For the less hard-core there is a good middle ground at r/lightweight
And it would be great if this sub saw more action.
I've seen people here ask genuine questions about gear be bombarded with replies and downvotes about how many grams they could save by:
And the list goes on.
This is a friendly reminder there's a lot of ways to go about an expedition and may I suggest the hardcore ultralight backpackers out there two other communities:
Regards and remember to contemplate the scenery,
For the less hard-core there is a good middle ground at r/lightweight
And it would be great if this sub saw more action.
OP has their own form of judgmental and bossy didactic.
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Yes. The hypocrisy is strong
What heavy drugs are y’all using?
no real ultralighter would use heavy drugs, I mean it’s right in the name
Took about 4lbs of weed. It wasn’t heavy but it did take up a good bit of room.
I know speed is old school but it's light as can be for the effect! Meth is a little easier to find nowadays. /S
Acid or mushrooms are lighter and better for your body than ethanol. Just saying.
If you don’t cut your toothbrush in half you’re not welcome here. /s
“Ye call that a toothbrush? THIS is a toothbrush.”
If you don't use a stick instead of a toothbrush you're not welcome here /s
The real UL way to brush your teeth is to take *only* the bristles. You just pop a pinch of bristles into your mouth and swish it around with some water and toothpaste.
I filed the cut end to make it sharp. Now I can use it to eat too!
What a waste of weight. I just reuse the poop rock as a toothbrush
I understand the sentiment, butis asking someone to be nicer and then offering some vaguely derogatory, and entirely incorrect hyperbolic examples really practicing what you are preaching here? Maybe try again, and be nice like you are asking others to be.
Seriously. I've literally never seen any of these suggestions.
I've offered bogus and fun examples to get the point across using humor.
I don’t wipe. I just let the sweat naturally cleanse me.
But you’re carrying extra grams of shit on your ass that way.
This might be a joke but there are probably dudes who actually do this even when they're not backpacking
Sleeping on a trash bag and collecting the water in the morning 😂😂
Could we lay off the insults? Ultralight requires a lot of dedication, but you can get lightweight by just paying attention. My son and I carried 35 pounds each for a four day trek in the New Mexico mountains. We were comfortable on the trail and comfortable in camp.
Agreed. So much agreement. 5 days last March. 18lb base. Barely over 30 with water, fuel, food, and a chair. I hammock so that's heavier than a $700 dyneema tent. But osprey makes a 2lb pack and I splurged on a 1lb chair (back and hip issues). You can get lightweight and be pretty comfortable. If I had stupid money I could be lighter. But you can do it like I did and bought thoughtful pieces over the years.
Dude, I think you've got this sub confused with r/ULjerk. I've never seen any of these suggested here, and I'm in this sub regularly. I think I've seen people suggest liquor over beer to save weight/be able to share, but liquor isn't exactly "heavy drugs." What I have seen is more like people saying you don't need a 70+ liter backpack to do a 2 day trip, which is very very true. Giving suggestions on downsizing when someone is actively complaining about the weight/bulk of their gear or wondering if they have the right stuff is an appropriate response that will help a hiker have a better time. Settle down. Nobody in this sub is going to come beat you up for bringing a chair and cast iron skillet.
Was thinking the same lol. I’ve seen suggestions when people are actively looking to shed weight, but even then, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of these suggestions before, and if they are there, no shot they’re getting upvoted enough for the majority of people to see it It’s ok OP. Safe space here
Yeah, haven't seen any of what OP is taking about either. My experience with any of jerk subs is they're fun for a short period and then usually end up more insufferable than what they were originally trying to lampoon.
Hi, I've specifically made up bogus examples so it could be fun, and, oh, the irony, lightweight, to talk about a certain topic. I don't want to point fingers any further than this. It's enough to direct lightweight backpackers to the actual lightweight communities. Regards,
People literally become ultralight douchebags here on this sub Every. Single. Day.
I hate reddit. But I'm still here. Tried to highlight a weather app I'd built in /appalachiantrail - free, no ads, no sign-up, just genuinely bringing forecast data to the community and got banned. People that profusely thank me for cursory tips because of all the things you're bringing up. Couldn't agree more.
There are no ultralight backpackers on this sub. Like seriously, not a single one. There are backpackers trying to help other backpackers carry a lighter load, and they're generally pretty nice about it. They're even fairly nice on the actual UL sub, but they get understandably annoyed when people ask questions about things far outside the focus of their sub. As an aside, UL backpacking isn't just spending more money on a lighter version of the same thing. Certain materials like dyneema cost more and that's a small part of UL backpacking, but far from the only or even best way to pursue UL principles.
Wild to say as someone that is active on the ultralight sub You’re here?
They're even fairly nice on the actual UL sub
People get roasted and then the post gets deleted by the mods. The only posts that last are ones that are pretty well aligned with 10lb base weights. Yeah, people are generally nice in those.
HEY, WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST COCAINE?!!!
\>doing heavy drugs to save on weight instead of bringing a beer to the summit Lmao, but come on, this one is legit. You know how many ounces my fent saves over your dumb 40?
With a user name like yours there’s obvious more than just confusion of talking the wrong subreddit…somebody’s just talking out of their… oh never mind.
I've honestly found that making sure the backpack fits me well (shoulder straps nice and snug, hip pads sitting right, and so on) is the most helpful thing to prevent fatigue when backpacking. Yes, carrying more weight is a bit harder, but if your pack fits you right, packs with heavier weight won't be unbearable. From my time in the army I always said the military could stand to learn a thing or two from ultralight backpackers, since the military will gladly make you carry 100+ lbs and think nothing of it (especially infantry). It also goes the other way. I respect the guys that want to geek out and find enjoyment/challenge in making their gear as light as possible. But for most hikers and backpackers, carrying a few extra pounds isn't a big deal. I know that for myself, I'd rather carry extra weight than spend $600 bucks on something that is lighter. For some people, it's the opposite and that's totally vool. That's the choice each of us get to make. Also, a lot of people don't backpack alone, so lean on your buddies. If they're stronger, have them carry a bit more weight. I always carry the tent and most of the food when backpacking with a buddy or two, to make it easier on them. Most importantly, find what works for you and get out there and have fun 🙂
I like to carry a cot, a mattress, and a tent where I can stand. For biking expeditions, things do get smaller. For pure backpacking, even more so. I still carry the cot and the mattress. Things fall appart if I can't sleep right. My stuff is "light-weight", but it does take a bit of room. I'm with you on the larger pack with all the straps.
15 lb base weights are several times cheaper than 10 lb base weights. Lightweight backpacking is affordable to millions more people. When I first started out with backpacking when I was 18 all I could afford was a $30 4 lb tent from Cabela’s, a $21 sleeping bag, a $20 water filter, and a $60 backpack. My base weight was about 14-15 lbs. When I meet people with less than $200 to spend on backpacking who think they can’t afford it I can show them low priced gear at like Walmart and Amazon that while heavier will at least get them started with their first nights wild camping in the wilderness. The reality is that you won’t immediately die sleeping in Walmart’s $20 1.9 lb sleeping bag wrapped in a $4 emergency blanket under a $10 tarp and $7 of loose mosquito netting held down by rocks and sticks and up by a $5 paracord if you are sleeping in a low to medium elevation wilderness area in the summer where night time temps probably won’t be below 45 F anyway. Over the years Walmart’s $80 4lb tent has gotten me through the night in a variety of wilderness areas including high mountain elevation areas in many different conditions. I have since upgraded to a lighter and more expensive tent but you don’t need to when starting out and Amazon has even cheaper 4 lb tents. Ultralight gear is really nice to have but it is not essential to start out.
Once saw a Video where the dude suggested to wipe with stick and rocks. I really am intrigued. Is there something they know but I dont? Has someone ever wiped their butt with stick and stones AND PLEASE TELL ME HOW IT WAS. Thanks.
When I was real young I had an emergency down by the creek. I grabbed what was around. Some dried up grass and weeds. Let me tell you there are places you don’t want a rash… bring TP
Are ultralights not the butt of all jokes?
"ULTRALIGHTERS DNE"
Do we really need another one of these threads? I swear there’s one a month. Just ignore them. Downvote them for being unhelpful if you want. It is a small minority of comments.
Just for anyone wondering. Rocks are terrible wilderness toilet paper. There are much better wilderness options. But yes. I agree completely.
Yes everyone should be nice. And yes some UL advocates aren’t always nice. But I think there’s more than a fair share of derogatory comments in this sub directed toward lighter weight or UL backpackers as well. Tell you what - I’ll be nice, polite and helpful yet still post out lightweight option if someone asks about help or posts about gear if you take the time to speak up whenever you see someone making a snarky or mean spirited dig at lightweight or ultralight backpackers. How’s that? Fair deal?
Amen. My wife and I started backpacking with a 10 pound cheap tent back in the day and big heavy sleeping bags. The headlamps we used look like miners lamps and the battery for them was the size of a pack of smokes. We put thousands of miles on that gear. If you are young and fit you don’t need $5,000 in ultralight gear to go backpacking.
🎶 No 🎵
the weak have no choice but shed weight😉. Voyageurs carry what they need as far as needed. Allons Y!