Why is ultralight touring so unpopular?
#651
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,923
Bikes: Nature Boy 853 Disc, Pugsley SS
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 251 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
6 Posts
Yeah, not carrying the same stuff as someone else usually means 'that you don't have it'
What's your point? Someone traveling UL will very likely have all they need to be sheltered from the weather, stay warm, stay hydrated and whatever else they want to do... But they may or may not carry the same gear as someone who was traveling with a heavier load.
UL and L is a mindset and a method as much it is about carrying specific things.
What's your point? Someone traveling UL will very likely have all they need to be sheltered from the weather, stay warm, stay hydrated and whatever else they want to do... But they may or may not carry the same gear as someone who was traveling with a heavier load.
UL and L is a mindset and a method as much it is about carrying specific things.
Not only that, I am also very careful about getting wet, or overheating with too many layers. I'm careful about packing my shelter away from my sleeping bag. Because I only have one of some things, I take care not to needlessly waste anything, and I try not to end up soaking wet and cold.
Someone carrying four outfits may not be as careful, and may end up with wet, sweaty gear. The mentality that "carrying more makes you more comfortable" has less to do with what you're carrying and more to do with your touring mindset and habits. That's universal between gear weights.
#653
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Nice looking bike! Sounds like a great place to end a ride
#654
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#656
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,489
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 833 Times
in
435 Posts
The way I interpret this thread is: One faction says if you bring more gear than I use, you are carrying too much. The other faction says if you bring less gear than I do, you are uncomfortable.
It seems like most of us carry the minimum amount of gear that will meet our needs for a specific tour.
There are so many variables between tours it is almost impossible to make generalizations.
Last edited by Doug64; 11-28-15 at 10:30 PM.
#657
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: east bay area,CA
Posts: 335
Bikes: Salsa Fargo commuter,Litespeed Ocoee titanium mountain bike cannondale caad9 105 road bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have a sea to summit, exped, and a Kelty luxury. The Kelty is worth the 11 oz. and I don't bother with anything else.
#658
Senior Member
#659
Senior Member
I am thinking if I get a hammock that weighs 2 pounds I will be more comfortable. That extra 1/4 pound might slow me down though.
My wool shirt makes a beter pillow than my blow up pillow.
The rain jacket was extra weight for 33 days, then it rained a million drops.
Since I pedaled the pacific coast route 5 times everyone should do it my way.
To start with no songs over 3 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0E1efv6mLA
extra pixels slow the rotaton of the earth
Do these 10 lines make since?
More or less than the last 10 pages?
My wool shirt makes a beter pillow than my blow up pillow.
The rain jacket was extra weight for 33 days, then it rained a million drops.
Since I pedaled the pacific coast route 5 times everyone should do it my way.
To start with no songs over 3 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0E1efv6mLA
extra pixels slow the rotaton of the earth
Do these 10 lines make since?
More or less than the last 10 pages?
#660
Senior Member
what if somebody figures out that my wool shirt is heavy
oh no
by the by, the fleece is warmer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4evy_IMFKQ
3:35 = minus points
oh no
by the by, the fleece is warmer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4evy_IMFKQ
3:35 = minus points
#661
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Above ground, Walnut Creek, Ca
Posts: 6,681
Bikes: 8 ss bikes, 1 5-speed touring bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
I am thinking if I get a hammock that weighs 2 pounds I will be more comfortable. That extra 1/4 pound might slow me down though.
My wool shirt makes a beter pillow than my blow up pillow.
The rain jacket was extra weight for 33 days, then it rained a million drops.
Since I pedaled the pacific coast route 5 times everyone should do it my way.
To start with no songs over 3 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0E1efv6mLA
extra pixels slow the rotaton of the earth
Do these 10 lines make since?
More or less than the last 10 pages?
My wool shirt makes a beter pillow than my blow up pillow.
The rain jacket was extra weight for 33 days, then it rained a million drops.
Since I pedaled the pacific coast route 5 times everyone should do it my way.
To start with no songs over 3 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0E1efv6mLA
extra pixels slow the rotaton of the earth
Do these 10 lines make since?
More or less than the last 10 pages?
#662
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: east bay area,CA
Posts: 335
Bikes: Salsa Fargo commuter,Litespeed Ocoee titanium mountain bike cannondale caad9 105 road bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Same with my sleeping bag. My winter bag is a Sierra designs backcountry bed 800 fill down 20 degree bag. For the same price I could have bought a traditional down mummy bag that weighs more than a third less. But I'm a side sleeper and toss and turn, and this is the only bag I've ever owned that I don't get tangled up in. It's really awesome and anyone who hates getting tangled up in their bag three times a night should try one out.
So these are examples of reasons I, and I imagine many others aren't as ultralight as we could be if we sacrificed our comfort, we all have different comfort levels and most of us fall towards the middle of the spectrum.
#663
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,314 Times
in
707 Posts
For example, one might tour with a small tent stored in panniers. To go UL they buy a tarp tent or hammock and use bikepacking bags. So the question is, if you are happy with the tent and panniers and can tour in comfort, why go lighter?
It's not something I need convincing about personally. I've done all this to death 30 years ago when I was climbing. I sold UL climbing gear and got wholesale pricing on all my own stuff. I have a bivy sac, thinsulite bag, climbing stove I can suspend in a tent etc... But, that is the sort of question I think many tourers would ask ie. "I'm happy doing what I'm doing with what I have, why do I need/want to go UL?" You would have to convince me that there are troves of tourers out there miserable doing what they are doing and looking for a solution but that doesn't seem to be the case. I don't mean any offense because I'm a nerd myself but it just seems like a subset of tourers that enjoy geeking out on seeing how light they can go.
Last edited by Happy Feet; 11-28-15 at 11:18 PM.
#664
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NE Indiana
Posts: 8,687
Bikes: 2020 Masi Giramondo 700c; 2013 Lynskey Peloton; 1992 Giant Rincon; 1989 Dawes needs parts; 1985 Trek 660; 1985 Fuji Club; 1984 Schwinn Voyager; 1984 Miyata 612; 1977 Raleigh Competition GS
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1126 Post(s)
Liked 253 Times
in
204 Posts
#665
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: mars
Posts: 759
Bikes: 2015 synapse
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
"I'm happy doing what I'm doing with what I have, why do I need/want to go UL?" You would have to convince me that there are troves of tourers out there miserable doing what they are doing and looking for a solution but that doesn't seem to be the case. I don't mean any offense because I'm a nerd myself but it just seems like a subset of tourers that enjoy geeking out on seeing how light they can go.
#667
Senior Member
In any case when you say axe people here in the US almost universally think of a larger tool designed to be used with two hands.
As far as taking one on a bike tour... either a hatchet or and axe seems pretty excessive to me. I typically don't have fires when touring or backpacking all that often anymore, but back when I did I didn't usually burn anything big enough that I couldn't process it by breaking it without tools other than maybe a fork in a tree. If I did take something for that purpose it would be a saw, but I leave that home too.
If they asked a genuine question its one thing, but to condescendingly remark about how someone UL touring probably doesn't have much / any experience actually touring, and isn't able to bring any comforts along....that's not going to get a perfectly polite response from me
Agreed. Even when I'm just going camping, a knife and a firesteel is all I need to get a fire going. Gather some tinder and twigs, setup a teepee, have thicker branches broken down and ready to go, make some wood shavings with the knife, then spark them with the steel. Easy stuff.
Agreed. Even when I'm just going camping, a knife and a firesteel is all I need to get a fire going. Gather some tinder and twigs, setup a teepee, have thicker branches broken down and ready to go, make some wood shavings with the knife, then spark them with the steel. Easy stuff.
Making actual fires should usually be reserved for emergencies, except of course if you're at a camping site with a dedicated fire making spot and provided fuel. Making fires for fun in the wild is irresponsible, inconsiderate and possibly dangerous.
However I use a woodgas stove, which isn't a fire and thus has a few more requirements than making a pile of sticks and lighting it up. Hence the axe/hatchet comes in really handy since it speeds up wood processing by maybe tenfold. Don'r really get the idea about a saw since it can't split soow. Cutting it is rarely an issue.
That said, even If I had a gas stove I'd still rather always take the axe/hatchet since it's such a multifunctional tool and can be useful for just about anything
#668
aka Timi
#670
Senior Member
I've also been in one North American campground where the woodsmoke from a succession of campfires was disgusting. Like everything else, there are people who know how to build and burn fires with the right wood, and there are those who have a romantic idea, but have no clue.
#671
In Real Life
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152
Bikes: Lots
Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 596 Times
in
329 Posts
Increasingly, open fires are being discouraged, and even outlawed in Australia because of the very real bushfire dangers they present, especially in summer. In World Heritage Areas such as the South-West of Tasmania, open fires are banned, and if you want to cook, take a stove; if you want to stay warm, take more clothing.
I've also been in one North American campground where the woodsmoke from a succession of campfires was disgusting. Like everything else, there are people who know how to build and burn fires with the right wood, and there are those who have a romantic idea, but have no clue.
I've also been in one North American campground where the woodsmoke from a succession of campfires was disgusting. Like everything else, there are people who know how to build and burn fires with the right wood, and there are those who have a romantic idea, but have no clue.
Campfires are also banned in certain parts of Canada at certain times of the year ... because of the potential for forest fires.
__________________
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
#672
Bye Bye
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Gone gone gone
Posts: 3,677
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
You know that you can walk away from the keyboard at anytime. At this point your argument goes like this:
OP: I want to run a marathon. I need some gear and training advice.
PSY: Why do you want to run a marathon. People like me have been happy running 10ks.
OP: Becasue I really want to run a marathon.
PSY: I don't run marathons. I usually run a 5k and might do a 10k once a year.
OP: So, I think I have my training plan figured out. What do you experienced runners think?
PSY: Really, there's no need to run a marathon. A 10k is fine for most people.
OP: I'm not most people.
PSY: Well, you should be.
#673
aka Timi
Why is ultralight touring so unpopular?
My point was that making a fire in the wild does not per definition have to be irresponsible, inconsiderate and possibly dangerous...
Of course it can be, duh, which is why it is even illegal in many places or at certain times of the year... And totally legal in other places if done in a safe and responsible way.
Of course it can be, duh, which is why it is even illegal in many places or at certain times of the year... And totally legal in other places if done in a safe and responsible way.
#674
Senior Member
A perfect example of my one and only point, we all have different comfort levels and many of us choose to carry a few extras because we want them. Not because they are poor/ uninformed/ cheap gear choices, as ul proponents often seem to imply. I have that pillow and I find it to be the least comfortable of the three I have. The cheapest and heaviest one is the I use on most trips.
#675
Senior Member
I go lightweight as I can maintain camping comfort and improve cycling comfort and enjoyment. It has the added benefit of making travel very easy and if I ever have to lift my bike over an obstacle that is also very easy.