I go to the mountains on backpacking adventures to enjoy natural beauty and solitude. I want to get away from houses, roads, and city life. To do this I take very little stuff with me. Stuff that gets in the way of my mountain experience. For obvious reasons Ultralight is a perfect fit for me.
- I don't need fancy food or hot meals.
- I don't mind if the ground is hard.
- I don't want a big fancy tent that reminds me of the rooms I left behind.
- Books? I never get bored. There's always too much to see and something interesting to check out in the next canyon. And I need time to think in the quiet and solitude of the mountains. Something I get precious little of in my life.
- When I'm in the mountains, I like to cover a lot of ground. I want to see as much as I can in the limited time I have.
- I hate being a pack mule. I like the freedom of a light pack. It allows me to go further and through more rugged terrain without suffering!
- I sometimes hike with people that are a bit slower or not as fast as I am. Ultralight allows me to carry a little extra weight for them, and substantially reduce their pack weight. With lighter packs we can get to beautiful remote areas that would be unattainable with conventional packs.
Editor's Note: If you want to learn how to go out for a week with less than 30 pounds on your back, please join us for Introduction to Lightweight Backpacking September 16-23. Jan will also be writing blog posts on the hows of lightweight backpacking.
