Hi to everyone i'm new here,i come from Italy an i need some tips on how to build an ultralight backpack (i hope this is the right section even if this topic could be right for others too),these are some informations about me:
1-i'm 22,5 feet 7 inches for 160 pounds
2-my trip wil be a little less than 600 miles and will take place this summer in the centre and north-west of Italy so the weather will be nice and just a little hot
3-i'm an ultrarunner and my aim is to complete my trip in the fastest time possible so i'm thinking about the ''big three'' along with a mobile phone,food (to eat without cooking) and maybe an head lamp
4-i want to spend as little as possible in gear,the more spartan the better
5-i will need to sleep on the ground for various nights
6-i will have support sometimes to sleep and eat but i can't count on it

Hope you can help me with any tips you want,congrats for this board and ciao from Italy

We have an active MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) section in this forum, and there are also a lot of helpful articles on the home page of this site.. Articles here.

ok thank you

those plastic grocery bags are nice - light and hold a lot.
Jim

Hi and welcome! It would be good to have a little more info. For instance, 600mi at 50 mi per day is 12 days...what do you estimate your daily mileage will be? With these high mileage type of events, the bulk of your weight being carried will be food UNLESS you are arranging for a bunch of resupply points (which can be easily(?) done where you are running I think). Your sleeping gear can be very light and compact if the nights are warm. Same with your sleeping quarters. So this all boils down to your plan of attack, because the size and style of your pack should be geared to the maximum load you will be carrying during your fast hike. So just to recap; The way I would do it is like this...

1) Estimate miles per day
2) How much food per day needed?
3) How many nights/days do you need to supply your own food?
4) How many resupply points can you get?
5) Calculate maximum weight/volume between resupply points.
6) Give yourself an escape route/food and water source if something unforseen happens at various points along the route.
7) From my point of view, lighter (more resupply stops) will be the best way to go on something like this.

Some other notes. Picking the right spot (a well chosen comfortable one) for a good nights sleep can be more critical than what gear you take, especially at the age of 22. You could use a cheap silk liner, a thin pad, and throw an emergency blanket over yourself for your sleeping system. This would be very light, inexpensive, and workable in warm to hot weather. Bug netting and a light tarp/gatewood cape or poncho would deal with bugs and rain respectively. You may want to drive the route before you do it to help with pre-planning and picking out potential sleeping spots (on the ground).

The trip sounds really fun! Hope this helps and isn't just stuff you already know.

Chris

It occurred to me that I never finished my methodology. When I complete steps 1 through 5 (including all my gear in the weights) and considering step 6, I go back and recalculate mileage and run through the whole thing again. Basically I use an iterative process until I am convinced of the resulting plan. Oh, and definitely take a head lamp along with spare batteries in at least one of your resupply drops.

For trips like this, taking a cue from you wanting to complete the route in the fastest time possible, you need to carry the least amount of weight at any one time. Of course you already know this, but what this means is more resupply stops will be generally better for you as a strategy (depending upon the local situation which you will know better than us). From my perspective, this trip is all about going as light as possible, and fueling your body. In my experience (I have never done 600 miles) the first 5 days will be easy as you burn through your reserves. Then it becomes much harder, so you need to get ahead of the game by eating on a regular basis as you are traveling. Really look at your diet and stay fueled up the entire way because you will need a balance of things that your body will process at a slow, moderate, and rapid rate.

So I'm curious, is this a Florence to Cortina run? What are your start and end points?