You Might Be An Ultralight Backpacker If...
If you you find yourself saying "Hey, that's a good idea," to more than one of the following, you might be an ultralight backpacker. They are collected from various lightweight backpacking forums. For those of you that don't share our passion for ultralight backpacking, let me explain that these are funny, but also mostly true stories. You Just Might Be An Ultralight Backpacker If... - Your wife's purse holds more stuff than your backpack. - You pack light for a family trip to Grandma's house. - You use the fruit scales in Walmart to determine the weight of a possible new piece of gear. - At home you use just 4 toilet paper squares, to "practice". - You read that last one and say, "toilet paper?" - You have no idea what the title, scale or contour interval of your map is because.... you cut away all of the margins to save weight. - You sleep at home with the temps turned down while in the buff just to get used to the cold so you can take an even lighter sleeping bag. - The thought of 1000 fill-power down gives you a little shiver down your spine. - You're glad you're going bald. - You're wondering if your compass would still work OK without all that heavy liquid. - Your woman says, "Go down baby!" and you hop out of bed hootin and hollarin and order a Western Mountaineering Highlite! - You no longer have tags on any clothing you wear. - Your mailman is trying to figure out why people send you empty boxes all the time. - You eat with $40 titanium chopsticks instead of a plastic fork because they weigh .01 ounces less. - You walk through the grocery store thinking "saltines have 1760 calories per pound, but mixed nuts have 2720 calories per pound". - Your waterproof/breathable rain jacket cost more than your best suit. - You shave ALL the hair off your body to save a few ounces on your "from the skin out" weight! - Your trail runners weigh more than your multi day pack. - You know the weight of your backpack, and not your wife. - You have to take your tent down to use your combination spork/toothbrush because you used it as a stake. - You compulsively weigh things you have absolutely NO intention of ever taking backpacking, just because. - You take laxatives before a trip, just to "lighten the load." A Note To Backpackers: You might be an ultralight backpacker if you can easily come up with more of these from your own experience. Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. More of "You Might Be An Ultralight Backpacker," plus advice and stories can be found at The Ultralight Backpacking Site: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com
Related News
Skating into the outdoors - MaineToday.com
MaineToday.com |
Skating into the outdoorsMaineToday.com, ME -12 hours agoBean made its reputation by selling goods that help people enjoy the outdoors, and it wanted to create a "green retreat" downtown that could be enjoyed by ... |
Mississippi Outdoors: News & Notes - DeSoto Appeal
Mississippi Outdoors: News & NotesDeSoto Appeal, TN -Nov 30, 2008This program, developed by noted archer Ray Howell, is designed to expose troubled and underprivileged youth to archery, hunting and the great outdoors. ... |
The Morning Skate: Bucks and Pucks, Rangers’ D and Obama Outdoors? - New York Times
Outdoors Report: Winds make fishing tough on Bay - Houston Chronicle
Outdoors Report: Winds make fishing tough on BayHouston Chronicle, United States -Nov 30, 2008By BINK GRIMES AND WILKENS WEATHER For the Chronicle Guide Mike Segall of Reel Threel Charters said fishing was tough due to low tides and strong northwest ... |
Group managing outdoors tax to hold first meeting - Minnesota Public Radio
Great Gifts for the Great Outdoors - Kitsap Sun
Great Gifts for the Great OutdoorsKitsap Sun, United States -4 hours agoBy Seabury Blair Jr. Assuming you got out of the stock market before it sunk faster than a Trident crash dive, you might find the following Christmas gift ... |
Stay safe outdoors - Idaho Press-Tribune
Stay safe outdoorsIdaho Press-Tribune, ID -Nov 30, 2008Always allow for bad weather and for the possibility that you may be forced to spend a night outdoors unexpectedly. Guffy Bridge can be seen from the basalt ... |
Outdoors Report: Dec. 2 - Houston Chronicle
Outdoors Report: Dec. 2Houston Chronicle, United States -2 hours agoBy BINK GRIMES and WILKINS WEATHER For the Chronicle Stiff northwest winds continued to push water out of the bay systems and congregate fish in deep ... |
ACTIVE OUTDOORS - Brattleboro Reformer
ACTIVE OUTDOORSBrattleboro Reformer, United States -37 minutes ago... NH While it's absolutely wonderful that people want to get outdoors at this beautiful time of year, the lack of common sense displayed in both of these ... |
Columbia Sportswear Company and Mountain Hardwear Invite Seattle ... - MarketWatch
|
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Price of Gas Really Doesnt Matter!
"The good news is that there is no reason to cower in the corner of your RV trying to avoid the gasoline bogeyman," asserts Carol White, author of Live Your Road Trip Dream ? Travel for a year for the cost of staying home. "While none of us are thrilled about the new reality of gas prices, this is not a reason to cancel your travel plans, particularly if you are planning that dream trip of a lifetime."
Things to Make Your Gap Year in Africa Easy!
The kind of things you pack when you go on a trip says a lot about where you're heading and what you're going to be doing.
Improving Your Aim
If your aim is not good, or is not quite what you want it to be, there are several ways you can work to improve it. Most people can hit the target almost every time when they are not rushed in any way. If you have the time to slowly take aim and think about your shot, you may consider yourself an accurate shot. However, this is paintball. You will rarely have the opportunity to slowly take aim and think about anything. You must learn to be both fast and accurate.
Join the American Hiking Society
Have you taken up hiking as a new form of family recreation?
Are you a serious hiker that spends hours on challenging trails?
Do you want to find a way to become more involved in hiking
across the nation? Hikers of any background will want to check
out the "American Hiking Society". This society is an alliance
of local hiking clubs and provides a wealth of resources and
activities for hikers of any background.
Bunbury Western Australia
The first recorded mapping of what is now Koombana Bay and the eventual City of Bunbury, was in 1803 by the French explorers Nicolas Baudin and Louis de Freycinet, from their ships the Geographe and Casuarina. In 1831 there was a temporary English military settlement with the first settlers moving to the area named after Lieutenant Henry William St Pierre Bunbury in 1838. A growing port serviced the settlers and the subsequent local industries that developed.
River Rafting in Washington State
The great state of Washington offers some of the best white-water rafting in the entire country. There are around 15 rivers in Washington state that are great for river rafting. Some of the most famous are the Klickitat, the Yakima, and the Skagit rivers. Each offers a unique Washington river rafting experience.
Rafting on the Rogue River in Oregon
Oregon's Rogue River is one of the nation's most beautiful. The Rogue River begins in Crater Lake and extends 215 miles until it empties in the Pacific Ocean. There are two major sections of the Rogue River: The Wild and the Recreational. Many river recreation outfitters offer tours through both.
Dancing With Whales
We've all heard about whalewatching from boats or shore, and a few companies are now offering the possibility of actually swimming and snorkeling with whales in the wild. Is this a good thing?
Visiting Whistler in Summer
It is the end of the season for the year but a summer visit is preferred by many patrons who regularly visit the Twin Mountains. The whistler and Blackcomb rise above the valley and give a fantastic panoramic view. There is 7000 acres of the best mountain terrain available in North America. Here is more, the number of lifts that operate in the mountains, can log almost 50000 skiers an hour. This attests to the popularity of the region. This means two things that many folks attest that the place is worth the trip and secondly it also means "that much crowded the place is in the peak season". Summer is a good time to visit with your family and you can keep your adventures in the winter.
Three Classic Hikes Abroad
Paul Scott Mower once said, "There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country?" If you've ever contemplated going abroad to find your next trail, here are 3 classic hikes to consider.
Two Person Hammocks ? Snuggle With Your Beau in Style
How many of you take the time to just relax in a hammock? When I even think of a hammock, I just want to fall asleep. A single person hammock is great but two person hammocks are even better. Snuggle up with your beau and watch the clouds role by, or have a picnic included in your outdoor entertaining. The sophistication of a hammock today is like owning casual living furniture. The hammocks of today don't have to be some knots tied together. Hammocks for two enable you to take a little mini-vacation anytime you want. Some styles of interest for this hot trend in casual furniture are:
The Classy Way to Do WA
Western Australia ? South-West Coast driving holiday.
Great Australian Road Trips
Okay, so road trips in Western Australia might bring to mind punishing distances and dusty towns, and accidentally forgetting to fill up on petrol only to pass your remaining three days under the thin shade of a dead tree wondering if any car is likely to come your way. And no doubt this is readily available in a state the size of many small countries sticky-taped together, with frequent stretches of desert.
For those with different tastes, the classy (and petrol-station dotted) option is the gorgeous coast to the south of Perth, with the south-west pocket of Bunbury, Margaret River and Albany, stretching on east to Esperance and Cape Arid National Park.
Getting started ? from Perth downwards.
So have a bit of a wander around Perth ? check out Fremantle (where the Perth cappuccino elite head en masse on the weekend) and commune with the cute furry side of nature on a day-trip to Rottnest Island. Not the most attractive name for an island, but the quokkas (little kangaroo-rat things with a penchant for your peanut butter sandwiches) and the gorgeous beaches make this a brilliant side trip. Just make sure you bring your bicycle legs for the day, as there's hardly any motorised transportation. After that, it's onwards in a southerly direction.
Need a car for your road trip? Hire one at Car Rental Perth.
Wine, more wine, and then some nibbley things.
Right, so first you'll need to make a stop at Bunbury, if only for a day or so to have a traipse around, stretch the legs, and have a dabble at the water's edge to chance a meeting with a dolphin or two.
Then it's time to get serious and head on in to the Margaret River Region. Winos and gourmands will happily revel in many chance encounters with world-class restaurants (sometimes attached to wineries) which dot the countryside. Surfers may never want to come back in from the swell ? the surfing here is world-renowned.
Further along the coast, before you arrive in Albany for a frolic, you'll want to have some quality time with some very tall plants. This here is Tall Timber Country, and the karri forests will imbue you with a somber respect for all things leafy. Stop off at the Valley of the Giants to take the Treetop walk, or take on the Gloucestor Tree near Pemberton ? steps fixed around its trunk allow you to climb up 60 metres high.
A day-trip out from Albany will thrust you into the heart of another wine-growing region (it seems the one necessity of this road trip would be a designated driver) ? the Mount Barker, Porongurup National Park and Frankland area can get you over the driving limit in the most delightful way.
And finally, a short drive away is the lovely town of Esperance and its ridiculously blue ocean, situated at the western end of the Archipelago of Recherch. The archipelago has 110 coastal islands ? full of crafty old goats and colonies of seals ? which you can tramp about on at your leisure. Or there's always a rewarding trek to be had in surrounding national parks like Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid.
From Esperance you've got the option of returning to Perth via an inland route, maybe heading up to Kalgoorlie before heading back on the Great Eastern Highway, or really change your road trip's tempo, nip up north and turn right onto the Eyre Highway.
In that case you'd better steel yourself for a very long drive to Adelaide on a straight road which goes for thousands of kilometres through an unvarying landscape designed especially to send you insane. Or, perhaps returning to Perth to hop on a plane going that direction might be a more attractive option?
Need a car to get you started?
There's loads of websites that collect the specials of all the car rental companies to save you time looking around. Just do a google search for "car hire deals" or check out a website like http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au which often has some good Perth and Western Australia specials.
Take care on those roads and keep your eyes peeled for kangaroos!
Bird Watching Journals ? Preserve Your Bird Watching Experiences
Bird Watching is a great way to escape the rat race and be one with nature. Alas, your bird watching experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a bird watching journal for your sightings and trips.
Should You Buy a Used Inflatable Boat?
There are two types of used inflatable boats for sale ? those that have never been patched before, and those that have been repaired. Repaired boats are worked upon by factory technicians using the same glue and same techniques used for a new boat, and hence are as good as new ones. All the boats are tested for 24 hours before being advertised for sale.
Solo Backpacking
Have you ever gone solo backpacking? If you have, you'll probably agree that it isn't a matter of it being better or worse than backpacking with friends. It's just a different activity altogether.
Review: Russell Shortos The Island At The Center Of The World
Up to now the preponderant view held by many historians is that Dutch contribution to American history and particularly to that of New York has been one of irrelevancy. As we no doubt realize, the winners write history, and unfortunately, whatever the losers may have contributed, it seems to be lost or forgotten in the shuffle.
Alaska Hunting Guide
WHAT TO HUNT AND WHERE: Alaska is a hunter's paradise. Hunting here can provide the full scope of experiences- from caribou to deer and moose, from grizzly and brown bears to wolves, from Dall sheep and mountain goats to muskox, from waterfowl to ptarmigan and several grouse species. Diverse Alaska geographic areas offer adventure for everyone, give us various choices:
Lightweight Backpacking: How Light?
You aren't lightweight backpacking if you are carrying twenty-five pounds for a summer weekend. I invent these standards, but I try to be reasonable. I backpack with less than fifteen pounds total weight for a weekend trip. With a few new pieces of gear, and a little knowledge, you can probably carry less than twenty pounds for a three-day trip, and less than thirty for a week-long trip.
Hiking Trails Mt. Washington Valley NH - Trekking trails USA
Mt. Washington Valley Trails & Mt Washington - NH
Three Places to Interact with Dolphins in Hawaii
Visitors to Hawaii frequently see dolphins from shore or on a whale-watching cruise or fishing boat. Visitors sometimes happen to be in the water snorkeling or kayaking when a pod of dolphins swims by. Some visitors even seek out dolphins, either by frequenting areas where dolphins live and play, like Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island, or by taking a boat tour that frequents areas where dolphins live and play.
|