[pct-l] Re: History of Ultralight (was: new resource forhomemadeequipmt)

[dave at livebythepark.com (David Davis)]

I think that anyone who walks a whole lot is going to start to figure out
that ultra-light reduces pain.  Roman legions are reputed to have traveled
light and fast.

After World War Two SLA Marshall wrote a booklet, "The Soldier's Load and
the Mobility of a Nation" equating light pack weight with military
effectiveness.  My wife's grandfather's grandfather sent a letter home after
a hike in the Civil War.  His regiment hiked from the vicinity of
Fredericksburg Va to Gettysburg Pa, about 120 miles in 4 days.  They used
blanket rolls instead of packs to keep the weight down.

In the Marines, my unit used blanket rolls in Bridgeport (Sierras) in late
fall.  It was cold, but we walked a lot of miles.

I think that the reason we are seeing so much more ultra light now is
because more people are doing multiple long treks.  Ray Jardine describes
his weight dropping for each through hike.  If he had only hiked the PCT
once, we'd never have seen his book.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karen Borski" <kborski@yahoo.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 9:05 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Re: History of Ultralight (was: new resource for
homemadeequipmt)


> I also agree that it's strange to me when people
> equate lightweight backpacking with Jardine.  The
> concept of going light is definately not new, nor did
> it start even in the 1960s or 70s.
>
> In the annals of early American (European) explorers
> is a small group of people who ventured out on foot in
> the midst of a great unmapped wilderness.  In modern
> terms, they are "mountain men," but back in the 1800s
> they were the fringe community of "crazy" people who
> gave up normal lives in civilization, at least for a
> little while, to follow the call to adventure.  Sound
> familiar?
>
> Here is a brief account of John Colter's solo hike in
> 1808 through the midst of the Rocky Mountains during
> WINTER by H.M. Brackenridge:  "This man, with a pack
> of thirty pounds weight, his gun and some ammunition,
> went upwards of five hundred miles to the Crow nation;
> gave them information, and proceeded from them to
> several other tribes."  This trip was one of the
> greatest single feats of exploration and human
> endurance.  Colter set out alone in the fall (no
> horse, just on foot), crossed over the Continental
> Divide, explored completely unmapped country in which
> he did not speak the native language to even
> understand where he was when he did see the occasional
> "friendly" Indian, then crossed the divide again to
> arrive back in civilization the next spring to the
> complete awe of his fellow mountain men and trappers.
> They'd all thought him dead.
>
> Lightweight?  You bet.  The year:  1808.
>
> What it boils down to is common sense.  Anyone that's
> ever had to walk long distances carrying supplies with
> them cannot help but think, "How can I get this thing
> lighter?" or "The lighter this pack is, the further I
> can go."  Duh.
>
> The concept is as old as time and humanity.  It
> doesn't have anything to do with increased efficiency
> of modern high-tech materials, nor does it have
> anything to do with any recently written books.  In
> 1808, a man hiked over a thousand miles in the dead of
> winter in the mountains with no maps and no resupply
> carrying only 30 lbs of gear.  That's a fact, and it
> wasn't a one-time incident.  I say it's just common
> sense.
>
> I will say that I feel that Ray Jardine reawakened
> common sense during an age when backpackers were
> trapped in an industry that had grown heavy with the
> 1980s/90s marketing strategy equating "bigger" with
> "better."  (case in point:  SUVs, "biggie" sized fast
> food, super Walmart, 20-screen movie theaters,
> McMansions, Dana Terraplanes*)  Jardine made us all
> take a step back and say, if the industry doesn't make
> it lighter, WE WILL!  It was a great wake-up call.
>
> Sometimes, though, I think about making a 30 lb pack
> out of deerhide, filling it with Colter's flint &
> steel, some wool clothes, some lard and jerky,
> and......[fade to dreamland]
>
> Nocona
>
> *I love my new ultralight Dana pack, so no diss meant
> to the company.
>
>
>
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