WELCOME TO CHASING TEN:
CHASING TEN
THE QUEST TO LOWER
YOUR BASE WEIGHT.
CHASING TEN
THE QUEST TO LOWER
YOUR BASE WEIGHT.
CHASING TEN
THE QUEST TO LOWER
YOUR BASE WEIGHT.
BASE WEIGHT
WHAT YOUR BACKPACKING SYSTEM WEIGHS BEFORE YOU ADD IN FOOD, WATER, AND POSSIBLY FUEL.
BACKPACKING BASE WEIGHT:
WHAT YOUR BACKPACKING SYSTEM WEIGHS BEFORE
YOU ADD IN FOOD, WATER, AND POSSIBLY FUEL.
BASE WEIGHT
WHAT YOUR BACKPACKING SYSTEM WEIGHS BEFORE YOU ADD IN FOOD, WATER, AND POSSIBLY FUEL.
If your affinity for backpacking is transitioning to an obsession, you’ll inevitably develop a more scrupulous eye for the gear you’ll use to feed it. With an uptick in the research you do, and through conversations with other adventurers, you’ve no doubt been introduced to the concept of base weight and the lengths folks will go to lower it. Sawing off toothbrush handles to save grams? For some, it’s not funny.
We know why we “go there.” We’ve said it before–it’s simple physics. The lower the weight of a pack, the less energy you’ll need to throw it over your shoulders and carry it over a given distance. The less energy you need to exert, the more you’ll have in the tank over the course of a day. You may still finish a day with your ass kicked, but at least it won’t be your pack’s fault.
One of the easiest ways to start to decrease your base weight is by changing the way you look at your kit and the components that make it up. Thinking about your setup as a system comprised of pieces that serve more than one function will automatically remove the heft of items that you’d only be carrying to perform one role. With that filter in place, you can then begin to assemble the high-quality, lightweight gear that does everything you need to be efficient, comfortable, safe, and warm without bringing the kitchen sink.
MIKE ST. PIERRE
HMG CEO + FOUNDER // BACKPACKER // ADVENTURER
Mike St. Pierre is the founder and CEO of Hyperlite Mountain Gear. After disappointing years spent trying to achieve his minimalist setup goals with the garden-variety backpacking equipment available at the time, he decided to take matters in his own hands and make what he wanted. The rest is history. He’s the 36th person to have hiked the length of the Grand Canyon, and he’s backpacked, packrafted, and ice climbed in countless other iconic and remote locations all over the country.
AND AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, AN ULTRALIGHT GEAR COMPANY HAS QUITE A FEW ULTRALIGHT FRIENDS. WE REACHED OUT TO A FEW OF OUR EMPLOYEES, AMBASSADORS, AND CUSTOMERS FOR A LOOK AT WHAT THEY TRAVEL WITH AND WHY.
TINA CURRIN
WRITER // ACTIVIST // ITINERANT
Tina has used her combined skills in writing and organizing—as well as a generally irreverent attitude—to launch several viral campaigns for social justice. Her work has been featured in places like The New York Times, NPR, and Rolling Stone. Tina capitalized on this success by dropping off-grid and moving into a van with two cats and a dog, ensuring that everything she owns would always be covered in some amount of pet hair. She has since explored more than 125 National Park units, climbed countless mountains, and thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail—with a broken toe. When she’s not writing about her mishaps and misadventures, Tina somehow gets paid to wear a big hat and help others explore and protect our natural wonders.
TYSON PERKINS
HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE // THRU HIKER // ABSOLUTE MAD-LAD
Tyson has been with Hyperlite Mountain Gear since the early days of 2015 as a tentmaker on the production line. He’s now manning the phones and emails with his cohort Dylan in Customer Service and handling any IT issues within the company. He also hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016 and continues to get after it either in the mountains or out on the ocean with his 'shred sled' (what he calls a surfboard). He's easily recognized by his super long hair, floral shirts, and bright smile.
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON
THRU HIKER // DOG DAD // AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER
After hiking 1/3 of the Appalachian Trail in 2016 with a 70L pack and way too much gear, Christopher knew he needed to lower his base weight and pack size drastically. He was carrying his gear, but there were plenty of times when he needed to bring some or all of his pup Winnie’s gear as well. He began going lighter and lighter on the Tuscarora Trail, Northville-Placid Trail, and Allegheny Trail, finally lowering his base weight to a comfortable level before the Appalachian Trail. More times than he can count, it allowed him to carry a full DSLR camera and Winnie's gear from Maine to Georgia, with the comfort and ease that only going ultralight could have afforded him.
TAYLOR BRACHER
SKIER // RESCUER // MOUNTAIN ENTHUSIAST
Taylor Bracher lives, works, and plays on the traditional lands of the Athabascan people, in the heart of the Alaska Range. Since moving to Alaska almost 10 years ago, she has worked as a ski patroller, park ranger, and mountain guide. When she's not helping others safely explore the wilderness, she enjoys skiing, packrafting, gardening, and fishing right out her front door. She has thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, climbed Denali, and traversed hundreds of miles (and counting...) across the glaciers, rivers, brush, and tundra of the Alaska Range.
SAMUEL MARTIN
THRU HIKER // PHOTOGRAPHER // ULTRA RUNNER
“Keep it simple, stupid.” Samuel Martin is a commercial photographer and thru hiker based out of North Carolina. He embraced the mantra of K.I.S.S. while thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 and continues to practice its theme in life and on trail.
DYLAN SUHR
THRU HIKER // BACKPACKER // FULL SENDER
Dylan grew up in Georgia, thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2017, and now lives downtown Portland, Maine. Over Summer weekends, he’s linking together long stretches of trail in the White Mountains. Winter’s got him in the same spots and elevation with a snowboard.
THE TEN ESSENTIALS
In our Shakedown Series, we distilled the ten pound base weight a little further with what is widely considered the essential equipment for an overnight, multi-day backpacker kit, looking at each and every possible item.
THE TEN ESSENTIALS
In our Shakedown Series, we distilled the ten pound base weight a little further with what is widely considered the essential equipment for an overnight, multi-day backpacker kit, looking at each and every possible item.