Comfortable and safe are vital! Anyone can go out into the mountains with a tiny amount of gear and suffer — you need to be warm, well-fed and ready to deal with safety issues. Ultralight camping should be delightful, not stressful. The challenge is to succeed with only the gear that’s absolutely needed.
The first-aid kit is a good metaphor for your lightweight camping mind-set. It would be foolish to travel without one, right? But what is truly required? What can you effectively improvise? There is a blurry line between TOO heavy and TOO light. You can still go out in the backcountry with a very light pack and be comfortable and safe (see tip 55).
Excerpt from Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips by Mike Clelland
You must log in or register to comment.
I’ve been working on my kit lately due to what I learned in a Wilderness First Aid course I took. Of course I have the usual Ibuprofen, Tylenol, bandaids, & blister bandages, etc. But one of my big fears is falling and getting a big gash/cut that’s bleeding out so I also added a splint, tourniquet, sling,& elastic bandage. I want to create enough time for SAR to get to me or a companion.