Lighten Your Pack
Packing light—or ultralight—is source of pride among avid backpackers. Experienced trekkers hone this skill over many years through trial and error (mostly error). Some invest in expensive ultralight equipment. Others hack their existing gear to save ounces anywhere they can. Ounces, after all, add up to pounds.
No doubt you’ll develop your own load-lightening strategies as your gain experience. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Start with the core three:
You’re going to bring your pack, a shelter, and a sleeping bag on every trek, so let’s start there.
Sleeping bag. A good quality, 3-season bag is going to weigh about 2.5–3lbs. You can get that down to around 18 oz by opting for a down-insulated bag instead of a synthetic one. (read more about “sleep systems” below).
Shelter/Tent. Aim for 2 lbs or less per person. An ultralight 1-person tent can weigh about this much, but it will cost you. A standard 2-person tent will usually weigh about 4 lbs., which you can split with your tenting buddy. Ultralight 2-person tents can weigh as little as 2 lbs.
Pack. Ultralight 50-liter backpacks can weigh 40 oz or less these days. What you give up in weight you sometimes also sacrifice in comfort. Ultralight packs save on weight by forgoing some of the suspension and organizational features that make other packs comfortable and convenient. Although a little heavier by weight, a well designed backpack with adequate suspension, compression, and adjustability will make your load feel lighter. Our troop has found Osprey’s Atmos AG 65 to be the perfect balance of capacity, weight, and comfort.
1. Repackage Everything
Does your first aid kit need to be in a plastic box or heavy duty pouch? Do need to carry that heavy nylon sleeve your poncho came in? Are you going to use an entire tube of toothpaste or sunscreen? Ditch excess packaging and repackage consumable items in smaller containers to carry only what you’ll need. Even little things like transferring your trail mix into a smaller resealable bag will save weight and space.
2. Bring Fewer Clothes
We’re going backpacking, not on a date. You don’t need to worry about looking sharp or smelling great. After a day or two on the trail neither of those things are going to happen anyway. For most trips you can probably get away with having just one extra pair of shorts, one pair of long pants, an extra t-shirt, and two changes of socks and underwear. Experienced backpackers will be comfortable with just one. Throw in a lightweight fleece or insulator, your outer shell, and a cap and you’ve packed your entire trail wardrobe.
3. Create a Flexible Sleep System
Your sleep system (ground pad, sleeping bag, etc.) combines to be one of the bulkier and heavier things you’ll carry. A good system is one that keeps you warm, is lightweight, and can adapt to different seasons and adventures. If you camp a lot, having a lighter weight sleeping bag and ground pad just for summer will keep you from carrying more bulk than you need. In colder situations you’ll want a warmer bag that is rated for the coldest temperature you anticipate camping in. Likewise, you’ll probably want a ground pad with a higher R-value (the higher the ‘R’ or “resistance” value, the less heat you lose to the ground).
A flexible system might include pairing an inflatable ground pad with a closed cell foam pad beneath it (you can add the R values of both pads together). Adding a silk liner to your sleeping bag can increase it’s temperature rating by 8˚ or 9˚. A down-filled sleeping bag packs incredibly small and will keep you warmest, if you can keep it dry. A down quilt instead of a bag is lighter still, and more versatile.
4. Ration Your Water
Plan ahead to camp near lakes and streams and calculate how much water you’ll need to get there. You can purify water at each stop instead of carrying excess supply. Drink up at the source to reduce how much you’ll have to carry. Making sure you’re extra-hydrated before you set out on your trek will also reduce how much you need to carry.
5. Eat From the Pot
Plates and bowls are nice to have, but on a longer trek where you’re eating mostly dehydrated meals, consider eating right out of the bag or pot.
6. Streamline Your Kitchen
Plan your meals to be fuel and cookware efficient. Do you need a large pot and a pan, or can you cook all your meals in one pot? Do you need a large, heavy camping stove or will a lightweight backpacking stove do? Depending on the trek, you might be able to get by with non-cook meals and/or cooking over an open fire.
7. Consider the Stakes
The 8” stakes that typically come with many tents can weigh as much 2.5 ounces each. Let’s say your tent uses 10 of these; that’s a pound and a half of tent stakes on your back. Replacing these with lighter weight aluminum stakes could get that down to around ½ lb. Replace them with 6” titanium stakes and you can get that weight down to about 3.5 ounces total.
Still too much? Consider leaving the stakes at home and using sharpened sticks or small piles of rocks instead? Rocks can also be used on hard surfaces where stakes are unable to penetrate.
8. Share the Load
If you’re trekking with a buddy (which I hope you are) or a larger group, take the time to inventory and distribute shared gear. Everyone sharing a tent, for example, can carry a portion of it. You probably only need one stove for every 4-6 people. Cookware, shelters, water filters, etc. are all communal items. On our 50-miler we carried one solar panel and one power bank to charge everyone’s phones, flashlights, and the group GPS.
9. Ditch the Gadgets
Speaking of electronics, ask yourself if you really need them. A big part of being outdoors is being unplugged. Can you leave your phone, radio, camera at home? For essential items like flashlights and GPS, opt for rechargeable models. In many cases you can also swap out traditional alkaline batteries for lithium versions. Lithium batteries last 2x–6x as long as alkaline batteries. Unlike some alkaline batteries, they work in cold temperatures. They also weigh about 30% less.
10. Reevaluate
After every trip unpack your pack into two piles. In one pile put everything you used. In the other, put everything you didn’t. From the pile of things you didn’t use, ask yourself whether you really need them next time. Some things—like a first aid kit, rain gear, or emergency duct tape—should always have even though you hope won’t need them. But if you’ve packed a camping chair or two extra shirts and haven’t used them the last three trips maybe it’s time to reconsider. While you’re at it, take a look at the “did use” pile and ask yourself if anything needs to be upgraded, converted to shared gear, or optimized in some other way.
Happy trekking!
