Less Is More – Principles of Ultralight Backpacking

Walk into any gear store, and you’ll be sold a solution for every possible problem. You’ll get organizers for your organizers, gadgets for your gadgets, and a whole lot of weight.

Here’s the honest truth: a lighter pack is a happier hike. We provide the core gear (tents, bags, pads, food, kitchen). Your job is to not bring a lot of extra “stuff.”

Here is our practical guide to what you can confidently leave at home, getting you closer to true ultralight backpacking.

Gear, Gadgets, and “Just-in-Case” Items

Large Knives, Hatchets, or Saws: You don’t need a Rambo knife. A small Swiss Army knife is all anyone ever needs. Hatchets and saws are not only heavy but unnecessary—you are not allowed to cut any wood (living or dead) in the Yosemite wilderness.

Bear Spray: It is illegal to carry in Yosemite National Park. Your voice (“Hey Bear!”) is the only tool you need. Learn more about bear safety in Yosemite.

Camp Chairs: We provide insulated sit pads, which work great. If you have specific back or hip issues, let us know, and we can bring a lightweight camp chair for you. But be warned: it’s an extra pound you have to carry all day when you’re not sitting in it.

Water Filters: We carry high-capacity filters and will filter all the water you need. If you’re on the “I want to learn” track, we’re happy to set you up with a personal filter (like a Sawyer Squeeze) so you can learn to do your own. You just don’t need to buy one for this trip.

Portable Speakers: Please, leave them at home. This is a core principle for us. The wilderness is a shared space, and its natural soundtrack—the birds, the wind, the creeks—is what we’re all here for. If you want to listen to music we recommend wired headphones (wireless ones are just one more thing you will need to charge).

Solar Chargers: They generally don’t provide enough juice to be worth their weight and are fussy to use.

Extra Battery Banks: One 10,000 mAh bank is more than enough for a 7-day trip. The real skill isn’t carrying more batteries; it’s managing the one you have. Put your phone in Airplane Mode and Low Power Mode, and the battery will last for days.

French Press / Coffee Gear: We’ve sourced some genuinely great instant coffee that we’re proud to serve. Leave the heavy coffee gear at home.

Toiletries: The “Leave No Trace” Reality

You will not be showering, and that’s okay. Your skin will probably be better for it.

Leave It: Shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, and multiple lotions. You don’t need them. You might get a little stinky. It’s a natural activity, and it’s part of the territory.

The Real Reason: Anything you put on your skin (sunscreen, lotion, deodorant) pollutes the pristine alpine lakes and rivers, even in small doses. This is a scientific fact—it causes algae blooms and harms fish.

The LNT Rule: You cannot just jump in a lake if you’re wearing sunscreen, bug spray, etc. You will first need to rinse off—take one of our camp buckets, fill it with water, and rinse yourself at least 100 feet away from the water source.

What to Bring: A travel-sized toothpaste and one small, unscented lotion if you absolutely must. If you need sunscreen, opt for a mineral-based one instead of a chemical type.

The “Better than Sunscreen” Trick

Instead of gooping on sunscreen (which you have to wash off before swimming), we recommend covering up.

A long-sleeve, light-colored sun shirt (preferably with a hood and thumb holes). Read our complete clothing guide for details on building your layering system.

Lightweight hiking pants if your legs burn (even on warm days). This system protects you from the sun and mosquitoes, and you don’t have to worry about polluting the water.

The “Maybe” Test

Here is our guiding rule: If you look at an item and think, “Maybe I’ll use this,” you won’t. Leave it at home.

Your phone camera is amazing. If you’re a photography enthusiast, you already know the weight penalty of your lenses and tripod. Be kind to yourself and only carry what you must.

That said, everyone should bring one personal luxury item. For me, it’s my Kindle—it’s worth the weight. For you, it might be a small sketchbook or a tiny watercolor set. But books? Books are heavy. If that’s your jam, I suggest a paperback, and hopefully only one.

Disconnect from the “stuff” that fills your life at home. You won’t miss it.

Ready to experience the freedom of ultralight backpacking?

Request a free consultation and we’ll show you exactly what to bring (and what to leave behind). Or see what gear we provide so you can travel light.

Evan

I’ve spent the last 17 years leading IT teams during the week and every free moment chasing wild places. I’m a lifelong problem-solver, a maker, and the guy who buys the tool and figures it out rather than calling a contractor. That curiosity and grit eventually led me away from screens and deep into the Sierra Nevada backcountry. My path into backpacking wasn’t pretty. My first trip as an adult was so miserable I returned all my gear. So I got myself stronger, learned the ultralight way, and found that when you carry less, you experience more. I’ve never had a bad day on the trail since, even in the rain, even when things go sideways. Especially then, because nobody remembers the trips where everything goes perfectly, the stories are in the hard stuff. For almost 20 years I’ve guided whitewater trips, hiked and backpacked in the Sierra, and raised five kids on a steady diet of forests, rivers, and outdoor adventure. In my adventure group they call me the Fun Ambassador, because I’m usually the one saying, “Yeah that sounds rad, when do we leave?” I believe in Type 2 fun (the kind that’s hard and unforgettable), and occasionally Type 3 fun, though we try to keep that one off the itinerary. I’m not a mountaineering hero, or an expert botanist, or a professor of Yosemite history. What I am is a Wilderness First Responder, a permitted guide through the National Park Service, and someone who has spent years earning lessons the real way, one mile, one mistake, and one sunrise at a time.