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Reducing Your Backpacking Pack Weight
By Hikerpro | July 11, 2009
No other trend has seen such an increase in following in recent years than lightweight hiking. Less weight doesn’t mean that you leave essential equipment behind and that you have to sacrifice comfort. Even with less equipment or lighter equipment you can be in much greater comfort than the average backpacker. It’s really not hard to do especially where you have a choice of lightweight equipment as well as multifunctional ones.
1. Have a closer look at your current gear
Take note of how much each of your gear weighs. This will help you calculate the weight cost of your gear selection.
2. Only take what you need
I don’t advocate leaving luxuries behind; just don’t take all of them. Books, sleeping pads, fishing poles, binoculars and folding camp chairs are some of the popular luxury items backpackers frequently carry. Always be on a lookout for lighter alternatives and decide if you can really go without these luxuries.
3. Plan according to season and weather
A really warm down sleeping bag is not suitable in summer. Carefully look at your clothing, shelter, and sleeping bag, to make sure that it’s appropriate for the season.
4. Take lightweight gear
If you can find lighter alternatives, replace your heavier gear. Try first to find lighter alternatives for your hiking backpack, sleeping bag and shelter. Be careful with choosing a lightweight backpack because if the rest of your gear is still too heavy, it might cause damage to the pack.
5. Look for multi-functional equipment.
Start treating your gear as a system of components that work together. One of the key skills in reducing your pack weight is to recognize the functional relationship between your gear or to select gear that has multiple functionalities. For example, a poncho can be used as a shelter as well as raingear.
6. Choose down sleeping bags and down jackets.
Down insulation in sleeping bags and insulating clothing has always been, still is, and will always be (at least in the foreseeable near future) lighter than synthetic alternatives for the same amount of insulating value. However, carrying down assumes that you possess the necessary skills and attentiveness to care for it in inclement weather – down provides precious little insulating value if it gets very wet. Using down sleeping bags can save you up to 2.5 pounds compared to synthetic alternatives.
7. Wear a windbreaker
Windbreakers are a super lightweight alternative to raincoats. Windbreakers give you tremendous comfort and warmth and allows you to wear lighter base layers. This bottom line is that a windbreaker extends the comfort range of your clothing system.
8. Sharing your backpacking equipment
If you’re hiking with a friend, there are a lot of things you can share, for example, your camp stove and tent can be carried by one person. If you’re creative enough there are many things you can share to keep the pack weight low.
9. Improve your outdoor skills
Expertise at backcountry hiking and camping is simply the accumulation of experience that allows you to solve problems using innovative solutions with minimal equipment or supplies. Facing challenges, and working through them, can allow you (over a period of years, probably) to comfortably reduce weight of your first aid and emergency kits, clothing, food, and other items. Attending backpacking clinics, wilderness medicine courses, wilderness survival programs, and of course, actually getting out there and logging some trail miles provides the best foundation for reducing your pack weight.
10. Use Mini Versions
Use travel sized version of your soap, shampoo, cereal, etc. If you can’t find the travel-size version of your consumables, take them out of their bottles/packaging and transfer them into smaller ones. Don’t carry stuff that can last you a month if you’re only going to be away for only a few days.
Reduce Your Pack Weight Gradually
Don’t cut down to the bare minimum in one go but gradually reduce your pack weight over a number of hikes. Be aware of the stuff that you really and the stuff that you don’t need at all. Once you have your pack weight down, you’ll be enjoying your hike a lot better.
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