I’ve completed many point-to-point backpacks but have come to prefer trips where we set up a basecamp, then day hike each day in different directions. But where do you find an ultralight day pack when every ounce counts. Check out the Kiva Tote. Be light. Be safe. Be one with the Pack.
Jason Klass shares his video tips for finding lots of free stuff that will cut ounces off your ultralight backpacking load and — the best part — it’s all free.
Your favorite music to help you sleep or to give you inspiration during an uphill slog can be a welcome backpacking companion. As long as it doesn’t add a lot of weight.The new iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation weighs all of .38 ounces — that’s right, just a tad over one-third of 1 ounce. Holds 1,000 [...]
On my last two backpacks, I carried my new Flip Ultra Video Camera from Pure Digital. Runs on two A A batteries, weighs just 5.5 ounces and is compact at 2 x 4.25 x 1. Takes 60 minutes of video, which you download using the built-in USB plug. Included software lets you grab photos from [...]
In earlier posts, I mentioned that I have three ground pads:Â a 3/4 Thermarest, a full-size Thermarest and a down-filled Exped Downmat 7. The D7 is heaviest, but is thick and ground-insulating with an ultralight sleeping bag. In a Yahoo discussion group a guy was inquiring about the Gossamer Gear 1/4 inch pad. A reader [...]
I discovered a “green” spork (combination fork and knife) made of corn, totally biodegradable and about a half ounce. In our recent trip into the Granite Chief Wilderness, ultralight backpacking companion Wild Bill and I ate two breakfasts and two dinners with the corn sporks. They were sturdy and held up to heat and washing. [...]
I head off soon for a backpack in the Granite Chief Wilderness near Lake Tahoe. With some snow still on the trail and nights at 8,500 feet expected to dip into the 30′s, a hand warmer isn’t such an odd suggestion as an added comfort for very little weight. As a kid, I had a [...]
Corn feeds us and fuels us. Now, utensils are being made of it. My wife, Gerry, found a set of six Italian-made, corn-based spoon/forks (sporks) that last six uses and then completely compost in 45-60 days. Less than one ounce each. At about 65 cents each (6 for $3.99) a package. Order from Karla@hausfortuna.com. Be [...]
As someone who loves gear and is always looking for the next greatest ultralight backpacking gizmo, I strongly recommend you consider the SteriPEN Adventurer. This is Hydro-Photon, Inc’s newest iteration of its proven water purification system, which was first introduced in 2000. I own the first and second generation models, and if you look at [...]
The TrackStick II is a personal GPS data logging and tracking device. The company website suggests you “Find a good camping spot and leave it to TrackStick to remember where it is and the path you took to get there.” Apparently you dowload the data into Google 3D on a Windows PC only (sorry Mac [...]
