Halve the weight?

[Scythe13]

Welcome to the dark-side!!!

A lot of people take the view that sneaky and bugging out early will keep them safe, which is probably will. But it seems we have a similar mindframe.

I'm massively looking into building a 7day to 10day winter ultra-light backpacking kit. Which would also make a fitting U-L BOB.

The main things with weight are the big 3, Tent, Sleeping Bag, Backpack.

1. Tent....screw that! I'm going ponchos (yes, plural. I'm rocking 2 of them) which will make up my overhead shelter. I figured a tent was there to stop wind and rain. Other than that, it really doesn't do much. So as long as I have a reasonably well sheltered area, and the ability to pitch the ponchos.....same outcome, 1/4 the weight.

2. Sleeping Bag.....Mine is an ultra light 2 season beast....along with many liners. No point having just 1 hefting 4 season bag. The liners make a single bag become multi seasonal. Otherwise you'd be wasting 3 out of 4 seasons. Also, you'd need loads of liners to make a 1 season good for winter. Best off with a reasonable 2 season, then bagging it up. That'll also make it nice and clean by changing around the liners and washing the sweat and all that off.

3. Bag. This is one part where going light can be a waste. No point chopping half your bag up! You'll end up needing what you've chopped off.

The other things to save weight on are things like water. Only carry 1.5 litres, max. You'll find more water (it's the UK, there's loads of water everywhere) so all you need is a filter or something like that. I have water purifier tablets and am getting a filter for my camalbak. That will provide me with over 800 litres of drinkable water.

Next heaviest item is food. Actually, depending on the food you carry, it can be as heavy as a tent. There is a super clever Scythe13 trick to help deal with that one....a book or 2! Foraging, or Food For Free. Those books can provide all the food you need for the rest of your life. But anyway, I like to carry a bit of food anyway, just in case. I stick to high calories, high flavour, long sell by date, and good vitamins/minerals. To me that says 1 thing.....CHOCOLATE!!! But damn is it heavy. I also stock up on plenty of beef jerky for the protein. Let's be fair, I'll be in the woods for up to 10 days, so the books will be very helpful.

Next up comes the good old cooking part. Knife, fork, spoon...or just get 2 sticks and make chop-sticks? Worked for me on a desert island for 5 weeks. But the real weight part is the pans and all that. If you have a tranjia set, you have good taste, but not good weight capacities. Those things are heavy! Also, are you really going to be cooking with 2 pots at the same time? You're best off with an ultralight cooker (usually around the £25 mark) and a couple of smallish gas cans. You want enough gas to cook at least 1 warm meal a day. I like to have breakfast and dinner warm when I'm out in the woods or on a cliff.

Now comes clothing. Have a spare set of thermals, and underwear. Maybe an extra pair of trousers. Other than that, you're looking at loads of weight and space constraints.

Then it's smaller things like FAK (First Aid Kit), Torch, Knives, and things like that. Those are best kept if they are multi-use. If not....be careful about whether they are a luxury or not.

And on a final note....Space-Blankets!!!! I love them!!! Always have a few of them around.