Author鈥檚 note: I do not mean to minimize the negative effects that actual cults have had on many people. Please take the following with the levity with which it was penned.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what you mean by 鈥渃ult,鈥� just because I own 3 Durston tents and am saving for another 鈥︹��

鈥� Rob Rice, posted on the Durston Gearheads Facebook group

My inadvertent interactions with an outdoor gear 鈥渃ult鈥� began innocently enough.

For the first time in more than a decade, I was searching for a new backpack. Like many of my trail-tromping contemporaries鈥攅specially those experiencing age-related knee and lower-back issues鈥擨 opted to explore the ever-expanding list of ultralight options, which eventually led me down a rabbit hole populated by 鈥攖he gear equivalent of craft breweries鈥攎ost of which did not exist when I last embarked on a pack hunt.

My search eventually led to , which, according to the group itself, is dedicated to 鈥渙wners and fans of Durston gear products.鈥�

As an ultralight neophyte who rarely shops for new gear, I had never heard of Durston, but as I researched the company, one word kept coming up again and again: cult. From what I read, it seemed like people who loved Durston gear were borderline fanatical.

Even though I own no Durston gear, last April I joined Durston Gearheads and, after sitting on the sidelines observing the group鈥榮 dialogue for a few weeks (during which time the word 鈥渃ult鈥� appeared many times, mostly in self-deprecating jest), posted this: 鈥淚 would like to get some ideas from members on this whole cult thing鈥攚hat it is, how it got started, how it differs from devotees of other gear brands, whatever can be thought of and articulated.鈥�

In very short order, I received 165 answers, many of which were long, heartfelt homages to Durston gear鈥攚hich consists primarily of a highly regarded line of tents, called X-Mids, and several types of ultralight packs. More than that, though, commenters frequently brought up company founder and , who regularly joins the group to answer questions about his products.

There was not so much as a hint of snark, negativity, or pushback within those comments, which, as any user of Facebook knows full well, is refreshingly unusual. Still, the level of fandom on display was, let鈥檚 say, jaw-dropping.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I鈥檓 a cult member, but I woke up one morning and suddenly realized I own not one, not two, but three Durston tents,鈥� wrote member Rolf Gunnar Asphaug.

Another wrote that she鈥檚 invited strangers from the group over to her home to check out her Durston tent before they purchased their own: 鈥淚t鈥檚 like if we were luring people into vans with puppies and candy, except once you鈥檙e in the van there鈥檚 legit puppies and candy inside,鈥� wrote Sara Ivy.

It made me wonder if these people had already emptied their back accounts, broken off relationships with family and friends, and moved into their X-Mids in a fenced compound in western Canada, next to Durston鈥檚 humble corporate headquarters.

It is unclear who first referred to Durston fans as a cult and when. Both Dan Durston and Jon Sweet, administrator of Durston Gearheads, vaguely remember鈥攖hough neither can put their finger on an exact date or circumstance鈥攚hen a follower of a rival Facebook group wrote something along the lines of 鈥渨ow, I see Durston referenced so often, it鈥檚 almost like they are a cult.鈥�

Sweet said the first in-house reference was in early 2021, when the world was reeling from the pandemic.

鈥淕iven the impacts to the supply chain during the pandemic, it was sometimes eight, 12, or 14 months between releases of the next batch of Durston tents,鈥� Sweet said. 鈥淭hat was when the camaraderie of the group really coalesced. Members were creating memes and posting photos of their tents in wild places all over the world. Dan was ever present. That was when the 鈥榗ult鈥� term really started getting used more. 鈥�

At the center of this dedicated following stands Dan Durston, a 2017 Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker who was the first person to yo-yo Canada鈥檚 700-mile . Durston, a lifelong resident of British Columbia, had spent a lot of pack-toting time thinking not about the usual thru-hiker fantasies鈥攑izza, ice cream, beer, and a hot shower鈥攂ut, rather, about gear design. (For a cult leader, Durston, who has zilch in the way of formal engineering or design background, comes across as a tad nerd-ish. Fire, brimstone and doomsday prophesies are not his MO.) Instead, as he pounded out the miles, of the equipment he and his fellow long-distance hikers carried.

A long-time ultralight devotee, Durston had personally made a few pieces of gear鈥攁 tent, a backpack and rain pants鈥攗sing what he calls 鈥渇irst principles design鈥濃�攚hich in a nutshell means a willingness to re-envision gear from the ground up rather than making improvements by tweaking existing designs.

In 2018, Massdrop, a San Francisco-based e-commerce company provided Durston with a complimentary set of trekking poles. At the time, Durston says, he was a 鈥渕inor blogger in the hiking world who was also active on gear forums like backpackinglite.com.鈥�

His posts caught the attention of several employees at Massdrop who had been 聽 tasked with developing unique gear for the company鈥檚 online ultralight backpacking community. They asked Durston if had any gear concepts percolating. He pitched what to this day remains Durston鈥檚 signature product: design.

鈥淚t had never occurred to me to make products for other people,鈥� Durston told me in June. 鈥淚 had an idea for what has become our X-Mid tent. It was something I had been thinking about for years鈥攈ow to make a trekking-pole tent simpler, lighter, and more user friendly.鈥�

Durston had already decided to make his own version of the tent, but when MassDrop offered to manufacture, market and distribute his design, Durston said 鈥渉ell yeah,鈥� figuring that, at worst, he would get a free tent that was professionally produced.

The X-Mid, which features an offset trekking pole pitch that requires fewer stakes than most trekking pole shelters, got great responses, according to Durston, creating a buzz in online ultralight forums like r/Ultralight.

When MassDrop (now just named Drop) exited gear-manufacturing to focus solely on electronics, Durston decided to form his own company. He had no idea whatsoever that, within a few years, his eponymous operation would enjoy cultlike popularity, or that he would be its de facto guru.

Though Durston was heartened by the sudden success of the X-Mid, there were early-era issues that were not directly related to the pandemic. First, he had a full time 鈥渞eal鈥� gig, working as a wildlife biologist, who specialized in statistical analysis for fish and water quality.

The other issue鈥攚hich in a circuitous manner helped establish the Durston mythos鈥攚as product availability, or, more accurately, a lack thereof. Durston was having trouble keeping his tents鈥攖hen his only offering鈥攊n stock. Each updated batch of X-Mids sold out basically before hitting the Internet shelves. Part of that stemmed from the fact that he was continuously tweaking his designs pretty much in real time, and part of it was that he was in the process of learning how to set up and run a business鈥攃hoosing materials, establishing reliable sources, and remembering to put a Durston sticker in every box.

People began to talk online via Reddit and Facebook about the pants-wetting anticipation associated with waiting鈥攕ometimes for months on end鈥攆or the latest incarnation of the X-Mid to drop. What is most striking is that those people did indeed wait, rather than purchasing products from one of Durston鈥檚 many rival companies.

鈥淏ecause I knew I would be tweaking my designs, I did not ever want to order, say, a two-year supply of tents just so I would not run out,鈥� Durston told me. 鈥淪o, I鈥檇 order a few months鈥� supply, listen to input from customers, and take that into consideration before I ordered the next batch.鈥�

That willingness to not only listen but to react accordingly did a lot to solidify the loyalty of his fan base. Dan Durston鈥檚 reputation as a human being began to match or even exceed the reputation of his products, which were selling well.

Then, in 2020, a case of brand-building fortuity dropped directly into Dan Durston鈥檚 lap: Jon Sweet, who, to this day, has no formal affiliation with Durston, the company, or Durston, the man. Sweet is nothing more than a diehard fan of Dan Durston and the gear he makes who, one day asked, via email, if there was anything he could do to help Durston grow and prosper.

Sweet is a Bay-area resident who has worked for more than 20 years as a product manager (currently for a financial services outfit called Empower), a vocation he describes as 鈥渙verseeing what we鈥檙e doing, when and why.鈥�

He first became aware of the X-Mid when it was still being sold via MassDrop.

鈥淚 was instantly intrigued,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he design was revolutionary. I began to investigate the company and Durston himself. I was very impressed by both. Dan came across as a very humble guy who was passionate about his tents.鈥�

Sweet, an avid runner who has completed the , ordered an X-Mid.

鈥淭he last time I was that enthusiastic about a new product was when Apple came out with the iPod,鈥� said Sweet, who admits to owning three X-Mids, which I鈥檓 certain remain permanently erected in his man cave. 鈥淎t the time the iPod was released, it was underappreciated how far ahead Apple was compared to the other companies. It was sort of the same when I got my first X-Mid.鈥� So, he contacted Durston.

鈥淲e talked a lot about gear and future opportunities and, at the end of the conversation, I offered to help him with some small things like materials procurement,鈥� Sweet said. It was then that Sweet posed the idea of launching the Durston Gearheads Facebook group, which he did in October 2020. Neither he nor Durston expected much. Sweet figured that, if he got a few hundred followers, 鈥渢hat would be great.鈥�

鈥淚 got Dan to sign up, so he could add his voice, which was important,鈥� Sweet said. 鈥淚 would do most of the early posts. I tried to be witty and funny, but also helpful and encouraging. More people started signing up and posting.鈥�

As evidenced by the request I made to its membership last April, Durston Gearheads are engaged. They respond, whether a post is about how to correctly pitch an X-Mid atop a wooden campground platform or nothing more than showing off a set of photos of a Durston tent or pack being deployed in Tasmania or the Scottish Highlands.

The responses are overwhelmingly supportive. I have combed through hundreds of Durston Gearheads posts and have seen nary a syllable that can be interpreted less positively than 鈥淭hough we might occasionally disagree on proper tent guyline tension, we are all part of this cult thing.鈥�

As of the time of publication, Durston Gearheads has nearly 14,000 subscribers, which, according to Sweet, is probably the most for any third-party group focused on a single craft/cottage outdoor gear company. (I have not been able to independently verify this.)

Sweet said he hunted down two two-month periods when Durston Gearheads had more posts than the Ultralight Backpacking group. Even if that鈥檚 a case of statistical cherry-picking, it鈥檚 still impressive.

I recently eyeballed the official Facebook group for a company that would surely be considered a direct competitor to Durston. That group has 32,000 followers. Almost all the content comes from the company itself, which makes a few posts per week, most of which are heavy with polish but short on stoke. As far as engagement, the last five posts appearing on that company鈥檚 Facebook page had only three comments. The last five posts I observed on the Durston Gearheads page garnered 247 comments, many of which were themselves responses to previous responses. It was like being part of a rambling discourse taking place in a trailside watering hole among people wearing tattered garments and battered footwear.

The dedication of the Durston Gearheads has been institutionalized by two collateral icons: the color 鈥渟age鈥� and sometimes-elusive Durston stickers. Both are to Durston鈥檚 fans what rubber duckies are to Jeep owners or friendship bracelets are to Swifties.

According to Durston, when his first batch of X-Mids was ready to be produced, the manufacturing company told him his color choices were limited to red, blue, or sage. He thought the first two colors looked awful, so, by default, he chose sage, which has become the official color of the Durston community, with followers making frequent online reference to sage, while posting images of themselves wearing sage-colored clothes or holding sage-colored bric-a-brac.

The second icon is the Durston sticker. In the world of outdoor gear, where company stickers are handed out by the bucketful and crowd vehicles, trailhead bulletin boards, and Nalgene bottles, having a sticker would hardly seem like a cult-worthy factor. But the Durston Gearheads have turned the stickers into their equivalent of gang tattoos. Not everyone qualifies. You must purchase a Durston product. And, even then, hope for the best.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still a small company with only a couple of employees, mostly family members,鈥� Durston told me. 鈥淲e sometimes forget to include stickers in our boxes when we ship products. So people started joking about how only a select few of our customers were worthy of the stickers. They became sought-after items. People have jokingly offered them for sale on eBay.鈥�

鈥淥ne of our Facebook group members posted that, if you buy a sticker, you would get a free tent,鈥� Sweet said. 鈥淚t really snowballed.鈥�

This is the kind of thing that companies pay good money to consultants to create, usually artificially. It is brand loyalty that can鈥檛 be bought.

A common Durston Gearhead post theme centers around what happens when one member of the cult runs into another in the wild, an event that鈥檚 becoming more common as the company鈥檚 products proliferate across the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails.

Those posts depict scenes such as this: One Durston tent owner sees another X-Mid pitched on a far ridge and runs full throttle through a snake-infested bog to exchange a secret handshake with a fellow Durstonite. There are often photos of Durston customers congregating in backcountry settings for no other reason than they all bed down in tents colored sage.

To underscore that observation, here鈥檚 a recent quote from the Durston Gearheads Facebook page, made by an avowed cultist named Carmen Hays Brown:

In a recent post there was someone who said we should have a phrase we call out to be able to talk to other X-Mid users, My husband and I came up with this while on trail last night:

鈥淢ay the Sage bless your hike鈥澛�

And the proper response is:

鈥淟ong Live the Durston!鈥澛�

I am not a member of the Durston cult. I own no Durston gear, which now includes eight varieties of tents, three backpacks, trekking poles, and some ancillary offerings. I have only ever laid eyes on Durston products a handful of times. I personally do not bleed sage.

That said, I am a big fan of the Durston Gearheads Facebook group and eyeball it on a near-daily basis: because it is fun, witty, informative, supportive, passionate, and it takes me to places I otherwise would not go. It鈥檚 not just someone trying to sell you a tent or backpack, though that is certainly a big part of it. Sweet said as much when he offered to help Dan Durston grow and prosper. And that鈥檚 OK.

Durston Gearheads reminds me, in a social-media world thick with every conceivable manner of vitriol and divisiveness, that while our choices in gear are an important part of the overall hiking experience, they are only a small component of the equation in the end. We are all members of a larger cult, one defined by a shared urge to throw upon our back a pack that is sometimes too heavy and sometimes too light and head as far as our legs will carry us into the backcountry. And whether that pack is made by Durston or someone else, it鈥檚 an opportunity for connection, a way for kindred spirits to recognize one another on the trail and say, 鈥淵ou are not alone.鈥�

By the way, I guess I should point out that I have yet to decide on a new ultralight backpack.

John Fayhee has been writing for Backpacker since 1986. His latest book, 鈥淎 Long Tangent: Musings by an old man & his young dog hiking every day for a year,鈥� was released last September by Mimbres Press. He lives in New Mexico鈥檚 Gila Country.

The post Durston Customers Turn Brand Loyalty into Cult-Like Devotion appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Fifteen years ago, ultralight hiking gear was truly edgy. Every cottage brand had a 12-ounce silnylon pack. Half-length pads and body mapped designs were a compromise between full-on misery and smart packing. (or better yet, ) instantly marked you as a hardcore ounce-cutter. Critically, these experimental kits allowed thru-hikers astonishingly low baseweights.

. Ultralight hiking gear is still at the bleeding edge of the industry, featuring fancy new fabrics, bold innovations, and plenty of carbon and titanium bling. For the most part, it鈥檚 more durable, easier to use, and more comfortable. But is it actually lighter?

Those silnylon packs, so popular in the early 2000s with brands like Gossamer Gear, Six Moon Designs, and Mountain Laurel Designs, have been wholly replaced by heavier, more durable fabrics like (though a few products like are keeping the tradition alive). Minimalist pads are a rarity these days, with Therm-a-Rest cutting production of its lightest inflatable pad, the Uberlite. (Dedicated tinkerers sometimes cut and resealed the 8.8-ounce pad to save further weight.) The brand鈥檚 NeoAir Xlite weighs 4 ounces more, but is far more durable and warm enough for fall backpacking. Ultralighters have spent decades slowly boiling water with , but the best 鈥渓ight-enough鈥� canister stoves now perform so well that methenamine cubes are little more than a sideshow.

Does that mean we鈥檝e moved beyond the uberlight experiment? I think so. The industry has shifted in a way that mirrors the average ultralight hiker鈥檚 own experience dialing in their kit. I know my own experiments with gear followed a similar path. When I first decided to 鈥済o ultralight,鈥� I focused on a 10-pound baseweight as an easy-to-track goal. Once I achieved that, I set my sights lower. Could I swap out a lighter sleeping bag? Yes, but some nights I would get too cold. A lighter pack? Sure, but it wasn鈥檛 as comfortable. A lighter pad? No鈥擨 slept terribly. After a few years of trial and error, I had cut weight in a few places and added it back in others, and ended up roughly where I started. For me, more experience didn鈥檛 mean a lighter kit, after all.

Writ large, we鈥檝e all cast our votes for what is worth going ultralight for, and it turns out many of us have the same preferences. For most of us, it鈥檚 not silnylon packs. It鈥檚 not sleeping pads with cutouts to save weight. It鈥檚 not rain gear that can unfold into a tarp.

With the ultralight industry more competitive than ever, it seems like fewer brands are willing to experiment out on the fringes. A likely culprit is the growing size of the average ultralight gear company. When you鈥檙e a one-person operation making gear for a handful of dedicated customers, taking chances isn鈥檛 that risky. But if you have a dozen people on the payroll and a well-honed production line, a product that 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 land is a serious misstep. A bigger customer base comes with less patience for gear that breaks鈥攁nd more warranty claims.

To be clear, this is largely a good thing. The fact is, today鈥檚 ultralight gear is so good that most attempts to reinvent the wheel are going to fail. But that also means that in a decade鈥檚 time, we might see an industry that鈥檚 mostly unchanged outside of newer, even more expensive fabrics and materials.

As a longtime ultralight gearhead, I鈥檒l be disappointed if that future comes to pass. I grew to love the ultralight community for its bold personalities who were more comfortable charting their own path than following trends, even if some of those paths were dead-ends.

Maybe it鈥檚 inevitable that there鈥檚 less room for wild ideas as the community matures. But if the door to technical innovation is closing, that could mean other doors are opening. Maybe the way for a modern ultralight company to take risks isn鈥檛 with featherweight fabrics, but with , an ambitious sustainability goal, or engaging the community in a new way. Personally, I trust that the cottage ultralight community is creative enough to figure it out.

The post Is the Uberlight Gear Experiment Over? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If you鈥檝e been keeping up with Cody Townsend鈥檚 high mountain pursuits in the Fifty Project, you probably recognize the signature white Hyperlite Mountain Gear pack he鈥檚 been hauling around on big objectives in the backcountry.

This fall, HMG鈥攊n collaboration with Townsend鈥攍aunched the Crux, the brand鈥檚 first-ever steep skiing pack. It鈥檚 a slimmed-down technical pack designed specifically with ski mountaineering in mind, building on the lightweight and rugged capabilities of existing HMG packs with features designed to boost efficiency in transitions when it matters most.

HMG鈥檚 ultra-light, ultra-durable packs stand out in the sea of backcountry skiing packs for their minimalist and function-first designs that lean heavily on Dyneema, a material known for its exceptional strength-to-weight capabilities. This keeps HMG packs light enough for uphill travel and long slogs in the backcountry, yet durable and abrasion-resistant enough to withstand the challenges of mountaineering missions.

Until now, the spacious Headwall 55 had been HMG鈥檚 do-it-all ski pack, with touring-specific features like an external safety pocket to stow a shovel and probe, padded straps to comfortably carry heavy loads, and a convenient roll-top closure with cinch straps. But as Townsend set out to climb and ski some of the steepest and most technical lines in North America, he saw the need for something more specified.

Related: The best backcountry skis of 2024

鈥淭he biggest thing I was missing was a pack designed specifically for steep skiing situations,鈥� Townsend says. 鈥淸The Crux] was specifically designed for transitioning in the steeps鈥攚hich is always incredibly tricky and can be quite precarious. It was often in those moments of being at the crux of a line, whether that鈥檚 a rock step, a rappel, a transition or even just needing to get an ax out, where I wanted a new and improved pack.鈥�

Once HMG opened the door to creating a ski mountaineering-focused pack, Townsend came in with a wish list of priorities and features. The main goal was efficiency. When you spend 10-12 hours in the field, every opportunity to streamline the process adds up, and Townsend really wanted a pack that was easier to load and unload in a pinch.

The all-new 40-liter Crux is smaller and more compact than the Headwall and adds a key feature: back panel entry. Back panel entry on a ski pack isn鈥檛 revolutionary on its own, but its integration into an ultralight Dyneema construction鈥攕omething HMG has built its brand upon鈥攊s what makes this pack unique.

鈥淐ontinuing with one of HMG鈥檚 signature features while also incorporating back panel entry took a massive amount of creativity and ingenuity by the HMG designers,鈥� says Townsend. 鈥淏ut for me, the back panel entry is crucial for steep skiing situations and it was one feature I wasn鈥檛 going to budge on.鈥�

For Townsend, easier entry to a pack isn鈥檛 just for convenience, it鈥檚 about safety. Holing up at a precarious rappel station or balancing on a steep, icy boot pack isn鈥檛 the time to dig through your pack and potentially drop important gear. In a ski mountaineering setting, efficiency equals safety, which is what the Crux is all about. In addition to the back panel entry, the Crux features a removable lid which can keep extra small tools and snacks close at hand (or be removed for a more streamlined design).

Adding all those features while keeping the weight down and the durability up (the 40-liter pack weighs less than 3 pounds) was crucial for perfecting a pack designed for long days in the backcountry.

Although the Crux has Townsend鈥檚 name on it, he鈥檚 quick to add that it was built with input from many of the friends and mentors he鈥檚 been out skiing with over the years.

鈥淎 bunch of other extremely talented athletes like Mali Noyes, the Provo Brothers, Mallory Duncan, etc.鈥ad their hand in testing and feedback as well,鈥� he adds. 鈥淎ll in all, this was a very collaborative design process that wasn鈥檛 directed by just myself.鈥�

For ski mountaineers (with some coin to spend), the Crux looks to be an impressively light and durable pack built to withstand whatever you throw at it. We鈥檙e certainly intrigued and look forward to putting it to the test this winter.

Now available for $499 at .

The post This New Ski Mountaineering Pack Was Born From Cody Townsend鈥檚 Fifty Project appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If you鈥檝e felt lately that the world of lightweight rain gear has gotten more confusing than ever, you鈥檙e not alone. There have been a lot of shakeups in the industry lately, including stricter environmental standards, supply-chain woes, and substandard performance. One brand manager told me point-blank that rain jackets have become less durable and breathable over the past decade. With increased scrutiny of the chemicals used in high-tech fabrics, it can feel like you need a chemical engineering degree to understand modern raingear and make an informed purchase. We dug into the subject, talking with designers from brands big and small, to get a handle on the state of ultralight raingear.聽

The PFC Question

In the past several years, chemicals called PFCs or PFAS have been under scrutiny鈥攊n the outdoor industry and beyond鈥攆or their potential harmful health effects, ranging from liver damage, increased cancer rates, or risk of birth defects. PFCs, or perfluorinated chemicals, are a group of chemicals that are used in many industries as a water-resistant coating. They鈥檙e also often referred to as PFAS (or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and in the context of outdoor apparel, the two terms are basically interchangeable. These chemicals are considered harmful because they break down very slowly, and can accumulate in water, soil, air, and our own bloodstreams. Research suggests that PFAS are mainly a public health hazard as they accumulate in the world; a person wearing a garment made with PFAS is not at a higher risk of harm. The strongest research shows that PFAS act as in both humans and wildlife, which can cause alarming biological disfunction. It鈥檚 safe to say that decreasing our reliance on PFAS is a crucial goal, especially in non-essential goods like hiking gear.聽

In waterproof gear, PFAS show up in two main applications: durable water-repellant (DWR) coatings and breathable membranes. As these coatings and membranes break down, from abrasion, repeated washing, or just old age, they shed PFAS chemicals. In the past decade or so, much of the outdoor industry has moved away from what are called 鈥渓ong-chain鈥� PFAS (鈥渓ong鈥� because they contain more carbon atoms), to shorter chain chemicals. It鈥檚 hypothesized that these shorter chain PFAS may be more environmentally friendly because they break down faster and not accumulate in the environment as quickly. (Although research has shown that .) But shorter chain coatings are also not as effective and long-lasting as the older coatings: If you鈥檝e noticed that a recent rain jacket purchase 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 bead water as well as a jacket made in 2010, you鈥檙e probably right. That difference comes down to the adoption of short-chain chemicals.聽

Increasingly, the outdoor industry is moving away from PFAS altogether: In February 2023, REI, a financial and cultural trend-driver for the industry, announced that by Fall 2024, it will no longer sell any products that contain PFAS. And bans on PFAS will soon go far beyond the outdoor industry. New York is banning the sale of any apparel containing PFAS by the end of the year, and other states have enacted bans on PFAS in apparel, food packaging, upholstery, and other products.

How Has the Ultralight Market Responded?

Unlike many items in an ultralighter鈥檚 gear closet, most rainwear comes from major brands, not cottage companies. That鈥檚 because those brands often have exclusive access to the best technology from companies like Gore-Tex or Toray. After a Gore-Tex Paclite shell? You might be heading to REI instead of .

And those big brands have鈥攕o far鈥攕hown a concerted effort to move to PFAS-free. There are a few reasons for this. REI鈥檚 PFAS-free ultimatum surely adds to the pressure for major brands, who are reliant on retail sales. Last year, Gore-Tex announced it would discontinue its ShakeDry line, the lightest and most enticing option for ultralighters, only six years after it hit the market. Last fall, Gore-Tex also replaced its standard three-layer shell with a PFAS-free alternative made of expanded polyethylene, or ePE. According to Gore, the new fabric is not only PFAS-free, but lighter in weight and has a smaller carbon footprint. When it comes to lighter Gore-Tex fabrics like Paclite and Paclite Plus, Gore hasn鈥檛 been as forthcoming, stating that 鈥�a growing number of Gore鈥憈ex Paclite garments come with a durable water repellent treatment free of PFCs of environmental concern.鈥� In other words, Paclite is moving toward PFAS-free, but for now you should check individual product specifications to be sure.聽聽

The ePE shells available to date are far from ultralight and only available from a few brands. Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Arc鈥檛eryx all began to offer ePE shells last year, but most come in at 14 ounces or above. Prices are steep as well: even a more affordable option like Salomon鈥檚 , is $350. Then there鈥檚 the breathability ratings. By the numbers, ePE is the least breathable fabric that Gore-Tex offers, with a Thermal Evaporative Resistance (RET) rating of <13. In comparison, Gore-Tex Pro has a RET of <6, while Shakedry comes in at <3.聽

The other big player in the game is Columbia鈥檚 Outdry Extreme fabric line. , Outdry does away with the need for DWR coatings by putting the membrane layer on the outside (Gore-Tex鈥檚 ill-fated Shakedry fabric also had an outer-layer membrane). Outdry Extreme and Extreme Eco are now both PFAS-free (Eco goes a step further and also uses recycled materials). The stats are fairly promising: the Outdry Ex Eco Tech Shell weighs about 10 ounces and has a waterproof rating of about 20,000 mm (making it 100% waterproof in real-world scenarios. M own experience? Breathability is good but not extraordinary. The big drawback for consumers here is that Outdry is exclusive to Columbia, which means there are only a few different jackets to choose from. So far, Outdry jackets aren鈥檛 even available from other Columbia-owned brands like Mountain Hardwear.聽

For those willing to spend the cash, cycling gear is another good place to find the latest tech. POC recently unveiled a with some eye-popping stats: PFAS-free, 3 ounces, and $500. The featherlight construction (it uses 10-denier polyester and a super-thin polyurethane membrane) almost certainly comes with durability concerns, though, especially since cycling apparel isn鈥檛 designed with rubbing pack straps in mind.聽

Cottage brands, which are mostly direct-to-consumer, aren鈥檛 beholden to PFAS bans from retailers. As a result, some are continuing to offer jackets with short chain DWR coatings, while others have moved to PFAS-free coatings. A chief reason? Performance. On its website, Katabatic Gear says it has found PFAS-free coating to be about 10 percent as effective and far less durable than the short-chain alternative.聽

Some cottage brands are dropping 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� from their lineups, even without industry regulations and regardless of performance concerns. One brand that has already adopted PFAS-free standards in Enlightened Equipment. CEO Chris Schabow says that since 2021, the brand has made the transition for its full line of sleeping bags and apparel, including the Visp rain jacket, a 5-ounce three-layer shell.

Breathable Rainwear: Just a Gimmick?

In the cottage world, a few brands are taking a novel approach鈥攁bandoning the waterproof-breathable idea entirely. At Lightheart Gear, customers can find a 20-denier silicone-polyester rain jacket that鈥檚 100 percent waterproof and non-breathable. 鈥淚n my somewhat unscientific opinion, [waterproof-breathable fabrics] are just an expensive gimmick,鈥� says founder Judy Gross. 鈥�Yes, I get a lot of questions from people asking about chemicals in the material for the jackets and our tents. And yes, it鈥檚 a selling point. But mostly, people complain that waterproof-breathable jackets just don鈥檛 work.鈥� Instead of breathable fabric, Gross relies on mechanical venting to dump heat, in the form of two-way pit zips that extend down to the elbow.

Another brand that takes a similar approach is Timmermade, which offers silpoly and Dyneema jackets that weigh as little as three ounces. 鈥淓nvironmental impact is always at the front of my mind when considering anything, and siliconized fabrics and DCF look a lot more friendly than the membranes,鈥� says founder Dan Timmerman. 鈥淗owever, I don鈥檛 think these reasons are responsible for the current popularity of impermeable rainwear. These products are trending because membrane technology has failed a lot of people and those people are looking back to reliability.鈥� Once a waterproof-breathable jacket wets out, Timmerman says the drawbacks start to become apparent: they are usually heavier, offer less abrasion resistance, and absorb water.聽

What鈥檚 Next?

It remains to be seen if PFAS-free raingear can offer the same performance and durability as its predecessors. But as more regulations and bans come into effect, PFAS-free gear is likely to become the standard within a few years. That means performance may continue to dip, but new technologies are sure to hit the market. For gearheads, the shift to PFAS-free is an opportunity to try novel products and anxiously wait for new releases. For other ultralighters, there will always a tried-and-true option to fall back on: the humble silnylon poncho.

The post Why Buying a Lightweight Rain Jacket Is More Confusing than Ever appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Big news in the ultralight backpacking world: Challenge Sailcloth, the fabric-maker that produces , is releasing an even lighter-weight fabric designed for shelters. UltraTNT (for tarps and tents), is a high-tech composite fabric designed to rival Dyneema, . And while UltraTNT tarps are only available from a single brand right now, shelters from other big name ultralight brands will be available by the end of summer.聽

Let鈥檚 be clear: UltraTNT is neither a Dyneema or a silnylon killer. Instead, it鈥檚 poised to occupy its own niche: a durable, lightweight option that won鈥檛 break the bank. The new fabric is substantially heavier than the version of Dyneema most often used in shelters at 0.94 ounces per square yard, compared to Dyneema鈥檚 0.51 ounces per square yard. That means it can鈥檛 compete when it comes to building the absolute lightest shelters possible. In terms of price, it鈥檚 much cheaper than Dyneema, but about twice the price of silnylon per yard鈥攚hich means it won鈥檛 become the de facto budget choice either. My guess is that it will become a top choice for four season shelters (where the extra strength is especially importantl) and small tarps (where slightly heavier fabrics only add an ounce or two of total weight).聽

Like Dyneema, UltraTNT is what is known as a composite fabric. While silnylon and silpoly are traditional woven fabrics coated in liquid silicone, UltraTNT and Dyneema are laminated. In the case of UltraTNT, that looks like two polyester films sandwiching a grid of Ultra (or ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) fibers. This method of construction gives the fabric some unusual characteristics: Like Dyneema, it鈥檚 100 percent waterproof. Brand new, it鈥檚 stiff and a bit crinkly. Over time, it becomes softer and more pliable. According to Challenge Outdoor managing director Hale Walcoff, UltraTNT actually becomes more resistant to tears and punctures as it breaks in. 鈥淎s the fabric gets used, it develops many small wrinkles, which improves tear strength and makes it easier to pack鈥� explains Walcoff.聽

The Ultra fibers are what give the material its strength, and the layout of the fibers is where UltraTNT and Dyneema differ drastically. Dyneema uses a sheet of similar fibers, and arranges them in a close grid that looks almost like a woven material. In contrast, UltraTNT is essentially a polyester sheet embedded with long strands of Ultra yarn, which form a wide grid that looks a lot like other ripstop fabrics.聽

One technical feature unique to UltraTNT is that the Ultra grid crosses in three directions instead of two. Walcoff says that this diagonal layout helps to increase its strength and reduce the chances that the fabric will deform under load. Since the grid of Dyneema is all at right angles, it鈥檚 not well-suited to tension in other directions. In real world scenarios (think stakes at the corners of a tent) that means Dyneema will eventually deform when under tension at odd angles.聽

鈥淎 Dyneema tent used in the field for multiple days will never again set up as well as it did the first time,鈥� says Henry Shires, founder of . 鈥淯ltraTNT is far better able to resist deformation because of the extra diagonal weave. That alone makes it a better tent material.鈥�

Tarptent is one of several brands to experiment with UltraTNT, but one of the only to state definitively that it plans to use the fabric going forward. Shires says tents using UltraTNT will be for sale by the end of the summer. The only drawback he noted is that the wide Ultra grid makes the fabric more susceptible to punctures. For that reason, he鈥檚 not planning to use it as a tent floor fabric.聽

One brand already has an Ultra TNT tent on the market: , a longtime cottage brand based in Georgia, helped develop the fabric and, as a result, is first to get a product out the door. Etowah has UltraTNT flat tarps for sale, starting at $100 for a five-by-eight-foot tarp (prices rise quickly from there鈥攁n eight-by-ten costs $220).

鈥淚t 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 happen very often for a product like this to come along,鈥� says Paul Fitzner, founder of Etowah Outfitters. 鈥淯ltraTNT is the rare case of a new, cool fabric that鈥檚 actually cheaper than what鈥檚 currently available.鈥� He says UltraTNT鈥檚 advantages are many. Aesthetically, the fabric鈥檚 color is more consistent and less transparent than Dyneema. The unique grid pattern prevents tears and running in the fabric, and it鈥檚 easy to patch with Challenge鈥檚 proprietary repair tape or simple masking tape. Fitzner also says he hasn鈥檛 experienced any issues with delamination, a major cause for concern with any composite fabric. And though it is heavier, Fitzner says it鈥檚 not a big deal: an eight-by-ten UltraTNT tarp weighs about three ounces more than the lightest Dyneema option.

In the end, even if UltraTNT 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 take over the ultralight shelter market on its own, it could be the beginning of the end of Dyneema鈥檚 dominance as the only composite fabric worth using. Challenge is likely to continue to innovate with new fabrics, and Walcoff has said that a slightly lighter iteration of UltraTNT is on the horizon.聽 Meanwhile, other competitors, like , have teased their own upcoming innovations. For consumers, the end result will be better gear, more choices, and cheaper prices.

The post Dyneema Finally Has a Stronger, More Affordable Rival appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In recent years, there鈥檚 been a long overdue push for more inclusive sizing in outdoor apparel and equipment. Today, the results of that effort are obvious. Brands like Outdoor Research and Eddie Bauer now offer apparel in XXL and 3XL sizes. Big Agnes and Nemo are making wider and taller sleeping bags. Osprey and Gregory both offer a line of extended size backpacks, ranging from lightweight day packs to multi-day load-haulers. And more seem to be following suit every day.聽

One segment of the industry that hasn鈥檛 seen the same kind of shift towards inclusive sizing is the ultralight space. While there are exceptions鈥攖ake Senchi Designs鈥� apparel or Enlightened Equipment鈥檚 sleeping quilts鈥攖here hasn鈥檛 been the same level of innovation. One reason for that is the economic reality that holding inventory of uncommonly sized gear鈥攖all, short, wide, or narrow鈥攊s expensive, especially for small companies. But there鈥檚 also a cultural dissonance: The ultralight cottage industry is dominated with brands targeting hyperfit thru-hikers in their 20s and 30s. at all costs, ultralight gear often seems to be designed with a single type of customer in mind.聽

But one trailblazing company stands out: longtime Minnesota-based brand, Granite Gear. Its latest ultralight backpack, , is a top-to-bottom rethink of the previous Virga, with more inclusive sizing at the center of the new design.

鈥淯ltralight gear is alive and well, and I think the past few years really have proven that,鈥� says Granite Gear鈥檚 design director, David Eisenberg. 鈥淓veryone is trying to get outdoors, and that includes more people than ever. The ultralight world needs to be able to provide those different options for different body types.鈥�

The Virga 3 isn鈥檛 the first size-inclusive backpack, but it鈥檚 among the first explicitly made for an ultralight audience. It鈥檚 frameless, designed to carry 25 pounds or less, and weighs in at 27 ounces for the 55-liter version (the 26-liter pack totals 20 ounces). Eisenberg says that Granite Gear鈥檚 unique position in the industry鈥攍arger than the cottage brands but smaller than the major players鈥攈elped them turn the size-inclusive concept into a reality. 鈥淲e have the means to come out with multiple sizes and multiple options, and cottage companies may not have that access.鈥�

The Virga 3 inclusive design comes down to adjustability. It features shoulder straps and hip belts that are widely customizable. The standard hip belt鈥攃alled the ReFit belt鈥攁ccommodates waists from 28 鈥� 42 inches (26 鈥� 40 inches for the women鈥檚 model), and is exchangeable for a larger ReFit belt that fits waist sizes from 36 鈥� 52 inches for no additional cost. The shoulder straps, meanwhile, can be adjusted up or down (to adjust the torso length by up to four inches), as well as horizontally, to accommodate narrower or wider shoulders.

Eisenberg says he focused on real solutions rather than quick fixes to sizing concerns. 鈥淚f you take a one-size-fits-most approach, you run the risk of getting a watered down product,鈥� he says. One example he cites is lengthening a hip belt by simply making the webbing longer. 鈥淚f that鈥檚 the solution, now you just have webbing cutting into your stomach. That鈥檚 not actually increasing comfort or the ability to carry a load.鈥澛�

The extra adjustability should increase comfort across the board, not only for people who consider themselves plus-size. Most backpackers are familiar with the concept of 鈥渄ialing in鈥� the way a backpack fits, and Eisenberg says the Virga design is, at its core, a way to expand the number of points that can be adjusted. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just including more people who can be 鈥渄ialed in鈥� to our packs,鈥� he says.聽

During testing, Granite Gear consulted with plus-size hiking advocates like Ashley Manning (), a professional hiking guide who leads trips on the Appalachian Trail.

鈥�As a person living with a plus body, there have never been a lot of lightweight or ultralight options,鈥� says Manning. 鈥淚 actually used to make fun of people that were obsessed with ultralight, but it was honestly because there were never really any options for me.鈥�

For Manning, the success of the Virga 3 comes down to a simple truth: Granite Gear prioritized that plus-size-friendly聽 design, rather than treating it like a secondary concern.

鈥淧lus-size people are often an afterthought in creating functional designs, so even offering a lightweight, plus-size option is important,鈥� she says.

The Virga 3 is the second pack that Granite Gear has designed around this revamped suspension system. The more traditional, weightier Perimeter series came first, and Eisenberg says the entire lineup will soon adopt the size-inclusive changes. And while he鈥檚 proud that Granite Gear is among the first brands to offer inclusive ultralight gear, he hopes that they won鈥檛 be an outlier for long.

鈥淭he ultimate goal is that we don鈥檛 look different,鈥� Eisenberg says. 鈥淚t shouldn鈥檛 be a shock that we鈥檙e doing this, in the ultralight world or the regular backpacking world.鈥�

The post Granite Gear鈥檚 Size-Inclusive Ultralight Pack Is a Step in the Right Direction appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If you鈥檝e spent any time in the ultralight corner of Youtube, chances are you鈥檝e come across a hiker who goes by the name . In an online world of clickbait titles, exhaustive gear reviews, and loud personalities, James 鈥淛upiter鈥� Hoher is an understated presence. His videos, which range from pack shakedowns to documentary-style journeys, are quietly inspirational鈥攈eavy on positivity and sunlight-drenched vistas. Spend just a few minutes on a virtual hike with Jupiter, and you鈥檒l likely feel the urge to leave behind your 9-to-5 grind and follow in his footsteps.

With over six and a half million views on YouTube, Hoher, 31, is now a full-time hiker and filmmaker. We wanted to know what it takes to turn an ultralight hobby into a career鈥攁 dream for many thru-hikers鈥攕o we asked. In Hoher鈥檚 case? Start by hiking about 7,000 miles before ever picking up a camera.聽

Hoher鈥檚 foray into backpacking started with a few missteps during an attempt to hike the . In 2012, a few years removed from graduating high school, he picked a trailhead in Georgia and set off.聽

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even start at Springer Mountain because I didn鈥檛 know that was where you started,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know where the next trail town was, so I was carrying as much food as I could.鈥� His kit included an 80-liter pack, two pairs of jeans, and camping gear bought at Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods.聽

Hoher estimates his pack weighed 70 pounds, and by the time he reached Hot Springs, North Carolina, his A.T. hike was over due to injuries caused by the heavy load. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 make it too far, but I made it far enough to have an amazing time, and to see that I wanted to go back and do more of this.鈥� He also met a pair of ultralight hikers who showed him a weightless鈥攂y comparison鈥攂ackcountry lifestyle.聽

The ensuing years saw him drastically rework the contents of his backpack, and undertake a number of shorter hikes on the Florida Trail, often simply repeating a 60-mile section near his house. 鈥淚 got a bit obsessed, to the point where I was spending all my free time hiking.鈥澛�

Before long, he was knocking off that familiar 60-mile section in two days while carrying a frameless 40-liter pack and camping under a tarp.聽

Next up was a return to the A.T. in 2016, this time as just one section of the 5,000-mile , which connects the International A.T. in Quebec, the entire length of the A.T., the Pinhoti Trail, and the Florida Trail. Hiking an average of 24 miles a day, he finished in seven months and set the Florida Trail F.K.T. in the process. Since then, the long hikes have piled up, including the Pacific Crest Trail, Long Trail, Arizona Trail, and Tahoe Rim Trail.聽

Hoher made his YouTube debut in 2019, and his breadth of hiking experience is evident in his videos. His gear reviews focus on ultralight standbys, and the majority are titled something like, 鈥淎 5,000-mile review of the Frogg Toggs rain jacket.鈥� His thru-hiking gear lists, which usually wind up in the six- to seven-pound range, are popular as well. But Hoher鈥檚 true passion lies in creating documentary-style accounts of his thru-hikes, which he shoots on-trail with live commentary and voiceovers. He seems relentlessly good-spirited, even in the midst of back-to-back 40-mile days, addressing his low points with humor or philosophical musing rather than frustration.聽

When he first decided to make videos, he jumped in head-first with the same obsessive streak that motivated him as a hiker. He spent the winter of 2018 recovering from a broken foot caused by a fall during a PCT thru-hike and teaching himself the basics of filmmaking by watching nature documentaries and episodes of Survivorman. A lifelong painter, Hoher approaches his videos with the eye of an artist.

鈥淚 want a video to be a representation of how I feel, even if that鈥檚 not always realistic,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 talk about every second, or capture everything that happens. I may have been swept away by a river the day before, and have it on video鈥攂ut if it 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 fit, I won鈥檛 include it.鈥�

That 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 mean he shies away from the realities of trail life in his videos. One recent video opens with a handheld shot of Hoher walking along the PCT: 鈥淪o the day before yesterday, I had a panic attack.鈥� As the camera pans to a beautiful waterfall scene, he describes the overcrowded state park gift shop that brought on his claustrophobia.聽

Hoher credits his success (63,000 subscribers and counting) to one main principle: consistency. He can鈥檛 think of a single video that blew up or went viral. Instead, it鈥檚 been a slow, steady increase in viewers and subscribers over the four years his channel has existed. 鈥淎 lot of people will burn themselves out in that first year, or even after five videos. For me, I make sure that people can come back and see what I鈥檓 up to, year after year.鈥�

That consistency also means he has to keep hiking. Between thru-hikes, he lives out of a Ford E-150 van and embraces simplicity in order to make his lifestyle work financially.

鈥淚 think a lot of people have misconceptions about how much money I make doing this,鈥� he says. 鈥淢aybe they think I鈥檓 getting rich, and that鈥檚 definitely not true.鈥� While he does supplement his YouTube income with a and a merch shop that offers T-shirts and original landscape paintings, he鈥檚 unsponsored and his videos are ad-free. He makes a concerted effort to remain accessible and authentic: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 love the words 鈥榗ontent鈥� or 鈥榗ontent creation.鈥� I鈥檓 trying to make little films, not just put out content.鈥�

With some 14,000 miles of hiking to his name, Hoher鈥檚 goals as a thru-hiker have changed over time. This year, he plans to focus on lesser-known and more accessible trails that his viewers might find more relatable. One planned trip in 2023 is an urban hike on the San Diego Trans County Trail.

鈥淔or some people, a 150-mile hike like this is the adventure of a lifetime,鈥� Hoher says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to gatekeep just about anything. I just want people to have the same wonderful experience I鈥檝e had.鈥�

The post How One Thru-Hiker Turned Ultralighting into a YouTube Career appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Going ultralight isn鈥檛 for everyone. Whittling down your pack weight requires and accepting a few tradeoffs. In general, those concessions are luxuries like camp chairs, roomy tents, or spare clothing. But sometimes, saving pack weight feels like it requires making high-consequence decisions, like paring down a first aid kit or . But it is possible to reduce your pack weight without packing your fears along with your gear. Here are a few tried-and-true ways to test your gear and learn new skills that will lead to newfound confidence鈥攁nd a lighter backpack鈥攖he next time you head into the backcountry.

The Fear: What if my new ultralight gear 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 hold up?

The Solution: Plan a shakedown hike

Many times, the trips we look forward to the most are also the most challenging. If you have a bucket list trip planned, you鈥檙e probably not interested in reevaluating your gear just to save a few pounds. Why risk turning a memorable hike into a miserable slog by messing with your kit in the name of weight-savings? That鈥檚 where the shakedown hike comes in. The concept is pretty simple: Take your new gear on quick, low-consequence trips to make sure it works before you embark on the real deal. Shakedown hikes should be simple (so you can focus on your new gear rather than other distractions, like route finding or campsite selection) and short (so you can bail if your gear 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 work out). If you鈥檙e making a big change, like swapping from a freestanding tent to a tarp and bivy, your first shakedown hike 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 have to be a hike at all. Even a simple car camping excursion can give you valuable intel. Eventually, it鈥檚 worth planning a shakedown hike during inclement weather, even if it 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 sound like much fun in the moment. A wet-weather overnighter will give you a chance to properly stress test a new shelter or rain gear, giving you peace of mind once the big trip finally arrives.聽

The Fear: What if my first aid kit is too small?

The Solution: Take a Wilderness First Aid course

A well-stocked first aid kit goes a long way when it comes to feeling at ease on a backpacking trip. Whether it鈥檚 pain meds or blister care, the right equipment can make or break your experience. But what about tourniquets, Israeli bandages, or SAM splints? Many hikers dutifully pack medical devices like these on every trip without actually knowing how to use them in an emergency. The best way to analyze your backcountry first aid kit is by taking a course in wilderness medicine. A three-day will teach you what to carry, what you can leave behind, and what you can repurpose out of gear you鈥檙e already carrying. More importantly, you鈥檒l learn to recognize symptoms, and how to decide when it鈥檚 time to evacuate or cut a trip short. Wilderness first aid experts like to say that the most important part of your first aid kit is between your ears. With that in mind, it鈥檚 likely that the knowledge you gain in a class will yield a first aid kit that鈥檚 both lighter and more useful.聽

The Fear: What if I don鈥檛 have enough experience to handle my ultralight setup?

The Solution: Find a veteran ultralight hiking partner

For many people, backpacking is a solo pursuit. It might be that you crave the solitude of hiking alone, or simply that you don鈥檛 have any friends who enjoy backpacking. But when it comes to increasing your comfort zone with the ultralight philosophy, nothing can replace a good partner or mentor. Unfortunately, given ultralight backpacking鈥檚 niche status, it can be hard to find a good hiking partner, even more so one who has experience using lightweight gear. It鈥檚 worth making the effort, though. For one thing, hiking with others is empirically safer if you sprain an ankle or get turned around. Plus, an experienced hiking partner can change your outlook on gear. Finding exactly the right spot to pitch a less-than-storm-worthy tarp or balancing your pot on an alcohol stove can be frustrating at first. When you share the trail with a hiker who is comfortable and happy doing those things, it can give you the confidence to give lighter gear a chance, as well.聽

The Fear: I鈥檓 worried about everything

The Solution: Embrace ultralight optimism

Most people who eventually find success with ultralight gear do so because they change the way they think about a backpacking trip. In general, ultralighters are optimists. They prefer to focus on what is likely, not what is possible. Here鈥檚 an example: a traditional backpacker might prefer to wear sturdy boots because they worry about twisting an ankle on a rocky trail. Even if they find the boots less comfortable throughout the day, they are willing to sacrifice that comfort because of the possibility of injury. To an ultralighter, this reasoning is flipped on its head. They prefer to wear trail runners, which they find more comfortable in the most likely scenario鈥攈iking all day without incident or injury. What鈥檚 more, they believe trail runners increase the odds of the most likely outcome. Since trail runners are light and nimble, they are less likely to make the kind of misstep that leads to a twisted ankle in the first place. Ultralighters make a similar calculation for most of the gear they carry. Rather than focusing on worst-case scenarios, where even the most robust backpacking gear won鈥檛 save you, they plan for an average trip where most things go as planned and their lightweight gear works as intended.

The post How to Go Ultralight Without Packing Your Fears appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For a lot of hikers, the secret to a good trip is simple: . Over the past decade, we鈥檝e seen ultralight backpacking go more and more mainstream, as major gear manufacturers have dived into the lightweight market. The result has been a groundswell of new toothbrush-cutters trying to find their way into the lighter side of the hobby.

This year, thousands of readers new and experienced came to Backpacker to learn the basics of ultralighting, or to pick up a few new tricks. We鈥檝e rounded up the year鈥檚 five most popular stories from ultralight columnist Nathan Pipenberg. Read on to learn a few new things about doing more with less. 鈥擳he Editors

If there鈥檚 one surefire where to increase your comfort on a backpacking trip, it鈥檚 to reduce the weight of your backpack. A lighter load can reduce fatigue, minimize the chance of injury, and spell the difference between a great trip or a painful slog. Many hikers believe that聽聽is the only way to reduce pack weight, but that鈥檚 simply not true. The best way to lighten your pack is simple: carry less. That said, it can be tough to decide what to strike from your packing list. Here are six examples of gear you can safely leave behind the next time you go backpacking.

At first glance, the world of ultralight shelters seems to be running out of innovations. It鈥檚 hard to imagine finding a lighter material than聽. Nor does it seem possible to concoct a better design than the trekking pole-assisted tent, which saves gobs of weight by nixing traditional tent poles. In fact, there have been few true game-changers in the past decade: Many of the most popular ultralight tents today are old designs. But for the past several years, one new tent has been overtaking tried-and-true stalwarts like the聽.

Viewed through a modern lens, going on a backpacking trip fifty years ago looks like a tortuous affair. The gear was heavy and uncomfortable. Everyone cooked meals in cast iron skillets and hiked in blue jeans. For an ultralight hiker in the 21st century, a vintage gear catalog advertises nothing but nightmares. Is this picture wholly accurate, though? Could an aspiring ultralighter outfit themselves using only gear that was available in the 1970s? We combed through gear catalogs and back issues of聽Backpacker聽to find out.

Going ultralight is easy when conditions are perfect. But as the seasons change, things get tougher. Chief among the challenges of shoulder season hiking is staying warm while keeping your pack weight down. It鈥檚 a simple fact that cold weather will force you to carry more and heavier gear in order to stay comfortable and safe. Still, there are ways to get the best of both worlds. Here are our best tips on how to tweak your ultralight kit when the shoulder seasons hit.

Ultralighters are the oddballs of the hiking world. Whether it鈥檚 wearing a聽聽or cold-soaking their meals to avoid carrying a camp stove, some of the ideas that ultralighters consider rational聽. And while ultralight hikers can be overzealous and prone to experimentation, their most common habits are rooted in common sense. Due to the limits of their gear,聽, stay comfortable, and enjoy their hikes while carrying less. And that鈥檚 something any hiker can appreciate: Whether you鈥檙e looking to lighten your load or you鈥檙e perfectly content with the weight of your backpack, adopting these five habits can make your next backpacking trip a little easier.

The post Backpacker鈥檚 Top Ultralight Hiking Stories of 2022 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When it comes to insulation, most ultralighters head straight for down and 鈥攁nd for good reason. Try as we might, humans haven鈥檛 managed to create a synthetic insulation designed for outdoor gear that can rival the insulating power of high-quality goose down. That 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 mean that synthetic jackets and quilts don鈥檛 have a place in an ultralighter鈥檚 gear closet, though. Synthetics perform better in damp or wet conditions, making them a great choice when it鈥檚 humid or rainy. They鈥檙e also easier to wash, dry, and store (down can lose loft if it stays compressed too long), and therefore a good choice for anyone who鈥檚 tough on their gear. Finally, synthetics can offer better breathability, so if you鈥檙e after active insulation (something to keep you warm while you鈥檙e hiking), a synthetic layer is a good choice.聽

But comparing the many synthetic insulation options out there is no easy task. Unlike with down鈥檚 fill power metric, there isn鈥檛 a simple way to measure the insulating power of different types of synthetics. When weight is a top priority, as it is for ultralighters, that鈥檚 a vital piece of information. An insulation鈥檚 can be the deciding factor of whether it鈥檚 appropriate for a midlayer, puffy jacket, or sleeping bag, or if it鈥檚 simply not a good choice for an ultralight kit.聽

Luckily, there are ways to test and compare synthetic insulation. Things are going to get a bit wonky and technical from here, but if you want to know which synthetic jacket to bring on your next chilly, wet long hike read on. It all starts with something called CLO.聽

What is CLO?

CLO is a value used by textile manufacturers to attempt to answer a simple question: How warm is an article of clothing? In short, CLO is a measure of the amount of clothing (or insulation) required to keep someone comfortable while sitting down in a 70 degree room at 50% humidity. If you were to be totally naked, that would be a CLO value of 0. If your clothing leaves you perfectly comfortable and warm, the CLO value would be 1. Warm clothing like jackets, hats, and gloves would boost the CLO value to well over 1.聽

For our purposes, the textbook definition of CLO isn鈥檛 that important. After all, warmth is subjective, and wearing an outfit with a CLO of exactly 1 might leave one person cold in a 70-degree room and another perfectly comfortable at 50 degrees. What鈥檚 more important is that the actual CLO value itself is not subjective鈥攊t鈥檚 an objective number that鈥檚 measured by testing, just like EN-standards for sleeping bags. If one jacket has a CLO of 2.2, and another has a CLO of 3.1, the jacket with the higher CLO is warmer. What鈥檚 more, it鈥檚 also fairly simple to derive a CLO-per-ounce value, giving you a clear warmth-to-weight ratio for the type of insulation used.

CLO values aren鈥檛 aren鈥檛 as easy to find as more common metrics like fill power for down jackets or EN-standards for sleeping bags. Some brands (like The North Face) will include CLO values on the tag of synthetic jackets. Many others do not. Most insulation manufacturers do publish CLO-per-ounce measures for their products, but they鈥檙e often hidden in product spec sheets and hard to find as a consumer. So we did it for you.

Below is a breakdown of a few of the most popular and best-performing synthetic insulations, along with their CLO-per-ounce value, advantages, disadvantages, and best uses.聽

Primaloft Gold聽

CLO: 0.92

As seen in:

Best for: All-purpose puffy jackets

Primaloft Gold has long been the鈥攏o pun intended鈥攇old standard of synthetic insulation. It鈥檚 a short-staple insulation, made up of short fibers arranged into batting. It鈥檚 soft, highly water-resistant, packable, and easy to wash. Short staple insulation does have one drawback though鈥攊t tends to lose its loft faster than other types of synthetic insulations. Among outdoor brands, normal Primaloft Gold has largely been replaced by Primaloft Gold Eco, a 100% post-consumer recycled variation that has the same CLO value of 0.92. The Primaloft line also includes Primaloft Black and Silver, both of which are more affordable but have lower CLO values.聽

The North Face Thermoball Eco

CLO: 0.85

As seen in:

Best for: Emulating the look and feel of down jackets聽

Thermoball Eco is a 100-percent recycled insulation developed by The North Face to resemble down as closely as possible. As the name implies, Thermoball consists of tiny balls of insulation rather than a sheet. That makes it both high lofting and highly packable, but also limits the way it can be used in apparel. Like down, Thermoball requires baffles to hold the insulation in place. All of those seams are also points where water can enter, which can impact weather resistance compared to jackets with fewer seams. The North Face currently uses Thermoball in jackets, vests, and hoodies, but not sleeping bags.聽

Climashield Apex

CLO: 0.82

As seen in:

Best for: Sleeping bags and quilts

Though Climashield Apex 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 boast the highest CLO value on this list, it鈥檚 a favorite choice for synthetic quilts and sleeping bags, thanks to its durability and resistance to compression. It鈥檚 a continuous filament insulation. Like short-staple insulations, it ends up as batting, but it鈥檚 constructed of a single filament rather than many short fibers. That makes it stiffer and less packable, but more resistant to losing its loft. Though these characteristics make it better suited to use in sleeping bags, Climashield Apex jackets like are also available.聽

Polartec Alpha Direct

CLO: 0.38

As seen in:

Best for: Super breathable active insulation layers.聽

With such a low CLO value, Polartec Alpha Direct isn鈥檛 a direct competitor to the other options on this list. It鈥檚 less insulating, but also far more breathable, making it a great choice as light insulation during strenuous exercise. It鈥檚 also soft and durable enough to be used on its own without an inner or outer shell layer, making it perform more like a fleece than other insulations.聽

Coreloft Compact

CLO: 0.65

As seen in:

Best for: Highly packable soft shells.

Coreloft Compact is Arc鈥檛eryx鈥檚 own proprietary line of short-staple insulation, found in the brand鈥檚 popular Atom jacket lineup. Compared to Primaloft鈥檚 top options, Coreloft has a lower CLO value, but it does have an incredibly soft feel and good breathability, making the Atom a solid choice for an active insulation layer.聽

Primaloft Gold Crosscore

CLO: 1.40

As seen in:

Best for: Serious ounce-counters who need a down alternative.

Though the Crosscore is technically just another variation of Primaloft Gold, it warrants a separate category because the CLO value is remarkably warmer. In fact, Primaloft鈥檚 advertised CLO of 1.4 for Crosscore is the only option that even approaches that of 800-fill power down, with a CLO of about 1.68. That next-level warmth is achieved by combining Primaloft Gold with Aerogel, a material that鈥檚 composed of 95% air. It retains the other advantages of Primaloft Gold, namely its water resistance, packability, and soft feel.

The post The Ultralighter鈥檚 Guide to Synthetic Insulation appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.