ultralight

Happy February, ultralighters! Here’s a place to catch up and chat and discuss things that might not warrant their own post.

Hello dear ULemmings,

I'm looking for a thermos (UL, of course) and for some reason I don't know where to start at all.

Maybe it would be nice to have a cup that I drink of.

What are some important features to look in a thermos? What should be avoided? What system do you prefer (screw / click mechanism / something g else)?

Happy New Year, ultralighters! Here’s a place to catch up and chat and discuss things that might not warrant their own post. Did you do anything cool or get any nifty gift this holiday? Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?

Here's a place to catch up and chat and discuss things that might not warrant their own post.

Title. I'm moving into late fall for the Valley weather, and looking down the barrel of winter. What is your coping strategy?

The 60.4g one is here. It has a 2.45 inch screen, 1100mah removable battery, has been around for a while, and runs Android 8.1. By its dimensions it MIGHT fit into an Altoids tin (which would of course block RF signals from reaching it, good or bad depending). I emailed the company and they replied there are no plans to update it, unfortunately. They have a newer "Jelly Star" version that runs Android 13 and has more features, but is 2x as heavy. I suspect the lighter one didn't catch on because the battery was too small, but it might be ok if you don't actually use the phone much.

The 560g version is here. It is that heavy because it has a 22000mah(!) non-removable battery. It also has a built-in 1200 lumen flashlight, 6.81" screen, accepts 65 watts USB PD fast charge, and generally looks like a capable modern (8gb ram, Android 12) phone, though it is 4g only. They do have some 5g models that are smaller.

Why is a 560g phone ultralight? Well on Reddit r/ultralight they always talk about power banks, and the lightest 20000mah power bank is around 300g and it is popular there. This thing combines the power bank and a phone, so saves the weight of a separate phone. They also like to spend days on the trail and then duck into a restaurant for a recharge, so they like fast charging. Most phones and power banks recharge at 15 watts so you don't get that much in an hour, even with separate chargers for your phone and PB (i.e. 30 watts using both at once). This thing supposedly takes an almost full charge in under 2 hours. Finally, it is good to get rid of the cable between the power bank and the phone. Not for weight (you still need to bring a cable) but because USB connectors are way too fiddly and they break all the time. So the less often you plug and unplug a phone, the better. Huge batteries from that perspective are good.

I should also mention, the above is supposedly a ruggedized phone. If that means you don't need an add-on protective case, that saves some more weight.

I have never used or seen either of these phones (just heard about them last night) and don't feel likely to buy one (especially the Tank), but both are interesting enough that I thought I'd post here.

Update: there is an even bigger (666g, 31mm thick) follow-on with Android 13, 5G radio, 16GB ram, and 120 watt charging: https://liliputing.com/unihertz-tank-3-smartphone-has-a-23800-mah-battery/

A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post. What’s up?

Sorry for the wall of text, but as we put it all down, we realised that we had to add more and more criteria.

We are planning our last trip for this year and are based in Germany. Our plans/funds unfortunately don't allow something as far away as Scotland/Sweden/... so we are looking in Germany, Denmark, BeNeLux, Western France, Austria or Switzerland.

Ideally, this trail is not too much of a misery in autumn. We are fine with lots of ups and down, but not equipped for mountains or very alpine terrain in this time of the year. We would be fine with huts or shelters, but could also wild camp (if it's no too much of a hassle). Doing just a certain section (5days max) would be fine for us as well.

Bonus points for remoteness and beautiful nature. Walking along roads, forestry roads or villages all day is a bit monotone after a while.

Might be that this does not exist; we enjoyed e.g. the West Highland Way very much and are looking forward for Sweden/Norway.

Jack’s trip is extraordinary, he did a ton of research, assembled a good kit and even made some of his own gear before taking a leap of faith traveling across the Atlantic to hike the stunning Canadian Rockies solo. I was inspired by his trip, the quality of his videos, and fascinated by his MYOG backpack.

A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post. What’s going on?

cross-posted from: https://iusearchlinux.fyi/post/1294232

So we did the trip! Winter gear shakedown in place of a Wind River trip that got weather'd out. We did 8 miles in to Alaska Basin (9500', trailhead at 7100') in the rain/snow on Friday. Stayed up in the basin overnight, temperature dipped to 30 F (at least - maybe was colder overnight, but I moved the thermometer into the tent). Weather was overcast but no precipitation on Saturday for the hike back out.

Lower elevations still have autumn

Beautiful weather

Fresh black bear tracks (I think)

Basin lake

More Alaska Basin

Good morning snow

Some kind of pawed critter (coyote?)

Gorgeous day back out

Things I learned for backpacking in the rain/slush/snow: hell yeah dry bags kept the gear from getting damp from a day's worth of rain and snow. I need a better fleece solution. I also need a better puffy solution and a better camp shoe situation. My boots were waterlogged (which was fine while hiking, they are not waterproof, but no way am I going to wear them around camp) and the Crocs flats I brought did Not provide any protection from cold/wind/snow. My random Columbia Sherpa fleece is way overkill for hiking and doesn't dry quickly. My (non technical) down jacket got soaked in the back when I put it over the fleece. My wool gloves also got wet and became useless. Yikes.

Other things I learned: it was really nice being out there in different weather, in a different season, with no one else (except my husband) around. I loved it. Would do again. Also I am glad we nixed the Winds trip, the weather would have been worse and we would have had a much harder time of it. Getting this experience was good, before we got hit with it on the trail unexpectedly.

Welp, this is an interesting forecast for the 2023-2024 winter in the USA. Hiking season may start earlier in the Northern Rockies, later in the SoCal region. All a probability forecast though, so we shall have to see.

cross-posted from: https://iusearchlinux.fyi/post/1047974

In late July, I took what was intended to be a four-day, three-night hike in the Sawtooth Wilderness area in Idaho, USA. We intended to take the trip in early July, but the snow over Sand Mountain pass was still quite bad according to the ranger.

The trip was to start from the west Yellow Belly Lake trailhead (7076’), pass by Farley lake (7745’), go up the pass by Edith lake (8720’), past that knot of passes and by Sand Mountain and down the pass (9219’) to Rendezvous lake (8861’) for Day 1, with a total of 8.6 miles and about 2950’ climbing elevation. Day 1 started late, around 2 pm (yay driving) and we hiked in the hottest part of the day; but we did it! Unfortunately we had to tack on 2 more miles hiking because Google was not reliable in getting us to the intended trail access point and sent us to the farther one. Live and learn… Total mileage, 10.6 mi.

Edith lake

Rendezvous lake from the pass

Sand mountain (it's not sand, but it's super eroded and looks like it), with the final knife-edge pass

Day 2 was to be the lake tour! Starting from Rendezvous lake, pass by Edna lake (8404’), Vernon lake (8460’), Ardeth lake (8288’), Spangle lake (8585’), Rock slide lake, Benedict Lake, and finally camp at Everly lake, in the shadow of Mount Everly. This involved a ton of up-and-down bouncing us between about 8050’ and 8700’, and would have entailed 3 full passes and a final climb up to Everly lake over 11.2 miles total. However, my knee was starting to complain about the repetitive stress injury I’d sustained earlier in the season. In the interest of safety, DrBohr and I decided to stop at Spangle Lake and chill out for the day, explore the area, and enjoy the quiet. Total distance: 6.3 mi, 1449’ climbing elevation.

Rendezvous lake at sunrise

Looking down from a pass toward Edna and Vernon lakes

I don't remember which lake this was...

Little Spangle Lake

Day 3 was supposed to be a descent from Everly Lake down to Smith Falls and then back to Rendezvous lake or one of the other nearby lakes on the western side of the pass for a total of 12.5 miles and 2700’ of ascent. However, that didn’t happen due to bailing out early at Spangle lakes. Instead, we retraced our path from Spangle Lake. We intended to stop at Edith Lake or Farley lake that day, leaving us with 6-8 miles to hike out on the last day. That really seemed like it would happen given that my knee started getting pissed off on the descents again.

Big Spangle lake

One of the small lakes at one of the wide, flat passes

However, I decided to try something: ibuprofen and Tylonol together - I’d heard this was a pretty great painkiller combination. Heck yeah it is! It was amazing. My knee pain…disappeared. I think I was getting some nerve involvement along with the inflammation. I thought I would be able to hobble out to Edith or Farley lake, but it turns out… we hiked out the entire rest of the way, 16.3 miles, 2862’ ascent. We were motivated to get home back to our two dogs. Never have I ever been so glad to see the car!

Looking down towards Farley lake (near) and Yellow Belly lake (far), with the White Cloud mountains in the background and remaining snow in the foreground

I was afraid I’d have trashed my knee, but the pain meds and shifting my weight more forward for the descents gave me just general knee fatigue the next day. Success!

Day 0 (mile 0-5) New York-Denver-Vernal-East Park Reservoir - Walk. Train. Walk. Bus. Walk. Plane. Walk. Plane. Hope to walk a lot more on the 105 mile Uinta Highline Trail. This trip is an effort to moderate my life. To hold a job, be there for my partner yet still have hiker dreams that occasionally become reality. I’ve never been very good at moderation but maybe it’ll work this time. Walk past the terminals in Denver Airport, think I should study this place in more detail. DEN is a portal to many places in the America west I would like to go. Not much of a view outside, inside I’m rocking secondhand clown shoes and MYOG backpack, sun hoody and shiny 2 oz windpants. “Most people call months in advance” says Vernal taxi driver Brad, as I repackage my haul from Walmart in the backseat on the way to McKee Draw. 4 days of food, water bottle and Ozark Trail trekking poles. I examine the plastic flick locks and frown. We talk winter weather, passport bros and Ley lines. I laugh and nod. Half a mile in, Vince from West Virginia sits astride a four wheeler smiling. He reminds me of my dad. Vince has cancer and is selling his houses and seeing as many wild places and animals as he can with the time he has left. The sky is clear and the sun hangs low in the thin, cool air. The silent pines surround me in this alpine oasis above the harsh desert below. 5 miles in I hit the reservoir, get water and make camp, anchor my tarp to a pine tree and recline on the duff. I eat, massage my sore feet and lay peacefully listening to the nothingness. Making it all the way here in one day was my best case scenario and I drift off delighted.

UHT Day 1 (mile 5-27) East Park Reservoir, Leidy TH, Gabbro Pass - As I walk down to East Park Reservoir at dawn to fetch water, 3 large birds take off from the lake, bellowing like dinosaurs as they rise. Their calls reverberate off the surrounding hills. 19 miles to Leidy, long water carry. Camel up freezing cold water. Ice cream headache. Head hazy from the altitude. Right hip gives me trouble all day, must’ve slept on it weird. Slower going than expected due to altitude, blowdowns, navigating the sometimes-disappearing trail and rocky terrain. Meet Alder from Colorado Springs, habitual sectionhiker on day 4 of his eastbound thru-hike. He’s going about my speed in the opposite direction. Says he’s had good weather and seen 2-3 westbounders and a handful of section hikers per day. Why go eastbound? “2,000 ft less elevation gain.” 😆 At Leidy TH meet Walt from SLC, on his annual pilgrimage to Leidy Peak, this year recovering from knee surgery. Still made it all the way up. Slept last night in a jacket in his truck. Around Leidy to Gabbro the wind is relentless and the trail rocky and elusive. Wind so strong you can’t even stop and take a break, reminds me of the PCT. Must keep going. Tough end of day. Want to climb Gabbro to Deadman but it’s 5 miles and I lose light and willpower. Camp at marginal site nestled amongst wind-beaten shrubbery.

UHT Day 2 (mile 27-41?) Gabbro Pass, Deadman Lake, Chepeta Lake, North Pole Pass - Wind howled all night and brought scattered showers. Tarp pitched storm mode. Wake with clear head and fresh legs. Today I get to “the good stuff”. Go over Gabbro, lovely breakfast at Deadman Lake. Reflected ripples of sunlight dance in the trees. Feel distinct sense of gratitude during pleasant morning hike to Chepeta Trailhead where I meet thru-hiker Justin trying to bail out due to altitude sickness. On the way to North Pole Pass meet local Randall who says next 3 days will rain, with snow likely above 10k. Shit. Meet father and son bow-hunting who repeat forecast. Shit. Start going through scenarios. Walk in intermittent rain until I can see North Pole, socked in at 12:04pm, way too early. Shit. Shit. North Pole is 4 miles long and totally exposed. I am prepared for rain and waiting out thunderstorms but not 3 days of cold rain and snow. If I go forward I will walk for 2 hours through a rainstorm, and bailing out becomes significantly harder from Painters Basin on the other side. Nothing to do but bail out now. Turn around, walk back to Chepeta. It’s windy, cool and overcast. Find Justin and wife Jen trying to stay warm sitting on a log wrapped in foam pads and tyvek. Rains off and on, start getting cold about 2pm. Move to more sheltered location, still near the road so we can flag down cars. Start boiling water to stay warm. Only a few cars at trailhead, hope someone stops. Check map to see how far the walk out is — it’s far. Randall stops by at 3pm and drives us down. We talk fishing, cars and tribal politics. Drops us in Roosevelt, eat pizza and try and fail to rent a car within a 30 mile radius. Justin’s dad Grandpa Jerry drives 3 hours from SLC to pick us up. Talks nonstop on the ride back, lovely man and crystal clear at 80. Watch dark stormclouds wrap the Uintas as we drive west on 40. Get into SLC around 10pm. Shower. Borrow clothes. Cotton feels good, feet do not. Pet dogs. Sleep in camper van. What a day. Still a bit in shock and saddened to have picked such a rotten weather window. Hope everyone still up there is OK.

Utah Day 3 Salt Lake City - Wake up in camper van in driveway, knock on house door at the polite time of 8am. Like me Justin and Jen are frugal but occasionally invest in something nice if it’s worth it — I start my day with an amazing cup of gourmet coffee from their prosumer-level coffee machine and proceed to cook up the cheap remains of my food bag: summer sausage, cheddar cheese and tortillas. Just pop tarts, tuna, ramen, sweets and trail mix left; this might be the first time I didn’t overpack food. I play with friendly cat Blackie and dogs Boots and Odin. Boots manically craves attention while Odin is a happy-go-lucky pup stuck in the body of a direwolf from Game of Thrones. We drive up to Hayden Pass to pick up J&J’s car and go from warm, sunny SLC to socked in, cool, all-day drizzle. Hypothermia weather. On the drive back Justin runs an errand a few blocks from his house, then hands me his car keys in the parking lot, tells me to be back by dark and then walks off. I try to figure out what hikes I can do in the Wasatch in a few hours and realize that everything is really high and really steep. The larger peaks are out of the question. I just want to get a decent view of the city so I settle on modest Ferguson Canyon and after the guys with beer bellies and families with little kids I scramble up as high as I can in search of a place that I can sit comfortably with a decent view, which is surprisingly hard to find amongst the steep, jagged, crumbly terrain. I drive back by dark and sit on the front porch with J&J. They’ve never even heard of the trail even though it’s 20 minutes away 😆 we debate dinner but Justin has been feeling off all day and turns in early. Jen and I eat pizza and share our life stories. I’m not really used to talking about myself much but I do my best. She has had things harder than I have. We talk and pet the animals for a few hours while we watch the neighborhood in the dark.

Utah Day 4 SLC, Antelope Island, Frary Peak - Eat breakfast out of my food bag, then at J&J’s suggestion head to Frary Peak Trail on Antelope Island, a rugged chunk of land an hour away in the Great Salt Lake, connected by causeway and host to its own herd of bison(!) Hit up Walmart for some sunscreen and an Arnold Palmer, pay the entrance fee and head up. First climb is through a sea of the unprepared who are walking up a steep, exposed trail in full Utah sun in t-shirts, no hat and some carrying no water. Crowd thins rapidly and only see a handful of the prepared afterwards. Trail is solid, the climb steady and the views expansive throughout, fantastic. Some fun twists and turns along the way with an absolutely banger view from the top. Make it up in time for a late lunch. The most scenic and enjoyable couple of miles this whole trip, Uintas included. Loved everything about it, except forgetting my lunch in the car. Whoops! Drink celebratory beverage, walk down, drive back, home-cooked pasta dinner, then figure out how to AirPlay photos to the TV and spend the night sharing pictures and telling stories. Supposed to rain tomorrow… considering Mt. Olympus but we’ll see what happens. Fall asleep to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the van roof.

Utah Day 5 SLC - Fly out tomorrow morning, on my trip’s downslope now. Rainy morning. Freezing rain in the Wasatch. Won’t clear up in time for any side trips today. Uintas have gone from bad to worse over Labor Day weekend with snow at Mirror Lake; the NWS describes “winter-like conditions” above 10k feet. Warm up with cappuccino. Jus still recovering from altitude sickness. We talk Grand Staircase and I try to soak it all in. Down the rabbit hole we go with trip photos, then YouTube videos, then Steve Allen guidebooks. Watch a documentary on legendary dirtbag climber Fred Beckey. Jen shares an Instagram story on Swiss via ferrata, I send her a link to via ferrata in Utah. “$109 to walk on some metal pegs? No thanks.” ❤️ eat some great Indian food and spend the night in the living room with the tv off, talking and occasionally sitting in silence, listening to the nothingness. Nice to find others completely comfortable doing so. Sort out morning plans, fall asleep reading Grand Obsession.

flying tomorrow, had to double-check some of these on the tsa.gov whatcanibring website so i thought i’d share:

A friendly place for casual discussion that doesn’t warrant a post.

Comfortable and safe are vital! Anyone can go out into the mountains with a tiny amount of gear and suffer — you need to be warm, well-fed and ready to deal with safety issues. Ultralight camping should be delightful, not stressful. The challenge is to succeed with only the gear that’s absolutely needed.

The first-aid kit is a good metaphor for your lightweight camping mind-set. It would be foolish to travel without one, right? But what is truly required? What can you effectively improvise? There is a blurry line between TOO heavy and TOO light. You can still go out in the backcountry with a very light pack and be comfortable and safe (see tip 55).

Excerpt from Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips by Mike Clelland

Does a pot lid justify its weight in fuel savings?

Should ultralighters embrace the cheapest stuff that works or “buy once, cry once”?

3F UL Lanshan is the go-to cheap tent, AONIJIE offers a compelling vest-style frameless pack for $75 and cheap Aegismax and Naturehike sleeping bags and quilts have hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon. Even DeputySean is bullish on the Aricxi patrol tarp.

Getting soaked is the absolute worst. How much condensation do you get and what do you do about it?

Image from Ultralight Backpackin' Tips by Mike Clelland

Where and when: McKee Draw to Hayden Pass (westbound), first few days of September

What temp range and weather do you expect: 40F-70F, high exposure, potential multiple daily thunderstorms, hail possible, worst case heavy rain and/or below-freezing conditions

Goal Baseweight (BPW): somewhere ~6 lbs, I’d be willing to add stuff

Budget: <$100

Non-negotiable Items: nothing’s non-negotiable but not enough time or money to make major changes

Solo or with another person?: Solo

Additional Information: I’ve backpacked the AZT/PCT/CDT with similar kits but never in Utah outside brief peakbagging trips in the La Sals. I’d love to skip to Leidy TH. I’d enjoy meeting like-minded hikers but am comfortable alone. Considering adding a small cook kit to give me something to do if/when riding out thunderstorms

Lighterpack Link: https://lighterpack.com/r/262b1g