When I first started trying to make the Ultralight transition, I just started looking up the lightest replacements for each of the items in my pack. "I have a heavy jacket now, what's the lightest jacket I can swap it with? I have a heavy sleeping pad now, what's the lightest pad I can get?" While that worked great at first, I wish I had known one thing before I started spending the money on those new pieces: your gear is not just a bunch of individual things that you throw in your pack, it's a SYSTEM.
What I mean is that, all you gear needs to work together to truly optimize weight savings. This means finding multiple uses for as many pieces of gear as possible. This means seeing the BIG picture.
Here is an example from my own experience of wanting to go lighter. When I realized that the tent Katy and I had was extremely heavy, what did I do? I bought the lightest tent I could afford, the Big Agnes UL2. In hindsight however, I wish I had bought a tarp that would have allowed me to use my trekking poles for set up, and save the weight and space of tent poles. That is one obvious example that can be extended even further! In the future, when I do buy (or most likely make) a tarp, I will make one that is also a poncho. That way I will be combining my trekking poles, shelter, and rain gear into one set of gear that work together to save me weight!
Here is an example from my own experience of wanting to go lighter. When I realized that the tent Katy and I had was extremely heavy, what did I do? I bought the lightest tent I could afford, the Big Agnes UL2. In hindsight however, I wish I had bought a tarp that would have allowed me to use my trekking poles for set up, and save the weight and space of tent poles. That is one obvious example that can be extended even further! In the future, when I do buy (or most likely make) a tarp, I will make one that is also a poncho. That way I will be combining my trekking poles, shelter, and rain gear into one set of gear that work together to save me weight!
Before and after tents, but we can go lighter still!
Only you can say what the best set up is for the trips you do but examples like the one above are possible at every level of the gear selection process. From bed pads that can act as frames in your pack, to cook pots that serve as your bowl.
So, before you go buying a bunch of new and lighter gear, remember to look ahead at how that new gear is not only going to work with your current gear, but also the WHOLE setup you look forward to having in the future.
Convinced about the awesomeness that is Ultralite Backpacking?! Are you LITE-minded? Then you’re ready to take on "The Big Three." (Coming soon!)
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