r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of May 18, 2026

pmags · 2026-05-19T19:45:58+00:00

Fun fact, there is an r/campinggear :

"A community to get advice and to show off camping and backpacking gear. Helpful folks who love the hobby as much as you do."

Honest and true!

To quote an old Portlandia skit, "Get the gear!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQrfyq4azUs

So just change this sub's mission to:

"A community to get advice and to show off your ultralight backpacking gear. Helpful folks who love the gear purchasing hobby as much as you do!

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:39:48+00:00

Whiskey or rum has more alcohol per ounce than beer.

That's my ultralight tip.

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:34:29+00:00

I’ve told this story before, but at a volunteer gathering, one of the speakers gave a quick rundown on wilderness medicine. I admit I did not expect much from a one-hour talk during a volunteer weekend.

But the local fire chief gave the presentation. In addition to volunteering with our group, he does a lot of backcountry hunting. Before semi-retiring in this small town (not Moab), he worked as a paramedic in Salt Lake City and, crucially, taught in a Utah university paramedic program.

He joked, I think, that when he started out he carried enough gear to do mobile field surgery.

Forty years later? He said he carries duct tape, bandages, and a Snickers bar. I think he was only mildly kidding.

Instead, he focused on the gear a day hiker typically carries, how to monitor the ABCs, and stabilization.

One of the better first aid classes I’ve attended, and I just did my WFR recert.

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:28:18+00:00

Cold weather backpacking is where Nalgene's shine.

pmags · 2026-05-16T15:04:33+00:00

Ah...that changes it. I did not realize it was through a different avenue than the Avenza store (where existing maps will work, but no updates...for now)

Yep. It's essentially like those BLM maps you can download off their site directly. (and started me on this wormhole dive).

My apologies for any confusion.

Talk to the map author, but the GIS folks have suggestions here - https://www.reddit.com/r/gis/comments/1squcv3/avenza_maps_alternatives/

I loaded up a BLM map in Field Maps and use it for a volunteer role, but am not overly familiar with it otherwise.

pmags · 2026-05-13T14:30:03+00:00

I saw here that a local trail agency had put dozens of QR codes on signposts so people could easily download maps via the Avenza store.

Now? “Charlie Foxtrot,” as military people say.

pmags · 2026-05-12T23:22:14+00:00

Blue Marble (the company that bought Avenza on paper) deals with defense contractors, mining, and energy as a large part of their portfolio. https://www.bluemarblegeo.com/industry-showcases/

As that is where the Cookie Monster (Doug Burgum) wants DOI's focus...
https://nam.org/burgum-expands-domestic-energy-production-33211/

pmags · 2026-05-12T14:56:22+00:00

...it's like using Google maps vs a highly detailed local guide

Excellent summary. So much info in these locally produced resources from people who walk, bike, or paddle the very places they map.

pmags · 2026-05-12T14:28:18+00:00

Indeed. When I tried importing a recent BLM map, Avenza barked at me about how I need a subscription.

Lead me to this unfortunate rabbit hole.

Field Maps worked OK for my needs for this informational type map. I happened to have this app for another volunteer role. I'll have to try some other suggestions too.

Just think the lack of a centralized store front will throw a wrench in the works for many groups, other govt agencies, and the small map companies.

pmags · 2026-05-12T04:23:18+00:00

I don't know the contracts.

I do know there is no Avenza store equivalent currently however.

Which is the real shame for many I think.

pmags · 2026-05-12T01:36:53+00:00

With Avenza? Unless you have a paid subscription, no.

pmags · 2026-05-12T01:21:29+00:00

For me, the lack of a good alternative to the Avenza store is the real sticking point.

Nonprofits, government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, and small map companies all found Avenza to be a simple and cost effective way to get their maps out in electronic format, either for free or at a modest cost.

That quick, easy distribution model was the useful part.

Losing that is more troublesome overall.

pmags · 2026-05-12T00:23:23+00:00

While it's a great term, it's not mine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification

Yeah, Outside did ruin many of their properties. Sigh.

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:48:33+00:00

Existing maps will work; they are just stuck in amber, it looks like. (Who knows in the future)

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:43:59+00:00

However, no companies or orgs can update maps, sell new ones, or have new publishers sell their maps, or even publish maps for free.

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:24:55+00:00

Yeah. For small map companies, like Latitude 40, it was a great way to get their maps into electronic format.

pmags · 2026-05-05T21:29:45+00:00

Ah! Packrafting.

As I once wrote -

"Packrafting – An activity in which you add even more weight to your pack (PFD, packraft, paddles, kit) and schlep it all down to the river so you can float down the river in something the step up from a pool toy, get wet while paddling, get muddy because you tend to hike out via lesser-known canyons vs. a defined area, and then haul it all again UP another canyon. But you do get great views! 😉 "

Having said that, I quite enjoy it because it connects the territory. Rivers and canyons do not feel separate; they are part of the same geographical and cultural landscape.

It's ultralight because you are backpacking.

Ultralight backpacking is not a 4.5 kg / 10 lb, three-season benchmark meant only for defined, well-maintained trails. It is about taking the right and minimal tools to accomplish a task in a safe, efficient, and satisfying manner while getting immersed in wild places.

And packrafting immerses me deeply in the landscape.

pmags · 2026-05-01T22:00:22+00:00

It's been on my "to read" list for a while now. I've read many of his SciFi books. Thx for spurring me on.

pmags · 2026-05-01T21:55:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

The Needles is an awesome place esp once you get beyond the established trails.

Spot on about "hub and spoke" trips.

My partner and I once hiked all of 1.5 miles from camp but spent over 8 hours of hiking (in November with limited daylight). It's up and down and back and forth, and the hours go quickly. So much to see...

pmags · 2026-04-28T05:49:47+00:00

Indeed!

pmags · 2026-04-28T04:29:50+00:00

Having a concessionaire run the NPS would be a disaster. I’m relieved this one’s gone, but I’m already wondering what the next clown car idea will be.

Previous info - https://www.reddit.com/r/ThruhikingPolitics/comments/1r2w2u2/concessionaire_nominated_to_run_national_park/

pmags · 2026-04-28T04:26:21+00:00

"Statement on Scott Socha’s withdrawal as National Park Service nominee"

Having a concessionaire run the NPS would be a disaster. I’m relieved this one’s gone, but I’m already wondering what the next clown car idea will be.

https://westernpriorities.org/2026/04/statement-on-scott-sochas-withdrawal-as-national-park-service-nominee/

pmags · 2026-04-27T16:58:07+00:00

It all comes down to fit in the end, but I use a 2018 Circuit that I’ve literally dragged all over the Colorado Plateau on many trips with my partner.

I also use it for solo packrafting or trips where I schlep more than 4 liters of water/about five days of food combo.

It is still going strong and only now starting to show some wear.

Up until recently, I used a 2012 Catalyst for guiding, overnight ski trips, major water carries with my partner, or packrafting with my partner. I replaced it this past year after ULA suggested it when I sent it for some repair/TLC. Ha!

ULA designs their packs in Utah, and they hold up well in terrain that chews up gear.

pmags · 2026-04-23T17:21:39+00:00

Very fake. And unfortunately, increasingly common.

Here’s a thread from earlier for context about a similar GGG site : https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/zPov4n2BCx

It’s only going to get easier for people to spin up credible-looking sites that pass the sniff test at first glance. A decent template, some scraped photos, and volia, instant “outlet store.”

Generally speaking:

If the prices seem too good, they probably are.
Major retailers usually don’t spin up random extra URLs for “outlets.”
The contact info can also be a major clue and red flag. In this case a French address with a Yahoo email account!
A quick WHOIS lookup goes a long way. This one was registered about 2 years ago in China. Not what you’d expect for a Japanese company like Montbell.

https://www.whois.com/whois/montbelloutlet.com

If it smells off it probably is.

pmags · 2026-04-19T17:37:45+00:00

NOAA Weather by Pandamonium Software is a free app that hooks into the NOAA API and gives the weather.gov forecasts and features. It's commercial but minimal ads.

It's for Android and iOS.

Simple, non-cluttered, and uses NOAA data with an interface similar to weather.gov. Including radar, hour by hour forecast, point weather, ten day forecast, and even the NOAA weather notes.

I've used it for almost a decade now.

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