WIRED 2024, Vol 52 special feature “FASHION FUTURE AH!."
Home-Made Clothing and Gear Made For Survival: A Visit With Ray Jardine, Father of Ultralight Hiking.
Interview with Ray Jardine
By Michiaki Matsushima, Head of Editorial Content, WIRED
Translated from the Japanese
Ray Jardine pioneered the world of ultralight hiking, where you spend months walking long trails in the great outdoors, reducing the weight of your equipment to the bare minimum by 1g. Our meditations on the primordial relationship between humans, clothing, and nature took us to the land of New Mexico, where Ray lives.
Ray Jardine's day begins at sunrise. In the winter, he starts the fire in the wood stove in the living room, eats oatmeal for breakfast, and then goes up to his study on the second floor, which overlooks a forest of pines and Juniper, to sit at his desk and resume writing. The book he's currently writing, tentatively titled "Hello America; Three Months On A Bicycle," is about a trip he took with his wife Jenny on a tandem bicycle in 2004, from the West Coast to the East Coast and back." I've done so many adventures," he says "that I haven't been able to keep up with my writing. And sometimes I devote my morning time to programming." His site called Ray-Way Products (which is still in the good old days of Web 1.0) continues to be updated and orders come in from all over the world.
He switched to a plant-based diet two years ago and says he's been in great health ever since. Lots of vegetables, lots of rice and beans like Mexican food. Also starchy root vegetables like potatoes and yams. it's nutritious and has a good flavor. And vegetables like green beans, corn, tomatoes, kale, and spinach that you can grow in your garden. They have about ten chickens in the chicken coop, but they sell most of the fresh eggs. The other ingredients are things you can buy at the supermarket, however, he's not too particular about organic food.
Every two years he also fasts. Ray says the changes his body undergoes during this period, which can last up to two months, are "really amazing." But that doesn't mean he recommends this "extreme" habit to others. He emphasizes that it's important to stop fasting when your body tells you it's enough. In fact, it is precisely his unique ability to communicate with the body that has made him a legend in outdoor culture. And not one pursuit, but two.
Photograph: Jason Henry
Extremely simple and free
Ray forged his first legend in the 1970s on a rock wall in Yosemite Valley in the United States. He developed what is now known as the "cam device" (pictured at the beginning of the article), an aluminum tool that can be easily set into cracks, and used this tool to become the first person in the world to successfully free-climb Yosemite's Phoenix route. At 50m high and rated at 5.13a, it was the most difficult achievement at the time, and it brought about a decisive change in climbing. (There were even accusations that the cam devices were illegal because they made climbing too easy). His cam device was commercialized under the name "Friends," and has become a common tool used by climbers.
Ray eventually moved away from rock climbing, either because he had other adventures to pursue, or because he was less interested in business, or both. After leaving the sport, he began channeling his adventurous spirit into long trails.
Ray's two books written in the 1990s, The PCT Hiker's Handbook and Beyond Backpacking (both previously untranslated), created a reputation among thru-hikers who spend months on long trails. Ray's name had already become legendary. In particular, "Beyond Backpacking" published in 1999 is a commemorative book that systematized the methodology of ultralight (UL) hiking, also known as light mountaineering according to "Japanese UL & Garage Manufacturer History Overview" (from "Yama to Michi Journals"). It can be said to be a monumental book.
UL is "more than just a methodology; it is a philosophy, a culture, and sometimes even life-changing," the journal says. UL always focuses on the "lightness" of the equipment, but on long hikes, the pursuit of lightness means a trade-off with safety, and it is crucial in rough weather and unexpected situations (in other words, the daily life of long hikes). It can be a life risk. To overcome this, it is necessary to accumulate deep practice and contemplation about the relationship between humans, tools, nature, and one's own skills. Ray's innovative UL methodology, which he defined as "Ray-Way," would have a decisive influence on long hikes and trail culture in general throughout the world from the 2000s onward.
But that's not all. The "Ray-Way" is based on the premise of making equipment with your own hands. All the gear on the market at the time was overloaded, overprotected, and heavy as a result. UL must be as simple and free as possible -- for equipment and for people themselves. As the saying goes, "Humans shape tools, and as a result, tools shape humans." Making tools yourself means that you continue to redefine your existence through those tools. Through Ray-Way, the spirit of DIY that has continued in outdoor culture has become a practical and philosophical movement called MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) and has spread around the world.
"Human beings, not just long hikers, are trying to return to nature. But I simply cannot surrender myself to nature naked," Matsushima said. "What is the significance of cutting and sewing the gear that humans choose when confronting nature, such as shell jackets, shell pants, shelters, and backpacks, by themselves?" Ray's answer was as simple, as expected.
Their workshop is on the second floor of their home, and Jenny uses a large table to cut out fabrics according to size according to orders from all over the world for Ray-Way backpacks, tarps, quilts, etc (they get a lot of orders for backpacks from Japan in particular), and use them as production kits. Everything is designed by Ray and produced by his wife Jenny. She shares most of her adventures with Ray and is, of course, a long-distance hiker.
Photograph: Jason Henry |
── Nowadays, at least in developed countries, anyone can easily buy clothes, so what does the word "MYOG" mean?
Ray Jardine (RJ): You can buy decent clothes cheaply. But that doesn't give a person a feeling for the clothes. Wearing something you've made yourself is very satisfying and its value is immeasurable. It gives you more freedom. You can make whatever you want, when you want. I've been sewing for decades, and made my first tent in the late-1960s.
── How did you learn sewing skills? There was no YouTube at that time.
RJ: My mother taught me how to use a sewing machine. I then used that sewing machine to make sleeping bags, tents, and jackets. I wanted something different from what was available on the market, and I had many ideas in my head. So I made them myself. When I started long-distance hiking in the 80s, there wasn't much light-weight gear available, and the average backpack weighed 25-30kg, which, to me, was too heavy. So I made my own, but everyone said it was too light and would break easily. Of course, that was erroneous. When I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2009, my backpack weighed 225 grams, and its loaded baseline weight was 4kg."
──Why do you think the MYOG movement has spread?
RJ: You don't have to buy everything. You can make your clothing and gear much more cheaply. And the things you make yourself have more meaning. If you put your heart and soul into something, it will have meaning.
──What do you mean?
RJ: There is a connection between your brain, your hands, and the things you create. Sometimes we light campfires outdoors using a bow drill. That campfire has meaning because I created it with my own energy. The meaning is difficult to explain; it's something inside...
──Inside? Does that mean the creation is an extension of yourself?
RJ: Exactly. When you make a backpack, it becomes an extension of yourself. Your brain, your hands, the creation, they are all connected.
──What does gear mean to you when you're doing extreme activities like spending months on the trail?
RJ: Almost all the gear I bring on my trips is homemade, and that gear gives me peace of mind because I trust it not to fail.
──Why is that?
RJ: I designed it for a specific purpose and to function in a certain way. Hiking, motorcycling, kayaking, skiing, I have enough experience with all those activities to know what works for me and what doesn't. It would be a shame if your gear failed during your trip. That's why it's so important to make it work well.
──There are some people in this world who are gear geeks, or who know everything about gear.
RJ: Oh yes, there are people like that; but that's beside the point. When you create your own gear and take it on an adventure, you have more confidence in that gear, and it gives you power - strength and stamina. I know many hikers who agree with this, and who have experienced it for themselves.
──I see. Please tell me in more detail.
RJ: Let's say you buy a backpack and head out on the trail, hoping your new backpack will be comfortable and functional. You might wonder if it is going to work or not. Yet do you feel any connection to that backpack? A backpack you just bought has no meaning, other than it is just a fancy bag with straps to carry your food, clothing and camping gear. On the other hand, if you build your own backpack you can be confident that it fits you correctly and that it will carry your belongings without fail. You have invested many hours in sewing it, and you have put a lot of your energy into it, and during that time you have been envisioning your walk on your wilderness journey. You know everything about your homemade backpack, so you are ready to go. Making gear yourself is a more mature and proficient mindset.
──Now you have many followers, and in Japan many hikers and several garage manufacturers are making original gear. How much experience do you need to feel confident that you know what you really need?
RJ: Zero. You can start from scratch. For example, you can sew a simple hat to wear while sleeping. That would be very easy and requires no experience. In fact, most of Ray-Way Products' 30,000 or so customers have no sewing experience, and probably half of them have little experience with long hikes. Our goal is to make Ray-Way's kits simple enough so that anyone can make them.
──Do you have any good advice for us to reflect on our relationship with clothing?
RJ: If you want to make your own clothes, start with something very simple, like a shirt or pants. Then make another one, and then another one. That way, you'll get better every time. In the end, you'll have something you can wear in public and be proud of. It doesn't start like that from the beginning. Therefore, you should improve your sewing skills step by step. There are many different clothing patterns available for sale, so take your time to find what you like, buy it, and try sewing it. That way you can take pride in it. Then go back to the catalog and make another one. That's how you gain experience. As you improve your sewing skills, you will develop all sorts of mentalities. And you're like, "Wow, I can do this too." This is also about empowerment.
──This is a slightly abstract question, but for example, long hikes and UL hikes can be said to be activities that allow you to feel the dynamics of nature more. On the other hand, humans always need clothing and tools in nature. You can't just blend in with nature.
RJ: Humans need some protection from weather, we need warmth. And protection from insects too. Appalachian Trail ticks carry Lyme disease. That's why shell pants are designed to protect you from ticks and mosquitoes. And with that protection in place, we can have more peace of mind and can begin to blend in with nature.
──I see. So what kind of clothes separate humans from nature, or conversely, clothes that allow us to feel nature?
RJ: Comfort is key. We need to feel comfortable; not just physically, but mentally, too. The shell pants will protect our legs from insects, and that gives us peace of mind and comfort. Yes, the pants separate us from nature, but in this case it is a good thing. What it takes to be comfortable in nature will ultimately bring us closer to nature. If you're going to climb a snow-covered mountain, you'll need a jacket. Again, the clothes separate us from nature, but it is necessary for the protection and the comfort. Comfort is important. It makes no sense to reduce the weight of a sleeping bag when that reduction results in long, cold, sleepless nights. That is neither comfortable nor safe. That's why I designed and sell the quilt kits for hiking.
The reason I have spent so many decades traveling and being outdoors and pursuing all sorts of adventures is because it is fun. People go outside hiking, bicycling, climbing, canoeing, mountaineering and so on, for many different reasons. For me it is just pure fun. It is enjoyable. But if your gear or clothing is not working correctly, perhaps your backpack is too heavy and you are having an unpleasant time, you probably won't want to go again. To me, that is a shame. You want to be comfortable in nature, and that requires the right gear and clothing.
──People certainly want to be comfortable, and to that end they tend to buy things one after another and add to them. This at night. This during the day. Like this on a rainy day.
RJ: There is a delicate balance between comfort and lightweight. If you're going on a long-distance hike, heavy luggage won't be comfortable. If you get everything at the store and put it in your backpack, you'll be tired just walking a mile. Of course, I'm not against someone buying a really expensive jacket. Price doesn't matter if it makes the journey more pleasant, and at the end of the day it's up to you to decide if it works for you. Whatever brings you the most joy and satisfaction from life is right for you, and it's your personal choice.
Reprinted from the WIRED 2024 Japanese version VOL.52 special feature FASHION FUTURE AH!
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