Della and I are just back from a four day backpacking exploration of one of our greatest alpine wildernesses, the Mt Darling Snowy Bluff Wilderness created in 1983. This is a trackless mountain vastness suitable only for the most experienced outdoor adventurers. We return ‘bowed but unbroken’ Forbidden Wilderness: (Well they might as well be) […]
Sometimes a post is too short really to suit theultralighthiker.com so it just ends up here on my old site instead. Here are some examples from the last little while: 5/02/2021: A Really Long Walk With You. Fifty years ago (this week) I first met Della, who has been life itself to me ever since.
I have been (very belatedly) making Della a pair of these using the ‘pattern’ I made my own with some years ago. That post says they weighed 19 grams but that was including the closed cell foam inserts. 13 without! That was in US Size 9. Della’s in US Women’s Size 6 weigh just 10
Our Jack Russells, Spot and Honey need new sleeping bags. The old ones, made hastily years ago from scraps of an old poor quality down sleeping bag were never very satisfactory – and were too heavy. I searched the net for designs but could not find a satisfactory one so I started from scratch myself.
So you have made your ultralight toothbrush spoon but are still lugging around all that heavy toothpaste or painfully drying it. You should know that tooth powder is a thing (and has been for a long time). You can even buy your favourite brand (Colgate). Some studies even show that it is better for cleaning
– alternative title: ‘It’s All in the Bag’ – ultralight stuff sacks, ziplocks or ditty bags for hiking. This is not just about weight saving but also about spoilage and organisation. However there are significant weight savings too. For example the ubiquitous (Glad) Ziplock bag is really quite heavy. Try weighing a standard sandwich bag
Many of you perhaps wonder what might be the ‘dream’ present for your ultralight hiker/hunter beloved. Maybe if I told you about my beloved’s choice (for me) for the last two-three ‘spoiling’ occasions it might give you some inspiration? For example for Xmas she bought me this beautiful little pack rifle which I have been
Della: ‘This evening’s harvest of Golden Queen peaches and apricots: How beautifully they glow in the early evening light! The wet spring and summer has given us bountiful fruit this year.The blood plums were ready over Christmas and New Year, and the bulk of that crop had either fallen or been eaten by the cockies
Sometimes you just need a really, really ultralight peg, perhaps one which weighs only 1 gram! These guys will not have the same ‘purchase’ as a heavier, thicker diameter or longer peg bu they are super ultralight: only one or two grams each. They might suit for pegging down the edge of your ultralight titanium
Here’s the lightest carbon fibre Canadian I could find the Hornbeck Blackjack at 11 lbs (5 kg). An interesting alternative to a packraft (See below). Hornbeck Blackjack ($1,695-$1,795 in carbon fiber, hornbeckboats.com) L: 12′; W:30″; D: 10″, 11-15 lbs. Made in Peter Hornbeck’s pine shed just a short drive from our put-in at Follensby Pond,
