“Starting something hard is way more fun than finishing it well. Only the pines witness the resolute courage to keep moving.”  Sarah Bessey

Preparation means lots of research on gear.  Unlike the old days of rucksacks and 10 lb hiking boots, the norm is to go as lightweight as possible.  Some people have gone so far as to cut the handle of their tooth brushes and remove all tags from their clothing to trim weight.

I have not reached such epic insanity--yet.

But, conventional wisdom on ultralight backpacking is that the total weight of the "Big Three"; pack, sleeping bag and shelter, should weigh in at 5 lbs or less.

I had to buy a new pack.  So, I bought the one shown above that weighs in at a whopping 18 oz as compared to my old pack that hovers around 3 lbs.

My pack, tent and sleeping bag together weigh 3.94 lbs.

My goal is a fully loaded pack that weighs no more than 25 lbs and it looks like I am on my way.

My kitchen set up, I will show later.