Ultralight Backpacking in the
Mid-Atlantic & Beyond

DC UL Backpacking specializes in high-mileage, lightweight backpacking trips throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Our goal is to cultivate a community of independent outdoors men and women who want nothing more than to have a fulfilling backcountry experience.

How do I join DCUL?

You can join DC UL by filling out an application on our Meetup site. Because our trips are demanding and involve nights spent outdoors in remote areas, we have a series of questions that you’ll be asked when you apply. Please fill out the form fully–even if you are new to backpacking–and submit a photo that displays a clear image of your face.

New members are assigned the rank of “Applicant,” and can attend our low-mileage (LM) overnight trips and our social events. The point of this phase is for us to get know each other before you embark on one of our more adventuresome trips (MO, VM, VM+).

When you sign up for your first backpacking trip, you’ll need to submit a gear list to the event organizer so we can make sure you have the necessary and required items for the trip. We’ll promote you to “Member” once you’ve completed a trip with us in good form.

Once you are a Member, you are required to pay our $10 yearly membership fee at the next event you attend. These fees help us run some of our events, but we do not charge for individual backpacking trips. Applicants do not have to pay the fee.

Liability Waiver: By joining this group, you agree to all waiver terms.

Is this group is right for you?

• You’re an experienced backpacker who likes nothing more than to walk big days and you’re looking for some like-minded folks to keep you company and explore the Mid-Atlantic.

• You’ve done some backpacking before, but you don’t enjoy sleeping in, stopping early, base-camping, cabin-camping, etc. You know that dawn and dusk are the best times for walking.

• You’ve never been backpacking before, but you’re athletically minded, and fairly accomplished as a runner, triathlete, cyclist, day hiker, etc. You want to take on some backcountry challenges and you want to get up-to-speed fast.

• You’re an experienced ULer who thinks anyone who hasn’t cut the handle off his toothbrush is crazy.

• You just heard of this UL stuff (and you’ve never weighed your gear before), but you’re really interested in NOT carrying a 50-pound pack on a weekend trip. You’re quite curious how anyone can go backpacking with a sub-10 pound (or even a sub-5 pound!) base weight. You may even be skeptical, but it sure sounds like a good idea.

• You don’t care at all about gear and want to have a single set of equipment you can use in all seasons.

• You’re a total gearhead and like nothing more than buying and trying out new stuff.

• You think keeping a walking journal sounds like fun. And the prospect of making a spreadsheet with your gear all listed and weighed sounds incredibly cool.

• You buy all your gear ready-made at REI.

• You constructed 13 different alcohol stoves in your basement and tested their boil times with a stopwatch till you got one you liked.

• You think it would be pretty awesome to backpack a ton this year and rack up a few dozen nights under the stars.

In short, one size does not fit all. Different people come to the group with different backgrounds and expectations.

Join us. We look forward to meeting you.