HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
WHEN preparing FOR YOUR
ultra-lightweight
BACKPACKING EXPERIENCE:
Overall gear weight – What are you willing to
carry for miles? 15lbs? 55lbs? Practice by locally hiking 3-4
miles with your pack, filled with everything you want,
and measure what you can handle by distance per day
(calculating your muscle mass per unit of body weight
will also help you to determine what amount of weight is
acceptable to carry).
The backpack – The pack itself weighs something, and obviously you don’t want a pack that weighs a
ton. Make sure your pack is 5lbs or less when empty.
No tent! – Sorry, glampers. Invest in a bivy
sack and a tarp (even a bivy hammock) to rest in.
The easiest and most effective option is to bring a
tarp with stakes for shelter, and a sleeping bag that can
double up as a poncho when needed. Get creative.
No extra clothes! – What you are wearing is what
you’ve got. Dress comfortably in mesh undergarments
and breathable wind/rain gear. You may bring one extra
pair of socks but remember that even 3oz worth of garments count in the final weight.
No “junk” – This means you are going to have to
rough it. Forget toilet paper (yes, really), forget toiletries
altogether. Save weight to pack the important stuff, like
your first-aid kit with medicines and bandages.
Alcohol Fueled stove – Alcohol fuel is twice as
light, and the stoves themselves are just as efficient, if not
more so, than canisters or wood-burning stoves.
Less calories per day – Pack foods that are rich
in “good fats” and proteins. You don’t want your meal to
weigh your pack and your body down.
You don’t have to bring a stove for hot meals, but we suggest bringing one. The stoves serve more than the one
purpose of heating food, such as boiling water, giving off
heat for warmth, etc. Some of the most lightweight and
efficient stoves on the market are alcohol-fueled stoves.
Forget canister stoves for a trip like this, as they weigh
twice as much as alcohol stoves do. Wood-burning stoves
are another option, and can be lightweight, because you
will find fuel at your campsite, but can be a hit-or-miss,
depending on whether or not you find dry wood.
58 Summer 2016 Adventure Outdoors
A few things we do not
recommend skipping over
are the essentials. Things like a compass and map,
sunscreen and/or sunglasses, a flashlight, first-aid kit,
fire-starters and matches, a multi-tool, and a water
bottle, are all considered must-haves.
Hydration is very important, but do not carry a lot
of water with you, as it will contribute greatly to
the overall weight. Usually only a pint is what most
backpackers start off with. Carry tablets or filters for
your bladder (water pouch) that you will collect water
in. These options weigh 10 times less than actual water,
and provide you with an on-the-go filtration system.
A map and a compass are extremely important items.
Whether you know the area or not, you must take a
laminated or waterproof map with you just in case
you get lost. You cannot rely on landmarks, as they
are not permanent features, such as a large tree or
rock. While leisurely hiking, it is easily noticeable,
but when lost and in a panic, many things can begin
to look the same, and a map is the only sure way to
pinpoint where you are. A compass will sometimes
be built-in, as part of a kit that comes with a multitool and a fire-starter, so it is best to purchase all of
this and put everything in a small, waterproof bag.
We suggest bags over watertight containers, simply
because they are less bulky than containers, and easier to hold on to.