Ultralight Living -- A life to prepare for backpacking

I am currently preparing and packing for a week long backpacking trip to Isle Royale with  my mom and 4 other members of the Central Indiana Wilderness Club.  (Image below from http://www.seeyosemite.com/isle-royale-michigan.html)

I have been backpacking once before on a two day snowshoeing class in college, but this will be my first summer trip and my first trip of this length.

A nice thing about being "in transition"
(aka looking for a job but unemployed) is that every event or trip can turn into a lengthy self-education experience and is rarely without adequate preparation and reflection time.

Today I spent the morning packing up my final details, getting my first official "pack weight" of the process, researching Leave No Trace ethics about biodegradable soap and sanitation, fashioning a rain skirt, and googling tips for packing light.

So far, without food, water, or my share of the group gear, I'm at 23.5 pounds total.  Not too shabby given that I didn't go out of my way to buy any overpriced, titanium, "ultralight" gear and managed to pack a sketchbook, swimsuit and towel, and inflatable seat.   If my pack is still that light, I've decided a few comfort items are absolutely allowed.

My mom and I on our final prep hike around Ritchie Woods

Fishers, IN -- August 2013

In reading about ultralight trends, I've realized that my entire life up to this point, especially my tendency to up and move homes every 3-9 months for the past 5 years, has given me a lot of ultralight values and skills.  Even if I don't yet have the commitment to documenting how many ounces each Clif bar weighs.....

1.  Simplicity 

How much do I really need?  One pair of pants or two for a week?  That might be a little excessive....  Why am I bringing along a second book when a photocopy of a drawing of "Common Wildflowers of Isle Royale" and good company could keep me entertained and more "present" for hours?  What can I share with my mom or other people in the group and what do I really need to have ready for myself?  

What's a need vs a want?  What is a real risk that's worth the extra weight for "emergency supplies" vs over-packing?   How much comfort can I be comfortable with, and how much weight is worth and increase or decrease in certain realms of quality of life?  Leave No Trace ethics in backpacking also lend themselves to a questioning of simplicity and how to tread lightly upon the earth, both in considering camping choices and the impact of daily lifestyle choices on the environment and global community.

  

2.  Small accessories 

The best two examples of this value in my life are my clothes and musical instruments. 

 Since I've relocated by plane so many times, whether across the country or across the Atlantic, I have a lot of simple, solid-colored, lightweight clothes and tend to have louder/quirkier options for accessories since they're smaller and more practical than packing a lot of interesting clothes that all clash.   

 Also, I've gone from playing the piano when I was young, to playing the clarinet and saxophone in high school, to playing steel drums, a little guitar,  and the mbira early in college, to, over the past 4 years, playing/traveling between homes with a ukulele, harmonica, jaw harp, and castanets.  All of which fit into my ukulele bag.

Backpacking and outdoorsy gear comes with all sorts of little, functional accessories, which fits my style very well:  emergency blankets, towels that fold up to the size of a small notebook, spoon/fork/knives, bowls that can be used as mugs or plates depending on the meal, emergency whistle/compass/mirror/waterproof match holder all in one, travel sized soaps, mini rolls of toilet paper, and baby versions of sunscreen, bug spray, biodegradable soap, and anything else you can imagine needing......  Check your local sporting good store for more examples.

 3. Bring what you can carry

Again here, being a traveler and being a backpacker overlap.  If I can carry it by myself up stairs in the metro, while getting lost somewhere 4 miles walking on the wrong part of Paris, wandering to a bus stop in a rural town that I don't know, passing through large crowds of strangers while still being very sure that I know exactly where my passport and money are and how close the nearest 30 people are to them, and completely by myself, I am allowed to bring it.  One large checked suitcase and a carry-on for a year in Spain?  Absolutely.  

At 23.5 lbs without water, I'm certainly not setting any ultralight records, but it's a lot less than I thought I would need for a week.

4. General thrift and resourcefulness (including crafting and DIY tricks) 

If you read the link below, DIY mentality would be more relevant if I was going for a true, anally-ultra-light style, but even with my current packing, some amounts of craftiness have come into play.  During the past month of unemployment, I've found comfort in the sense of purpose and completion in crafting, learning maintenance tasks, and generally seeking to be a more handy person (building tables, repairing jewelry, mending clothes, fixing windows, cleaning screens, touching up baseboards, rearranging and decorating my room, creating organizational systems, deep cleaning ovens....) 

In regard to backpacking,  I've learned a lot of these from my mom and the internet over the past month.  A lot of real, functional needs and comforts can be created from inexpensive supplies. 

How many ways can I use my 15 ft of nylon cord?  Why buy and carry uncomfortable rain pants if you can fashion your own out of a trash bag?  Is it worth buying an inflatable seat if you can use an empty, washed-out potato chip bag?  (I decided to get the seat because I was feeling luxurious.)  The questions, and possibilities, are endless for a craftsman/DIYer.

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We'll see how the trip goes!  Wilderness will always be a part of my life.  I don't know exactly what that will look like or how I will like backpacking as opposed to the day hikes, urban parks, and occasional car camping that have been a more consistent part of my life so far.

But whatever happens, I've thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of the ultralight movement and mentality.

If you're interested, here's the best "ultralight" backpacking website I've found to date.   I especially like #5.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/mike_clelland_weekly_tip.html#.UguRopKyBsk