Entries filed under 'ultralight'

How NOT to Be an Ultralight Backpacker—and What I've Learned Since

After a 30-year hiatus from backpacking, I decided to hike the John Muir Trail at age 50 and fulfill a dream that started when I was 18 years old. My high-school backpacking gear was long gone and by now obsolete, so it was time for me to check out the "new stuff." I remembered that one of my day hiking friends is a confirmed "ultralight" backpacker, so I decided to ask him about gear. Rather than just telling me about gear he offered to do one better and take me and another friend on an ...

Posted by Curt Cragg on June 7, 2012 4:10 PM & Tagged Shelter, backpacking and ultralight | permalink | Comments



Only at REI: Exped Synmat UL 7 Sleeping Pad (and Our Exclusive B-Movie Video)

Want to see the most interesting new sleeping pad of 2011 in action? It's the Exped Synmat UL 7, available only at REI until mid-April, and our little blogcast (a glorified student film, really) gives you a glimpse of how it looks and performs. [insert video box here] We checked out what Exped calls its "medium" model: 71.5 inches (182cm) long, 20 inches (52cm) wide. That's a pad size other manufacturers often call "large" or "long." What makes it noteworthy: Surprising thickness: 7cm, which ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on March 30, 2011 4:36 PM & Tagged Exped, SynMat, sleeping pads and ultralight | permalink | Comments



How Ultralight Is Your Pack?

How low can you go? That's a question ultralight backpackers love to debate when discussing pack weight, and one couple is offering its version of the answer by planning a 125-mile stunt hike from California's central Sierras to the Mojave Desert while carrying the barest of essentials. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, survival whiz Thomas Coyne and Hollywood stuntwoman Ky Furneaux depart Wednesday on a self-described Hike for Survival. The pair will carry almost as much electronic ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on September 14, 2010 6:47 PM & Tagged Ky Furneaux, Survival, Thomas Coyne, ultralight and ultralight backpacking | permalink | Comments



New Math: Liters of the Pack

Shopped for a backpack recently? Then it's likely you've become acquainted with the new numerology that has infiltrated most pack names: the Deuter Futura 42 Pro; the Osprey Atmos 65; the REI XT 85.   Those numbers identify the volume available in each pack, expressed in liters -- the metric cousin of cubic inches.   Why liters? They're brief and easier to remember when comparison shopping. Most people find it's simpler to recall 65 liters than 3,967 cubic inches.   How do you interpret them? ...

Posted by T.D. Wood on March 19, 2010 6:00 PM & Tagged backpacking, backpacks, cubic inches, extended trips, liters, multiday trips, packs, stuff sacks, ultralight and volume | permalink | Comments