use wool midlayer instead of down. but i would like to save weight in other places, Im going to use some of these tips. thank you
A piece of gear, but not one you carry. A dehydrator hugely improved the weight, nutrition and enjoyment of my hiking food!
I have watched this video multiple times & will continue to consult it as a reference in the future, not for the UL perspective per se but solely for the wealth of useful, practical advice.
Great video. I've ditched bringing toothpaste tubes and use "unpaste tooth tabs" instead. Comes in plastic free packaging, saves weight and you know exactly how many tabs you have for a trip.
I have never heard of these. I just looked them up and what a great idea! Just ordered some! Thanks for the great tip!
Want to go Ultralight - Pull your teeth out and you don't need toothpaste at ALL!!!
@@robinmaguire6705 Should not forget to shave all body hair and pull out finger nails either. You save weight and no need for nail clippers either.
@@jepulis6674 I always shave all my hair and hike with my shoulders pulled inwards to create an aerodynamic effect.
Just weighed a travel size tube of toothpaste. 0.6 ounces. Tooth tabs? Seriously? You can get a bit ridiculous with this ultralight stuff.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing. So nice to see guidance using concepts instead of specific pricy gear. This is super useful.
Brother….. that was a great video…. You touch on a lot of great ideas ….a COMMENT…. Over packing food or bringing way to much the pounds will start to ADD …..planning is important throughout the trip ….. trek on safe
I'm crazy when it comes to garage sale season and it's amazing what you can find at them. I picked up one thing that's in my Camelbak Mule (or is it a Mutt) that rides behind the seat of my pickup truck just in case I come across a trail I want to hike on. The neatest thing I found was a small Craftsman AM/fm radio with a flashlight as well as a plug in for a USB cable to charge things up. Oh, it's also got a small colar panel AND a hand crank for when the sun hides from you or you finally stop at night. I've got other goodies in my CamelBak and I don't think I'd ever just beebop down a multi-day trail with just that but, with the water bladder that's part of the pack and lots of small pockets, I keep it loaded with all kinds of different things to at least cover me on an over-night trip. I've got a Garmin GPS (very small) in my pack which I'm not comfortable enough to do without and rely on a cell phone for what it can do. Whether it be deciding which fork to take in a trail or a shortcut back to civilization if the need arises.. I DO have the fork kind of like what you showed but, mine has a spoon on the other end. I think you've made me think about pulling my Camelbak out and checking the inventory to see what else I need to add. Great video..
My sleep system is pretty much a 80% wool blanket these days. Weight wise it's not much lighter than a quilt or sleeping bag, but volumetric-wise, it's much easier to pack and carry. It can be rolled and tucked away or strapped up top. I've also wrapped it around the inside of my pack or worn it as a cape with a blanket pin when it's chilly. Being in Australia, I find I don't need much more than this 95% of the time and if I do, I wear something warmer on top.
This is great, but no duplicates and no packing for worst case scenarios are great ways to end up in a Mr. Ballen video lol. You can 100% solve these issues in ultralight and minimalistic ways, with enough knowledge and practice, and learning those skills is a pretty fun trip in itself. Stay safe and well
Tip 100 read through the comments of this video. I honestly think you should keep this going, like make another tip video from the comments. Make your own gear is a good tip, as well as modifying gear as well.
I was going through my electronics and shaved over a pound. Mainly swapping to a dummy battery and a 12v to 9v dc converter. Also was thinking of making tripod legs with either tent stakes of maybe chop sticks.
Learn to sew! To start I was adding large pockets to the my back pack straps and making hip belt pockets bigger. Now I've sewn my own UL backpack and tent that are perfect for what I need.
I have tried all sorts of ultralight packs, frameless, etc, over the years, and have settled on the Osprey Levity for now as a compromise. For me, the way it distributes weight, it makes my pack feel weightless. Like you said, it's about what works best. +1 on the quilt, they rock! Now, as someone who loves photography and makes it a primary point of any trip, if I could just find a way to lighten the weight of my lenses...
Thos is why I switched to Olympus from full frame, caringmainly body +40-150 f2,8, but still 1650g (charger, battery)
I use the osprey daylite bag, for a camera I use my phone lol. My trips are about 1 week long in forest, desert, or jungle. I can't do cold with my set up.
A big thing I bring is an umbrella 🌂, it drastically reduces heat from the sun clothing can't do. So I sweat less and can take less water.
The less water makes up for the cost in weight for the umbrella, plus umbrella is also part of my tent system to sleep, with water watch catching ability.
Thanks for the tips! I am planning to make toothpaste dots for an upcoming trip - you can take exactly what you need for the trip and lose the weight of the toothpaste tube. Also a kid sized toothbrush is lighter and will work fine.