When backpacking, what do you bring a backup of, despite the ultralight backpacking community suggesting you may be crazy?

And ultra-lighter will say...don't bring a pillow, just stuff your hoody or clothes into a stuff sack and use that for a pillow. I still take an inflatable pillow, but know that my clothing/puffy can be used as a backup pillow if it comes down to that. My stove can serve as a backup to my water filter. And so on...I don't think I'd ever consider bringing two stoves or two water filters. That said...depending on how deep into the backcountry I'm going, the water sources I expect to find, the terrain I'm covering, etc...I will sometimes bring a paper map and compass to serve as a backup in case something happens to my phone which I usually use to help me navigate my routes. And I do actually carry a few water purification tablets as an additional backup to my filter, especially if I were to go stoveless for the trip (which I've yet to ever do), because a few of those take up no space and weigh next to nothing. I also carry a few weatherproof matches as a backup to a mini Bic.
 
forest dweller said:
I must be a weird or wimpy backpacker...definitely bringing clean clothes to sleep in - midweight long sleeve polypro underwear and socks only used to sleep in - and I'd be really tempted to bring a duplicate of that on a very long trip - I can't emphasize enough how I want to feel clean when going to sleep! (I'll probably submerge myself in the creek before going to sleep too!)
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I take one set of what I call "trail clothing", which I actually wear on the trail, and one set of what I call "camp clothing" which is usually a set of base-layers...some lightweight thermal/fleece pants and a lightweight long-sleeve, usually merino wool or micro fleece or some blend of any of that. Not only do I look forward to having clean clothes to sleep in, but I like the idea of also being able to keep my sleeping bag clean and not worry much about getting body oils absorbed into it and all that. It's an expensive bag, and this way I only have to wash it once a year to maintain it.
 
An excerpt from Biscuit McGee's famous backcountry primer, Life in the Yukon:

On Cleanliness
It's been my experience through all these long years in Yukon Territory that washing anything is not something to be pondered and undertaken lightly, for I've found that the more rancorous one's presence, the safer one is from not only wildlife, but from humans, who are generally not to be trusted, especially when it comes to one's diggins, and this can even include some particular members of the RCMP.

He goes on, but that's the essence.
 
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Forgot to mention that I purchased a Nemo closed cell sleeping pad that I intend to bring as 1) extra padding to my Exped Synmat 7 inflatable, and 2) a back up to said Exped Synmat 7 in case of an irreparable leak...it weighs virtually nothing and I think I'll pack it between the "brain" of my backpack and the main body. This will be for longer trips.

Someone mentioned a pillow. REI use to make fleece-lined stuff sacks....my pillow is my puffy jacket inside my inside-out fleece-lined stuff sack and I LOVE it.
 
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forest dweller said:
Forgot to mention that I purchased a Nemo closed cell sleeping pad that I intend to bring as 1) extra padding to my Exped Synmat 7 inflatable, and b) a back up to said Exped Synmat 7 in case of an irreparable leak...it weighs virtually nothing and I think I'll pack it between the "brain" of my backpack and the main body. This will be for longer trips.

Someone mentioned a pillow. REI use to make fleece-lined stuff sacks....my pillow is my puffy jacket inside my inside-out fleece-lined stuff sack and I LOVE it.
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I just turn my fleece inside out, tie it shut with the sleeves, and stuff it with whatever's left.

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Nethos said:
I just turn my fleece inside out, tie it shut with the sleeves, and stuff it with whatever's left.

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I love my inflatable pillow and would be miserable without it. I can't rely on a stuff sack filled with extra clothes, as sometimes it's so cold at night that I'm wearing everything I've got!
 
Long baselayers for sleeping, an extra pair of socks, and 2-3lbs of camera gear. The latter puts me into the lightweight category, but it's worth the weight to me.

The only backup I carry for anything is a spare lighter and my phone in case I need to get a GPS location. I use aquamira, so no filter backup.
 
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Nethos said:
I just turn my fleece inside out, tie it shut with the sleeves, and stuff it with whatever's left.

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That sounds like the potential for one hard pillow! My down jacket in that fleece stuff sack is damn near a pillow at home type pillow!
 
forest dweller said:
That sounds like the potential for one hard pillow! My down jacket in that fleece stuff sack is damn near a pillow at home type pillow!
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Down jacket and any extra layers go in the fleece. Actually works great tbh. But I sleep warm and rarely have layers on.

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Nethos said:
Down jacket and any extra layers go in the fleece. Actually works great tbh. But I sleep warm and rarely have layers on.

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I also sleep pretty warm and did same for the longest time but it seemed like I always ended up with a zipper jammed into my face at some point in the night. so a year or two ago I finally bought a tiny inflatable pillow + I bring a pillowcase from home and I like that quite a bit
 
forest dweller said:
My older Katadyn Hiker filter squirts water near what looks like where it was laminated...I'm thinking it might be time to replace that with something...even though it's still working...would hate for it to fail on a bigger trip especially. However, being something I do consider critical, and taking backups of things, this isn't one of them. I figure if the water source is clear enough there won't be a problem.
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My backup is an extra Sawyer squeeze. It’s light and takes up hardly any room. I’ve consumed water straight from springs, but on longer trips I’d hate to risk getting sick. It’s the one backup item that makes me feel confident.
 
regehr said:
I also sleep pretty warm and did same for the longest time but it seemed like I always ended up with a zipper jammed into my face at some point in the night. so a year or two ago I finally bought a tiny inflatable pillow + I bring a pillowcase from home and I like that quite a bit
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The key is to foldup in thirds and wrap the arms horizontally around the back like a package, so you can always have the backside of the fleece. Sorry for hijacking this thread lol. I can't take credit for the idea, came from a youtuber.

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WasatchWill said:
Sorry. Am I missing out on a joke? Do down bags not need to be washed every now and then to get body oils and other grime out that can build up over time and inhibit the down in the bag from fully lofting the way it should?
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I found it amusing because I rarely wash my bags - some may have never been washed? I wouldn't claim this to be ideal.

I do think that proper storage is more important than regular cleaning though, because most of my bags are still in pretty good shape.
 
Rockskipper said:
O'Fool's a direct descendant of Biscuit McGee, which a lot of people aren't aware of, including his wife. I think most of us do wash our bags, at least occasionally.
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Unfortunately my sleeping bags don't get used enough and I haven't had to wash them...it's a good thing too because I'd rather not, especially my down bags. But I have a few synthetic bags for summer that I'm hoping to use more....and I might not worry about washing a synthetic bag. For one thing I think it would work out alright...but then if it didn't I didn't spend too much on them anyway.
 
WasatchWill said:
Sorry. Am I missing out on a joke? Do down bags not need to be washed every now and then to get body oils and other grime out that can build up over time and inhibit the down in the bag from fully lofting the way it should?
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No @WasatchWill You are correct in washing them every now and again. Just a joke as I wash mine about every decade or more. Or as often as Biscuit McGee recommends, whichever comes first.
 
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