[pct-l] Prepared for the weather

[Sean 'Miner' Nordeen]

Ultralight doesn't have to mean not prepared or unready for bad weather.  The issue is people buying UL gear and finding themselves in bad weather without the proper knowledge and experience (they don't even know what it is that they don't know).  A seasoned UL'er will carry what is necessary to be safe in whatever possible condtions that can happen during a planned trip.  Though safe doesn't always mean comfortable as some have a higher tolerance for discomfort then others. His experience will determine wheather or not safe means a baseweight of 5 lbs, 8 lbs or even more. 

The problem with UL is that its less forgiving and too many try the extremes of it without the necessary knowledge or experience and they get in trouble when the weather hits the fan.  I've been in high winds blowing snow upslope towards my camp before and as a result didn't think anything about using a small tarp/bivy combo for the entire PCT last year.  But a friend of mine that I met on the trail last year for whom the PCT was his very first backpacking trip, I'm glad he had more traditional gear when he started.

-Miner

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Check my 2009 PCT Journal out at http://www.pct2009.lifesadventures.net/Journal.php