Requirement 2b: Describe 10 ways you can limit the weight and bulk to be carried in your pack without jeopardizing your health or safety.
If you’re carrying a pack for just a couple of miles, an overweight pack doesn’t seem to be that bad. When the weight of a pack really hits you is on the second day of walking longer distances. A couple of days of hard walking and a heavy pack can really spoil a pack trip.
While you might be tempted to carry as many of the comforts of home with you, don’t give in to this temptation. Unlike car and trailer camping, less is more in backpacking. And you’ll have a better time if you have a bit of energy at the end of the day. Think of it as “a good tired” vs. miserably exhausted.
There are a number of ways that weight can be reduced. Some involve rethinking how you camp, some require learning new skills and some require an outlay of cash (ultralight tents, backpacks, and bedrolls are pretty amazing, but as weight goes down, the price tag goes up).
Step 1: Analyze your equipment list- Put down a tarp or groundcloth, and lay all of your backpacking gear out on it. Make sure that you are carrying all of the essential gear (see requirement 2a for a list of the 10 essentials), then add all of the gear that you think you’ll need. Now sit back and ask yourself if you’ll really need this or that piece of equipment. If you have several items that do the same thing, don’t take the heavier item. If it isn’t going to be used every day, it probably doesn’t need to be on your back. The only items “just in case” pieces of gear you should take, should be items listed in the ‘essentials’.
Step 2: Replace heavier equipment with lighter equipment. As I mentioned above, light equipment is expensive. So work on replacing your gear piece-by-piece over a longer period of time. Perhaps replace your pack next Christmas, get a lighter bedroll for your birthday, and perhaps make yourself a lighter tarp tent next summer. The greatest weight that you can change is in your bedroll, tent and backpack, so choose this gear carefully.
Step 3: Plan, plan, plan. It doesn’t make sense to carry a heavy bedroll and winter tent if you’re hiking in Kansas in July. If you have adequate places to get water on your route, there’s no sense in carrying a gallon of water for every person. Good planning can help you make wise choices.
Step 4: Make the switch to Down. The lightest and warmest material for sleeping bags and insulating clothing is goose down. Remember, however, that down has to be kept dry if its going to keep you warm. Once its wet, you’ll be sleeping cold. Polargaurd filling for sleeping bags is heavier, but it will keep you warm if your sleeping bag gets soaked.
Step 5: Take what you need, but ONLY take what you need. Fishing poles are great if you know that you’re going to do some fishing during the trek; however, they’re just dead weight if you never have the time or energy to fish. Camp stools, lanterns, binoculars, books, air-mattresses, pillows and fishing gear are all popular luxuries amongst backpackers. Look for lighter alternatives to these, select only one key luxury to take, or try going without.
Step 6: Don’t underestimate the power of a windbreaker. A ‘shell’ layer of nylon over insulative base layers of clothing keeps you warmer and drier. Thus, you can choose to wear lighter base layers.
Step 7: If hiking with a group, share your gear. Cooking gear and tents are prime candidates for sharing when backpacking. (either with a buddy or a patrol). Other non-personal items such as a trowel, , rope, toothpaste, and hand sanitizer can also be shared amongst a group of packers.
Step 8: Get multiple uses out of an item. If one piece of gear can function for two purposes, choose to take it and leave the gear it replaces at home. Examples of this include:
parachute cord for clotheslines, tent lines, food bag lines
Swiss Army Knife--knife, scissors, saw, awl......
Candles--light for reading/writing, wax as fire starter, wax as waterproofing agent
Duct Tape--moleskin substitute, bandage wrap, gear repair (packs, boots, poles...), splint wrap, emergency sunglasses
Cooking Pot--bowl for eating, cup for hot drinks
Stuff Sacks--pillows,
Socks--hand warmers,
Zip-Loc Freezer Baggies--carry items, bowl for preparing & eating food, carry-out container for garbage.
(small, thin, flexible) Plastic Placemat--sit pad, place for dirty boots in the tent, and to stand-on while washing. Other potential uses--stove windscreen (if you're careful), sunshade
Step 9: Develop new skills. Learning how to do more things with less equipment requires learning and experience. You can often find out more about camping lighter by typing “ultra-light backpacking” into a search engine and exploring the results.
Changing the food you bring and how you prepare it is one way to reduce pack weight. Freezer-bag cooking is a good lightweight alternative to the use of canned goods and even commercially processed backpacking meals, and it reduces the amount of time and effort put into preparing the meal and cleaning up afterward.
Step 10: Change how you think. Put an effort into packing lighter, and be willing to experiment. Try new techniques in the safety of your backyard (particularly during rainy or snowy weather). If they succeed, incorporate them in your camping, and if they fail, learn from the experience. Remember that packing lighter is a process that takes several years of experience to sharpen to perfection, though the rewards of packing lighter will be having a better time on the trail
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