Welcome! Here you will find info, tips, gear lists, and links for ultralight and lightweight backpacking.

My philosophy is to go backpacking as light as possible without eliminating important items like a toothbrush or a first aid kit. I aim toward minimalism to lighten my pack, eliminating unnecessary items and keeping everything as simple as possible. I prefer low-tech bare essentials so that my gear is able to handle the abuse of the outdoors without constant coddling or repair.

I don't necessarily chase after the most recent breakthrough in ultralight gear or fabrics, but rather wait for ideas to prove themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have my pack under 5 pounds, but I don't want to break the bank, and I want my gear to be reliable.

If you have any questions, comments, ideas, tips, or corrections, please feel free to e-mail me at liteTornado [at] gmail [dot] com. Enjoy!

| Site Updates |

5/28/2009 --

I just finished sewing and assembling my own G4 pack! Check out the details here. At 15 ounces, that brings my total pack base weight a hair under 10 pound at 9 pounds. I also purchased a small stainless steel mug/pot with a wire handle for a couple bucks, which I'll be using to shave a few ounces off my cookkit weight (instead of my cumbersome 8 ounce aluminum frying pan and pot). On my blog, I just reviewed the very cool Lightload towels, check it out.

5/13/2009 --

The blog is launched! Please check out "The Lighter Side" for updates on what I'm doing, what I'm looking at, gear reviews, trail recipes, and general ultralight/trail fun.

2/27/2009 --

Tornado's Ultralight Backpacking has been up since the late 90's, so I thought it might be time for redesign! Look for some great things coming ahead...

1/6/2009 --

Hello all! Another couple of updates to the list. Replaced my mini mag with a Princeton Tec Quad headlamp. It's awesome! I used it on a recent travel in Panama, and I would stay up reading all night with it. It runs for 150 hours on it's lowest setting, thus eliminating a need for extra batteries unless I'm going out for a while. Also got a new puffy synthetic filled jacket, which I'll pack when I expect a cold snap to hit while I'm out. Nice and toasty.