If I were reading this when it was published or hadn't already read a lot on the topic, this would have had much more useful information. Regardless, I adored Cleveland's writing style and humorous tone, and appreciated his attitude of there being multiple correct ways to go UL. Also he's a vegetarian which is great. This was a fun and easy read. ( )

I confess I am just an armchair traveller! I do sleep outdoors maybe a few nights every few years but even that is car camping. I did some actual backpacking... over forty years ago! But I do like to dream!

This is a short book but really all the tips seem quite practical. It is hardly comprehensive but still everything seems useful.

There are some nice recipes in the back. The food section does seem quite useful. He talks about needing more food per day on very long hikes. That is the kind of hard-earned information that can make a big difference when planning!

Really, I just need to get out and try some of this! ( )

I've spent the past couple of months combing the Internet for information for an ultralight backpacking class I was planning to teach to a group of hikers I belong to. For a long time I avoided this book because it didn't appear serious enough to me. Then, I sat down and read it, and I learned more about ultralight backpacking in a couple of hours than I did in nearly a month on the Internet! Maybe this book makes more sense once you have actually struggled to reduce the weight of your backpack, but my pack weight was reduced another couple of pounds just by the new ideas alone. I didn't have to buy a thing. My pack base weight is now about 14 pounds and heading lower! ( )

796.5