What has always appealed to me about backpacking and allied outdoor pursuits is that it is essentially an exercise in elegance. Take what you need to maintain a comfortable existence (as you define it) and nothing more. You soon learn about the penalty of excess weight and superfluous stuff.

Background is certainly important. I grew up semi-rural and our earliest vacations were fishing trips to northern Minnesota, which is nice wild country, albeit flat. When I stepped off the train in Tucson, about to become a sophomore at the University of Arizona, I gazed at the Santa Catalina mountains and it was love at first sight.

We should also say something about non-recreational backpacking. Sometimes you cherish, and need, SUL stuff and strategies because of all the "mission critical" gear and samples you will be packing, and the assorted games you will be playing.