I've steadily made the transition to ultralight backpacking over the past couple of years. I believe it's the natural progression the more time one spends outside on and off trails. Do enough mileage, and you just sort of end up there, even if it wasn't your conscious intent. I believe no one enjoys carrying more than he needs to, and, given the choice and means, he would go with the lighter alternative if he ascertained for himself that the lighter gear or improvisation would not compromise ultimate effectiveness in the given task. I think folks vary in their evaluation of effectiveness, and that's where much of the disagreement arises.Being a knife guy and subscriber to the preparedness mindset, the UL philosophy sometimes seems to clash. But in nearly all cases it comes down to consideration of probability, not just mere possibility. The UL approach is inherently one of selection and tailoring. Take what you are likely to use and need - leave what is redundant or unnecessary. Like many other things in life, ultralight backpacking requires thoughtful selection of the proper tools and the discarding of the superfluous. And the determination of what is superfluous is entirely personal and task/situation-dependent. If you like making fires and bushcrafting when out, then the gear you deem necessary for it is just that for you: necessary. Forget arbitrary weights if you don't find it a useful metric, just look at it this way: Could I accomplish the same tasks and enjoy my trip even more by carrying less weight? Simple as that. If you don't think you could possibly enjoy your trip any more by going lighter, then you're fine!I will admit that for many hardcore UL guys, the load lightening process becomes a Traveling Salesman problem. It's just a fun puzzle, aside from the more practical aspects. Regardless, the process is at its heart practical; you will cover more ground, or equivalent ground more easily, and with greater enjoyment if your muscles have less mass to move against gravity. This makes sense logically to me, and I've confirmed it empirically with dirt time.Now, should you decide you can drop some weight, I think going about weight reduction methodically is beneficial for both your time and wallet.1) Drop unnecessary fat mass. Maximize your lean mass, and work on your strength and endurance if you need to. Gear weight is irrelevant when one is carrying a high body fat percentage.2) When that's accomplished or well in progress, critically evaluate your gear with an eye for elimination only. Look at your gear and consider the systems you've been using to accomplish tasks needed for your activities; cull the redundant and unnecessary. Consider probability given your typical activities, as well as possibility. Simplify and reduce to your minimal level for comfort and safety.3) Only then, within your means, replace gear if you are confident the lighter replacement will accomplish the same task with equal or better effectiveness and efficiency, and if you're wiling to accept any compromise (e.g. durability, cost).4) This isn't necessarily last, but occurs throughout: get out there. Your own experience, and to a lesser extent that of others, will inform your decisions. Figure out what works for you, what you're comfortable with, what level of risk you're willing to accept.I don't know what my body fat is now, but 5-10% has always been my goal, and it'll be a lifelong WIP to maintain. My pack base weight now for UL trips is under 9lbs. I don't remember what my UL SkinOut is for a 3-season Bay Area overnighter or weekender is, I'll have to check my spreadsheet when I get home today, but it's under 20lbs for sure. I don't know that i'll ever want to get down to SUL or XUL levels, but I'll probably end up trying at some point just for the hell of it. But in general, if I won't be fastpacking for mileage or going light for the sake of going light or simple aesthetic austerity, my 3-season without bear canister pack base weight hovers between 10-12lbs. There are things I prefer, whose weight doesn't raise my overall weight enough to detract from my enjoyment. For example: sure I could get by and possibly be even safer by using chlorine dioxide to treat water, but I hate the taste and prefer to bring my Sawyer Squeeze.ETA: And, since we're on Bladeforums, for backpacking cutlery, I've been taking a Fallkniven WM1. Based purely on what I actually need to use on a typical backpacking trip, when I'm carrying all my gear and everything goes right: nothing. Even for fire making, if you're in a wooded enough area you can just break off small deadwood, rough up dried grass with rocks, etc. Food: everything is either pre-cut or packages are perforated for easy opening. The only food prep I ever do on my backpacking trips is maybe cutting salami and cheese. Other than that, I'm a quick and easy boil water and add to dehydrated food kinda backpacker. I hate cleaning dishes when out, especially if it's a dry camp. And if you get a dehydrator, you can make whatever you want and make it taste good.The cutlery I've used or carried on backpacking trips in the past and now
erma-Safe Folding Utility Knife (razor)Spyderco PE LadybugSAK ClassicSAK HikerSwiss Bianco BushcrafterSAK alox FarmerSAK alox custom Syph007 buildLeatherman MicraLeatherman Style CSMora Clipper and CompanionNWA Sierra ScoutFallkniven F1Fallkniven WM1Silky Super Accel 210Knives I will give a try at some point:BRKT Ultra-Lite BushcrafterBRKT Liten BrorMora FireKnifeMaybe my Opinel #8, but if I prefer fixed once I get beyond SAK size. My typical cutlery loadout now is the Fallkniven WM1, Syph007 custom SAK, and Leatherman Style CS for the scissors. I definitely want to try the BRKT Ultra-Lite Bushcrafter. Sometimes I think about dropping the Leatherman since it's rare I use scissors. And for those rare situations, I should be able to get by with a knife and a flat spot of wood or something if I need to cut leukotape.
Since then, the amount of crap I bring is much less but I certainly wouldn't consider myself an ultralight or even light weight backpacker. I give props to you folks that have it down to so much of a science that you can walk out the door in under 25 lbs.
