• BPL Basecamp Summer '23 - enrollment now open

    From: Backpacking Light Apr-22-2022 10:55:am
    + simple kits part 2 and more flat tarp tramping ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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    EDUCATION

    BPL BASECAMP SUMMER '23 COHORT ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

    Last week, we put the finishing touches on the plan for the Summer '23 cohort of BPL Basecamp, and enrollment is now open to the public.

    Unlimited Members: your early enrollment period is over, but while space is still available, don't forget to use your $100 off coupon. Access the coupon code by visiting the Basecamp page while you're logged into your Unlimited Membership Account.
     

    • Not an Unlimited Member? Become an Unlimited Member now and claim your $100 off coupon for BPL Basecamp + free access to all on-demand online courses in our education library.


    Join us in our most comprehensive live online course for backpackers!

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    June 7, 2023 • View in Browser
     

     

    Good morning. On this day in 1971, search and rescue crews were scouring a burning chaparral forest for plane crash survivors. Hughes Airwest Flight 706 collided with a US Marine fighter jet the day before over the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, killing all 49 persons aboard the commercial aircraft in one of the more memorable and horrific airline accidents in US history. There is an enthusiastic subculture of wilderness explorers who like to visit plane crash and wreckage sites. This one is reached by hiking to the end of the Fish Canyon Trail from San Gabriel Canyon, followed by creative ridgewalking and horrendous bushwhacking through thick chaparral. There are no published reports of hikers visiting the crash site. With so few places in the world left unexplored, who's going to be the first among our LA Members to make the trek? Send us a photo, and we'll feature your story here!

    Satellite imagery of the Flight 706 crash area showing chaparral-choked canyons in the San Gabriel Mountains. Source: Gaia GPS.

    Simple Kit, Part 2

    In the last letter, I talked about a simple kit that minimized the number of items I might take on an overnighter in the mountains during the summer. Many of you responded with a request for specific brands and models I'm currently using in my "simple" kit in 2023 as of today. Here's a link to that kit if you'd like to take a peek:
     


    Sans food and camera, that's everything in my backpack - a so-called "base weight" of about 5.1 pounds (2.31 kg).

    There's nothing particularly unique about the weight, of course (we spend too much time talking about base weight, anyways).

    But what makes this kit quite special is the reliability, durability, and high performance achieved at this weight, and the simplicity of only having to keep track of about a dozen items.

    Reply and share with me your philosophy about going as simple as possible in the backcountry.

    Happy Trails,

    Ryan Jordan
    owner/founder
    Backpacking Light

    FEATURING SULUK 46 at GARAGE GROWN GEAR

    Precision-engineered titanium and carbon fiber ultralight backpacking gear

    Photo: Backpacking Light

    There's a certain charm to using gear that's so finely crafted and engineered that it exudes the design aesthetic of a luxury item without compromising core functionality. Bonus for gear that is really, really light. Such is the case for many of the items made by Suluk 46.

    Our favorites:
     
    • TiCa Ice Tool (4.7 oz / 133 g) - originally developed via collaboration with Backpacking Light Members, the TiCa is the lightest way to safely cross high country snow fields.
       
    • Miksa Pot Lifter (0.11 oz / 3 g) - an ultralight pot grabber that pairs perfectly with ultralight titanium cook pots.
       
    • Atani Titanium Tent Stakes (0.18 ounces / 5 g) - A tapered titanium bar stake that's easy to insert into hard ground with the holding power required to stay in place.
       
    • Una Wood Stove (2.0 oz / 55 g) - The lightest wood-burning stove available, featured in our YouTube video about solo winter backpacking.
    SEE SULUK 46 @ GGG

    GEAR REVIEW

    Yama Mountain Gear Flat Tarp

    "A flat tarp is perhaps the most basic shelter imaginable. It is also one of the most versatile and utilitarian. Before heading out on another section of the Desert Trail this spring, I resolved to add a flat tarp to my inventory of minimalist shelters.

    I’ve used the fly of the Tarptent Moment and my MLD Poncho Tarp as shelters in previous desert hikes. Both performed well but have their limitations: the Moment fly is relatively heavy, the catenary-cut Poncho Tarp can really be pitched only in A-frame configuration. Neither makes a good midday sun shelter. I would be hiking the length of Death Valley, a place notably bereft of shade, in a season where I could expect +90F (32C) temps.

    A sun and wind shelter would be essential to maximizing enjoyment and minimizing the suffering inevitable in desert hikes. Amidst a wealth of worthy options, I settled on the Yama Mountain Gear 7’ x 9’ Flat Tarp as my desert shelter." - Drew Smith, Author

    SEE THE REVIEW

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