Reduce The Weight of Your Shelter for Ultralight Backpacking

Hiking Lightweight is more popular than it was before. With less weight on your back you have more fun. You feel free, unburdened, and close to nature. You can save a lot of weight from your tent or shelter.

There have been some good lightweight shelter options for many years, especially if you backpack with a partner. You could split the weight of the tent by letting one person carry the fly and poles while the other carried the tent body. The standard for ultralight 2 person tents have somehow improved over the years and most of what was considered ultralight before is not so anymore .

Tents that are too heavy are still produced even today. Even though tent makers don’t want their tents to be returned, they still make them out of cheap and heavy materials. A tent will last for many years if you take care of it well enough. Mainstream tent makers are still outperformed by specialty tent makers in the ultralight field.

With the introduction of ultralight silicone-imbed nylon, 2 person shelters are now weighing as little as two pounds. One-person tents are less than two pounds. It’s more than just the fabric that has gone lighter. Carbon fiber is now the standard material for tent poles. A 45″ tent pole can now weigh less than two ounces. You can also use trekking poles are tent poles to save weight. Now that reduces the weight of your tent pole down to zero. To reduce the weight of the tent even further titanium stakes are used instead of aluminum ones.

Tarps are a good alternative to tents for ultralight backpackers because they’re very light. Using tarps actually makes you feel closer to nature but you’re also not completely protected form the elements. Some people use ponchos which can be used as raingear as well as tarp. It’s always great to save the total weight of a piece of gear. To protect yourself from the rain when you use a tarp, a lightweight bivvy or sleeping bag cover can be as light as six to seven ounces. A ground cloth underneath you can be in the three ounce range. Ground cloths can be made from silicone-impregnated nylon or Tyvek.

If you need mosquito protection, use an insect repellent or a mosquito net. Use a no-see-um netting and configure it to stay away from your face if you want something less confining.

If insects are just about the only concern you have, use a bug bivy. It’s a really doesn’t weigh very much.

Most really light tents aren’t freestanding like your old dome shelter. But they are easy to set up. The really light tents don’t have a separate fly, so that’s one less thing to set up. Instead the tents rely on well-designed ventilation on all sides.

If you’re hiking solo then consider using a one-person tent. Since there won’t be anyone to share the burden with, you would want your tent to be as light as possible. But it’s common for a solo hiker to use a 2 person tent because it provides additional space for comfort and gear.

Look closely at all the new options for ultralight shelters. See which ones have the features to fit your needs.

An ultralight tent doesn’t necessarily sacrifice comfort and you can have comfort both comfort at camp and while hiking with the right kind of tent.