1. Are you claustrophobic? Some ultralight tent designs are
really just fancy bivy sacks. For those who hate tight squeezes,
it will be like sleeping in a coffin.

2. How tall are you? If the length of the tent is only a few
inches more than your height, you’ll be touching the walls. This
probably means getting wet from the condensation on them.

3. What do you do in a tent? If you just sleep, total floor and
head space are not important. If you normally play cards with
friends for hours, you’ll need a design that allows for that.

4. Do you backpack in bad weather often? If all you plan to do
is camp on nice summer nights, you can just look at the cheapest
lightweight tents, and worry less about quality.

5. How much have you budgetted for a tent? More money equals a
lighter tent, but if you can’t get it light enough on your
budget, you may want to consider going even lighter – and
cheaper – with a tarp shelter.

6. Which is more important to you, fast set-up or lightest
weight? Hopefully you’ll find a tent with the right balance, but
keep your preference in mind when shopping.

More About Lightweight Tents

Single-layer tents (without a rain-fly) will usually have more
condensation inside. This is true of even those that claim to be
waterproof and breathable. It is less of a problem with the
newer designs that have a lot of screen/ventilation area,
because air circulation is as important as “breathable”
material. These materials just don’t breath that well anyhow.

Test your tent. It’s no fun spending 20 minutes setting up a
complicated tent in the rain. Also, it can be worse than
inconvenient to tear seams because of a design that stretches
everything so tight you have to fight with it. Try the tent in
your yard or living room, before you head into the wilderness.
That way you can return it if it won’t work for you.

There is only one totally enclosed 2-person ultralight tent that
I know of under 3 pounds. It’s a single layer, but the forward
sloping door allows for a large screen area, to keep air-flow at
a maximum. This keeps condensation to a minimum.

There are “floorless” tents, which are specially cut tarps which
typically use your trekking poles for support. One of the
lightest of these is a three-person design that weighs less than
2 pounds. I haven’t tried it, but it gets good reviews, and it
is in the weight range I like for ultralight tents. You have to
bring a groundsheet with this type, so figure that weight into
the decision.

Unfortunately, I’ve discovered the hard way – four tents and
counting – that you tend to get what you pay for with
lightweight tents. That’s one of the reasons I backpack with a
tarp.

Weight isn’t the only advantage of tarp shelters, though. They
also give you room to move, and you can easily look around. You
can quickly take them down when you’re ready to go. If it’s wet,
just shake it off and it will fit in an outside pocket of your
backpack. Even if they were the same weight, I’d still prefer a
tarp over a tent for most trips.

The lightest of my own tarp shelters weighs 16 ounces with all
the strings. That seems heavy now, when I look at the new
ultralight tarps out there. Integral Designs Sil Tarp 5′ x 8′,
for example, weighs just 7 ounces.

The Bozeman Mountain Works Stealth 0 Catenary Ridgeline
Ulralight Backpacking Tarp weighs an amazing 5.7 ounces. With a
name like that, you know it has to be expensive. Of course,
almost any backpacking tarp will be lighter – and cheaper – than
the lightest tents out there.

How To Use Tarp Shelters

You’ll probably need a bigger tarp than you think. A seven-foot
roof may seem like it will cover your six-foot body well enough,
until a blowing rain soaks your feet. Proper use is even more
important than size, though.

Pitch the low side into the wind. Keep all sides low if a storm
is coming. Evenly tighten guy lines. Use rocks, trees, trekking
poles and whatever else helps. Pitch the tarp tightly, to keep
it from flapping in the wind too much, which can loosen the
strings or cause the tarp to tear.

If you haven’t used tarp shelters before, experiment until you
can quickly set up in several different enviroments. Bring
lightweight stakes, until you learn how to use sticks and trees
and rocks. No stakes means less weight to carry. I’ve always
found something to use, even up high on the tundra.

You might have to treat the seams with a sealant occasionally,
or at least when you first buy your tarp. Buy seam-sealer
anyplace that sells tarps and tents. You’ll need string or cord
of some sort for tie-downs. I put varying lengths around the
tarp, so I can untie and use the long ones where I need them.
Sometimes that tree will be a little too far away.

I use 4′ by 7′ pieces of plastic for groundsheets. They’re
opened-up giant garbage bags that weigh 2 ounces. They’re
disposable, but I’ve used one for a week in the Rockies, and
they’re cheap and easy to replace. Whatever you use, lay your
bag on it, to be sure you’ll have room. You don’t want to be
touching the wet ground just because you moved a little. On the
other hand, if it’s too big it will catch rain out near the edge
of the tarp, and funnel it back to you.

Mosquitos keep a lot of ultralight backpackers from using tarp
shelters. Repellant is a partial solution, as is using the tarp
only when it isn’t too buggy. A headnet helps, but keeping the
rest of your body covered when it’s warm isn’t pleasant. Pitch
camp in a high, breezy place and you’ll have fewer bug problems.

There are also mesh shelters you can pitch under your tarp. The
lightest I’ve seen weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces. With a 7-ounce
tarp, you’d be under 2 pounds for a shelter, and it comes with a
floor, so you don’t have to bring a groundsheet. Ultralight
tarps and tarp shelters, by the way, weigh less than 20 ounces,
a standard I just invented, but it seems reasonable.

Habitually ask this of every item you bring. Foam sleeping pads can be trimmed, a stuff sack could be left behind if the sleeping bag can just be stuffed directly into the pack. Shortening a toothbrush and cutting the edges off maps won’t lighten the load much, but modify enough different items, and the weight savings can add up to a pound or two.2. Is there a lighter alternative?

This is where you really save weight, especially if you start with the “big three;” sleeping bag, shelter and backpack. Buying new gear may be necessary, but you can also find the lightest choice among the things you already own. Pick out your lightest t-shirts, for example, or take your light tarp for a short trip, instead of a tent. This can make a big difference in how light you go. Many years ago, I went from a 88-ounce (5 1/2 pound) backpack to a 14-ounce one, and from a three-pound sleeping bag to a one-pound one.3. What can I leave behind?

“Do I really need to bring this?” Ask that of each item. One shirt may be enough, for example. Ask, “will I use it?” For several trips I carried a small chess set, but never used it. If with a group, see if someone else in the party has an item you are considering. A group of three only needs one stove. Not sure if you can leave something behind? The last three questions may help you find an answer.4. Are there multiple-use items I can use to cut weight?

If I cook at all (unusual), my pan is my bowl, and my spoon is my fork. Some ponchos can be used as a shelter. A trekking pole can be the support for a tarp shelter or even some tents. The stuff-sack from your sleeping bag can be filled with clothing to use as a pillow. Find ways to use the things you have for more than one purpose, and buy things that have multiple purposes. This is classic ultralight backpacker thinking.5. Are there strategies can I use to lighten the load?

An extreme example: eat a low-carbohydrate diet for a few days, then load up on pasta the day before a trip. In this way you can store up to a couple pounds of extra carbs in your body, so you won’t need to carry as much food. Called “carbo-loading,” it’s been used by endurance athletes for decades. Another strategy: plan according to the weather report. If no rain is predicted, you can leave the rain gear behind, or bring just the top. In an area with many water sources, you can carry just a one-pint plastic soda bottle, if you fill it up every time you come to a stream or lake.6. What skills and habits can I work on?

This is partly about learning survival skills. Why? Because being at home in the wilderness makes it safer to go lighter. If, for example, you know how to make a warm bed of dried leaves and grass, it’s safe to try that light sleeping bag which otherwise might not be quite warm enough for you. Being able to identify and eat wild edible plants makes it safer to carry less food. In fact, if with sufficient survival skills, an ultralight backpacker can be prepared for almost anything.

The price of the ultralight airplanes is relatively low, but still not for everyone’s pocket. Then you have to add costs for obtaining a license, hangaring, fuel and flying permits.

On the other side are the paragliders. They need literally nothing except wind. The problem is you depend on the wind way too much.

I guess some smart guy have realized that many of us need the best of both world. Thus the powered paraglider was born. How is it different?

The powered paragliders can fly and pick up on their own, not matter if there are appropriate wind conditions or not. They have a very simple engine sitting on the back on the pilot and allow very easy flying.

The powered paragliders are cheaper than the ultralight airplanes and do not require a pilot license.

You can even buy your powered paraglider online and receive it in few days.Safety of powered paragliders

Typically the powered paragliders are considered safer than their unpowered cousins, because you have greater control on the flight itself.

If you have experience flying a “normal” paraglider, you will be able to use the same knowledge about safety that you have acquired before.How to start?

If you feel interested, there are several things you need to do:

- Think about your education. If you have no experience flying a paraglider, it’s highly recommended to attend a flying course

- Plan your finances. The powered paragliders are one of the cheapest way to fly, but still you will need several thousands dollars to do it safely

- Research new and used market of powered paragliders. There are a lot of options, but some pilots prefer to build their own motorized paraglider. It’s easy!

- Buy, pack, get trained and start flying

There is just one step from powered paragliding and flying a real ultralight airplane. Some pilots prefer to stay with the paragliders, other want to grow further. Whichever you choose, paragliding is an excellent way to start.

Building an ultralight trike yourself is one of the most exciting, yet pretty achievable things you can do to achieve your dream. If you think you need a master’s degree in engineering and construction genius, you are wrong. People like me and you build ultralight trikes every day. And yes, they fly on them!

So how do you go?Purchase Construction Plans

You can purchase plans online even in download able format. The prices rare exceed few hundreds (and often are under $100), but the plans contain everything you need.

Preferably, get plans with full size drawings to you can avoid inaccuracies in resizing. Make sure that the plans contain a complete list of materials and sources so you an save time looking around. You can also use a partial kit

Some companies offer partial trial kits. This is an excellent way to gain some experience and expertise and later decide if you want to purchase the kit or just continue building only by the plans. The trial kits of course are much cheaper than the complete ones and take less time to be built. Most companies also provide free phone support. What kind of airplane to build?

This article is called “How To Build An Ultralight Trike” because I believe the ultralight trikes are the best beginning for starters. They are much simpler and faster to complete than the fixed wing airplanes. Finally, the kits and the materials for them are much cheaper.How much time is it going to take?

For someone with skillful hands building an ultralight trike from scratch will take 1500 – 2000 hours. Count 2500 if you are not that good in working with tools.

If you want to do things faster, just purchase a kit. With a good kit you’ll build your ultralight trike for 250 – 300 hours.

Just don’t let bias to keep you away from your dream. Building an ultralight airplane yourself is not only possible, it is fun.