Ultralight hiking

I've spent years compiling my ideal lightweight backpacking gear setup, & I've made a list to share with you. Read on & take a peek inside my 12-pound pack.

The easiest way to lighten your pack isn’t to buy new gear, but to leave a few things you already have behind.

Trimming your gear to the ultralight necessities takes some ingenuity. Make it easy with this ultralight backpacking gear checklist.

In early February, I’ll be setting out on my first thru hike attempt. I’m going to be hiking the Backbone Trail (BBT), a long distance trail in California’s Santa Monica Mountains. Since this trail is only about 70 miles from point to point, I’ll be taking 5 days to complete it. I like to define my hiking style as “As Ultralight As Possible.” Because I’ve dealt with quite a bit of chronic pain over the past three years, ...

Learn tips on how to pack a lightweight backpack so it’s comfortable and stable.

HOW TO MAKE ULTRALIGHT HIKING SANDALS AT HOME By Yu Liu Sandals are very important in long distance hiking, you can’t wear hiking shoes or boots all the time after arriving at the camp, putting on sandals can make your feet feel incredibly relaxed, and sandals are even more important when crossing rivers and bathing, […]

“There seems to be a miscommunication, that UL just means driving up miles but what it can mean is including so many more people.” JPD began our conversation talking about conceptions of UL as exclusive and elitist—we both had several stories of our gender and gender expression being an issue in the wider outdoor community.

To go ultralight or not, is that the question? Today, the debate seems over: why carry more when you can carry less and increase the enjoyment of your hike? Technology allows us to have lighter fabrics and materials, to bring more (food, books, music) while being lighter. Of course, if you’ve foraged around the internet, you know the basics: go lightweight but stay secure and comfortable. You are not a tourist going around in flip-flops on a snowy ridge! ...

Some of the best moments in my life happened when I had the very least. Whenever I stress about money or work, I remind myself of that. When I was spending a majority of each year backpacking, hitchhiking, or cycling, people would ask me if I was a self-made millionaire or a trust-fund baby. I’d laugh it off and assure them that living like a hobo was dirt cheap. I used to have a motto back then: “A dollar saved is a mile hiked.” I’d see something I wanted to buy and think, "is it worth 200…