Ultralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing & Inexpensive Tips for Extremely Lightweight Camping [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I reformed and became a light packer ever since a grueling hike in West Virginia last year, and I'm always looking for ways to tweak my gear and shed more weight. This book has lots of info and gets you thinking about ways to trim the fat out of your kit. While most of the tips were things I've already done, I still gained quite a few ideas for making my gear more efficient. It's a quick read, and easy to refer back to. Like the other reviewers have stated, Clelland's writing style is light-hearted with silly humor throughout.

Pretty much my only point of disagreement is going into the wilderness without a knife. The author advises just carrying a single edged razor in your kit. Is this fine for most trips? Almost certainly. But if you are like me, and most of your travels take you deep in the wilderness far from any help, going without a good knife is irresponsible at best. Remember Murphy.

Another reviewer described the move to being an ultralight backpacker as a "leap of faith," and the religious metaphor is entirely apt. Ultralight devotees almost always talk about their baseweight and their featherlight gear in the language of zealots. At times, this can be rather annoying to the unconverted. The virtue of Clelland's writing is that almost never does he go too far into the preachy. I'm what he would call a lightweight backpacker (base weight of 12#) since I have yet to deprive myself of the luxurious pleasures of a tent, a sleeping bag, and a powerful stove. For me, his series of recommendations about how to drop weight was helpful and pleasurable to read. I learned a few things that I immediately put into practice and found good (and I'm even considering trying an alcohol stove). I think anyone who backpacks will feel similarly, and will find his book a source of innovative new approaches.

On the other hand, I have no intention of going without a knife and a roll of toilet paper. Call me unreformed.

Still this is a great little book, and fun to read. Give it a try.

An update on 3/2012: I still carry that roll of toilet paper, but I've since been converted and I'm now officially ultralight at 8#. I've also re-read Clelland's book and I've found it to be wonderful and helpful on a second pass. Highly recommended, as this is likely to be the best money you spend on a backpacking book.

What I like about this book:
- Good mental framework for going UL: Question every piece of gear to see if you can find a suitable UL replacement or simply leave it at home. One of the biggest challenges of going UL is the shift in mindset required to do it successfully.
- Good understanding presented on "systems" versus "gear". It is helpful to approach UL from the perspective of systems: shelter system, food system, etc. The author leaves out one of the most important systems: the survival system (addressed below).
- Some good specific guidance on weight reduction gear piece-by-piece. Take what works for you and ignore the rest.

Even if UL is not for you, going lighter should be a constant quest for every long-distance trekker. I am not a UL trekker, but the base weight of my pack drops with every trip (currently at 25 pounds minus consumables).

One other option to going truly UL is to condition your body and mind to handle extra weight. I do many local day hikes with an overweight pack (up to 60 pounds) as training for true wilderness treks. Once you have humped around a 60 pound pack your 25-45 pound pack feels light as a feather. Being in shape for trekking is just as important as your gear.

What I do not like about this book:
- Going UL/minimalist should not mean sacrificing safety. The goal is to enjoy the wilderness and come home alive. The author ignores the absolute necessity of the survival components of your systems/gear. The advice to take a razor knife into the wilderness is irresponsible and dangerous in my opinion. I do take one - in my first aid kit. I also carry a full-tang, high quality knife. It is gear essential item #1. After all, with a knife I can more easily make shelter, fire, hunt, etc. You should always have the gear and mindset to deal with the unexpected on backcountry excursions. If you venture out into the wilderness often enough you will eventually find yourself in unpleasant, perhaps even life-threatening conditions. Good luck with your razor knife and your book of bar matches (another ridiculous suggestion). I carry 18 oz of gear in my survival kit (excluding my knife). When your life is on the line an extra 18 oz of gear does not seem like such a heavy burden to carry.

For what it's worth, I have trekked over 25K miles on foot both as a 12-year infantry officer in the Army and as an avid outdoor adventurer. I have been in true survival situations and I can tell you that a good knife and other minimal survival gear (550 paracord, firesteel, etc.) can and does save lives (even if it's not your own necessarily).