Ultralight Backpacking

  • Home
  • Tag: Ultralight Backpacking

Not so happy feet?

By |May 15th, 2015|2015 posts, Adventure school, Current, PCT|Comments Off on Not so happy feet?

Having foot issues? As many hikers set out on their thru-hiking season I keep hearing about tragic foot pain. In an effort to reduce some of the tears, I wanted to share a few things that have worked well for my persnickety feet.
Rinse The Grit Away
Try carrying two pairs of socks. Switch them mid-day, and rinse the morning pair out. If you have extra water, give your feet a mid-day wash too. During the dry desert sections just whack the heck out of your socks to get the dust out instead of washing them with your precious water. I still switch them anyway, and wash them near the next water source- remember- don’t wash them directly in the water sources!!! Yuck- toe funk in your water-Eeeeew!

I find that washing my socks regularly helps them last miles and miles longer (like 150-300miles longer!), and keeps my feet happier.

Take Your Shoes Off!

One of my other foot care secrets is to have at least two breaks a day when my shoes come off, my insoles are pulled out & shaken off, and my feet & shoes can have some time apart. I usually give myself a foot massage & elevate them on my pack. Chilling in that lounging reclining position for a bit seems to really help my body get a better rest & lets my feet deflate a bit.

Keep ’em clean with Dirty Girls

Using lightweight gaiters (like Dirty Girl Gaiters) can help keep grit & seeds out of your socks & shoes. Blisters can be caused by dirt creating friction between your skin and the shoe wall, sometimes called the “pearl of pain”. Gaiters can help keep those friction causing agents at bay, but thick gaiters can […]

Read More

Backpack Gear Tour

By |April 25th, 2015|Current|Comments Off on Backpack Gear Tour

Come check out my backpack tour. This video is about 20 minutes long, and I go into detail about why I brought what I brought on the Bigfoot Trail. I explain things like my layering system, water treatment, shelter and sleep systems, and everything else that makes up my gear for a 400 mile summer walk.


Choose Gear Wisely
Nothing weighs nothing, but some things are essential to bring with you on a journey. Even if you aren’t shooting for an ultralight backpack, there are always a few items you can change or ditch. My hope with this movie is to share my packing process and shed some light on what I bring and what can be done without.

If you want more help whittling down your gear, please contact me at info@sageclegg.com

Read More

Snow & Woodsmoke

By |January 7th, 2015|2015 posts, Current|Comments Off on Snow & Woodsmoke

Snow & Woodsmoke

2015 started off so normal I didn’t even notice the new year had crept in. Waking on January 1st, 2015 Adam and I had big ambitions… to get the heck out of town & properly ring in the new year on a ski trip. Instead a whole day whizzed by in the chaos of small errands and the tying of lose ends. We decided to step away from the endless home life business and re-start 2015 in the backcountry. It was time to head out into the Cascades on our skis & breath in a bit of woodsmoke tinged mountain air.

After a nice Friday night of car camping in a parking lot, we stuffed our sleeping bags, packed our packs, stuck skins on our skis, & struck out onto a snow covered trail. Our plan was to ski to the furthest of two shelters for Saturday night & loop in to the closer shelter for Sunday night. The route can be found on the Oakridge Oregon TrailMap by Adventure Maps.

We found ourselves on the frozen shores of Waldo Lake after hours of skiing through snow coated forest.

Settling in to the South Waldo Shelter for the night we fired up the wood stove, cooked some dinner, & snacked on christmas cookies, hot cocoa, and bourbon.

I had forgotten how refreshing it can be to spend 12 hours in a sleeping bag, & how challenging it is to get out of that bag in the chill of the morning. We woke to a gray sleety drizzle, & were thankful to be in a wooden shelter rather than our little tent. The three sided shelter with it’s sleeping platform and hooks for hanging packs reminded me […]

Read More

12 Gifts for Hikers, Day 7.

By |December 18th, 2014|12 Gifts, 2014 posts|Comments Off on 12 Gifts for Hikers, Day 7.

12 Days of Trail Gifts For Under $50
Gift 6: Gear for rain & shine

Give your hiker a rain suit and an umbrella this winter. Protection from the elements is very important on the trail, and it can be so simple to provide. These are two low cost gifts that can help your hiker trim weight from their packs and give them some sanity and safety during nasty storms and relentless sun.

Driducks rain suits are super light (~ 10oz for top and bottom), super cheap (under $30), and they actually WORK! The pants can be kept as rain pants or easily converted to a rain skirt. At first it was hard to believe a jacket that looks like it’s made out of paper would function properly, but after a few storms on the Grand Enchantment Trail back in 2008, I was sold on the silliest rain gear ever. Driducks sizing is pretty huge, and there is no women’s cut. As long as your hiker doesn’t mind looking like they are wearing a bag, this rain suit is for them.

Umbrellas are multifunctional tools that provide shade, hope, and precip protection. On desert hikes my umbrella has become one of my favorite pieces of gear. The first time I ever carried an umbrella was on my wintery southbound hike of the Appalachian Trail. After getting soaked in a hurricane offshoot in the Mahoosucks I sloshed into town and picked up a pink purse sized umbrella. I used it most days of the AT until it shredded in the Smokies, and figured out how to strap it onto my pack so my hands could be free. Umbrellas don’t work too well in strong wind, but if you are […]

Read More