| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| The Manifesto | |
| Get a scale | p. 1 |
| Comfortable and safe are vital! | p. 1 |
| Scrutinize everything! | p. 1 |
| Make your own stuff, and making it out of trash is always best! | p. 2 |
| It's okay to be nerdy | p. 2 |
| Try something new every time you go camping | p. 3 |
| Simply take less stuff! | p. 3 |
| Know the difference between wants and needs | p. 3 |
| Cut stuff off your gear | p. 4 |
| Document your gear | p. 4 |
| Basic Starting Points | |
| Know the lingo | p. 5 |
| The MODEL TRIP, our example expedition | p. 6 |
| Get Lighten Up! by Don Ladigin | p. 7 |
| Don't expect specific gear recommendations | p. 8 |
| Most of the pack weight is in a few items | p. 8 |
| Never say, ôIt's only a couple of ouncesö | p. 9 |
| Never EVER guess the weight of something | p. 9 |
| Create a spreadsheet | p. 10 |
| Some items weigh zero! | p. 12 |
| There's no such thing as ôjust in caseö | p. 12 |
| Think in Systems | p. 13 |
| Learn to sew | p. 14 |
| Teammates help lighten the load | p. 14 |
| The All-important Mind-set | |
| The human factor | p. 15 |
| Appreciate the wilderness | p. 15 |
| Take care of your equipment | p. 16 |
| Don't lose anything! | p. 17 |
| Define success | p. 17 |
| Learn from your mistakes | p. 18 |
| Is going ultralight more expensive? | p. 18 |
| What does in camp really mean? | p. 18 |
| Be present on the trail (a simple exercise) | p. 19 |
| Ditch the watch, wallet, money, cell phone, iPod, and car keys! | p. 20 |
| It's okay to stink! | p. 21 |
| Make a friend of the night | p. 22 |
| Sew your headlamp right onto your hat | p. 23 |
| Mosquitoes and karma | p. 23 |
| Take a little test trip | p. 24 |
| Break the 5-pound base weight: going SUL (Ryan Jordan) | p. 25 |
| Cross the line-go out too light | p. 26 |
| Have a GO-box ready | p. 26 |
| An overnighter doesn't have to be perfect | p. 27 |
| Share your UL skills with friends | p. 27 |
| Practice Leave No Trace (LNT) camping | p. 28 |
| Pick up other people's trash | p. 28 |
| Decision Making | |
| Simplify decision making with the UL pack | p. 28 |
| How to make decisions in teams | p. 29 |
| Gear | |
| Down vs. synthetic | p. 30 |
| Upper-body clothing | p. 31 |
| Lower-body clothing | p. 31 |
| The humble bandana | p. 31 |
| I went camping with no stuff sacks! | p. 32 |
| What! No knife? | p. 32 |
| Make your own toothpaste dots | p. 33 |
| Prepare a simple first-aid kit | p. 33 |
| Carry a simple repair kit | p. 34 |
| Trim your maps | p. 34 |
| Multitask with the mosquito head net | p. 35 |
| Collect cute little bottles | p. 36 |
| Select your luxury item | p. 36 |
| Comprehensive Gear List | |
| Everything you might ever need | p. 37 |
| Backpack Tips | |
| The backpack as a foundation | p. 42 |
| Packing the backpack | p. 44 |
| Pack up with a buddy | p. 45 |
| Travel Techniques | |
| Choose bold routes | p. 46 |
| Trekking poles (Glen Van Peski) | p. 46 |
| Find your traveling speed | p. 47 |
| Start hikin' early! | p. 48 |
| Quit hikin' late! | p. 48 |
| Eat dinner on the trail | p. 49 |
| Eat breakfast on the trail | p. 49 |
| Napping is a skill | p. 50 |
| Hike a 20-mile day | p. 50 |
| Take a break! | p. 51 |
| The art of off-trail travel | p. 52 |
| Scrambling is much easier with a dinky pack | p. 52 |
| Traveling on snow as a skill | p. 53 |
| No car shuttle? Use your thumb! | p. 55 |
| Feet | |
| Wear lightweight hiking shoes | p. 55 |
| Lace 'em nice 'n' loose | p. 56 |
| Do you need gaiters? | p. 57 |
| Prevent blisters before you need to treat 'em | p. 57 |
| Thwart blisters with Hydropel | p. 58 |
| Upgrade your foot beds | p. 59 |
| How many socks? | p. 59 |
| Sleeping socks | p. 60 |
| It's okay to have wet feet! | p. 61 |
| Wear neoprene socks for soggy hiking | p. 62 |
| Plastic bags on your feet in wet conditions | p. 62 |
| Camping Tips | |
| The joys of the tarp & bivy combo | p. 63 |
| Staking out your tarp | p. 65 |
| Stealth camping as a skill | p. 66 |
| Sleeping as a Skill | |
| Find the ideal sleeping spot | p. 66 |
| Employ the LATS technique of weather prediction | p. 68 |
| It's okay to sleep under the stars | p. 69 |
| Sleeping bags, quilts, & bivy sacks- what's the difference? | p. 70 |
| The essential sleeping pad | p. 71 |
| Sleep warm with minimal gear | p. 72 |
| Wear it all to bed | p. 73 |
| The humble pillow | p. 74 |
| Water | |
| How much water should be on your back? | p. 75 |
| What's the lightest tool for carrying water? | p. 76 |
| Filling a water bottle | p. 76 |
| Add electrolytes when you need 'em | p. 77 |
| Should you drink untreated water? | p. 77 |
| How I use Aquamira | p. 79 |
| Soggy Conditions | |
| Don't stop hiking just because it's raining | p. 81 |
| Waterproof your gear | p. 82 |
| How to dry wet socks | p. 83 |
| Rain skirts: the functional fashion statement | p. 83 |
| Desert Travel | |
| Desert travel skills | p. 84 |
| Make the most of desert water sources | p. 85 |
| Bears | |
| Camping in bear country | p. 86 |
| Hang your food at night | p. 87 |
| Keep the bear spray handy | p. 89 |
| Pooping in the Wilderness | |
| Liberate yourself from toilet paper | p. 90 |
| Clean your butt! | p. 96 |
| Stoves | |
| Stoves and cooking-keep it light! | p. 97 |
| What size pot do you need? | p. 99 |
| Make your own alcohol stove | p. 99 |
| Calculate your alcohol fuel needs | p. 100 |
| Minimize your stove's impact | p. 101 |
| The humble Esbit tab | p. 103 |
| Woodburning stoves mean no fuel weight | p. 103 |
| The tried & true mini-BIC | p. 103 |
| Advanced lighting techniques | p. 104 |
| Carry a redundant fire starter | p. 106 |
| Kitchen cleanup | p. 107 |
| Coffee | |
| Turkish and cowboy coffee | p. 107 |
| Enjoy coffee on the trail | p. 108 |
| Food | |
| You CAN eat well in the backcountry | p. 109 |
| Three initial steps to food planning | p. 109 |
| How much food do you need per day? | p. 109 |
| Food weights and glossary | p. 110 |
| Create a food spreadsheet | p. 110 |
| Determine the number of days | p. 111 |
| Snacks vs. meals | p. 112 |
| How many calories do you need? | p. 113 |
| Factors that increase the need for food | p. 114 |
| Trip duration influences food needs | p. 114 |
| Stuff adds up over time | p. 115 |
| Balance your food items | p. 115 |
| Bag it all up | p. 116 |
| Go stove free! | p. 117 |
| What if you run out of food? | p. 117 |
| Make an insulating cozy | p. 118 |
| Recipes | |
| Groovy-biotic recipes | p. 119 |
| Dinners | p. 120 |
| The magic of instant mashed potatoes | p. 122 |
| Sauces | p. 122 |
| Breakfasts | p. 126 |
| Snacks | p. 127 |
| Final Thoughts | |
| Ultralight skills can simplify the rest of your life | p. l31 |
| Suggested reading | p. 132 |
| Resources | p. 133 |
| About the Author | p. 134 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
