What is Ultralight Backpacking?
The first thing we need to do is define what ultralight backpacking is. When compared to mainstream backpacking as a whole, the ultralight approach is relatively new. It would be tough to estimate even when it started, or became popular. I am sure even back in the caveman days some traveler was carrying very little or nothing on his back for days. My earliest known example was Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in the 1960s carrying only a duffel bag slung over her shoulder which contained a wool blanket and a plastic shower curtain for shelter. Lets hear it for grandma! The next one to come along and make a splash was Ray Jardine. He wrote a book called Beyond Backpacking back in 1992. The early followers of his ideas and techniques began to refer to them as the "Ray Way". A lot of what Ray wrote was slanted towards long distance thru hikers. But his ideas and approach can be used by anyone. The whole idea is to reduce pack weight.
Wikipedia explains it as "Ultralight backpacking is a style of backpacking that emphasizes the use of the lightest-weight equipment available. Ultralight backpackers strive to reduce their base pack weight (the weight of a backpack plus the gear inside - excluding consumables such as food, water, and fuel) as much as possible". OK, I agree with that, but where it gets cloudy is defining the weight for each category of backpacking. After lots of research I have discovered it is not an exact weight but a range of weights. Here is what I have come up with (again remember these are base weights which don't include consumables such as food, water, and fuel):
Traditional backpacking: Starts at around 25 to 30 lbs and goes up from there
Lightweight Backpacking: Probably in the range of 10 to 25 lbs
Ultralight Backpacking: Now we are in the range of 5 to 10 lbs
Super Ultralight Backpacking: Anything under 5 lbs. (this one is tough to accomplish)
All of this is a loose interpretation simply because the time of year, weather conditions, elevation, temperature and comfort level can all play a role in the equipment you will carry. In my humble opinion all of the weights listed above are for 3-season (spring, summer and fall) backpacking. For example, if it is the dead of winter and someone is carrying 12 to 15 lbs of gear I would still consider that ultralight for winter backpacking. Another huge criteria that people forget is how big you are. I personally am a big guy at 6' 1" and 200 lbs. There is no way my equipment will weigh less than a 5' 100 lb woman. My sleeping bag is bigger and longer, all of my clothes are XL in size and I eat more than she does. So even my consumables weigh more. So when comparing gear list weights try to take into account who is carrying it.
I think what is important to remember is that we create these categories so we have some way of measuring where we stand. To give us a sense of progress as we reduce weight.
Why go Ultralight?
The quickest and easiest answer I can give is it makes the backpacking experience more enjoyable and less stressful. Another advantage you will experience is your trips can be longer than previously accomplished. I remember in the early days only being able to hike about 6 to 8 miles a day when I was carrying a 60 lb pack. And I was young and in shape back then. When I got my pack weight down to 35 lbs I was able to extend my range to 10 to 12 miles per day. When I carried a 10 lb pack I was covering 17 to 20 miles and at the end of the day I was tired (who wouldn't be after walking 20 miles) but I wasn't totally exhausted. And I bounced back quickly. After a good meal and a restful nights sleep I was ready to do it all over again. In the early days I dreaded having to lift that humongous 60 lb pack onto my sore shoulders and start hiking again. Lets just say that getting started in the morning was a bit slow.
Another advantage you will experience is speed. I don't mean that by reducing you pack weight you will now be able to run down the trail. You could if you wanted to but I don't recommend it. By speed I mean the amount of time it takes to complete a trip. Here is a simple example. Say your current backpacking trips are 5 day affairs with a total mileage of 30 miles. You accomplish this minimum mileage by trudging down the trail carrying that 60 lb pack. This includes an average food weight of 2 lbs per day. That's 10 lbs of food for 5 days. Your pack breaks down to 50 lbs of gear and 10 lbs of food. So for your next trip you have purchased some lighter weight equipment and left some of the frills and redundant equipment at home. Your base weight is now 25 lbs. You also realize you can cover that same 30 miles in only 3 days. So you only need 3 days of food which brings your total pack weight to 31 lbs (25 lb base with 6 lbs of food). Still pretty heavy but you are now a lightweight backpacker. Seeing how much better you feel by reducing your pack weight you decide to reduce further. Your base weight is now 10 lbs and with such a lightweight pack covering 30 miles only takes 2 days and 4 lbs of food to accomplish. You make a decision that you really like being out in the woods for 5 days. With your new 10 lb base weight you now have the ability to cover 75 miles in 5 days if you so choose. Add 10 lbs of food for a 5 day trip and your entire pack weighs a scant 20 lbs. You have cut your pack weight by two thirds and can now cover more than two and a half times the number of miles you could before. Now that is progress! Just think of the amount of wilderness you can experience in 75 miles.
The point of all this is that taking the ultralight approach does have its advantages. Your knees and back will thank you. So will your disposition. Ultralight backpacking is not for everyone. There will be people that just won't be able to leave the french press coffee maker at home. Or the 10" hunting knife that makes them feel secure. But that's okay. Because everyone needs to hike their own hike and be in their own comfort zone. The reality is that ultralight backpacking has more to do with what is between your ears than what's on your back. It is a thought process that once you "get it" selecting what goes in your pack is the easy part. The most important thing to remember is that backpacking is suppose to be fun and if the decision to carry a few extras makes your experience more enjoyable, then do so. If on the other hand leaving those extras at home doesn't diminish the fun, then maybe you didn't need those extras after all.