Ultra Light Backpacking Questions and Answers
I regularly reply to questions emailed to me about ultra light
backpacking. Below are some of both the questions and my answers.
As for "How do you spell it?" I prefer "ultralight"
as one word, even though my spell checker still rejects that.
Q: I'm constantly looking to lighten my load by considering
not using a sleeping bag. I was wondering if one slept in his
3 season clothing, added something like a Golite ether wind shirt
plus the silk liner, if one could get by in lower temps than
most people would expect?
A: I've backpacked with sleeping bag liners that I've bought
and one that I sewed myself (nylon I got for $1 per yard at WalMart
- it weighed about 6 ounces). No major problems (dress warm and
wear a mosquito head net to help warm the air around your face
for added comfort). Watch the weather reports and experiment
close to home though. Being cold all night could make for a miserable
trip. I've slept without any sleeping bag on a night in the 40s
once and slept well, but that was in a small tent, with no wind
that night, and with a foot-thick bed of dried ferns under the
tent floor as a mattress, and wearing warm clothing. My best
advice: experiment (but safely).
Q: Aren't humans more dangerous than some of the "dangerous
animals" you cover in your book?
A: You're right. Humans are the most dangerous, and I should
probably have something in the chapter on that. Violent people
have been known to prey on people in the woods. The good news
is that they rarely go too far into the wilderness and thieves
are generally too lazy to hike miles just to steal a backpack
full of things they wouldn't know what to do with.
Q: Do you have any other tricks besides nets to keep
bugs out in buggy areas? Also about what elevation do the bugs
start waning?
A: Mosquitoes are usually around even above 10,000 feet. Wind
is one of the few things that keep them away, so you can try
making camp where there is a breeze. I have a GoLite screen tent
(not sure if they still sell it) which weighs just 17 ounces
and can be hung under a tarp. Me and my wife fit in it together
(tight), so it's roomy enough for one. If I bring it with my
tarp (16 ounces including strings), I still have a shelter that
keeps out bugs for around two pounds.
Q: How do you set up your tarp in order to stay dry
in wet weather?
A: I have set up my tarp in many different ways. I have used
sticks as poles and tied strings out to either side to hold them
up. I have tied it in various ways to trees and bushes. I also
have used it above tree line, where I anchored the corners with
strings tied to rocks and put the string from one end over a
large boulder to hold it up (with the end tied to another smaller
rock.
Some of the tarp shelters sold are meant to be put up a certain
way. Otherwise I suggest taking the tarp out in the yard or nearby
wilderness and experimenting and practicing. For a ground cloth
I tape together a couple garbage bags that are opened out flat
(2 to 4 ounces total weight) and that's worked on trips of up
to a week. I just bought a 17-ounce screen tent that I may try
pitching under the tarp when bugs or snakes (only at lower elevations)
are a problem.
So far I have managed to stay dry under a tarp, even on many
rainy nights, but rain with wind could require some careful pitching
of the tarp (one side real low, strings very tight), so you might
want to try a few different configurations. And by the way, ultra
light backpacking is about more comfort for me, so if
I was going to be in a rainy and windy environment, I
might add the weight of a good waterproof tent.
Q: There is a problem with using tarps that bothers
me. I am over six fee tall, so if I use a 10 x 10 tarp I only
have two feet at either end and since we have had a few storms
I seem to still get soaked. Do I just curl up or turn sideways
from the front openings?
A: I'm 6' 4" and I've managed to stay dry with a nine-foot
tarp. There are a lot of ways to pitch a tarp, and if it looks
like rain, I keep it low, with one end almost down to the ground.
I often lay under it diagonally as well. Try a few things and
see what works.
Q: Do you watch either Les Stroud's "Survivorman,"
or Bear Grylls' "Man Against Wild" television program,
and what do you think about them.
A: Les Stroud has a much more realistic show. He has a lot
tougher time than Bear too, since he does it all alone. At least
Bear is now acknowledging more when the crew helped him build
a shelter or got a rabbit for him to eat. I will always watch
and be entertained, but he still makes it seem as though it is
normal to climb down waterfalls or jump into un-investigated
pools of water from up high. I hope there aren't any who follow
his bad examples.
Q: Since you use running shoes instead of hiking boots,
how do you keep your feet dry when in wet areas?
A: Light running shoes dry fast. My experience is that hiking
boots take forever to dry out once they are wet, and even waterproof
ones leave my feet wet (from sweat) and hot. I sometimes stop
to pull out the inner soles of my shoes and dry them in the sun
- a good excuse for a needed break and airing out of my feet.
"Ultralight backpacking" or ultra light backpacking
- either way I'll have more to say n the future. I will ocassionally
post a page full of these questions and answers from my emails.
You can watch for them in the "new pages" section of
the homepage.
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