[pct-l] Ultralight, a matter of technique?

[Ronald Moak <ronm@fallingwater.com>]

A lot has been written on this list and other places over the last few years
about the dangers of the ultralight backpacking. On their face, many of the
complaints have a lot of merit. On this and other lists, we tend to talk
about gear as so many widgets. "Don't like what you've got? Well switch this
for that and your problems are all solved." TW highlighted this point well
in the discussion about running shoes on snow fields. 

Unfortunately it's seldom effective to simply swap one piece of gear for
another. A lot of thought and energy goes behind most decisions on what gear
we purchase and how we use it. Changing from tent to tarp is not as simple
as swapping one bolt of material for another. It gets even more complex when
we begin to use one piece of gear for multiple uses. 

A few years ago when I first started making the shift to lighten my pack. I
started with replacing the tent for a tarp. It wasn't a hard to see the
need. After all I was attempting to put together a shelter that would sleep
three people, a dog and our gear. Trying to find a backpacking tent that
would meet those requirements and not weight a ton or cost a fortune proved
impossible. 

It was easy for me to personally make the decision to move to a tarp.
However, convincing my wife and son would be a different matter. I labored
many hours over several weeks analyzing everything we did with a tent. I
studied everything from the campsites we chose, to the rainfall, to bugs and
down to how we setup and took down our camp. I learned that by making a few
minor alterations in our techniques we could be just as dry, safe and
protected as we ever were in the tent with a whole lot less weight. 

While I didn't like it at the time, in retrospect I'm glad my family forced
me to go through that step. I helped me to start the process of analyzing
the other gear I carried and how I used it.

Since then I worked hard on each area of equipment from pack to clothes to
stove to shoes to all of the other miscellaneous stuff I carry.  With each
step I've analyzed what I do and why I do it. I've adjusted my techniques to
blend me, the gear and the trail environment into a cohesive unit. 

When I changed my kitchen from 2 plus pounds to 8 ozs., I also changed what
I carry for food, how I fix it (both on the trail and at home), how I cook
it and how much fuel or effort I'm using. Each time I've been able to make
it simpler, cheaper, lighter with more selections and still provide good
nutritional balance with as much or more calories.

Now I've a pack that's 10 to 12 lbs base weight (depending upon extras).  I
know I'm safer, can survive a wider range of conditions, and am more
comfortable both in camp and on the trail than I ever was when carrying 10
to 15 more pounds of gear.

In my opinion, it's far better to carry a lot less and know how to use it,
than to carry more and trust your equipment to makeup for your lack of
knowledge.

Ron "Fallingwater" Moak
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