I love an ultralight setup as much as the next person. I just want to shout out the advice though that if you are overweight the easiest way to cut literally 10's of pounds from your carried weight is to go out and hike/camp more then talking about the weight savings between .9oz/yd fabric to 1.1oz or the importance of a saving an few tenths of an oz on ones stove. I was about 10lbs over my ideal weight and after enough hiking I can say the most comfortable weight to cut was in my gut. Even if my pack gained 10 lbs I would still be able to carry it with more comfort and energy than before.

Edited by caraz on 07/30/2009 14:44:06 MDT.

Sounds quite simple, no? I'm pretty sure most overweight people are quite aware of this. Somehow I don't think its just that easy. I don't think there's a 40 billion dollar weight loss industry in this country for nothing.

Part of what 'ultralight' does is allow (if only mentally) people to enjoy backpacking/hiking who might otherwise not be able to due to weight issues, age, injury, obligations, etc. Ultralight allows some people to cover more ground during their rare time off than they would otherwise. And its just plain cool.

Just because someone can be online debating fabrics during their work break or whatever does not mean they could also be out on an overnighter. Maybe they could be taking a walk around the neighborhood in the same time, but they could also be munching on twinkies so I don't really catch the logic. UL is a hobby (or maybe something more sinister for some) and has got people from all walks of life. I don't get whats the problem with people (overweight or not) discussing new UL techniques - doesn't seem too harmful, and if it happens to facilitate more enjoyable trips in the outdoors than all the better.

I'm sure others have got more to say on this...

.... since i'm me.

Lol Dave, I think someones keyboard is malfunctioning - and i'm not sure that its yours.

I'm sharing advice for slashing easy weight.

Edited by caraz on 07/30/2009 14:44:55 MDT.

Cara,
I am one of the lardasses of which you speak. Your original post seems very pretentious. Some of us have responsibilities that keep us closer to civilization for longer than we care to be. I work out, but combining it with lighter gear makes my time out in the sticks more enjoyable while I'm doing it, and it also adds to the time I'm able to hike on rough terrain.
If you claim to be only 10 pounds overweight, that can be lost in a week. For this topic, I really don't think your experience lends much toward motivation, nor is it an epiphany. Many who are overweight will laugh at someone who considers 10 pounds a problem. I know I do!
Chris

Cara:

It's one thing to advise on gear weight. But when it comes to personal body weight -- I think your "advice" is unhelpful. I say this because I think most all people who are overweight know about your "advice" already -- and for whatever personal reasons, they have not found it so "easy" to lose weight.

BTW, I am 5'9" and 150 lbs. We all have different metabolisms and temptations and weaknesses -- it just so happens that my metabolism is high and food isn't a great temptation for me.

Edited by ben2world on 06/03/2008 14:41:40 MDT.

Yeah, and if all you lazy lardasses (including sedentary cubicle dweller Chris) were eating less in the first place that would be better too. You would not need to take as much food on your backpacking trips and therefore reduce your pack weight. Sorry for shoving my enlightenment down your fat derrieres but most overweight people are stupid too. No need to thank me. Just sharing the obvious (for some). And Ben: you are losing your edge.

Edited by svenklingemann on 06/03/2008 14:43:31 MDT.

Just wait till you hit middle age -- when metabolism slows, and the midsection sags. Mwahahaha...

That is NOT funny. Depending on what you call mid-age, I am blaming my recent weight gain on it already. Time to hit the trails and lose those 10 pounds in a week (in a week???).
S.

Well, I would like to add another point. If anyone overweight spent all the money they spend on gear that is a few ounces lighter on liposuction instead, the saved weight from the surgery would be more then the saved weight of buying lighter gear! Has anyone considered this?

For the record, I'm 5'8" and 155...Thanks for showing me how fat I am Benjamin!

Also, Cara, I hope you realize that people poke a lot of fun on these forums. Don't let us scare you! It is certainly true that losing weight is great and I'm sure everyone here agrees. I think it was simply that you criticized people for talking about light gear instead of being out walking and most all of us hold this topic very close to our hearts...I think we all wish we could be out more. Since we can't, we talk about light gear!

Edited by arichardson6 on 06/03/2008 15:01:02 MDT.

Yeah, middle age is a b**ch, especially for women. However, as an ex-competitive bodybuilder, I know better than to try and maintain a weight that is lower than my brain is happy with. 10 lbs really is *nothing* when it come to weight loss...I gained 7 KILOS in 3 days after my last competition. Mostly water that I had worked hard the previous week to shed. An average diet would see me lose 20kg over 16 weeks...not healthy! Diets are BAD and for most people they just lead to long term rebound weight gain so you end up heavier than when you started :( Better to not gain the weight to start with, but if you have gained it, maybe just make friends with your new body and try VERY HARD to not gain any more weight.

The assumption that someone is overweight because they have time to contribute to these forums and thus must not be getting out enough is pretty inflammatory. I hike more than I did in my youth, and am fitter for hiking than I used to be, yet I still managed to gain weight and have time to contribute here. There is no link as far as I'm concerned.

Oh yeah, and when I was getting ready for a competition I had zero stamina or energy for anything like backpacking.

Has never let her excess baggage get in the way tooooo much ;-)

Actually the truth is you can be weak whether you are fat or skinny. Being skinny does not equate strength.

I don't worry that much about my fat. I just keep walking. Hiking is 90% mental for me anyways. Now that Ben? He is skinny. And eats nothing.

I walk so I can eat. I happen to have a love affair that treads torrid-ness with food :-P If I didn't hike I'd probably weigh 400 lbs. My food bag was 3 times the size of Ben's.

And 10 lbs? LMFAO. Yeah, not. I am sure I could lose like 40 lbs. Oh well. Life sucks. Then again, when I was skinny my hipbelt always hurt. No "padding". lol.....

Lipo, eh?

I'm new here, but this seems like a brave new world indeed:

Instead of cutting off extraneous straps and and the end of your toothbrush you are talking about cutting off unnecessary parts of your bodies!...is this going to be the new measure of a truly dedicated Ultra-lighter? Too hard-core for me, I'm outta here.

Sven - Have a good hike.

Andrew -- you and I are both underweight. I'll meet you at Baskin Robbins and I'll match you scoop for scoop! :)

A good buddy of mine is 6 ft. tall and used to weigh 230 lbs (or something like that). He hated being fat but couldn't stop eating fried, greasy and heavily spiced foods. He asked me what kind of gym equipment he should buy to work off his fat. I told him not only did he not need to waste money on fancy gym equipment -- but he could actually save money and lose weight by eating less and doing some exercises like walking, sit ups, push ups plus a few stretching routine. And he could start real easy and work his way to a sustainable routine. My buddy went out and spent over $10K on two beautiful Bowflex machines.

So, fast forward a few months, the Bowflex were coated with dust and his weight went up to 260. He then talked about doing a lipo! "But c'mon", I said, "if you don't change your eating/exercising habits, then you'll just get all the pounds back, and if you do change your habits, then you won't even need the lipo"! He went ahead and spent $6K on lipo -- and his body oozed out grease like a giant oiled duck for days afterwards. His wife got pretty disgusted with him, having to change linen and sheets every day.

And now, after spending $10K on Bowflex and $6K on lipo -- my buddy tells me his weight is now around 295 -- although I suspect he's simply too embarrased to say 300+.

I feel sorry for him, because I know how much he hates being fat... and I am sure if it were easy, he would have done it long ago. Sigh.

Edited by ben2world on 06/03/2008 15:37:47 MDT.

At the risk of sounding preachy, I have just 3 words of advice .... "Park Your Car"

It's the only way I can maintain being merely "too overweight" vs much more so.

It's also the only way I am fit enough to enjoy the times I can get on trail.

THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ME, CARA ZICHELLI, BUT BY A FRIEND USING MY COMPUTER. SORRY.


It was not my intent to be critical of the ultralight dialouges that take place, its a passion for us all and spawns the breakthroughs that make us come here. I will be more sensitive to peoples issues and encourage us all to lead healthy lives. I defend my statement though that in the spirit of going as light as possible in cases where excess body weight is concered individuals should examine their own potential to shed weight with 0.1oz of the fervent scrutinity they extend to all things extraneous. Its not an attack on obesity. All people are beautiful in all sizes ahd shapes but the dialogues that exist in these forums are for discussing ideas with regard to lightweight backpacking. I offered an observation for going lighter, 10lbs in my case, if you felt threatened I would suggest not being so hard on yourself, you could probably take me anyway.

Edited by caraz on 06/03/2008 20:29:29 MDT.

... it's all in the delivery. if you said what you said slightly differently, it probably would have been received better (i.e. not "shouting" at us all!).

the point is well-taken that shedding some pounds is a good idea. (that's part of the reason i like to do intermittent long, hard hikes.) but this site isn't much about dieting advice as it is about ul-hiking and gear. it's largely a home for obsessive gearheads, just like some other site is probably good for obsessive calorie counters, or decorative-plate collectors, or something else.

there's nothing mutually exclusive about being 10 pounds overweight and wanting to lighten your backpack weight.

Edited by DaveT on 06/03/2008 16:23:18 MDT.

I totally agree about all these lazy, fat slobs. I look after my body and would never let myself gain weight. I've increased my smoking to 2 packs a day to cut out those hunger pangs.:)