Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The General Consensus on Definitions and Terms for Ultralight Backpacking

I have been meaning to get this off my chest for some time now.  I started a discussion about this on BPL a while ago, but it didn't really go anywhere or catch on; so here is another attempt, this time with more substance--and I hope that the idea takes off (even if it is another shot in the dark).  

There is not really a consensus agreement on what defines Ultralight backpacking and its different variations.  Wikipedia's entry on the subject currently states:

"The terms light and ultralight commonly refer to base pack weights below 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and 10 pounds (4.5 kg) respectively. Traditional backpacking often results in base pack weights above 30 pounds (14 kg), and sometimes up to 60 pounds (27 kg) or more. Enthusiasts of ultralight backpacking sometimes attempt super-ultralight backpacking (SUL) in which the base pack weight is below 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and extreme-ultralight backpacking (XUL) in which the base pack weight is below 3 pounds (1.4 kg)."

Monday, December 23, 2013

Some Reflections and Future Plans

The past year had quite a lot going on for my little blog.  I've gotten a lot more total views than ever before, especially after finishing my guide to Bohusleden.  Thanks to anyone that keeps up with my humble ramblings, and I hope this place has been both helpful and enjoyable to read.  As far as gear goes, there have been a lot of changes to my gear lists too as I continue to really polish off details big and small, though there were not that many big changes when compared to some other gear-heads in the UL/SUL online community.  I really wanted to put the gear I have to the test, and overall I am pretty satisfied with my choices and how things performed.