Are Backpacking Chairs Worth It? And Ultralight Backpacking Gear That Isn't

hey everyone stephen here with my life outdoors so you know how some things just aren't worth it it's not worth it not worth it he's not worth it where's helping not worth it well today i'm talking about three ultralight gear items that simply aren't worth the weight savings number one is something that has actually been bothering me for a while now and it all started when i bought this chair let me tell you something people have strong opinions about chairs and it's fairly common practice for ultra lights to take something like this seat pad that came on my gossamer gear mariposa 60 instead of a heavy chair like the helionox chair zero and look i i understand why i mean this seat pad weighs a mere three ounces where the helinox weighs right at a pound but i think the chair is worth its weight and i want you to hear me out on this because it's the whole reason why i decided to make this video in the first place look i get a lot of comments about this chair people saying things like it's a waste that it's not worth it that they would never carry a chair like this and i i understand i mean i understand where they're coming from because i used to be right there with them wondering why on earth would anyone carry a chair when you can just simply sit on the ground that is until a friend of mine brought a chair on a hike that we did together a few years ago and i made the well the fortunate mistake of sitting in it just for a few minutes and when i did i realized that there's more discomfort and sitting on the ground than there was in carrying an extra pound in my pack and i didn't even mean to make that rhyme look the ground is worse than a pound now think about this with me for a minute the difference in a pound on your back is really not that noticeable for instance let's say that you're carrying a fairly lightweight 20 pound pack the difference between 20 pounds and 21 pounds on your back for the most part is going to go unnoticed even if you have 30 or even a 35 pound pack the difference between 35 and 36 pounds is hardly perceivable and i know that it's not just about the weight for ultra lighters that it's a different mindset that it's all about simplicity and look i mean i understand but hear me out one pound is going to be hard to notice but the difference between sitting on the ground and sitting on a chair is the difference between night and day even this pad which admittedly is better than the ground still has a considerable noticeable difference than sitting in a chair which means you suffer more from sitting on the ground than you do carrying an extra pound which is why these comments bother me so much because they hide behind the idea of well i guess i guess i'm just tougher than you are well then tough guy why are you afraid to carry an extra pound if you're so tough then you ought to be willing to carry 30 or 40 or even 50 pounds if it's about being tough if it's about who can suffer more then why take any gear at all but if it's about being smart then i think the chair is well worth its weight in fact i feel so strongly about this that i'm thinking about starting this whole campaign that i'm going to call take a seat because i think that we would all be a whole lot happier if we would all just take a seat but i'm curious what you think so leave me a comment as i move on to number two so i recently picked up a pair of xero sandals primarily for water crossings because i got tired of carrying around my heavy and bulky tivas just in case i ran into a water crossing or two and i really wanted a pair of sandals i could just throw in my pack just in case i encountered a water crossing and so i recently picked up a pair of zero z-trek sandals expecting them to weigh something like five ounces each and i don't know where i got that weight from because their website actually says that a pair of min size nine the same size that i bought will only weigh 6.6 ounces but for some reason i was expecting 5 ounces so i was pretty disappointed when i found out that they actually weigh 7.5 ounces each making it closer to a pound 15 ounces for my size 9 sandals which means the sandals that i bought weigh a full two ounces heavier than advertised i mean two ounces no big deal right i mean as long as i don't have to carry around those big heavy and clucky tivas anymore but then i made the mistake of weighing my tivas just to see how much weight i was saving and guess what my tivas only weigh 1.5 ounces more per sandal for a total of three ounces saved which i mean three ounces is three ounces but it's further complicated by the fact that the x zero sandals simply aren't comfortable something that they they actively advertise i don't wear comfortable shoes i refuse to wear comfortable shoes and you shouldn't wear comfortable shoes either which i admit i i don't subscribe to the the barefoot philosophy and so maybe i just don't get it but from a water crossing standpoint the tivas are much better on rocks and uneven ground and riverbeds the stiffness of the sole helps with the rocks where the flecks of these zero sandals easily allows flowing water to bend back the toes allowing your toes to be easily exposed to to rocks and sharp objects in the water to make it all worse i paid over 60 dollars for my zero sandals and their website even says that that price is going to be going up in september where i only paid 45 dollars for my tivas in my opinion they simply aren't worth the price for the weight saving now i might keep using them because well i already own them and like i said three ounces is three ounces but if i knew this before i bought them i probably wouldn't have last on this list is something that i've gotten a few comments on and that is my super ultra light back knife now when i first saw this thing i thought i gotta have one of those i always take a knife with me mainly for cutting cheese and summer sausage occasionally for trimming moleskin and things like that but other than that i don't really use a knife that much and so i thought the back knife will be perfect for me that being said the back knife isn't really a knife it's just a razor blade and a plastic holder which i really didn't think i would mind because i use box cutters all the time around the house and in the shop but the back knife isn't a box cutter it's it's difficult to open and close it's a little scary to hold and to cut things with there's nothing that keeps a blade from retracting into the plastic and it just doesn't feel solid when you're cutting things compare that to my lightweight gerber knife and it's it's night and day difference the gerber knife only weighs 2.4 ounces and that's with this little bit of paracord that i added now i will say that the back knife is so light that my scale won't even register its weight so if you typically don't use a knife but you want something just in case well then the back knife would be perfect for you me personally i just feel like i'm going to injure myself with the back knife so for me the 2.4 ounces of my gerber is well worth the peace of mind that i'm not going to have to call sos because i cut myself in the field so if you take everything on my list and you trade it out from its ultralight alternatives you're talking about adding one pound and three ounces total to your loadout which is not insurmountable even in the world of ultralight but maybe maybe i'm off the mark if i am then let me know in the comments below since you made it this far you might as well hit that like button and help me out a bit if you aren't subscribed please consider doing so thanks for watching and be sure the next time that you're out take a seat

Channel: MyLifeOutdoors

Views: 210,789

Keywords: ultralight backpacking gear, Not Worth It, helinox chair zero, xero z trek review, teva sandals review, backnife, backnife review, gossamer gear, gossamer gear mariposa, Ultralight Backpacking Gear Review, Ultralight gear review, backpacking gear, ultralight backpacking, ultralight gear, ul backpacking, ultralight backpacking chair, backpacking tips, xero sandals, backpacking chair, better than a rock, camping chair, best backpacking chair, outdoor chair, camping, hiking

Id: 7ZgYxiS8d3E

Length: 7min 59sec (479 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 18 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/OkRecommendation7117]

I want to write this from the perspective of someone who has been trying different bodily positions and positions of repose for decades.

He states that ultralighters “hide behind the idea of being tough” by bringing less, and then suggests that if ultralight backpackers were actually tough, they wouldn’t mind carrying, 30, 40, or 50 pounds.

“A pound is better than the ground.” - obviously the fallacy here is that backpackers shouldn’t even have the time to sit on the ground. If you’re hiking from waking to sleeping, then there is clearly no need to sit down at all. Two positions are acceptable - hiking or laying on a thinlight.

[u/VoilaVoilaWashington]

He's right, of course. 1lb doesn't make a difference.

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[u/MilesBeforeSmiles]

"A pOuNd iS bArElY nOtIcEaBle" Ok Macho Man Randy Savage. Some of us have lean, slender figures built exclusively for speed and aerodynamic efficiency. We don't have the excess muscle to carry around extra pounds all of the sudden.

[u/seasaltdefault]

“Let’s say you’re carrying a fairly light pack, at around 20 pounds”

arrogant scoff amateur

[u/freezeinginchicago]

1:06mins that’s how far I could make it without shutting it off. His voice is as annoying as his views on chairs.

We all sit on bear cans

[u/Kid_Named_Trey]

I love my chair zero and I had someone once tell me a camp chair will never be UL no matter how light it is. I said the additional pound was worth the comfort and their argument was “with an UL setup you’re supposed to be uncomfortable”

[u/HenrikFromDaniel]

a pound?! lol that's 454 grams! trying to kill me or something?!

there is no reason to sit down when camping, ever

[u/LiteDuty]

That comment “I’d rather die than bring that chair” had me 😂

[u/RayLaclark]

im genuinly more comfortable with my ul practices, like cold oatmeal in the package, half length sleeping pads and sitting on my pack/rock. its nbd and his opinion sucks donkey dick.