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Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 1 month ago

Hi GB Glad you are able to incorporate some of these ideas! Lightweight gear started out in the early oughts with mostly homemade stuff, cottage industry folks making things one at a time, a careful search through standard equipment suppliers like REI or EMS and rummaging through thrift stores or yard sales. This is still a very good way to put a lightweight kit together. Unfortunatly most Americans are heavily conditioned to buy everything new and as much of it as possible. Good luck with your downsizing! Chance

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

Thanks nazSMD Maybe see you out there someday!

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

My first thought is that the Bat Belt (or whatever you would like to call this) needs a dedicated thread. My second thought is that hiking generates a lot of body heat. I once carried a fanny pack in the forward position. It worked out pretty well except that it weighed a pound, empty, and my pants were drenched in sweat. My third thought is that there are probably several different applications. I prefer to walk quietly through the forest and hide as needed. This is much easier to do and more effective than most people think is possible.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

I use the basic Black Diamond. Spent some time at the REI mothership in Seattle hefting different models until one felt right. I have naturally strong arms so enjoy using ‘heavy’ trekking poles as tiny barbells. Added duct tape and muscle tape to one and the tent stakes to the other. They now weigh about 1 pound each. If trekking poles are new to you, you can start out with sticks or ski poles from a thrift store. That’s how I got into it. Thanks for your questions. I will try to answer as many as I can but have limited access to the internet both in time and proximity.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

The slingshot and a simple fishing kit are new additions to my pack. Hikers are constantly flushing out all kinds of birds and small animals or coming up to a never been fished stream. This is a skill set that needs a great deal of work. I am not a hunter and there is the problem of cooking. In thinking about how a lightweight backpack can be adapted for use by preppers, it occurred to me that a hand gun has some serious drawbacks: 1) what happens when all the bullets have been used up? 2) how is it carried for ready access? 3) Slingshots are silent and very accurate. Just a thought. Not an anti-gun sentiment.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

‘The Bat Belt’ is a made up term for anything carried on the pants belt or the pack hip belt. Like what Batman or police officers do. Search for hip belt pouches or pockets. Cell phones or GPS units can be carried on the shoulder straps as well. The pouches are a great idea as they put weight down and in front which acts like a counter balance to the pack weight. Problem is that the gear load is increasing but the pouch designs are not keeping up. Preppers have even more stuff such as a hand gun, belt knife and handyman tool. Very useful things to have but not so useful if buried inside the pack. I thought that the prepper community would have more motivation to work on how to solve this problem. Hikers seem content with simple pouches. The only clear idea that I have is that the Bat Belt accessories cannot interfere with the back and forth swinging motion of the arms. Maybe some kind of flat pack there.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

You are welcome Bin Chicken! I once hiked with a man who was legally blind. In another hike with a woman who’s knees were so badly screwed up she could not walk without special braces. Both completed their long trail hikes. They taught me a great deal about lightweight backpacking and more importantly, about the determination to succeed no matter what!

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

Hey Mr Mark You make a very good point about how easy it is to toss a go bag in the closet and wait for the SHTF event to figure out how to use it. I have had dealings with the people that one day will be called bandits and warlords. They are already calling the such preppers ‘mules’ because the mules will have just enough gasoline, strength and wits to get the go bag out of urban danger zones where it then becomes a convenient reesupply for these combat oriented predators.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

In thru- hiker slang this is called ‘The Gong Show’. The hiker dumps his or her gear on the ground and invites intetested people to comment on or ask questions about some piece of gear.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

Thank you for your interest Gideon. Its always good to see people shed weight and gain mobility. If you are keeping track of your weight reduction process i would like to see it. Perhaps others as well. On one point, it appears that i have overstated the case as concerns food: thru-hikers pack as much food as they can carry. Its just that the physical demands of daily 20 mile hikes and multi thousand foot climbs consume more calories than we can carry. This becomes a sort of accidential fast but more in the feast and famine mode. I have never seen a qualified nutritionist comment on this. Am now motivated to do some research. Will get back to you if i can get a better handle on it.

An introduction to lightweight backpacking

Posted 2 months ago

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Will be able to finish writing over this weekend and post on Monday. Thank you for your patience!

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Thank you all for your interest and support. I agree that there is a lot of good information, practices and techniques on this site and you are correct that I have not spent enough time looking it over. Have spent the weekend writing out my thoughts. Came to the conclusion that it will be better for me to present my view of lightweight backpacking with some notes on how your community can take advantage of this technology than to try to critique what has already been posted. Be a few more days. In the meantime I have very limited internet access. I live on a remote ranch in New Mexico. I cannot respond to the posts on this thread in real time. Thankx Again!

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Hi Gideon. Thank you and Eric for asking for my opinion on these matters. I do not claim to be a teacher. I am just a hiker (and traveler in general). The article you have linked to seems more about conditions under which gear is used. The base assumption is that emergency conditions may be rougher than what is normally found in hiking. This is a topic well worth looking into. I will start by reviewing the BOB lists then turn to the concerns expressed in the article. Hope to get you a reply by early next week.

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Hi Eric I will review your lists and recommend the changes that seem (to me) most useful. It Will take a few days.

Light weight backpacking gear and techniques

Posted 2 months ago

An introduction to lightweight backpacking

Posted 2 months ago

Light weight backpacking gear and techniques

Posted 2 months ago

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 1 month ago

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

Thanks nazSMD Maybe see you out there someday!

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

In thru- hiker slang this is called ‘The Gong Show’. The hiker dumps his or her gear on the ground and invites intetested people to comment on or ask questions about some piece of gear.

Reply to: An introduction to lightweight backpacking Posted 2 months ago

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Will be able to finish writing over this weekend and post on Monday. Thank you for your patience!

Reply to: Light weight backpacking gear and techniques Posted 2 months ago

Hi Eric I will review your lists and recommend the changes that seem (to me) most useful. It Will take a few days.