Ultralight Backpacking

Ultralight backpacking is a style of backpacking that emphasizes carrying the lightest and simplest kit safely possible for a given trip. Base pack weight (the weight of a backpack plus the gear inside, excluding consumables such as food, water, and fuel, which vary depending on the duration and style of trip) is reduced as much as safely possible, though reduction of the weight of consumables is also applied.

The terms light and ultralight commonly refer to base pack weights below 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and 10 pounds (4.5 kg) respectively. Traditional backpacking often results in base pack weights above 30 pounds (14 kg), and sometimes up to 60 pounds (27 kg) or more. Enthusiasts of ultralight backpacking sometimes attempt super-ultralight backpacking (SUL) in which the base pack weight is below 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and extreme-ultralight backpacking (XUL) in which the base pack weight is below 3 pounds (1.4 kg).

History
In the early 1990s, in an attempt to push boundaries and productivity, hikers, backpackers and climbers began to reevaluate the way in which they approached their sports. These early pioneers of the lightweight philosophy started minimizing their needs and maximizing their efficiency by looking at every piece of gear they used and asking the questions: Do we need it? Can we make it better? Can we make it lighter?

Ultralight backpacking was popularized by rock climber Ray Jardine, whose 1992 book PCT Hiker's Handbook, later retitled as Beyond Backpacking in 1999, laid the foundations for many techniques that ultralight backpackers use today. Jardine claimed his first Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike was with a base pack weight of 25 pounds (11 kg), and by his third PCT thru-hike it was below 9 pounds (4.1 kg).