How to measure yourself for a custom ultralight backpack
What is Ultralight hiking and why do it?
Ultralight hiking has not yet become mainstream in South Africa, but in many instances makes a lot of sense. What is ultralight hiking and how does it work?
Ultralight (or lightweight) hiking (or backpacking as they call it in the States) is a concept whereby the hiker focuses very specifically on reducing their pack weight to make the whole hiking experience more enjoyable. In the USA, this has taken off because of the number of “thru hikes”, where backpackers wilderness hike (i.e., carrying a tent, sleeping pad and all other gear) for months on end. Under those conditions, one can imagine why having the lightest pack possible makes sense. However, here in South Africa, although our hikes are often no longer than 5 or 6 days, hiking with a significantly lighter pack will make the experience so much more enjoyable and one can cover more distance in a day. Thus, in our conditions, we don't tend to need packs that weigh less than 400g and we can sacrifice some weight for some added comfort. However, there is a big difference between a 1.6kg backpack and a 700g pack that is just as, if not more, comfortable. |
It is surprisingly easy to drop your pack weight without spending too much money (see another article about this). The most expensive components in such a conversion will most probably be the tent and pack. Local big brand companies don’t make ultralight packs and importing an ultralight pack can set you back by at least R5000. That's where Freedom Ultralight fits in. An affordable locally made pack that weighs less than 750g and is super comfortable to use.
WHY ULTRALIGHT OR LIGHTWEIGHT?
The initial obvious answer to the question of why go ultralight is to make hiking easier. But there are some further reasons which would include:
It allows you to hike older: Many stop or reduce their hiking activities as they get older. We all start battling to carry such heavy weights into our latter years. By going lightweight, we can continue our enjoyment of hiking later into life.
It allows you to hike longer: Imagine hiking with the weight of a day pack when next tackling the Otter. By carrying lighter, one can hike greater distances with the same effort, or just get to the end of the day feeling less finished.
Enjoyment of the actual hiking (walking) part: When one is carrying lighter, we can enjoy the actual walking and scenery that much more without thinking about a heavy pack crushing our shoulders and hips. They climbs are easier and one has the energy to enjoy the journey.
Less energy consumption: You will also need to eat less at the end of the day, and thus carry less food.
Just the sheer challenge of reducing your base weight: For some of us, this is part of the reason for going ultralight, simply the challenge of it can be fun.
The gear: And finally, for you gear-heads, it gives you an excuse to focus on gear.
THE ULTRALIGHT PACK DESIGN
See our next article on how an ultralight backpack is design to be light yet stiff and comfortable.
WHAT NEXT
So, if starting a journey to ultralight hiking appeals to you, make contact with us and we can see how we can help you. We love chatting about hiking, gear and getting out into our beautiful country.
Ultralight Backpack Design
So how are ultralight backpacks different and how do they work?
The ultralight pack concept only works if one has reduced your base weight somewhat, which allows for a smaller pack that doesn’t need the traditional heavy-duty frame. As a result, ultralight packs don’t work with heavy loads, and one can’t simply say that I want to save a few kilograms of weight so will buy an ultralight pack and then stuff all my heavy equipment in there. This will cause what is known as torso collapse in the pack which will make it very uncomfortable to carry. Thus, ultralight packs typically have a maximum comfortable carrying weight of between 12kg and 15 kg. So how is an ultralight backpack comfortable without a traditional heavy-duty frame? The pack rigidity is achieved by a combination of the following:
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Thus, keeping the pack rigid by making sure the pack sizing is correct is an important element to the design of any ultralight pack. By not having empty space allows for better compression of the pack.
Pack compressing happens in two ways, first from the top using a roll-top closure system which is almost ubiquitous for ultralight packs. This allows one to roll down the bag as one consumes food etc. It also is an extremely waterproof closing system. Secondly, one should be able to compress the pack horizontally using side compression straps of some sort. It is however not recommended to rely on the compression system of your pack alone to keep it full but to first start with making sure your pack isn’t too big. There is another article on our website on how to find the correct size of pack for your gear setup.
WHAT NEXT
So, if starting a journey to ultralight hiking appeals to you, make contact with us and we can see how we can help you. We love chatting about hiking, gear and getting out into our beautiful country.
Pack compressing happens in two ways, first from the top using a roll-top closure system which is almost ubiquitous for ultralight packs. This allows one to roll down the bag as one consumes food etc. It also is an extremely waterproof closing system. Secondly, one should be able to compress the pack horizontally using side compression straps of some sort. It is however not recommended to rely on the compression system of your pack alone to keep it full but to first start with making sure your pack isn’t too big. There is another article on our website on how to find the correct size of pack for your gear setup.
WHAT NEXT
So, if starting a journey to ultralight hiking appeals to you, make contact with us and we can see how we can help you. We love chatting about hiking, gear and getting out into our beautiful country.
How to Choose the Right Pack Size
A properly sized ultralight backpack is important both for the comfort and the enjoyment of your pack. This is how you can figure out the right pack volume for you.
There are two reasons why selecting the right pack volume is important. Firstly, and most obviously, it needs to have sufficient space to fit your gear. But secondly, it should not be too big resulting in voids in the pack that could cause the pack to lose rigidity and thus become uncomfortable. It is, therefore, better to err on the side of a smaller pack, which is the reason that ultralight backpacks are traditionally sized small. This encourages one to not over-pack but also makes sure that the contents are packed tightly. This allows for easy compression of the pack, retaining the pack stiffness. This, along with the struts ensures that the pack stays stiff (i.e. comfortable) but with still a lightweight construction. |
Type of hiking
To start with you will need to decide what you want to use the backpack for. If it is likely to be for just a weekend hike almost exclusively to huts, then your gear setup will be quite different to a 6-day Drakensberg traverse. So, think about the expected maximum days of food carry you are likely to need. Are you likely to be hiking with a tent and mattress? Do you use an inflatable mattress that will be inside your pack or a rolled-up pad strapped to the outside? Will you primarily be hiking solo or with a group, i.e., will you be able to share gear like a tent, pots, stove etc?
These types of questions will help you work out what kit you will likely need.
To start with you will need to decide what you want to use the backpack for. If it is likely to be for just a weekend hike almost exclusively to huts, then your gear setup will be quite different to a 6-day Drakensberg traverse. So, think about the expected maximum days of food carry you are likely to need. Are you likely to be hiking with a tent and mattress? Do you use an inflatable mattress that will be inside your pack or a rolled-up pad strapped to the outside? Will you primarily be hiking solo or with a group, i.e., will you be able to share gear like a tent, pots, stove etc?
These types of questions will help you work out what kit you will likely need.
Base Gear Volume Next, get all your gear together, i.e., clothes, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, cook set, gas canisters, toiletries etc. Don’t include food at this stage as that will vary per trip. Also, don’t include gear that will be on the outside of your pack. Find a rectangular cardboard box and pack your gear into it. It will be important to pack it into the box quite tightly as this will best mimic the way you would pack your backpack. You can then measure the length and width of the box as well as the height that the gear takes up in the box. (This is best done by measuring down from the top of the box to the gear and subtracting this measurement from the total height of the box). Calculate the volume that your gear takes up using the following formula: Volume (litres) = Length (cm) x Width (cm) x height (cm) /1000 |
Food
Then you need to add volume for your food. One can work on between 1.2 litres and 1.8 litres of food per day, depending on how calorie-dense your meals are. Calculate then the maximum volume of food you intend to carry, e.g., if you are expecting a maximum food carry of 5 days, then you would add 5 x (1.2 to 1.8 litres), i.e. 6 to 9 litres. If you mostly use pre-made dehydrated foods, you would be on the lower end of this spectrum.
Water
Water volume needs to be included in the volume calculation if you are using a hydration bladder as this will fit inside your pack. However, if you are using the standard side water bottle pockets, then you can exclude your water volume as the side pocket are not included in the quoted pack volume.
Pack volume
Then just add your food volume (and hydration bladder if necessary) to your baseload gear volume and you will get a rough idea of the pack volume you need. You may find that this ends up being smaller than you expected. This is normal. Traditionally in South Africa we don't tend to completely fill our pack and often have lots of spare space in traditional framed packs.
Ideally, you will want your base volume to fit up to the shoulder strap level, but that will depend highly on your torso length and is not essential. If that is not possible, then rather go with a smaller pack size so that the top of your base gear sits above your shoulder strap. If it doesn’t reach the shoulder strap position, your pack will be too empty by the time you have consumed all your food and may not be as comfortable.
The details of our pack volumes are available on the website under technical details. The main internal pack volume and volume of the external stretch pocket are stated separately. You can use this to determine how much space you may need for items that must go inside the pack (e.g., sleeping bag and clothes).
If you are between pack sizes
What if you are between pack sizes? Which one do you go for? That will depend really on how seriously you are taking the lightweight thing. The preference should be to go for the smaller pack, forcing you to leave stuff behind. Also, there is plenty of space to fit things on the outside of the pack in the front pocket or shock cords, things such as your mug, toiletries, towel, raincoat/poncho and even food.
However, if you are willing to carry the extra weight and would rather have space for some bulky luxury items, then go for the larger size.
Custom sizing
If our standard sizes don’t work for you, we can also make up a pack with a specific volume if you want. Give us a shout and we can chat about it.
Then you need to add volume for your food. One can work on between 1.2 litres and 1.8 litres of food per day, depending on how calorie-dense your meals are. Calculate then the maximum volume of food you intend to carry, e.g., if you are expecting a maximum food carry of 5 days, then you would add 5 x (1.2 to 1.8 litres), i.e. 6 to 9 litres. If you mostly use pre-made dehydrated foods, you would be on the lower end of this spectrum.
Water
Water volume needs to be included in the volume calculation if you are using a hydration bladder as this will fit inside your pack. However, if you are using the standard side water bottle pockets, then you can exclude your water volume as the side pocket are not included in the quoted pack volume.
Pack volume
Then just add your food volume (and hydration bladder if necessary) to your baseload gear volume and you will get a rough idea of the pack volume you need. You may find that this ends up being smaller than you expected. This is normal. Traditionally in South Africa we don't tend to completely fill our pack and often have lots of spare space in traditional framed packs.
Ideally, you will want your base volume to fit up to the shoulder strap level, but that will depend highly on your torso length and is not essential. If that is not possible, then rather go with a smaller pack size so that the top of your base gear sits above your shoulder strap. If it doesn’t reach the shoulder strap position, your pack will be too empty by the time you have consumed all your food and may not be as comfortable.
The details of our pack volumes are available on the website under technical details. The main internal pack volume and volume of the external stretch pocket are stated separately. You can use this to determine how much space you may need for items that must go inside the pack (e.g., sleeping bag and clothes).
If you are between pack sizes
What if you are between pack sizes? Which one do you go for? That will depend really on how seriously you are taking the lightweight thing. The preference should be to go for the smaller pack, forcing you to leave stuff behind. Also, there is plenty of space to fit things on the outside of the pack in the front pocket or shock cords, things such as your mug, toiletries, towel, raincoat/poncho and even food.
However, if you are willing to carry the extra weight and would rather have space for some bulky luxury items, then go for the larger size.
Custom sizing
If our standard sizes don’t work for you, we can also make up a pack with a specific volume if you want. Give us a shout and we can chat about it.
tips to reduce your pack weight
Coming soon
how to fit your pack
How to Pack an ultralight backpack