Jugglebutton's World Home Page < Hiking < Gear

Ultralight Gear List

One day in a bookstore in Bangkok I came across a book called "Beyong Backpacking" by Ray Jardine. In the book the author describes a system of ultralight hiking that he developed over years of doing long distance hikes in USA. I flicked throught the book and found agreement with a couple of ideas that I had discovered for myself. Jardine had also found that mainstream hiking philosophies were not always the best way to go (in his and my opinions anyway). I bought the book and haven't looked back since.

As well as reading Jardine's book I have searched the web for more information and other people's ideas on the ultralight philosophy. I have now developed a system that pleases and works for me. I provide these details for information only as I know that everyone has highly differing levels of comfort that they like while out there. Weight is a decisive factor in the ability to successfully complete and to physically enjoy a hike. Dropping even a kilogram from your load can lighten your step and make for a happier hiker.

Notes:

The List

Category Item Weight
(grams)
Backpack Backpack - modified Macpac UltraMarathon 533
� Backpack Liner - MontBell Hydropro 60 litre Stuff Bag 152
Tent Tent - Black Diamond Megamid 1743
� Ground Sheet - cut down space blanket 46
Sleeping Sleeping Bag - Snugpac Softie Merlin 3867
� Sleeping Mat - blue foam cut to 3/4 length 163
Water Water bottle - 1.25 litre coke bottle 43
� Water bottle - 2 litre Platypus 37
Umbrella Umbrella - cheap and nasty from dept store 269
Cooking Cooking Pot - Rocket Stainless Steel 1 litre 298
� Stove - homemade 43
� Spoon - Malamite 14
� Lighter 21
� Matches 20
�Emergency Food 310
� Food Stuff Sac 57
Clothes Clothes Stuff Sac - MontBell Hydropro size B Stuff Bag � 51
� Spare Socks - cheap nylon 44
� Fleece Hat - Kathmandu 100 Polertac 43
� Nylon Jacket - Nike Tailwind Running Jacket 283
� Nylon Pants - homemade 213
�Waterproof Pants - Gortex 241
� Thermal Top - Patagonia Capilene Lightweight 198
� Fleece Vest - Mountain Designs 100 Polertac 198
� Fleece Gloves 43
� Waterproof Jacket - Patagonia Torrentshell 454
Bits'n'Pieces Compass - Suunto 23
� Sunglasses, soft case, & lens cleaner 43
� Torch - LED mini 14
� Candle - 9 hour tea light 25
� Pocket Knife - basic Swiss knife 43
� Toothbrush 14
� Toothpaste 28
� Soap - Dr Brommer's 31
� Medical/Repair Kit 244
� Camera (one film in) - Canon Elph Sport Waterproof 357
� Binoculars & Case - Nikon Travelight V 265
� Mobile Phone 230
� Pen & Pencil 9
� Sunscreen 100
� Map Case 71
� Total Fixed Pack Weight � 7.861kg
Items Worn Sun Hat 99
� Polyester T-Shirt - Kathmandu 120
� Watch - Nike ACG Ascent 57
� Nylon Shorts - Speedo 113
� Socks - nylon 44
� Shoes - Salomon Gortex Raid Race 836
� Ankle High Gaiters - Over Boots Waterproof 50
� Total Worn Weight 1.367kg
Variable Weight Items �Food (my daily average weight) 880
� Stove Fuel - Esbit Fuel Tablets(my daily average weight) 8
� Maps (weight per Vicmap 1:25000) 30

Details

Backpack

I looked long and hard for the right pack. Most hiking backpacks are more than 2kg in weight and very large. Ray Jardine provides the design for his home made pack and while I can sew I don't trust my abilities that much. So I decided to buy a pack and modify it. The Macpac UltraMarathon is 45 litres, the closest to Ray Jardine's design, and fairly easy to modify.

The modifications I made are as follows:

  • Chest strap - removed, I never use these anyway.
  • Labeling and tags - removed, I know this is obsessive but....
  • Compression straps - not really neccessary on a full pack so I removed the bottom straps and modified the top straps by removing the buckle and sewing the ends together. I use these for hanging wet clothing off when drying.
  • Side pockets - I expanded one of these to make it big enough to fit my 1.25 litre coke bottle.
  • Pack lid - removed. I then added a 20cm extension collar which is basically another of the draw string tops that already exists on the pack. This gives me another 8 litres of space. At the start of a hike with a full load of food or when the weather is bad and I am wearing alot of clothing this extra collar is not needed and can be folded down out of the way.
  • Strap over collar - with the extra extension collar the one provided is not long enough so I moved it's attachment point to the point where the first collar attaches to the main back of the pack.
  • Padding and Hydration System - I don't like the new hydration systems because when they are full of water they are hard to put back into a loaded pack (hense my use of the old coke bottle). I also don't need any padding within the pack because my sleeping mat provides padding. I removed all padding and extra pockets for the hydration system so that all that remains is a simple one piece that sits against my back.

    To provide waterproofing I use a large waterproof stuff sac. The stuff sac is longer than my pack on purpose so that in rainy conditions, with the draw string tighened, there is enough extra length to double thetop of the stuff sac over and tie it off for 100% waterproofing. I have used this system in heavy rain and no water gets in. I prefer to spend a bit of money on a stuff sac rather than using a heavy duty garbage bag because garbage bags are punctured easily and need replacing often.

    Tent

    I have experimented a lot over the years with tents, bivvies, and tarps. Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through but at the moment I use and love a Black Diamond Megamid. The Megamid is a large (3 person) floorless tent that I love most for its simplicity. On solo hikes it is a bit over the top because of it's large size but most tiny one person tents can't compare with the weight.

    Most people think that having no floor is a big problem but really it's not. I use a cut down space blanket as a floor where I sleep and leave the rest of the inside with its natural grass cover. Animals haven't been a problem yet although I imagine leech infested areas would be. Water running through during rain shouldn't happen if you choose your camp site carefully (which you have to do with a regular tent anyway). You can walk into the megamid with you muddy boots on. And maybe (I haven't done this yet) on a terrible night of weather when nature calls you could relieve yourself on the area you're not sleeping on and hope that it seeps into the ground.

    Sleeping

    The Snugpac sleeping bag that I use is not the warmest bag I could carry (and I don't believe claims by the manufacturer that it is rated to -5�C). However, for summer hiking in mainland Australia it is sufficiant if you accept that extra clothing needs to be worn while sleeping. All those warm clothes that you carry can be used at night so that the warmest sleeping bag for the conditions need not be carried.

    My 3/4 length blue foam sleeping mat is not some people's idea of a good nights sleep. All I can say is give it a go. By choosing a piece of soft ground, placing any excess clothing under the mat (most important), and being tired I find that I haven't noticed any comfort loss in switching from the supposed luxery of the Thermarest to the old blue foam. I use my empty pack for a little padding under my legs.

    Water

    My system for carrying water is simple. A 1.25 litre soft drink bottle is both light weight and strong (and if you lose it who cares). On a walk where water is plentiful it is of sufficient size to use so that you are not carrying a large bottle for no reason. I carry a platypus 2 litre bladder for those times when I anticipate that there will not be enough water if some time.

    This system gives me a maximum carrying capacity of 3.25 litres. On days where I will not have access to water for the whole day it is still possible to carry enough water to get me through. And don't forget to be like a camel and drink! On days where water is rare, drink as much as you can as well as filling your bottles when you do find water.

    Umbrella

    I have received many comments when others have seen me walking in the mountains in the rain with my umbrella over my head. It is one of the most valuable items I carry. Despite the claims of Gore-tex and other breathable waterproof fabrics, all waterproof jackets will make you hot and sweaty. It light to medium rain my umbrella in combination with the fast drying nylon jacket keeps me dry enough and warm enough to feel comfortable. The Gore-tex only comes out when the weather gets really bad (which is not as often as you'd expect).

    Cooking

    My stove is not the most attractive piece of outdoor gear, however, it is damn light and effective enough for my style of cooking. I use Esbit solid fuel tablets which are a bit like fire starters that people use when they have trouble starting fires. The fuels tabs are very light (about 5g each) and I use only one per meal.

    My stove is made from a tin of pineapples. After eating the pineapple and washing the can I drilled about 20 holes into the side of it to let air in, placed three metal clips on the top to get the pot up above the can to allow air out, and nothing more.

    For cooking the most important thing is to soak the noodles and veg for a while to reduce cooking time. Then one tab inside the can, one pot on top with the lid on, and in about 7 minutes I have almost boiling water which is enough to cook my standard meal of noodles, dehydrated veg, cous cous, and the flavour of the night (chilli, herb, or satay). Once the fuel tab has finished burning I leave the pot with the lid on for at least another 5 mins. The food cooks while it sits.

    Clothes

    My clothing system has me carrying the minimum required to keep me warm down to quite cold tempartures. Every item is a layer, and no extra this or that is taken (apart from socks). All the items are made of polyester/nylon so that they do not hold water. Some items such as the shorts and t-shirt are very easy to dry and will almost dry overnight if I hang them up inside my tent.

    Bits'n'Pieces

  • LED torch - these tiny torches are one of the great inventions of the last few years. I am usually asleep by sunset so I don't really need a good torch.
  • Candle - if I do happen to be up after dark and want a little light these long burning candles provide enough light to read or write by.
  • Medical/Repair Kit (Note: This is a suggestion only and some people may be allergic to some of these items.)
    Jugglebutton's World Home Page < Hiking < Gear
    This page last updated on 14 January 2002
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