"I first encountered the ideas of ultralight backpacking in 1994, in an article in now-defunct (and much-missed) Backpacker magazine. It was titled "Less is More," by Mark Jenkins. (I still have a PDF copy I scanned years ago.) Jenkins wrote about a long trip across Europe and Africa. By the end, he and his traveling partner shed all the gear they thought they needed, save what they were wearing, their down jackets, and some spoons."
"While I had no desire to have all my gear stolen as Jenkins does as at one point in Africa, the idea of carrying less to travel farther, faster, and lighter, struck a chord. Not just with me, but with loads of other people. Jenkins' article is widely credited with starting the ultralight backpacking movement. At the time, there wasn't much lightweight gear available."
"Much of the early ultralight movement was driven by a DIY ethos. I built my own alcohol stoves out of discarded tuna cans, made pot cozies out of Reflectix, and fashioned windscreens from heavy aluminum foil. As a result, my cook kit weight dropped by 14 ounces. Today, ultralight backpackers are more common than traditionalists, at least judging from the people I meet on the trail."
Ultralight backpacking focuses on minimizing base weight to increase range, speed, and comfort. Base weight is defined as all gear excluding worn items and consumables; a common target is 10 pounds or less. Some pursue 'super ultralight' with a 5-pound base weight, while 'lightweight' is around 15 pounds. Early ultralight practice relied on DIY solutions like homemade alcohol stoves, Reflectix pot cozies, and improvised windscreens to cut ounces. Modern ultralight culture is widespread on trails, enabled by both commercial gear advances and continued emphasis on shedding unnecessary items without sacrificing essential warmth or functionality.
Read at WIRED
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