Why be a lightweight backpacker? For me, the answer is clear: I can travel farther, more comfortably and have more fun while moving if I am not burdened with STUFF.
Traveling lightweight, I can hike with a small pack and in hiking sandals. I love my hiking sandals, but once I put more than 30 pounds on my back, I have to upgrade to the clunky boots.
It's the journey, not the destination, right?
Even so, lots of the people I pack with refuse to travel light. They would rather bring the super-comfy, extra large ThermaRests, the fresh (which means heavy) food, the stove, fuel and cooking supplies, and the kitchen sink. Okay, maybe not the sink, but think on this: my lightweight backpack, when empty, weighs under a pound. My other, stereotypical backpack, my beautiful Northface, weighs SEVEN POUNDS empty.
So, I forgo the hot food, which I've learned to work around. Here's a sample weekend menu that works for me: A Stove-Free Weekend Backpacking Menu.
You can devise your own menu - if you do, please send me (see Email Host button below article) a copy to share on this website! I need to bulk up the Recipes section of this site, in any case.
NOTE: I am not saying fresh food is a bad thing - in fact, on long trips, you have to plan for it. But for a week or less, you won't become malnourished. And you will enjoy the freedom that comes with moving more easily over your terrain of choice. For me, hiking mainly in the Grand Canyon, you do feel every ounce on your back!
ANOTHER NOTE: Do not try to cut back on water. In your best efforts to travel light, you may end up seriously sick...or even dead. Your body needs water and lots of it, especially when it's busy moving you around. In fact, if you even feel thirsty, you are already dehyrated. Plan for your water weight - remember, water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. Cut back in other areas if you have to, to accomodate your terrain. Obviously you will need more quarts in southern Utah than you will need in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota!
I've also learned to sleep without the thick, so comfy and - yes - HEAVY sleep stuff. My camp chair is the simple kind, very lite, and unclips to be a nice sleeping pad for my torso. I can use the pack itself under my feet and also stuff the clothes I am not wearing under my shoulders for more cushion. Then with my lightweight sleeping bag and maybe a waterproof bivy sack, I am all set.
For your reference, I compiled my typical weekend ultralight backpacking gear list, with weights and amounts: Grand Canyon Ultralight Pack List and Weights.
For those of you who are already Lightweight Backpacking Enthusiasts - or want to be - this site is a fantastic place to get up to speed on lite techniques and gear that holds up to the mileage: The Lightweight Backpacker
Related Articles
Okay, I linked to quite a few above, but here's some more -
- Grand Canyon Hiking: Water, Water Everywhere....:
Never treat the Canyon lightly. Since people die in the Canyon every year, and many more get heat exhaustion, or worse - heat stroke - do NOT be stingy on the water. Carry more than you think you will need.
- Discovering the Ultralight Way
This is my article on my old Southwest Outdoors site, detailing how I became an ultra-lite convert. There are cool pictures of me on my shakedown trip, and descriptions of the gear I tested.
- Ultra Light Backpacking
Colleen OŽBrien's article, on this site, about Ultralight backpacking Overseas. This is a related, but different kind of backpacking. Useful info.
Related Book
I have not read this one yet...it's on my list of things to buy. If you get a copy, tell me what you think!
