The pack I used for my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2002 was so light, and so simple, it amazed people. They were surprised that it was durable enough for the entire journey (nearly 5 months) and carried all the weight that was necessary for my hike.
There are several non-frame packs available, and even patterns for sewing your own. Some come with hip belts, and have capacities near 5,000 cubic inches. Most weigh just under a pound. In the “Make Your Own” gear section in Chapter 8, there are directions for sewing my Silnylon pack, which weighed only 9 ounces.
The important thing about non-frame packs is how they are loaded. Mine was so shapeless when empty it resembled a large stuff sack with hip belt and shoulder straps. On really cold nights when I was wearing all my clothes, my pack was rolled up and used as a pillow. Of course, it would make a great vapor barrier foot bag as well, and could be used on the outside or inside of the sleeping bag.
For a sleeping pad, I used a closed cell foam pad trimmed to 19 inches wide by 5 feet long. At this printing, they cost less than $6 and can be trimmed easily. One pad lasted the entire trail for me, about 5 months of hiking. By rolling it up as a cylinder, and leaving room in the center, I could slide it into the pack and form a very stable shape. With the pack's draw cord pulled just enough to hold it up and over the pad, the pack would sit upright when loaded. A shorter pad could be used, but this length was optimal for me, providing insulation in cold weather and also providing a clean area on shelter floors. I always line my pack with a large black garbage bag before loading it.
Some people prefer to use a z-rest. They can shape a non-frame pack by folding it over and using a width of two sections. Then, it is placed inside along the back of the pack. A z-rest will lose its loft after much compression, so take care how tightly it is packed. They cost nearly $30. If you prefer a thermarest, a self-inflating pad, you will not have a rigid pad to use for your pack shape. In that case, just use stuff sacks stacked inside the pack horizontally.
A non-frame pack can have water bottle bags threaded onto the front shoulder straps. Both bottles should have the same capacity, so that they will counter-balance the weight in the pack. Be sure the bags are taller than the bottles, so that they do not slide down and away from the bottles. Otherwise, the bottles may fall out. Mesh pockets sewn to the outside of this type pack work well for carrying shelters, stakes, trowels and anything large enough not to fall through. They are easy to add to packs already purchased.
I found that placing the food bag, minus that day's snacks and lunch, in the bottom of my pack kept the weight at my hips, carrying the load better and closer to my body. When the heavy food sack was placed on top, it tended to shift backwards. After the food sack was placed inside the pack, I placed my sleeping bag with sleeping clothes in another stuff sack. That went in next. The cook set in its own ditty bag, my hygiene bag, and Murphy kit were all placed on top of the sleeping bag. On nice days, my tent went inside the pack next. Lastly, that day's lunch and snacks went on the top, and the plastic bag liner twisted and folded over. The pack has a flap-type lid with pocket. The journal and data sheets went in a top flap pocket. If it was raining, or my tent was wet, it went in an outside mesh pocket. My rain clothes and pack cover were put into separate outside pockets of the pack. Each item was packed this way, so in case of sudden thunderstorm, nothing inside the pack had to be disturbed until it was safely under the tent or inside a shelter. My waterproof watch, razor knife, photon lights and GI-style can opener went inside my short's pocket for easy access.
While it seems that tarps have replaced tents in the ultralight community, and that a certain status comes with using a tarp, this is not necessarily recommendable for everyone. A close scrutiny of various features and a realization of one's own hiking style should dictate what type of shelter to use, more than the pressure of trend. If you spend a lot of time in your shelter, for instance, in winter or bad weather, space and comfort will be more important than if you are hiking long days during the summer in pleasant weather or dry climates.
Ultralight shelters designed by long distance hikers have features that eliminate problems found in many tents. Any shelter that can be repaired on the trail using only a needle and thread has advantages over those that have complicated hardware, shock-corded poles, or zippers. Shelters that are designed to use hiking poles for the frame or that have exterior loops for suspending with a rope from a branch is also a big plus. Storm doors and vestibules are options not everyone feels are needed. Storm doors provide weather protection and privacy. Vestibules offer a place to put wet gear or extra water bottles. A poncho can serve as a storm door or vestibule with a basic tarp. Sewn-in overhanging panels provide minimal rain protection with or without a door system. No-see-um netting, sometimes called screen or mesh, protect against insects, rodents and larger animals. It can be sewn onto tarps and shelters, and is an advantage tents have. All options will increase the shelter's weight. You must decide if the benefits merit the weight.
Single wall shelters are lighter than double wall shelters. They do cause more concern over condensation. A wide door and center height of at least three feet reduces problems associated with condensation. With all shelters, pitching in tall grass, camping in damp areas, and closing it completely will increase condensation. When a shelter is closed completely, you can use a camp towel or bandana to wipe off condensation.
An important consideration is the ease of setting up, or pitching the shelter. Always practice pitching a new shelter on a nice day. This is a good time to look for hidden weight. If you need more stakes than anticipated, more guy lines, or to read the instructions, it will be much easier than on the trail in driving rain. Some shelters require more than 6 stakes, many guy lines, additional seam sealing, or a ground cloth. Check to be sure your shelter can be pitched so that there is no sagging. Rain will pool in such conditions, and eventually can wick through. Most fabrics will stretch even after being pitched tight. Readjusting the guy lines before bed is a good idea. If a storm comes through, your shelter will be taut and it will shed rain. A shelter with many seams has potential for more places to leak. Pitch the shelter aerodynamically, with the low side into the wind.
When taking down a shelter, remove the stakes by pulling up on the stake itself, never on the staking loops. Sometimes, one stake must be used to pull another out. This can be done by placing one stake vertically through the hook of the impacted stake and pulling upwards. Place the stakes in a bag separate from the shelter, to prevent the stakes from puncturing the shelter. Shake out debris, match all Velcro closures and close the zippers. Lift one corner of the fabric and begin stuffing into its stuff sack, ending with the window, or screen. That way, all the air can escape. If you have stuffed a wet or damp shelter, air-dry it as soon as possible. Even silnylon will grow mold and deteriorate if left in a dark, moist environment. Shelters should not be folded because the creases, especially if done the same way time after time, will wear the fabric on the folded line. Just stuff it into its sack when packing up. That's why it's called a "stuff sack".
A tarp generally doesn’t have an attached floor. Some hybrid systems, called tarp-tents, have sewn-in floors which may be made of mesh or waterproof fabric. Some benefits of a tarp are: variation in pitch, larger covered space per ounce of weight, more pet friendly (without the floor), cooking fuel cannot burn the floor, and cleaning and airing is easier with no floor to trap debris. Poles, guy lines and stakes may weigh more or less than a tent, depending on configuration.
An efficient way to pitch a simple, flat, rectangular tarp is to stake out the back corners of one long side. Place this back side into the wind. Pull the parallel front length of the tarp forward and inward, forming a trapezoidal floor shape. Stake the two front corners. Then, lift the slack created in the front with a pole, or suspend from a limb. This forms the door. Many flat tarps are pitched in simple pup-tent configurations. Another way to pitch a flat tarp is to stretch a rope between two trees and stake down the back side into the wind. Bring the front over the rope and have it
hanging over the line, then guy-out the front two corners.
Structured tarps with overhanging panels, beaks, doors and floors are usually easier to set up, and they provide a sure pitch every time. However, if you prefer different configurations, a flat tarp will be the better choice, and less expensive. Directions for sewing silnylon flat tarps of various sizes can be seen in the “Making Your Own” section.
Weights of silnylon tarps:
For a solo hiker: 5 x 8 ft. is seven ounces; 5 x 9 is nine ounces. For one to two persons, an 8 x 8 is 11 ounces; an 8 x 10 is fourteen ounces; a 10 x 10 is eighteen ounces. For two or three people, a 10 x 12 weighing twenty-one ounces should be very adequate.
A solo, single wall two-pound tent was a breakthrough just a few years ago. Now, two person tents are in that weight range. The first Tacoma shelter, with all its guy lines and stakes, weighed just 18 ounces and was used for 5 months on my 2002 Appalachian thru-hike. My tent was smaller than the new model, which is 20 ounces and will fit most adults. It is not free standing, but that never was a problem.
Handcrafted, ultralight tents are expensive but if you decide to spend hundreds of dollars on a heavier tent found at outfitters, you may not be satisfied. If you are planning a long distance hike, I suggest putting that money towards an ultralight tent or tarp system. Having a low pack weight will make your hike more enjoyable. You may need fewer zero days for recovery, have fewer injuries and therefore spend less time in trail towns. These benefits will more than repay the expenditure for a good ultralight shelter.
The advantages of tents include a sewn-in floor, screen and storm doors. Everything is predetermined, and once you know how to set it up, it goes quite easily, even in the dark. A freestanding tent is one that does not require tension from guy lines. It relies on shock-corded poles crossing one another, providing a frame, which enables the tent to stand alone anywhere. While this can be nice when pitching on a tent platform, they are much heavier due to the necessary length of the poles. Dome tents are the most common of freestanding tents.
Double walled tents are heavier, especially if the fly is made with heavy 70 (1.9 ounce) denier. If the fly is remade in silnylon, usually the tent weight will decrease by half the weight of the fly, which could be a pound or more.
Before purchasing a tent, make sure the center height is adequate. If it is for two people, try to get a tent with two separate doors so that each person has equal access. Having only one door can become a great inconvenience if one must climb over the other to exit. Having two doors also allows each person to control ventilation.
I have not used a hammock other than for day lounging, so I can only relate some observances.
There must be trees stout enough to hang the hammock from. In the desert this would be a problem. However, the tarp that forms the canopy could be used separately. The hammock could be used as a bivy sack, or sent ahead to be used later in forested areas. Some hikers have merely tied-off one end (the head), to a low branch or guyed-out hiking pole, allowing the hammock to rest lightly on the ground. This may also help in cold weather when good insulation is needed below your bag in the hammock. Reflective blankets can be used under your sleeping bag, on top the sleeping pad.
Before taking a hammock on a long hike, try sleeping in one for several nights in a row. Those I saw using one seemed to be balled up in the middle of it. If you have back problems, a hammock may aggravate it further. Some hammock users told me that animals came up and nosed around under the hammock at night. Some folks say they love not having to sleep on rocky ground.
Be sure you are comfortable with the canopy overhang. Those I've seen using hammocks had to change clothes outside. Cooking in bad weather was more complicated, especially where there was no shelter for them to duck into.
Backpacking hammocks range in weight from 2.5 pounds down to 1.5 pounds. The tarps commonly used as canopies measured 6 x 10 ft. down to 9 x 6.
One of the most widely used systems
is the Hennessy Hammock. By typing this name into online search engines, you can check on specs and gear reviews.
My limited observations of bivys come from my Pacific Crest Trail hike in 2001. A couple good friends had them. In the High Sierra when the bugs were bad, they had a lot less room to use for lounging after setting up camp. Their bivys weighed as much as my solo tent. They were simple to use, however. Upon reaching camp they pulled out their bivy sack, which resembled a large bag liner, and placed it on the ground. Their sleeping pad and sleeping bag were already inside it. In anticipation of heavy rains in Oregon, they planned to buy tarps to sleep under, in addition to their bivy sacks. I did not meet anyone with a bivy on the Appalachian Trail.
Ground cloths are seldom necessary for tents. If used, be sure to cut it smaller than the footprint, so that rain can not run down the side of the tent, catch on the plastic, and pool under the floor. This will cause your gear inside to get wet when the weight from the interior presses the water into the fibers, and eventually through the floor.