Standard tools – Single-edge razor blade.

Gear ~ Single-edge razor blade

Generic Single-edge razor blade — 3.9 grams

One of the fundamental human tools – the wedge – doesn’t show off simple refinement better than this. Useful for trimming gear, First Aid surgery, and other basic tasks that need a super-sharp blade. Oddly enough, shaving is no longer one of them. They’re both delicate and dangerous, but when it’s the right tool for the job, a single-edge blade is indispensable.

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Gear – Digital Scale

Once you decide to lighten your load, the first essential equipment is something you’ll never carry on trail – a good digital scale. There are all sorts of them to choose from, but here are some basic features needed to weigh the various gear and clothing components of your ultralight (let’s hope!) packing list.

I use a scale that measures increments of a tenth of a gram, to a maximum of 500 grams. Ideally, get one that has grams and whatever other units are meaningful to you, such as ounces. Increments of .1 grams yield exceedingly precise measurements. For those who don’t think OBSESSIVE is always spelled in ALL CAPS, just round to the nearest whole gram.

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Gear and Loathing

Or is it Fear and Clothing?

One of the first steps in becoming an ultralight hiker is taking control of your gear.  Most backpacking gear and clothing is manufactured to appeal to as wide a market as possible, which seems like a reasonable business imperative, and at least to some extent, keeps consumer prices lower – better economies of scale.  In doing this, there’s a tendency to add “features”, some utilitarian (but not necessarily useful for you) and some purely for fashion and marketing (they look cool).

There has been an ongoing trend for many (most?) of the big outdoor apparel and equipment manufacturers to slap “ultralight”, “featherweight” and similarly loaded adjectives onto entire lines of merchandise. Initially, some of these products weigh less than earlier offerings, but thereafter another trend takes over. Each season, the gear seems to get bigger, more robust, feature-packed, and HEAVIER! Memo to whoever you are – “This is not helping us, guys! (and gals!)”

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Tools of the trade…

Modifying Gear

Trimming the fat

Here’s an example of taking an off-the-shelf piece of clothing and making it more suitable for its intended use. I like wearing a vest on the trail to distribute the weight of my gear and to keep certain things at hand, like my camera, trail guide, compass, etc. It’s nice to have a few pockets for organization, but too many just complicates things — “hmmn… where did I put the lip balm this time?

Here’s a snapshot of a vest I found on sale at an Army Surplus store. It has 14 pockets, inside and out, including one in the back that’s not much use when I’m carrying a pack. It has all sorts of zippers, flaps, velcro closures, snaps, epaulets – everything! Beside just adding weight, the extra layers of fabric make this vest hotter to wear. In size Large, it weighs 432 grams (over 15 oz.) off the rack. But after a pleasant half hour in the garden with my trusty scissors and single-edge razor blade, the new, streamlined vest weighs only 277 grams (less than 10 oz.)! That’s a weight reduction of 5.5 ounces (155 grams) from a single piece of clothing that now better fits my needs and is more comfortable to wear.

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Weights & Measures – part 3

Across France in Spring – budding Champagne vines…

Expendable Weight: weight that declines toward zero at a relatively constant rate over the course a known period of time. This class of weight declines at a steady pace over the whole span of a walk. With a bit of time and forethought, the rate of decay can be calculated for supplies such as vitamins, medications, toothpaste, toiletries, razor blades, foot care kit, batteries, film and fuel.

It’s always beneficial shift one class of weight to another to a higher (more temporary) one. Trail guides, for example, don’t have to be static or temporary weight, but can be expendable, if you remove pages as you move along the trail. These are excellent candidates for minimizing weight, partly because paper can absorb quite a bit of moisture, and water is heavy.

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Trailside iris along the trail beyond Auxerre, France…

Weights and Measures – part 4

Insurance Weight: weight of safety and emergencies gear and supplies you hope will never be needed, such as a first aid kit, emergency rations, whistle, signaling mirror, etc.

Exactly how much of what you carry “just in case” can be a vexing question. Nobody likes the expense of insurance, but is always happy to have it when disaster strikes. Just as with automobile or home insurance, a balance needs to be struck. How lucky do you feel? How confident are you that you can make field repairs or reach safety in case of emergency? Are you a MacGyver? We can assume that all weight slows us down, so minimizing it means we can move to safer ground or reach the next village quicker, but it would be foolhardy not carry a few essentials such as a flashlight and whistle.

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…turn left at the old iron calvaire (cross)…

Weights and Measures – Weighing an Ultralight Load

Here are a few definitions and ways of considering different aspects of the loads we carry on backpacking trips. You don’t have to wait for your next long trek to practice and plan for the lightest possible load. Any trip, whether weekends away with a suitcase, or a daily commute, is an opportunity to test your ideas and practice the concepts of ultralight travel.

A key goal of longwalking is to carry the lightest, most efficient load consistent with achieving your purpose. (more…)

Walking across France on the Grandes Randonnées GR 654…

Weights & Measures – part 5

Temporary or Accumulated Weight: weight added and carried for a brief period and then removed, sent home, left behind, or disposed. You don’t have to be a packrat to find you have more stuff at the end of a day than you started out. I constantly acquire various guide books, maps, souvenirs, brochures, post cards, receipts, food packaging and the like as I make my way from village to village. Tourist offices offer a ton (well, almost) of materials about the local region. A lot of it is useful, at least for a while. But soon, it becomes a substantial burden that needs to be managed, which means disposed of in one way or another.

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Walking across France… days of color that never ends…

Weights & Measures – part 2

Body or “Skin” Weight

Body weight or “skin” weight is simply the naked weight of a person. Just shed your clothes and hop on a scale and you have it. For ultralighters, it’s one of the standard figures used to calculate the total weight of everything that’s planning to walk down the trail. The more you weigh, the more energy it takes for you to travel a given distance. That translates into calories, which means fuel for you (food), and possibly, fuel to cook it (alcohol, gas, etc.). All fuel weighs something.

Body weight is an important factor in fitness, and creates the single heaviest load on your joints. Depending on the speed and slope that you’re walking, every pound of weight above the knees, exerts 3 to 5 pounds of force on your knees. Anyone with arthritis below the waist should be especially mindful. Even a 5 or 10 pound reduction in body weight is beneficial for helping to ease these effects. If you’re feeling a little portly and are planning a long walk, get out and start training today.

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