Outdoor mountaineering ultra-light backpack

his is our third installment in our lightweight backpacking basics video series – Ultralight backpacks This series of tweets will help you learn how to carry less and will cover a wide range of ultralight backpacking gear options. We also have a very complete gear guide on blog to help you find the best lightweight tools on the market.For those of you who prefer to learn by reading, we’ve included below the key points for each and have left room for updates and comments later on. I hope you enjoy our content and I look forward to hearing your feedback!If you’re interested in our favoriteralight pack purchases later on, please check out the backpack section of our gear guide.Ultralight backpacksThe concept of an ultralight backpack pretty much the same as a traditional style backpack. Both have a large main compartment for your big volume gear, some small pockets for those things you want easy access to, a hip and shoulder straps to carry the weight, and a frame to provide structure and comfort.The main difference with an ultralight backpack is they are made with lightweight materials, use a more minimalistic frame, they carry less volume, and the backpack itself is overall simpler.Now, some of these qualities may sound negative, but it really just on your priorities. For example, if you’re not carrying a bunch of big-volume camping gear, you wouldn’t need a pack that is 70 liters made of burly fabric, and has a heavy frame to support it. If you’re focused on lightweight, you’ll be able to choose a more minimalistic pack and more comfortable on your trip, but you’ll still get all the structural features and durability that you need.A traditional backpack will generally weigh in the 4-7 range, but an ultralight backpack will be in the 2 pound range and sometimes even 1 pound or less. If you’d like to see some examples, please out our ultralight backpack gear recommendations section coming up later on, where we’ll share some of our favorites.Ultralight backpacks are a great place save weight and they offer one of the biggest opportunities to reduce the weight on your back, but you shouldn’t expect to shove a bunch of heavy gear into them. Thats really not what they’re designed for. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve hauled 40-50 pounds in ultralight backpacks before no problems, but they’re generally designed for about 30-35 pounds.Backpack MaterialsTraditional backpacks are generally made with thick andly materials like Cordura. They’re made to be tough and withstand a beating. The problem is, your shins, back, and shoulders are also taking the same from the same weight.Ultralight backpacks save weight by using thinner, high-tech fabrics that are strong enough to handle the rigors of the trail.ralight companies like Zpacks use materials like Cuben Fiber and Dyneema Grid Laminate to reduce weight while still maintaining excellent functionality. Cuben Fiber is incredibly but also quite expensive, and Dyneema Grid Laminate is a bit heavier but can save your wallet.It’s true that ultralight backpacks are not durable as traditional backpacks, but they are still quite strong. I’ve put many ultralight backpacks through their paces myself.