I do not determine whether they are hard core UL or just every day UL/Light. Most of my contacts with these people have been with those that are unprepared...
Now there's a new distinction for ya: "hard core UL" or "just every day UL/Light." What you're really describing is an unprepared mooch. I've seen hikers with 50 pounds of heavy gear rummaging through leftover food bins because they were counting on others. Not just supplementing their food, they were truly counting whatever people left behind, and they were upset that some PCT hikers wiped out the bins before them. Mooching saves money, which is a motivator regardless of how much weight is in someone's pack.
A map is the UL choice vs a GPS. I can't tell you how many times I've handed out an extra map that I printed, and none of them were to an "ultralight hiker." Poor navigation skills or bringing a bad map is usually because of inexperience or ignorance, not because someone is trying to save a 2-ounce map. A UL hiker might cut the borders off the map, but that's silly, not dangerous.
Same thing with not knowing the weather forecast, no weight saving there, that's just a stupid mistake, the kind anyone can make. And if you're in the woods for more than a few days, the forecast is probably too old to be useful anyway.
I'm clearly defending ultralight hiking here, but only if people do so with adequate knowledge and the extra skills required. It's about careful planning and alternative gear that performs the same function as "traditional" gear. It's not about "going without" or making bad decisions or mooching.
All I have said in my travels as a hiker and as volunteer most of my contacts are with those have embraced light. The trailrunners, the small packs, the substandard this and that. An example of this my first aid kit has been used over more over the years taking care of people who embrace this philosophy than myself.
A map is the UL choice. It was my choice too for most trip until I made the decision to carry it all the time so I could accurately give coordinates to SAR or other first responders just in case. Since I am not a UL hiker a few extra ounces ain't a big deal.
Hard core, UL/Light is a distinction without a difference. They all embrace light uber alles. They do it for the most part with a deficient skill set. More skill can mean a lower pack weight...they go directly to the lower pack weight with out getting the requisite skills...and I'm talking about trailwalkers who have been doing this stuff for 20 years.
As for mooching, this is another area I have more UL people doing. Again, this is my experience. YMMV.
I have the skill set and the money to buy 900 fill power jackets, trailrunners, silnylon packs and I know how to count to 3 or 4...the minimum number of various medicines or sheets of toilet paper. After much thought, I have decided this philosophy is not for me. I value safety and comfort more than light. This is not to say I do not borrow liberally from this type of hiking.
The biggest problem is when things go sideways. They neither have the skills, gear or clothing to cope with the situation. I see it in all four seasons.
