I was thinking about what it is that draws us to ultralight backpacking. For me, what I learn hear I use on medical missions around the world. I get very excited about new ideas and so I thought about this "You know you are an ultralight backpacker if..." I'll start: you believe that the titanium spork is the greatest invention of the last 50 years. Have fun.
Mike

You mention the names of the manufacturers of your "big 3" at the local REI and the clerk says,"MLD who?:-)(sorry Ron).

you can actually use one of those Gossamer Gear prison toothbrushes... and not swallow it whole!

You buy lots of Fosters even though you don't like the beer and convince "friends" to drink it. Then you gather all the cans for MYOG projects.....

You bring your own scales to REI because you don't know when they last calibrated their's.

Every backpacker you meet asks what trailhead you came in from to be so far in on a "dayhike".

You recently bought a sewing machine that has sewn only nylon, LOTS of nylon.........

Multiple UL sites ask you to be a moderator.....

You only buy clothes from REI any more.......

Hiking 15-20 miles a day at 10-12,000 feet, you still can't drop nearly as weight as you used to because your pack is so much lighter........

You seriously consider renting a bigger apartment to have more room for your gear.........

You mentally calculate your base pack and full skin out weights as you get ready -- and you're only going to work or school. (My briefcase weighs less than half what it used to nowadays...)

Relying on Roach's Classic Commandment #10. You never pass up a chance to pee [for the weight reduction aspect of it]

Since it's never mentioned, when your dog hears the word pound, it runs and hides.

My one dog answers to ounce and the other to gram.

You realize every picture you take is always focused on the gear in the back-ground and not the person.

You have used more than 1 spools of thread from Thru-hiker.

You can make a mountain out of your down gear that stands higher than you.

Your anticipation of waiting for a new piece of gear is even more so than when you were getting married.

Edited by awsorensen on 02/16/2007 17:39:23 MST.

You ask an American friend to send you empty Heineken cans because they don't sell the large size in Europe.

You know how much your underwear weighs...

Edited by eaglemb on 02/16/2007 18:50:59 MST.

you create an ultralight backpacker group on facebook, an online community for coleges and businesses.

You cut those pesky heavy weight 1/2 gram tags off of your backpacking clothes.

Your toothbrush is under 3 inches(7.5 cm) long.

You brush your teeth with Dr. Bronners Soap.

REI just seems a little boring these days.

You have a list or spreadsheet with the exact weights of all your backpacking gear...and you study it!

You cook your food in a plastic bag!

Your sleeping bag/top bag collection continues to grow as you discover new ways to spend hundred$ to save a few ounces.

You linger a bit too long in the ovenpan liner and aluminum foil section of the grocery store.

Edited by happycamper on 02/17/2007 16:46:01 MST.

You stare at a Gossamer Gear prison toothbrush thinking of how it might be made lighter.

You use the words "multi-use" and "fuel" in the same sentence.

Other hikers wonder what you left behind, or snuck into their packs.

When your partner leaves the community potty paper in the talus slope above the lake you explain that most of the options now include their clothing.

You incorporate titanium into your MYOG pot stand projects, pot stands designed to nest into your titanium solo cookpot.

And the pot stands incorporate priming pans sized to hold MYOG pressurized alcohol stoves made from 5.5 oz V8 cans. Long ago you decided that stoves based on 12 oz cans are just way too luxurious for your minimalist backcounty needs...

You begin to think of aerogel as heavy.

You criticize the big aluminum pot with the sizzling steak inside and the huge mug of cappucino of the camper next to you while you sit there huddled over a tiny pot of boiling water.

Just as you buy a new GoLite pack you see a newer version 5 grams lighter and immediately begin lusting after it, even though you haven't yet taken the one you just bought out the door!

You agonize for days over whether to buy a Lunar Solo or a Contrail, but then decide to buy both, just in case!

You're walking along a mountain trail and wonder why everyone keeps staring at you as you pass by. Doesn't everyone keep things light by walking in the buff?

You don't remember the name of the hiker you met on the trail, but you remember he was carrying a [insert favorite pack name here]

Your clothing tags (if you haven't cut them out) have weights written on them, as does most of your gear.

You return from a trip and log onto BPL to reply to questions and see what you've missed, before you even unpack... uh, excuse me now..!

A few more occurred to me, based upon my experiences yesterday and today:

You automatically calculate the caloric density of foods at the grocery store, even when your shopping for food to cook at home.

You pause before seam sealing your new poncho tarp because you are concerned by the weight the SilNet will add.

You repackage your Freeze-dried meals into Ziplocks to eliminate the weight of the oxygen absorber.

You decide that it's ok to shiver "just a little" at 4am if you can get by with the summer bag instead of the winter one.

you only fill your aquamira mini bottles halfway to save a half ounce on a weekend trip.

There are more boxes of ziplock freezer bags in your pantry than actual food.

You view getting your wisdom teeth out as an opportunity to improve your full skin-out weight.