Why ultralight backpacks? Devotees of ultralight backpacking know you reduce your packweight most by concentrating on the "big three;" backpack, shelter, and sleeping bag. Forget those 6-pound backpacks, 9-pound tents and 5-pound sleeping bags. Reduce that 20 pounds to less than 5, keep the other gear to 5 or 6 pounds, and you can chuck the hot and heavy hiking boots, put on the running shoes, and start enjoying those trails.

Four Ounce Ultralight Backpacks

No, that's not a typo. One of the ultralight backpacking suppliers recently came out with a light pack with a capacity of 1800 cubic inches, plus more in an expandable rear pocket. Designed to carry just fifteen pounds, It may be more fragile than the average pack, but it weighs just 3.7 ounces! With a pack that light you're well on your way to keeping your total packweight to fifteen pounds.

I bought a six ounce pack at Walmart. Maybe you didn't know they sold ultralight backpacks, and niether did they. I'm sure it was intended as a daypack. However, it has 1200 cubic inches and weighs only 6 ounces, so I'll use it for summer overnighters. At $4, it was light on the budget too.

It easy to imagine that a decent-sized backpack can be made at home that weighs less than 8 ounces. If it's a simple one, without extra pockets, made from light nylon material, how much could it weigh? Making your own may be the way to get the lightest backpack.

Alternatives To Ultralight Backpacks

I've used my 8-ounce duffle bag for backpacking. With no pockets, it's tough to organize things, but it has lots of room, and it is very tough. In practice, the full-length zipper makes it so easy to see everything that organization isn't very important.

I also have tied the duffle bag to an an old aluminum pack-frame, to create a full-suspension backpack. It has a hip belt, comfortable padded straps, and weighs exactly two pounds. It worked fine on a trip above timberline in the mountains of Montana. If there are any lighter exterior-frame ultralight backpacks out there, I haven't seen them.

You can also go on overnight trips with just a bivy sack, a bottle of water and a few granola bars in the pockets of your jacket. I've done this in the summer. Of course, I suppose without ultralight backpacks, this can't even be called backpacking.

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His advice, stories and backpack recommendations can be found at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com

Are you planning on going for a hiking or camping trip? If yes, then you will be doing a lot of walking and climbing to get to the perfect spot. You will also, in all probability, move from one spot to another if the trip is going to be a long drawn-out one. In this case you will want to ensure that your camping backpack is as light as you can possibly make it. You can ensure in two ways. Firstly, get yourself a light aluminum frame backpack, and lastly, do not stuff the pack with items you can do without.

Search through the sports stores in your area and also do some online research for a good selection of lightweight camping gear you could purchase. Buy your camping gear according to your needs such as, how far you will be going and the temperature of the place you are going to be camping at.

If you intend to hike to a nearby place you plan to camp out at and remain there for the rest of the trip, you should be able to pack more items in your backpack as you will not be trekking for too long. However, if you are planning a lot of trekking then you must be very selective in what you need to put in your gear. The more items the heavier it will be and you will have to make frequent halts to rest besides you will be tired out to enjoy the trip.

Start with selecting the lightest weighing tents for the trip. There are a range of tents made of light weight material and come in sizes to accommodate one to four adults. When going for a camping trip in a group it is always advisable for each person to carry their own tent. This is always easier than one man carrying a single tent to accommodate four adults. So make the ideal camping kit to include a three pound tent and a two pound sleeping bag per person.

Sleeping bags are constructed out of down and synthetic materials, this makes them very comfortable and light weight, not to mention being able to fold or roll them up into very small packages. Then there are also very small and compact cooking apparatus that fold up even smaller for ease of packing, add to this some light weight metal cups, pots, plates and pans to complete the gear.

While packing the camping gear ensure you pack only the things you will definitely need on the trip. Discard the things you would "like to have", as this will only add to the weight of the back pack. Remember you are going to rough it out for the next few days so take only the bare essentials and make do with them for the entire trip. Make wise decisions such as packing the heavier sleeping bag and discarding the unimportant items rather than going in for the lighter sleeping bag and adding stuff you will not need for the trip.

With each camping trip you take you will be wiser and ultimately you will know exactly what you need for your next trip and how to enjoy it to the full.

Abhishek is a Camping freak! Visit his website http://www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget. But hurry, only limited Free copies available ! http://www.Camping-Guru.com