A benefit of paid membership sites like BackpackingLight.com is they keep most of the spammy riff raff away, leaving room for only highly-enthusiastic, and (mostly) intelligent discourse.

Fortunately for us, there’s portion of BPL that’s both FREE of charge AND riff raff: The Community Section.

There you will find over 100 PDF-downloadable ultalight backpacking lists compiled by members of the community. Then, through the magic of crowdsourcing, the lists are ranked and discussed on the forums so that you can easily identify which lists are credible enough to assist in your own pack planning.

Head on over to BackpackingLight to check them out!

BackpackingLight

As its name suggests, BackpackingLight takes lightweight backpacking seriously.  Much of the site requires a paid subscription to view, but their gear list and tools section is free and awesomely thorough.  This winter backpacking checklist is specific, easy-to-read and print.

Section-Hiker

The blog’s author used this list when preparing for a winter trek up Mount Washington in NH. Many of the recommended gear links lead to his own reviews of said gear, making this list doubly useful.

Backpacker

The Backpacker editors put their hiker-heads together for this comprehensive list. Be sure to read the comments section for even more great winter gear advice.

What items would you add or subtract? Suggestions welcome!

Dave over at Compass Points wrote a eloquent account of a recent backpacking trip we took through Northeastern parts of Shenandoah National Park in VA.  I’d like to expand upon one passage in particular, as I think my readers might find it interesting:

We discovered a sandbar on the opposite shore, and when our shoes sunk there, we knew we had made it. On dry trail, we returned our boots to our feet – except Chris, who would continue this strenuous hike in, of all things, Crocs.

Yes, you read that right — I walked the next 10 miles in Crocs.  Eagles Crocs (go Birds!).  Here’s my review after trudging up the side of the ancient, stony Appalachian mountains, then steeply descending — headlamp-assisted — to our perch at Bird’s Nest Shelter: The Crocs…well…they ROCKED.

As any hiking buddy of mine within complaining distance knows, I have temperamental feet.  When they’re not cramping, they’re cracking, when they’re not cracking, they’re rubbing.  Seriously, my feet are jerks, often forcing me to give up hikes or cancel them before they’ve even begun.

We all know Crocs are great camp shoes because of their soft sole, relative durability, light weight, and carbon nanotube supermolecular (or something) rubber material that keeps microbes and their associated smells at bay.  Crocs aren’t thought of as a hiking shoe for several good reasons, not the least of which is the total lack of ankle support, or the fact they they’re only held to the foot by a tenuous rubber strap above the heel, which will probably give you a blister if you give it enough time.

HOWEVER, I needed footwear immediately.  My gorgeous Patagonia Drifters, which normally fit like warm apple pie, were now frozen blocks, and I was not going to hike 10 more miles to the shelter in frozen blocks, dry moisture-wicking wool socks be damned.  So I slipped on some socks, then the Crocs, got laughed at and chided the rest of the day, but I made it.  The Crocs made it.  My feet felt better at the end of the day than at any other time in my backpacking life.

Perhaps it was because the Crocs are so flexible that they allowed my foot to stretch fully while walking over boulders and roots, like if I were barefoot, and thusly prevented any sort of cramping issues.  Or perhaps what I should have done at that first river crossing was to take my boots and socks off, worn the Crocs through the river, then put my warm-apple-pie Patagonias back on and saved the Crocs for camp.

So, to recap, we’ve learned two lessons:

1. I’m an idiot whose river-crossing footwear decision-making abilities are lacking

2. Crocs excel as a hiking shoe in a pinch

I was surfing YouTube today and happened upon this video detailing various ways to make DIY ultralight backpacking gear from stuff you probably already have around the house.  Check out the video below:

Backpackers and hikers are not the only ones who can benefit from traveling lighter and smarter.  OneBag.com is a fantastic resource for travelers of all types, and offers advice on what to pack, how to pack it, and what to pack it in.  Wish my wife had consulted this before making me drag what amounted to a small gypsy caravan through Italy during our honeymoon.  OneBag

There was a forum thread started over at Trail Forums in November of ‘08 about what ultralight backpacking gear was best to take on a long trek.  I’ve summarized the responses below, but it looks like the original thread didn’t make it past page 1.  I’m interested to hear what Trailsauce readers consider must-have ultralight gear.   I’d like to compile a substantial go-to list, complete with specs and stuff,  to add to a new resources page.

Backpack:

• GoLite Breeze (discontinued)
• GoLite Speed Pack
• Gossamer Gear Murmur
• Gossamer Gear G-5 (discontinued)

Sleeping Bag:

• Western Mountaineering Ultralite 20
• Marmot Helium 15
• Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15
• Phantom 32 Degree Sleeping Bag – In Your Choice of Sizes 

Shelter:

• SixMoon Gatewood Cape 
• Hilleberg Rajd
• Hennessy Hammock
• Tarp tent

Add your picks for the “big three” (pack/bag/shelter) in the comments section!