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  1. #1
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    What about a sub-forum for UltraLite gear?

    I suppose, if I were an Ultralite fan, I’d have to say UL (saves a few letters).

    It seems UL issues enter into posts in many areas so it would be nice if they had their own watering hole. The only concern I see is UL encompasses many items in one’s kit - more than just hammock and tarp. If it is Donating Members Only, not every one can read the posts. It’s been a while since I was not donating so I don’t recall for sure - but I think if you are not donating, you don’t even see the forums you can’t reach. If that’s true, some readers would not know it was there until a moderator mentioned moving a post over to it.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  2. #2
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    Move this over to the feedback section so it does not get lost in hammock related posts. Also as FYI non DM folks can see the sub forums in DM but can not see the actual posts.
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    "The older I get, the more I appreciate my rural childhood. I spent a lot of time outdoors, unsupervised, which is a blessing." Barbara Kingsolver

  3. #3
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    I'm fer it!

    Make it DM only since it is an all-encompassing philosophy and not just a target weight number, as so many assume. Which means that conversations very quickly wander into the weeds when discussing how skill set and experience are co-equal parts of the equation.

    Simplicity can be complicated.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
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  4. #4
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    I don't want to make assumptions about cougarmeat's motives, but I just hope the intent of the suggestion is to create a new space where UL topics can be discussed at length, and not to discourage those topics from being discussed anywhere else. While most on the forum are not hardcore UL adherents, I'd say for the majority, lightening up to an extent is a shared goal. It would be disappointing if every time somebody made a suggestion that was based on the UL philosophy, somebody else chimed in telling that poster to take their comments to the UL forum.

    But giving the suggestion the benefit of the doubt, I also think it's a good idea and I echo what cmoulder said above.

  5. #5
    ObdewlaX's Avatar
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    Yeah, I'd like to see an UL sub-forum... lots to talk about!

    I like to read what others are doing in the way of gear choices/selections and other UL considerations and practices. As an UL practitioner for many moons, I agree with cmoulder, it's more than "just a target weight number".

  6. #6
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    We’ve all seen moderators warn when topics move from “hammocks” to other gear. And often I’ve seen a general inquiry transform into a UL-ish discussion. So I thought it would be nice if UL had it’s own area. But I do understand the complexity and concern - if someone asks about tarps in general, and you mention the latest 8 oz dynemma marvel, will it be moved to the sub-forum and out of reach from non-donating members.

    It’s a bit of a quandary like video movie categorization (we have the last Block Buster in town). Is the movie “Action” or “Drama”. Similarly, when does the topic move enough Off Topic to warrant movement? For example - I initially posted this in the General Forum because I thought it would get more “eyes” and so more community comments. But it was moved immediately to Site Suggestions - a sub-forum I've seldom visited. So ironically, had someone else suggested this - I would have never seen it.

    I do poke a little good natured fun at UL’ers. But if given the choice of two packs and both had the same safety redundancy and gear set, of course I’d choose the lighter one.

    It just seemed, in the area of hammock camping, that there’s a whole host of other related items: packs, boots, stoves, solar chargers vs spare batteries. Water purification options, etc.

    There’s a trade off between really light - but fragile - vs rugged. The choices for a weekend, short mileage, camper vs a thru-hiker can be interesting. The weekender doesn’t have to be so concerned because it’s only a short time/distance. But the thru-hiker needs the gear to stand up to days and days of use without an immediate resupply if things go wrong.

    I’d think those topics would be useful discussions for hammock forum members though they may stray a bit from “hammock specific”.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 03-09-2020 at 13:54.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  7. #7
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    I think I understand your points. FWIW, here is my take on some of them.

    If there's a hammock-related thread in the Camping Hammocks subforum, and a series of posts in that thread starts veering toward a discussion of backpacks (UL or not) or stoves (UL or not), that is an example of the thread getting off-topic. Usually then a moderator steps in and he or she posts that the discussion should go back to being focused on hammocks.

    If there's a tarp-related thread in the Weather Protection subforum, and a series of posts in that thread starts discussing "the latest 8oz Dyneema marvel," that's not off-topic at all and those posts have every right to remain.

    Quote Originally Posted by cougarmeat View Post
    It just seemed, in the area of hammock camping, that there’s a whole host of other related items: packs, boots, stoves, solar chargers vs spare batteries. Water purification options, etc.
    In the Donating Members Off-Topic forum, there are already subforums for backpacks, clothing, kitchen (stoves), other gear, etc. So HF is already set up with the infrastructure for the topics you mentioned to be discussed by donating members, without those posts being considered off-topic.

    I think many of us who frequent HF are aware that some members harbor certain aversions to UL gear, and sometimes seem oddly offended when UL gear is discussed. It's true that UL gear, or the UL philosophy in general, isn't for everyone, and that people who choose not to follow that philosophy shouldn't be shamed for it. But that doesn't mean others shouldn't be free to discuss those topics when they are on-topic in the appropriate forum. I think there are a lot of people who come to HF looking for ways to lighten their pack while enjoying the benefits of sleeping in a hammock. The topic of UL, while it does extend broadly, can include hammocks, suspensions, tarps, and insulation, and it would be a disservice to the community to want to put all those thoughts behind a pay wall. But I do agree that per the rules of the forum, when the conversation veers toward backpacks, clothing, stoves, etc. it's appropriate for the moderators to steer the discussion back on track.

    I'm all for the suggestion to have a UL subforum in the Donating Members Off-Topic forum, but I'm not sure that I'm all in for the same reasons you are. Although there are already specific categories for practically every type of gear (the ones other than hammocks, insulation, and weather protection only being available to donating members), the closest to an appropriate place for threads about the UL philosophy would be the Backpacking subforum. I like the idea of a UL subforum where strategies and such can be discussed, in addition to just gear. I'm sure a space like that here would be a breeding ground for a lot of interesting discussion, sharing, and debate. But the idea of people wanting the mention of a UL tarp to be taboo in a thread about tarps rubs me the wrong way.
    Last edited by cmc4free; 03-09-2020 at 15:29.

  8. #8
    Recalc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ObdewlaX View Post
    Yeah, I'd like to see an UL sub-forum... lots to talk about! . . . . .
    Yes, there's lots to talk about. Choices & UL hammock strategies are increasing all the time & I'd like to see a home for the topic.

  9. #9
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    > But the idea of people wanting the mention of a UL tarp to be taboo in a thread about tarps rubs me the wrong way.

    But that’s not what I’m suggesting. It would be up to the poster to decide were she wanted to post - assuming it qualified for both.

    To be clear, I am NOT an UL’er. But if I were, it would be nice if there were a watering hole where that quality was an overriding theme - instead of having to ferret out the UL information from the more general posts.

    In other words, if I want to discuss an 8 oz tarp in the camping forum. That’s fine. But if I want to discuss an 8 oz tarp in a sub-forum with my other UL buds - along with other equipment - that’s fine too.

    As you say, there are forums for all that other camping gear. But I see UL issues come up again and again and it just occurred to me that it might be nice if there were a place where that quality could be discussed rather than have it spread around in the other forums.

    So it wouldn’t be that the moderator would “say”, Camping is a good place to discuss tarps but you mentioned UL so I’m moving your post.It’s more that UL (pro or con) would have it’s own area. Not taking something away (i.e. moving posts); just adding an option that isn’t here.

    Moderators could add it - warning that it is conditional or something like that - and see how much activity it generates. If it gets a qualifying number of posts/reads, then it stays. If members find it too redundant to other sub-forums, then it’s discontinued - I don’t know what would happen to the initial posts therein.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  10. #10
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    A UL sub-forum sounds highly redundant to me. Anything UL that you want to talk about can be talked about in existing sub-forums.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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