[at-l] Future AT hiker...

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> Almost everyone these days is into "lightweight".

> But there's a price for each extreme.  If you know
> the price, and are willing to pay it, that's cool.  > If
you don't know the price - then I'd suggest that
> you find out before you commit to something you
> can't live with.

Well, excuse the rant...

Jim is right.  There is a price to pay for either extreme.
One extreme is ignorant.  The other extreme is stupid.
Figuring out which is which shouldn't be hard.

Understand that there are a few more modes of thought than
usually bandied about.

1: Ignorant City Folk (ICF's)  Anything over about 60
pounds, and you can bet you're looking at ICF.

2: "It's heavy, but I'm a real man."  Mostly military types.
They suffer all day, but sleep well at night.

3: "It can be heavy, but I don't suffer too much."
Educated, but not quite there.

4: "What I need, and what I want are the same thing."  The
voice of sanity.

5: "Light, but not so light that I'll be mistaken for a
day-hiker."  Educated AND experienced.

6: "Light Weight Backpacker."  Comfortable and self assured.
Probably not quite enough of something if the going gets
rough, but can make do.

7: "Ultralight Backpacker."  Walking a thin line between
enough stuff and not enough stuff.  Also known as 'gram
weenies'.

8: "Idiots."  These are the people that when something does
go wrong, the other seven types have to rescue them.  There
have been a few stories recently told among the lists, and
one or two in my personal experience.

Now, before anybody goes crazy, I have just finished
watching some of Lynne Whelden's videos that Bob
unfortunately bought.  (www.lwgear.com)  They made me quite
angry.  Especially the little 'Reach for Zero' sermon.
Eventually this kind of thinking is going to get someone
killed.

Again, before ya'll go crazy, I'm not saying that what LW
does isn't possible, or in some instances desirable.  It is.
Lynne's videos, however, are a carefully crafted propaganda
campaign, that is, in my OPINION, approaching evil.  All of
the people he interviews and carefully edits to show the
reasonableness and sanity of ultralight hiking are
EXPERIENCED in all capital letters.  He's only showing you
the sunny side of life.

One day you may be experienced enough to do ultralight
hiking.  However, to encourage newbies to hit the trail
clueless, with not enough gear, and NO FOOD! is asinine.
Yes asinine is a word.  Ask your mother.

I am not a true lightweight back packer.  Never have been.
Never will be.  Lynne would have you believe that I have
some kind of unreasonable paranoid fears...

Just remember this:  Everybody has an angle.  The people you
talk to on this list like Jim, Weary, R&R, OB, and other
frequent personalities here, and lots of other people you
will get advice from all have angles - BUT THEY AREN'T
TRYING TO SELL YOU ANYTHING!  I have angles too, and
sometimes I have been known to be Obtuse.  (That's a joke,
son, a joke!)  We all do this for FUN, which is important to
remember.

The corporate conglomerates that offer you the finest
comfort in your fantastically expensive ten pound tent are
TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING.  People like LW claim that
they aren't trying to sell you anything, but THEY ARE!
Lynne is in business too.  That doesn't mean what they are
offering you won't work, or that it isn't good.  Just don't
take their word for it - ask somebody who has done it and
used it.

This list, and others, are ideal channels for such things.

Anyway, sorry for the rant...  If you want to know, my pack
weighs 28-30 pounds for summer, and 30-35 for spring/fall,
and 30-45 for winter depending on how far I am going.  I
don't know what my FSO weights are, and I'm afraid to find
out.

> I am very interested in learning
> about lighter hiking, as long
> >as I have a tent around me and not a
> >tarp/poncho/canteen whatever else
> >they combo up to make a shelter out of...

Don't knock it 'till you try it.  I'm going to be posting
some photos in a week or two.  Once you've been in a
hammock, you will never go back...  I can sleep a family of
five in my shelter system, all for under 4 pounds.

> LOL!!!  I wonder how many people thought you were
> talking about carrying an
> 80# pack?   Get OB or Shane (or someone ---
> anyone??) to point you at the
> Backpackinglight list - I think you'd enjoy that
> one too.  I'm not on it at
> the moment, but I think I will be soon.

Here it is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackingLight/

I also enjoy the gear test list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackpackGearTest/

I also really like this:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackWoods_Epitaph/

which is a group of Back Woods people, which is a little
different from the 'backpacking' crowd.

THIS list, however, is much homier.  I don't know if that
makes sense...  (Thanks again R-Man.)  A lot of us are on
both, and some of the people involved are quite outstanding.
Mara, Ron, David, and Jerry...and too many to count.

If you ask all of us, chances are that at least one of us
will know something about it.  All together we have hundreds
of thousands of miles and thousands of years of experience.

Welcome to the fire!

Shane