Short description
The "ultralight" hiker pares equipment, food and clothing to a minimum to go faster and cover more distance. This guide presents a thorough survey of new equipment, clothing and footwear. It also shows how proper planning and the right attitude blend to create a backpacking philosophy.
Long description
With recent improvements in equipment manufacture and design (lighter pack frames, sleeker tents, special sleeping bags, multipurpose fabrics, for example), and in food processing, the ultralight method is no longer one that sacrifices comfort for utility, and "The Ultralight Backpacker" is the first book to point this out. "The Ultralight Backpacker" is the first balanced and comprehensive treatment of a much-debated and rapidly growing trend that challenges many of backpacking's long-held assumptions. Devotees of backpacking's traditional "bring everything but the kitchen sink" school set out on an overnight hike with a pack that could weigh as much as 50 or 60 pounds. The "ultralight" hiker, in contrast, pares equipment, food and clothing to a minimum to go faster and cover more distance. Assume an ultralight hiker and her traditional counterpart arrive at the trailhead at the same time. The ultralight hiker carries a 20-pound pack and heads off, hiking briskly and comfortably in running shoes. The traditional backpacker hefts a 50-pound pack and treks in heavy hiking boots. At the end of the day, the ultralight hiker is seven miles farther along the trail, relaxed, refreshed. She boils a pack of ramen noodles on a one-burner stove, eats, curls up in a lightweight sleeping bag under the stars. The traditionalist is tired, nursing blisters and so annoyed because of shoulder pain that he's missed the beauty of the last portion of the hike. "The Ultralight Backpacker" works for any hiker looking for a less-stressful trip - whether it's for a night, a weekend or several months on the trail. It shows how proper planning and the right attitude blend to create a backpacking philosophy that will attract beginners and convert traditionalists. "The Ultralight Backpacker" also presents the most thorough survey of new equipment, clothing and footwear available.