Project Description

How can a 700-page hiking guidebook be considered "Ultralight Gear"?

Guidebooks have always been hiking gear, but publishers have ignored that fact. So Alberta, Canada’s hikingcamping.com re-invented the guidebook when they created the 7th edition of Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies.

In setting out to package this set of books, Subplot Design Inc. aimed to make it a serious piece of ultralight equipment. It doesn’t even look like a book. It’s protected in a bright green, hardshell case that looks like outdoor gear. Zip it open and you’ll see it allows you to leave most of the book behind when you go hiking but take the trail directions and orientation map in your pack, so you always have those essentials with you in the backcountry. The average trail-weight per hike is just 67 grams, or 2.4 ounces. That’s as light as a pair of sunglasses you can wear on your nose all day without noticing.

The Ultralight Gear 7th edition is divided into Opinion and Fact. The Opinion book contains all the trip descriptions, and most of the photos. It’s intended for use at home, in the car, at the trailhead. It provides everything you need to choose your next hike. It’s also an inspiring read when you’re between trips. But it stays behind, in the hardshell case, when you go hiking. The nine Fact booklets contain the trail directions and orientation maps. For each hike, you carry just the one booklet you need. Compared to eReaders, tablets or smartphones, these booklets are lighter, simpler to use, and easier on your eyes. They don’t rely on limited batteries. They won’t break if you drop them.