As I have been backpacking since the age of eight, I can clearly say I’ve done my fair share of miles. My first backpack was a orange external frame from REI and it was nice. Nice and rigid… nice and painful. It was a great pack for its time, do get me wrong. But it was not necessarily made with comfort in mind. The cardinal packing rule was your pack should weigh 20% to 25% of your weight. So since I am a 240 pound man, my pack should now be roughly 50 pounds. Those were the days of old and those days are gone.
Now my pack roughly weighs about 20 to 25 pounds. I can go faster and longer and see more with less energy. It’s amazing! So how did I do it? There are three things that I focus on specifically that help me to keep my pack superlight.
WHAT DO YOU REALLY NEED?
First, I think about what I really need and what I really am going to use. Am I really going to use that extra poncho that I’m bringing just in case? Or how about the extra set of clothes? Or the Chapstick, cup, extra bowl, protective case for my map, monocular, or extra pair of pants? These things although justified usually get packed initially and then sit there the entire trip taking up space. You should really think about what is essential, and what you can get away with not having. I have accepted the fact that I am going to smell bad when I get off the trail, so every effort that I take to make myself smelled better is simply vanity. (But that is a personal view… and I am married so I don’t need to impress the ladies anymore.)
LIGHTEN YOUR EQUIPMENT
Secondly, I lighten my equipment. If I have the choice between a 14 ounce rain jacket and a 2 1/2 pound one, I usually go with the 14 ounce. That is unless the weather is going to be raining constantly, and if that’s the case are probably won’t be going anyway. There are several things made now that are significantly lighter than 15 years ago.
Sleeping Bags- Marmot has a synthetic bag for under $100 that goes down to 30° and weighs only 2 pounds and 12 oz. or so. When I started backpacking sleeping bags weighed roughly 5 or 6 pounds.
Cookware- I’m no longer carrying aluminum or stainless steel bowls to eat with, but primarily used my orikaso bowl. It’s pretty amazing. It is made of plastic, stores flat, and folds up into a bowl that is very durable and does not misshape with hot liquids or food.
Outerwear- Marmot, North face, and Patagonia have all come out with rain jackets that weigh about 14 ounces. Not only that, but they are both waterproof and breathable. As long as you keep your DWR revived, you will have no problem with being as wet on the inside of your jacket as you are on the outside while backpacking in the rain. (I was riding hope in a storm 2 days ago and was not sweaty or wet at all. This was after a 20 minute ride in my Marmot Precip Jacket.)
RECOGNIZE WEIGHT MONGERS
Finally, recognize what items in your pack are big wieght items. I know that this seems like a no brainer… but it really helps me to keep my pack light. Understanding that water, my tent, my sleeping bag, and my cookware are my big guys, actually help me to cut back on other things if I know I need those things. I may also change my cookware if I feel it is too heavy, or bivy camp instead of taking a tent. This mindset will help in a tremendous way, if you apply it properly.
