Customer Reviews

The Ultralight Backpacker : The Complete Guide to Simplicity and Comfort on the Trail

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I thought this was mostly a rehash of what has been said better elsewhere. It is not as complete as Ray Jardine's Beyond Backpacking. Not as well researched as Colin Fletchers Complete Walker. I thought Kestenbaum didn't have much to add and his opinions were just that, his opinions. Chris Townsend's book, The Advanced Backpacker, (oddly by the same publisher)is much better and seems to come from someone who benefited much more from his experiences. There were some nice pictures and descriptions of gear, but then I can find that in my REI catalog!
I also liked the picture on the cover. Save your money and purchase Jardine's book for ultralight, or Chris Townsend's book on long-distance hiking. If you are interested in Mountaineering get Mountaineering:Freedom of the Hills. I don't recommend this book.

Although not extensive, there's a fair amount of good information in here for people who want to lighten their load. But the annoying thing about the book is the pretentious religiosity. Evidently carrying a lighter pack into the woods automatically means you have to become a yoga master and hike 21 miles per day. Only if you do that will you become "at one" with nature. I don't know if it gets more pathetic than that. Lighten your load so you can hike 21 miles per day so you can get in touch with nature? Somehow it all makes sense in Kestenbaum's mind. Don't take any field guides, camera, binoculars, or a hand lens or spend time loafing on the trail or enjoying a luxurious meal or god forbid, reading a book. No sireee. The "answer" lies in controlling your breathing and logging miles and miles and mind-numbing bragging-rights miles. If this is truly the ultralight state of mind, it's a sad one and I personally find it arrogant for a mile-logging automaton to tell me what my relationship with wilderness is or should be. Get off the treadmill and stop and smell the roses Ryel. At the very least, take a hand lens and take a close look at the nature you've been trail-running by. There are a lot of different ways to go ultralight in the backcountry and find your relationship with wilderness. It's sheer arrogance to assume otherwise.

I think that some of the reviews here are from folks who were expecting an encyclopedia to ultralight backpacking, and were therefore disappointed. This book serves as an excellent introduction, covering all the topics relating to ultralight backpacking, but not going too deeply into any one topic.

There's info on everything from cutting your toothbrush in half to getting rid of excess food packaging to getting fit for the trail to buying the right pair of shoes. If you're just getting into backpacking, and would like to see if ultralight backpacking is right for you, I can't imagine a better resource than The Ultralight Backpacker. I've been doing the ultralight thing for over ten years now, and I'm glad that now there's a way for others to see the benefits of going light.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to people eager to get into the backcountry but without the know-how.

I've been experimenting with various ways of trimming down my backpack after finally getting sick of dragging around my regular 40 pound pack, but everyone I asked for advice seemed to suggest only things that had worked for them individually.

The Ultralight Backpacker does a great job of providing a complete survey of ultralight backpacking so that just about anyone can start practicing the Ultralight way and incorporating the benefits into their outdoor experiences. There's info on clothing, packs, shelter, walking, breathing, food preparation and everything else you'd find on an ultralight backpacker. There's even a chapter on the ultralight backpacking philosophy and developing the ultralight state of mind.

I like this book better than Ray Jardine's books, which always seemed to me filled with a lot of information I really didn't need to know... this book just gives you what you need to know so you can get out on the trail quickly.

Lots of pictures and diagrams, well written, and thorough... I've gotten my packweight down to less than 20 pounds now, and could definitely get it to less than 15 with a little more scrutinizing. If you've ever thought about lightening your load and seeing what this ultralight business is all about, get this book. Highly recommended.

I purchased this book after having heard good things about it. What I got was one of the biggest disappointments of my life as far as books go. Kestenbaum has a right to hike however he wishes, but to pass off his personal ideas as the "one true way" is absolute bull!

First, he talks about how no extra ounce hitches a ride in HIS pack. He religiously cuts every tag and extra strap off of every piece of gear he owns. He carefully selects his gear. Yet, he still maintains a pack of over 12 pounds. The vast majority of people who consider themselves ultralight maintain a base pack weight of UNDER 12 lbs, not over it! Kestenbaum continuously skips over gear that many ultralighters love, and gives preference to his personal selections, despite the extra weight involved. Yet remember, no extra ounce hitches a ride in HIS pack!

Second, and this is the worst of the book in my opinion, is that the section on meditation (yep, there's a section on meditation) is longer than the sections on hygiene and water treatment! Please Mr. Kestenbaum, explain to me how meditation is more important to backpacking than hygiene and meditation?

Kestenbaum's work has some useful information, but not much. In truth, the vast majority of the useful information is available on the internet for no money. Of the ultralight authors out there, Ryel Kestenbaum shouldn't even be mentioned. His base weight exceeds the limits of what is considered ultralight, his philosophy is pointless to ultralight backpacking, and his information is weak at best. Money spent on this book would be best spent elsewhere.

I find the ultralight backpacking movement refreshing. Having logged quite a few miles over the past 25 years hiking under 50-70 lb packs (only do >10 day trips), I can see the advantage! This book is a good intro, with a chapter devoted ot each of the major gear items (packs, tents, sleeping bags, etc). But, it's pretty short on completeness. I was disappointed not to find info of use to me beyond the very basics, except of a quick little chapter on long-distance hiking, but nothing on cross-country hiking needs or recommendations. Kind of an expensive book for just an intro. Skip this book and search the web for all the info (and more) than this book has.

This book was recently reviewed by Backpacking Light, the Journal of Lightweight Backcountry Travel. This is an excerpt from the review, reprinted with permission.
"The cover of The Ultralight Backpacker states: "The complete guide to simplicity and comfort on the trail." In our view this claim is overstated, as this slender book, 138 pages long, can be read in an afternoon and is far from complete and will likely disappoint the experienced lightweight backpacker yearning for new information about equipment and techniques not treated in other texts. However, for the newcomer to lightweight backpacking, The Ultralight Backpacker will not disappoint - it provides an introduction to lightweight backpacking that will certainly put you on the right track to shedding pounds from your pack."

This book has some useful information and guidance so I decided to give it two stars. It isn't the worst book I've seen on backpacking but it isn't very good. I understand why others don't like the "preaching". The book is loaded with it.

The author recommends that you cut tags, cut straps, cut off toothbrush handles, etc. According to the author, this gets you into the state of mind for ultralight. It isn't what lightweight backpacking is about. It is about knowing the weight of everything you put in your pack. In the clothing section, the author only mentions fleece for the insulation layer. This is very out of date. There are far better insulation layer alternatives that are much lighter. In the shelter section, he doesn't cover tarps sufficiently, the only option for someone going ultralight. In the section that covers water, he recommends iodine tablets, a very poor choice with Aquamira and other chlorine dioxide products on the market.

After reading lots of books on backpacking, reading the internet, and practicing it for two years, I came back and read this book again. Some books I get something of value when I read them the second time. This book was a complete zero for me the second time around. If you're interested in lightening your backpack and want to read a short book like Kastenbaum's Ultralight backpacker, I strongly recommend Don Ladigin's Lighten Up! book. It is far better.

I liked this book more than Ray Jardine's because it was less obsessive-compulsive in tone and more often applied some common sense to ounce-shaving. Of course, there is still some of the fanaticism you would expect (and want) from a book on ultralight backpacking -- I'm sure some people really do drill holes in their toothbrush handle even after cutting it half. But, overall, I think Kestenbaum kept this under control. Although the book is short on detail, it does a good job of covering the principles and general approach to going light and I found his discussion on trail shoes vs. hiking boots especially helpful. An excellent place to start if you're thinking about trying the ultralight approach.

This book goes over the writrers gear list of his commercially bought products that he cut the labels off of and shortened the straps to lighten the load. Most of the info in this book is stated on the internet in better wording and a more practical manner. Much of this book is just his opinion of how things might work because he never enven tried the products. From my understanding he doesn't even have any serious experience under his belt. He has hiked several hundred miles but never completed any long distance trails. His biggest achievement is that he attempted the PCT. Save your money and do some online research or if you want to buy a book, find a copy of Ray Jardine's "Beyound Backpacking."