Ultralight Backpacking Gear and Strategies Seminar - Mountaineers Seattle Program Center

Participants will learn ultralight strategies and techniques used by backpackers to
reduce their pack weight. It combines lecture, gear demonstration, and an opportunity to
ask questions. The presentation focuses on a systematic approach to evaluate trip
planning. Use this to support decisions around clothing, gear, and food to fit the
particular trip conditions and your personal goals. The emphasis of this clinic will focus
on concepts and strategies rather than specific gear brands.    Not only will the clinic help you build your skills and confidence and lighten your pack - it will also connect you with a community of other Mountaineers backpackers who share your interest in exploring ultralight gear and strategies and getting out on the trail with an ultralight pack!

A small fee is charged to help the Mountaineers maintain their mission to get adults and youth outside, support our dedicated volunteer leaders, and conserve our wild spaces.

Your Instructors:

Caroline Fox is a hiker, backpacker, trail runner and fastpacker who has been
winnowing down her kit to travel faster, lighter and farther. She enjoys navigating the
boundaries between carrying for comfort and carrying light and enjoys experimenting to
try to find the sweet spot for each trip. She has explored Washington, Colorado and
New Mexico as well as travelling lighter on international trips.

David Schmidt has been backpacking for 30 years and started down the path to
ultralight a decade ago with a shift in strategy 5 years ago. He has spent time on nearly
all of the Washington and Oregon sections of the PCT as well as exploring trails in the
Western US, Patagonia, New Zealand, Spain, Japan, and Baja.

Heidi Flora began seriously hiking and backpacking six years ago as a way to recover
from a trail running injury. She carefully cultivated a kit of UL equipment, swapping out
items along the years to save weight as a way to go longer and farther as she got older
and became more serious about backpacking goals. She has hiked the Wonderland,
the JMT, and circumnavigated Glacier Peak. She has also enjoyed longer hikes in the
Alps: both the Tour de Mont Blanc and The Haute Route, with more adventures brewing
for this next year.

This clinic will be held at the Mountaineers Seattle Program Center, in Cascade A and B, and will begin promptly at 7PM, ending at approximately 8:30PM.