How Did ULTRALIGHT BACKPACKING Get So Big? [A Brief History]

My thoughts on how ultralight backpacking has become so popular in recent years.
00:00 Intro
01:26 1. What is ultralight backpacking?
05:17 2. Where did it start?
10:24 3. Why is it popular?
11:52 4. Where is it going?
Mentioned in the video:
The PCT Hiker’s Handbook (amzn.to/35gHLxJ)
Woodcraft and Camping (amzn.to/3cRUclY)
Andrew Giger's gear list in Hiking the Appalachian Trail (amzn.to/3cYKH4x)
Andrew Skurka (andrewskurka.com/)
Special thanks to the following thru-hikers for contributing their footage to this video:
Andrew 'Reptar' Forestell ( / reptarhikes )
Elina 'Tip-Tap' Osborne (bit.ly/2WeNL62)
Hiking Nerd (bit.ly/2R2OFR1)
Izzy “Ponderosa” Lackner (bit.ly/2R07sMM)
Kaylin 'Moxie' Brown ( / kaylinb1231 )
Nathan Bauman ( / nathanabauman )
Travis 'Footloose' Smith ( / northboundtravis )
Additional credits:
Image: The Restless Wonderer (bit.ly/2VQC06R)
Image: Zpacks (www.zpacks.com)
Sound and image: 'Summer of 69' by Bryan Adams
Music provided by Free Vibes: goo.gl/NkGhTg
Extreme Energy by MusicToday80: / rock-music
Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Greenbelly Meals: www.greenbelly.co/

[@mikealwill7013]

Ray Jardine article in Backpacker magazine caused the ultralight craze. He used a silicone nylon tarp, blue foam sleep pad, home made synthetic nylon covered quilt, home made nylon pack.

[@davidjd123]

i also think these books and ideas came before exercises science understanding of strength, things like deadlifts, squats ect can increase your strength for backpacking and therefore increasing your payload. what would be traditionally heavy for one person, will be light for you. your frame and muscles will handle a heavier load at the same distance. almost like adding a new more powerful engine that uses the same amount of gas.

[@paddle_hike]

Great informations :) I think the best weight is the one that fits you. Be happy and safe. (Like the famous line)....Hike your own hike

[@Greenbelly]

Truth! Thanks.

[@Querenciatv]

Nice Video! Thank you for uploading. Can't wait to see more content 👍

[@Greenbelly]

Thanks for watching!

[@tomweald3824]

Great video, thank you. I just happen to be reading your AT book, great stuff.

[@Greenbelly]

Awesome! Glad you are enjoying it Tom. Safe hiking.

[@outdoorstransient1498]

Very sharp information. Thank you for this, looking forward to getting my shins dirty out there. Be well, Terry.

[@Greenbelly]

Awesome. Thanks so much Terry.

[@DuctTapeADK]

Ultralight, and being weight conscious is not new, only rediscovered. A hundred years ago, the experts of the day preached it too. They even included it in their books. "Go light; the lighter the better, so that you have the simplest material for health, comfort and enjoyment." -GW Sears in 1884. His load including a canoe and axe was 30 pounds.

[@markcummings6856]

DuctTapeADK aka Russ That’s pretty much what the video said.

[@FahrulZainuddin]

Great video.. Very complete explanation

[@Greenbelly]

Thanks Fahrul :)

[@ropersix]

I can't remember which book it's in, but I remember John Muir talking about heading out into the Sierras with just a bag of bread and a bed roll. But in more modern times, I think it was all the mountaineers and all their stories and fame that set the stage for people thinking they needed packs full of stuff in order to go experience the wilderness. It took awhile to rediscover that modest trips only require modest amounts of gear (and weight). Not need to prepare for an ascent of Everest just to take the regular trail up to Whitney.

[@Greenbelly]

Nice. Please share the book name if you remember. Sounds on point. Thanks Timothy.

[@chrisschell90]

That quote was great!

[@Greenbelly]

Agreed! But there are two - you referring to George Sears (5:50) or Ray Jardine (8:20)?

[@chrisschell90]

@@Greenbelly You know what, both!!

[@richardswift8126]

I feel free to enjoy the tent I bought through 3 years ago rather than Hemorrhage about the newest and lightest tent on the market. So thank you for some great perspective

[@Greenbelly]

Yep, that tent might work just fine ;)

[@Everydaybackpacker]

Great video

[@Greenbelly]

Thanks!

[@stby_outdoors]

Ultralight is so big that I've been into backpacking for a few years now and only recently found out that it was separate and that the heavier way of doing things was just traditional backpacking. I thought UL was just backpacking now.

[@Greenbelly]

Indeed. Interesting how those two things have become less and less distinguishable.

[@treelinehugger]

The lightweight trend will end when a silent hovercraft follows behind me carrying all my gear while recording my entire trip on a 360-degree camera.

[@Greenbelly]

Ultimate goal for a 0 lb pack 😂

[@kidsmoothy88]

thats no joke, how long before a mid size drone is connected to my cell phone and thru a gps/cell connection is able to follow six feet behind me?

[@canadafree2087]

@@kidsmoothy88 They already make drones like that. You can even use them when on motorbikes. Check out ADVchina.

[@TennesseeSlim]

Lol we're aren't getting zero pound backpacks. Slackpacker: looks into distance

[@martingoodwin56]

people today do not want any difficulty....they will sacrifice in many areas to avoid weight.

[@woodchip2782]

Next step... helium backpacks...

[@Greenbelly]

Lol

[@macmurfy2jka]

Don’t laugh, that’s not the worst idea. Helium filled air struts might just work for a pack frame.

[@paulrevere2379]

Less equipped with self-reliance items and more equipped with ego and platinum level credit card purchasing is the new entitlement mentality, not an improvement in hiking. It's a dumbed down version of competitive long distance running which appeals to the participation trophy crowd.

[@paulrevere2379]

The "need" for everything to be ultra-light is mostly a reaction to the reality that most younger folks are ultra-weak in body and mind compared to outdoor adventurers of old. Nothing morally wrong with lightening one's load as a luxury, or opening up longer hiking opportunities for lighter less hearty people, but the pathetic claims of superiority are an utter joke.

[@paulrevere2379]

"only essential" = presumes that wilderness conditions will be ideal everyday and night = entitlement mentality. "I'm a minimalist" one hears from "hikers" who spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on gear. Cost is no hinderance. Exactly what kind of minimalists are these? Certainly not economical self-reliance minimalists.

[@CC-nx9wg]

You sir have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You also seem to be the only person in these comments that has an ego. I don't understand why it angers you so much that some people do things differently than you do. To each their own no?

[@paulrevere2379]

@@CC-nx9wg To each their own I could agree with enthusiastically. The problem occurs when people of a certain mindset wrongfully think that something needs re-invention and their convoluted idea of what that means is not something they apply only to themselves, but they infect impressionable people with their noob ideas leading to people who don't know any better getting hurt or worse. Thankfully the childish minds which have an attraction for such fads sometimes eventually grow up. Ageless wisdom pertaining to extended adventuring wild places always prevails, because mountains do not care about social trends. Sadly, the long term reckoning is not much consolation to those who pay the high price of going out unprepared similar to a car accident victim who regrets being dismissive about wearing a seatbelt.