Ultralight Lifestyle

[Kc Fiedler]

I've been reading a bit on some minimalist living blogs and websites about what ultimately is the front-country equivalent of ultralight backpacking. The minimalist lifestyle (or ultralight lifestyle). It appeals to my sensibilities to look further into this idea of bringing the ultralight philosophy into my life in the front country.

Basically, it seems, one who follows a minimalist lifestyle tries to eliminate distractions and excess possessions in an effort to de-clutter mentally and physically. To focus on what really matters in life. The more I read the more I start thinking about all the piles of paper I have laying around, the extra band t-shirts in my closet, my laptop and my desktop computer, etc. What could I get rid of and still be comfortable? It's alluring to think about paring down these things.

I move two or three times a year so having less stuff to haul around seems really nice, as well.

Anybody else ever consider taking the ultralight philosophy into their home lives? Maybe some people on here have done so successfully and care to share their experience?

[hikerboy57]

i am not a ul hiker,but you spend enough time on the trail , you find out how little you need to be truly happy.i can pack up everything i own into my chevy malibu within an hour.
i have everything i need,and need everything i have.both on the trail and off.

[matthew.d.kirk]

Anybody else ever consider taking the ultralight philosophy into their home lives? Maybe some people on here have done so successfully and care to share their experience?

http://hophornbeam.blogspot.com/

[Slo-go'en]

Sure, been living that way nearly all my life. I've always lived in small spaces, so never collected a huge amount of stuff.

[RedBeerd]

Life is about doing, not having. Its the best way to live, IMO. And probably a common lifestyle in the backpacking community.

[kayak karl]

http://hophornbeam.blogspot.com/

is this your tiny house??

[Dogwood]

Yeah, what you, Kc fiedler, and others on this thread said is me too. Matt, I've recently been looking at building the same thing but slightly different design. I can get it done, w/ my own labor/tools and bartering for some construction materials, for under $10 K very nicely designed inside(like an RV) w/ some creature comforts - stove, running shower/dumper or chemical potty, small warming self contained heating unit(like is used in sailboats), small porch, sunlight(s), cushy bed, lots of storage, 4 season habitability, etc

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/page....html/#linden2

I can do a better modified Linden model(above) for myself for about $8k with some wheeling, dealing and bartering for recycled lumber and making my own roofing shingles.
.
http://www.busyboo.com/tag/modern-cabins/

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/li...elivered-on-wh

See that Ermitage Cabin Design? I have crunched the numbers. I can do that for under $15k. Fully habitable 4 months a yr for two people in a minimalist living fashion -self contained heating unit, alcohol/propane/wood burning stove, etc. I have many ideas on how to make it even better.

A yurt is an option too. I could do a 14 ft diam one taking a few short cuts but having a brighter naturally lit interior, all on one floor, easily for under $10K.

I need to find sites for the more permanent designs though.

[capehiker]

There was a movement about 10 years ago called Freeganism.

[Tipi Walter]

Minimal or not, all of our stuff will pass into the hands of others eventually or into a landfill. We get attached because we think it is all ours. We are just stewards to pieces of stuff until someone else gets it. Backpacking to me is a temporary life-decluttering act---I'm off the grid and sort of responsible for my warmth and water, directly involved with my own survival. Which is part of what it's all about and fulfilling.

Beyond this, even a simple life can be burdensome since we all run around thinking about our stomachs and what next to put in them. Or our monkey minds flit from thought to thought and worry to worry. Outward "purity" or simplicity is just that, outward. The tough things to get rid of are not our houses or our cars or even our electrical addictions, but the set of sensations we have created in our minds and the ego which goes along with who we think we are. YAWN not another sermon, please.

If I think by simplifying my life I can be more nonattached, well, it's alot more subtle than that.

[George]

something I always said about the unibomber - at least he practiced what he preached: was anti-technology and lived in a 10x10 structure

[Dogwood]

Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, certainly led an interesting life. Somewhere he got off track. It seems he was a little more than anti-technology though(although it was true he was anti technology). But he didn't seem to have started out as one might suspect as a terrorist. He was a child prodigy, excelling academically from an early age. Kaczynski was accepted into Harvard University at the age of 16, where he earned an undergraduate degree. He subsequently earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He became an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkley in 1967 at age 25. He did some brilliant work as a Mathematician in Boundary Functions. Yes, Robin Williams was right about what he said in Good Will Hunting about Ted Kaczynski. What the heck happened Ted that you got that disenfranchised with the "system" that you went to those extremes?

His shack(house?) where he hid out in Montana is very close to the CDT. Ley even has a note mentioning it on his MT CDT mapset. I had no desire to visit it though when I hiked the CDT.

[Dogwood]

BTW, long before he moved into his tiny secluded shack in MT he possibly showed signs of mentally/socially breaking down while he was still a UC professor. Obviously, something happened with him along the way. Went into a dark place?

[Marta]

Minimalism is like exercise--short-term pain for long-term gain. Self-discipline is required. Ignore the incessant messages that happiness will be secured by buying this toothpaste, a new breakfast cereal, a prescription drug you should ask your doctor about, or a new truck.

A lightening of the material load is not at all uncommon in the long-distance hiking community. If you're pre-retirement age, it's almost required for you to finance a long hike. After a long hike a lot of people are revolted by the excess of crap the surrounds them.

i enjoy many of Joshua Becker's Becoming Minimalist posts.

My husband and I have gone through several cycles of acquisition and purging. In the early 90s we did a huge purge to move our family of five from a farm in Kentucky to a four-room apartment in Russia. Three years later, when we were reunited with the crap we had felt the need to out in storage, our main reaction was Why did we think we'd want to keep this?

We're in a purge phase now--kids grown up and out of the house; getting ready for retirement by lightening the load financially and maintenance-wise; we've relocated to a place that offers hiking, cycling, and XC skiing right out the door. The tiny houses are cute, but I think around here we can buy the land with an existing cabin of around 500 sq' for less than bare land. Since cheap is important, but we don't want to be miserable (I've rejected the very cheapest options, such as living in a trailer park in Hungry Horse, for instance), the property has to have some aesthetic appeal. :-) Resort jobs often come with company housing, but I'm not planning to go that minimalist for the long term.

My three adult offspring are mad minimalists. One can fit all her worldly goods in a smallish U-Haul; one lives with his wife in a one-room cabin; and one is fixing up a 22' classic Airstream to be home for the next few years. (His girlfriend is just starting to tackle the stuff problem.) The kids are all extremely solvent financially, which is not unrelated to their minimalist lifestyles.

It's hard to think of any way in which cutting way, way back on spending and reducing possessions to the A-list items which fit in a smaller space isn't beneficial.

[Marta]

BTW, long before he moved into his tiny secluded shack in MT he possibly showed signs of mentally/socially breaking down while he was still a UC professor. Obviously, something happened with him along the way. Went into a dark place?

The mental process that turns personal rejection of technology into the sending of letter bombs is not a sane one.

His shack was up for sale a while back, and wasn't getting any takers.

[4shot]

I am not an "ultralight" hiker by any stretch of the imagination nor do I lead that "lifestyle" necessarily. However I am at an age where I have accumulated all the "stuff" I ever wanted. So I left a "good" job to teach high school. my pay was cut by more than 1/3. what did I get back? time. At my age, I am starting to realize that the single most important asset of all is time.

I have no regrets about my earlier career.it was something I wanted to do at the time. In fact, it was somewhat similar to a thru hike - challenging, great moments mixed with intervals of frustration, boredom, etc. I achieved all the goals that I had set for myself as a young man.I simply left when it was no longer enjoyable. Now I have off all the time that I want but still have work to do that I like. I feel very fortunate.

[Coffee]

There's something about hiking with a small amount of gear and realizing that is enough for survival for an extended period that puts day to day clutter in perspective. Twelve years ago I moved from a three bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment and later to a one bedroom apartment and now a one bedroom condominium. For years I had a storage unit and paid nearly $100/month to store items that I have not used in probably fifteen or more years. Now I have a storage unit within my building included in my condo fee so I'm not paying incrementally each month but all of the junk remains. At least I'm not acquiring new things that I don't need but parting with the old things is more difficult than it may seem.

[hikerboy57]

a simple life is a happy life

[Bronk]

I got rid of most of my possessions before leaving for my AT hike, mostly because I didn't have much that was valuable enough to pay storage fees on. For the 5 years or so after my hike everything I owned fit into 4 rubbermaid storage boxes, 3 suitcases and my pack. The furniture in my apartment consisted of a futon and a stool. Eventually I bought some property off grid and built a small cabin...since then I've accumulated a bit more material possessions, tools, etc. But I've lived without running water or grid electricity for the last 7 years, and if I had to pack up everything I owned I could be ready to go in under an hour. I generally go through all of my possessions at least once a year, and if I find something I haven't used in the last year I tend to get rid of it.

[pipsissewa]

...At least I'm not acquiring new things that I don't need but parting with the old things is more difficult than it may seem.

Try this: Go through the stuff in the storage area and put the stuff you THINK you can get rid of in boxes. DO NOT LABEL THE BOXES. Then SEAL THE BOXES. A year from now (or two or three--depending on your comfort level) give the boxes--UNOPENED--to a charity resale store.

It hurts a lot less that way! Good luck!

[squeezebox]

My nephew from Paris FR can to visit a couple of years ago, he commented how large my house is. He has a flat about 15 ft x 15 ft. finds it okay. My house here is about 650 sq ft. i think I could get down to 400 ft with no discomfort issues. Best kitchen and bath I've ever had, high E furnace & ac, new electric, lots of insulation. My elec & gas bill has never been over $100 combined. bought it for $13,K in a poorer section of town, My god what it ugly. A 60 x140 lot, big garden. crappy full basement. For city living this is definately okay. And I own it , not the bank. Here in St. Louis there is a lot of older housing under 1,000 sq ft. I imagine the same for a lot of other places. I live in the city so there's no crazy commute.
My ex-wife has a 2,000 ft house, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths lives alone, and can't afford it even if her parents did move back in.

Live simply so others can simply live !!