Wind Rivers Traverse - Backpacking 90 miles in the Wind Rivers

[steve]

This DIY Oatmeal has me intrigued. Recipe (how much of each? or do you just wing it) What is a Spud Bomb?

Both recipes are found in this book, which happens to be my favorite book about camping. If you follow what's in this book, you WILL drop pounds off your pack weight without having to spend any money.

How much weight did you loose after the trip. That is not very much food.

Not enough. I don't think i lost any weight, but I was in pretty good shape after that week. Now,if the trip had lasted all 9 days, I would have lost 5-10 lbs because that was SCARCE food for 9 days. But in general, when I'm backpacking, I don't need a TON of food. Big dinners are always nice, but i just have a light breakfast, 2-3 snack breaks during the day, then dinner. It's weird how it works, but it's like my body knows I don't need a ton of food.

Thanks for sharing. You directed me to a mfgr that I had not heard of before. Their stuff looks amazing! One day I hope to be able to get some of the gear like you have. (especially a sleeping bag like that!) until then I guess I will have to suffer with my 30 lbs pack haha

HMG makes amazing gear. They're my favorite gear manufacturer, but they aren't cheap! Going light is more a mindset than a gear list. Sure, you've gotta get light on the big 4 - tent, pad, bag, and pack. After that, going lighter just means carrying less stuff.

 

[Blake Merrell]

Going light is more a mindset than a gear list.

This ^^^^ was proven very true on my trip to the Winds this summer. My buddy, who owns very good and expen$ive gear, had a 65lb pack. He has a super great and lightweight bag, and bommer rain gear. but, He was not willing to wear the same clothes all week long, had 5 extra pairs of socks, bought more food than was eaten, didn't repackage anything, brought a whole case of baby wipes, etc... though he spent a LOT of money for great gear and clothes, his mindset was not "lightweight." I talked and talked and talked to him about it. but he still can't seem to let go of some of the things he "thinks" are needed, that really aren't. What do ya do?

 

[TannerT]

This ^^^^ was proven very true on my trip to the Winds this summer. My buddy, who owns very good and expen$ive gear, had a 65lb pack. He has a super great and lightweight bag, and bommer rain gear. but, He was not willing to wear the same clothes all week long, had 5 extra pairs of socks, bought more food than was eaten, didn't repackage anything, brought a whole case of baby wipes, etc... though he spent a LOT of money for great gear and clothes, his mindset was not "lightweight." I talked and talked and talked to him about it. but he still can't seem to let go of some of the things he "thinks" are needed, that really aren't. What do ya do?

This reminds me of a tale...

Two trekkers crossed paths in the woods. One an ultra-lighter the other an ultra-weighter. The Ultra-lighter looked at his comrade and said, 'your pack is so large and filled with so many things that just aren't necessary.' The Ultra-weighter looked at his comrade and exclaimed, 'your pack is so tiny and lacks the necessities.' He then posed the question 'why do you carry so little?' and the Ultra-lighter answered, 'to be comfortable in the backcountry, why else?! Why do you carry so much?' The ultra-weighter smiled and responded softly, 'to be comfortable in the backcountry, of course.'

Ultra light is definitely a mindset.
I like the 'light' mindset, personally.

 

[steve]

Totally. My buddy Cody on the trip had a pack weight of about 40-45 lbs. No big deal, cuz he could handle it. I think there's a lot of elitism among ultralighters. Any time you can quantify something, competition sets in, followed by judgement and feelings of superiority. I'm too guilty of rolling my eyes at the boy scout carrying a 5 lb roll of duct tape, but in the end, it doesn't matter at all. They can carry whatever they want, it's none of my business. I'd be happy to help friends adjust their mindset to go lighter if asked, but I'm not going to tell them how to live their backpacking life.

Frankly, I couldn't have completed that trip in that time with a 45lb pack. My buddy Cody could. Cool. For fun, my wife and I like to see who has the lightest pack for a given trip (it's always her), but once a mindset becomes a way to rank and judge others, it's gotten out of hand.

I'm a big proponent of going lighter because it made my life better. So I encourage other people to go light. That being said, it's definitely not for everyone. There are a lot of sacrifices you have to make, and it's just not worth it for some people. Having a fishing pole is way more important than having the lightest pack weight possible for some people.

For me, going ultralight was more about simplifying than a target pack weight. Some people would rather be comfortable on the trail heading to camp, while others would rather be comfortable when they arrive at camp. Frankly, I'm plenty comfortable doing both. And some people can handle huge packs better than others. As long as they're not slowing me way down, making me wait and wait on them, more power to them. I'm plenty slow with a lightweight setup. I'd be useless with a heavy pack.

 

[TannerT]

Totally. My buddy Cody on the trip had a pack weight of about 40-45 lbs. No big deal, cuz he could handle it. I think there's a lot of elitism among ultralighters. Any time you can quantify something, competition sets in, followed by judgement and feelings of superiority. I'm too guilty of rolling my eyes at the boy scout carrying a 5 lb roll of duct tape, but in the end, it doesn't matter at all. They can carry whatever they want, it's none of my business. I'd be happy to help friends adjust their mindset to go lighter if asked, but I'm not going to tell them how to live their backpacking life.

Frankly, I couldn't have completed that trip in that time with a 45lb pack. My buddy Cody could. Cool. For fun, my wife and I like to see who has the lightest pack for a given trip (it's always her), but once a mindset becomes a way to rank and judge others, it's gotten out of hand.

I'm a big proponent of going lighter because it made my life better. So I encourage other people to go light. That being said, it's definitely not for everyone. There are a lot of sacrifices you have to make, and it's just not worth it for some people. Having a fishing pole is way more important than having the lightest pack weight possible for some people.

For me, going ultralight was more about simplifying than a target pack weight. Some people would rather be comfortable on the trail heading to camp, while others would rather be comfortable when they arrive at camp. Frankly, I'm plenty comfortable doing both. And some people can handle huge packs better than others. As long as they're not slowing me way down, making me wait and wait on them, more power to them. I'm plenty slow with a lightweight setup. I'd be useless with a heavy pack.

Boom. Well said!

I'm all for a friendly competition. When it turns to elitism solely to put yourself above another then it changes the dynamic and intent. I'd rather help lift someone up than look down on anyone. I am human and struggle sometimes....

To get back to the point...Go light!!

sent from an undisclosed location

 

[Blake Merrell]

This reminds me of a tale...

Two trekkers crossed paths in the woods. One an ultra-lighter the other an ultra-weighter. The Ultra-lighter looked at his comrade and said, 'your pack is so large and filled with so many things that just aren't necessary.' The Ultra-weighter looked at his comrade and exclaimed, 'your pack is so tiny and lacks the necessities.' He then posed the question 'why do you carry so little?' and the Ultra-lighter answered, 'to be comfortable in the backcountry, why else?! Why do you carry so much?' The ultra-weighter smiled and responded softly, 'to be comfortable in the backcountry, of course.'

Ultra light is definitely a mindset.
I like the 'light' mindset, personally.

Very true until that "ultra-weighter" gets massive shin splints the first day of the trip and is still suffering today (4 months later) because of it...

I do think packs can be too heavy

I like this chart

 

[TannerT]

Very true until that "ultra-weighter" gets massive shin splints the first day of the trip and is still suffering today (4 months later) because of it...

I do think packs can be too heavy

I like this chart
View attachment 37714

Love the diagram!

sent from an undisclosed location

 

[Blake Merrell]

Love the diagram!

sent from an undisclosed location

It is from that book Steve recommended I also noticed that the cost of those sections go something like this:

 

[Kullaberg63]

Nice work on the video. You're getting real good at that.

We also went to the Winds for the first time ever this summer, maybe a few weeks earlier than your trip. We followed roughly the same route, except going the opposite direction and adding that Knife Point detour. There's a trip report here somewhere. No vids, though.

As you say by far and away the most significant new terrain discovery we've made in years. Incredible range.

 

[River]

HMG makes amazing gear. They're my favorite gear manufacturer, but they aren't cheap!

Steve, do you have the 2 or 4 person Ultamid? Any issues with mosquitoes? What does your wife think about a non-sealed tent? How has it been finding a place to pitch it? A friend uses one in the Grand Canyon a lot and loves it, but I've always wondered about bugs up this way.

 

[Blake Merrell]

Is it next week yet? I can't wait to see the rest of these videos!

 

[steve]

Steve, do you have the 2 or 4 person Ultamid? Any issues with mosquitoes? What does your wife think about a non-sealed tent? How has it been finding a place to pitch it? A friend uses one in the Grand Canyon a lot and loves it, but I've always wondered about bugs up this way.

I have the ultamid 4. I have about 6 tents, and I use the ultamid 95% of the time. I absolutely love it. In windy sandstorms, I'd rather have a traditional tent, since sand can blow underneath and get in your face. I find this the case with may Ultralight shelters.

I've never had an issue with bugs, I typically avoid camping in buggy areas during bug season. I've had ants and beetles and stuff climbing around inside, but we sleep out under the stars a lot, and it's no different than that. You could get scorpions or snakes in there too, but we haven't. We absolutely love this shelter.

I'm sure if you hit the Uintas or the Winds in peak mosquito season you'll get some bugs in the tent, but I bring a head bugnet (and sometimes a bug net bivvy) for those situations. (except I avoid those areas those months). It's my wife's favorite tent too. You're welcome to shoot her an IM (@Tess) and ask her opinions about it.

finding a place to pitch it hasn't been an issue for us. If it's windy, you'll want to pitch some rocks next to the 3" opening on the bottom, or find a wooded place. It's our easiest tent to set up. However, f you have unevern ground and one corner sits a lot higher than the other 3, it's going to look funky and one panel won't be as tight as the other 3. It's build incredible well, it's huge, and it's incredibly light. It's also incredibly expensive, but if anything happened to it, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

If you don't carry trekking poles now, it may not be for you. If you do, you might as well use them for your shelter.

 

[River]

Thanks for the detailed reply! I've been giving that one a lot of thought to make packraft trips lighter.

 

[steve]

You're welcome to borrow mine sometime, but I warn you: you will buy one after you use it once.

 

[slc_dan]

The HMG Mid is an awesome tent, @steve let me borrow it last summer.

The price tag was a bit steep for me, so I picked up it's Silnylon cousin the Blackdiamond Mega Light. LOVE IT. Packs down smaller, but weighs a bit more.

 

[River]

You're welcome to borrow mine sometime, but I warn you: you will buy one after you use it once.

Thanks for the generous offer! Trying to convince my partner to use a floorless tent is the hardest part. Spiders...

 

[River]

The HMG Mid is an awesome tent, @steve let me borrow it last summer.

The price tag was a bit steep for me, so I picked up it's Silnylon cousin the Blackdiamond Mega Light. LOVE IT. Packs down smaller, but weighs a bit more.

They sure aren't cheap!

I used a Mega Mid for a couple weeks on a winter Grand Canyon trip and it worked well. Is there plenty of room in the Mega Light for two people, gear, and a dog?

 

[slc_dan]

They sure aren't cheap!

I used a Mega Mid for a couple weeks on a winter Grand Canyon trip and it worked well. Is there plenty of room in the Mega Light for two people, gear, and a dog?

YES! Mega light is just the new Mega Mid.

 

[Blake Merrell]

Might be a stupid question, but with floorless tents, do you use a bivy or waterproof shell inside the tent for your sleeping bag?

 

[slc_dan]

Might be a stupid question, but with floorless tents, do you use a bivy or waterproof shell inside the tent for your sleeping bag?

I use a lightweight tarp.