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On a recent day trip, my friend Mat and I met a group of women who were surprised by the small size and weight of our backpacks. After asking many questions, the senior member of the group looked at his large pack, then returned to our house and asked bluntly, “So, how do you go so bright?”
How To Pack Light For A Backpacking Adventure
Unlike the old bag packing practices of a few decades ago, climbers only think about the weight of their bag. A lighter bag is easier on your body, allows you to move more freely, and simply allows you to move forward in life because you are less likely to experience pain, stress and injury.
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Ground weight is a term that refers to the total weight of all the gear in your bag, including the bag itself, but not including the weight of your food and water. Most agree that:
Although many ULers can get a little carried away with the numbers on the scale, lighten your load and find your sweet spot of weight, comfort, safety and enjoyment when you travel.
“The easiest and cheapest way to go light is to bring less stuff,” laughs Dan Gerken of Anda Ultralight, who went from carrying a 50+ lb pack on the John Muir Trail in 2018 to a 9.5 lb pack on the PCT in 2023.
It may sound simple, but integration is often one of the most difficult steps. It’s easy to carry things in your bag at home that your body won’t be exposed to until later.
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Dan advises you to carefully go through everything in your pack before you leave and ask yourself some honest questions:
Consider doing this several times, especially when you are well rested, and see what you can drain.
“Extra clothing and electronics are two areas that people, including myself, tend to mix up,” explains Dan, adding that your personal preferences and the type of trip you’re going on will influence those choices.
It may take you a few trips before you realize the ‘super stuff’ you can do without. They are usually the ones you brought for comfort, but never ended up using.
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This walk around uses powerful tools that are best used to enjoy your trip, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you adapt to life without them.
One of the best things about ‘packing less’ is that it’s a free way to lighten up your luggage, no equipment upgrades required.
Another great way to reduce your weight is to exchange heavy or bulky items for lighter and smaller items.
What are often referred to as the ‘big three’ – your sleeping method (sleeping bag or sleeping bag), sleeping bag and backpack – account for the total weight of all your gear, so that all adds up to 6.5 lbs for good measure.
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Since sleeping is your greatest strength, finding a comfortable and light sleeping bag and a sleeping bag/bag that works for your sleeping style (ie. side sleeping, cold sleeping, etc.) is a good start.
Then you can look for a light sleeping place that suits your needs (freestanding, walking poles, tarp, bivy, hammock, etc.) so that when it’s time to buy a new bag, you’ll know everything you bought. to go inside.
After years of slowly transitioning to ultralight Gilad Nachmani from CNOC Outdoors, he has some ideas on how to start the process.
“If you don’t have the money, I’d say hydration, cooking, eating equipment and a ‘ditty bag’ are the first things to upgrade, because they’re cheap and can make a big impact on weight.”
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Going back to number one, Gilad also emphasizes that “upgrading small things is a process of cutting things down, rather than raising them.”
While it can be encouraging and wise to look at other people’s tool lists, it’s good to remember what works best for one person may not work for another.
On that note, what kind of food you plan to eat on the road and how you plan to eat it will affect the weight and volume of your bag.
Making sure we are well fed and hydrated is essential to our safety and enjoyment of our trip. Fill your bag with snacks that are high in calories, but take up less space. Think nuts, hard cheeses, cured meats and energy bars.
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Living without a stove can save you space, weight and money, but if you can’t bear the thought of life without a hot meal or morning coffee, then it might not be for you. If you bring a stove, throw out light, non-watery foods to reduce water weight.
Finding new, high-quality equipment is easier than ever thanks to the abundance of talented manufacturers, and things like GGG that make it easy to find UL house brands in one place.
Or, if you’re crafty, there’s also a great movement of your own gear (MYOG), as well as great fabric suppliers like Ripstop by the Roll for accessories.
When it comes to budgets, you can take advantage of custom, cottage-style offerings, save big by shopping online, or buy used UL equipment at a lower price through a variety of online options.
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The equipment you have here is also important to someone else, so selling it or donating it to thrift stores, charity organizations or non-profits prevents the collection of cobwebs in the room.
Another thing that is often overlooked, but very important that Gilad highlights when thinking about going super light is your body.
“Carrying ourselves is difficult and it’s always on us,” says Gilad, “so staying fit and strong when carrying things affects me a lot because it makes the carriers, the distance or the travel time much better. .”
Reducing the weight of your backpack will help reduce stress and strain on your body, but being healthy, strong and able to carry it is a big help.
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At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way to go bright, many roads lead to the same place.
As Dan from Anda UL put it eloquently, “It’s all about finding out what makes your ride fun, and as long as you’re happy with it and comfortable at any level of stability, then you’re doing great.”
Start by removing the things you don’t really need from your pack. At the end of each trip, think about what you brought, what you used and what you didn’t.
If you haven’t used an item on your trip, don’t bring the next one, unless it’s a first gear or rain layers that you don’t use regularly.
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Then, use your three main methods – sleeping (bed + quilt / bag), sleeping and carrying – to shave big ounces. Buy your ultimate pack so you know it will hold all your gear.
Pack your clothes, cooking utensils, food and small items such as electronics and shopping bags, as these items can add up quickly.
The journey to greater light is as much fun for self-discovery as it is for anything else, so take inspiration from others but ultimately follow your own unique needs.
If you can adjust your packing list to meet your travel needs while staying safe, happy and happy, your overnight bag will be like a day bag in no time, and you’ll be feeling down to earth.
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Ali Becker is a freelance writer and storyteller who shares conversations about personal change, overcoming failure, health education and other issues. You can follow her social media experiences at @thisisalisbecker.
Lightening my load has helped me a lot. I was carrying about 40lbs when I started, and I was miserable. I have a UL brace now and I spend my days being grateful for the beauty around me, instead of stressing about my weight. Good news! Fun to read and LOVE the pictures.Wandering Pine is supported by readers. If you make a purchase through our links, we may provide you with an affiliate service at no additional cost to you. Thank you! Learn more.
This post contains my detailed list for the 5 days, including weights in oz and other things I thought about during the trip. Be sure to also check out the accompanying gear video I shot on our last night of the trip, where I unpack everything I packed!
Unlike my ‘comfort lite’ Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks trips, my Border Route pack was trimmed down to 5-6 lbs less for the same trip.
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No lights or seat came on the BRT. I expected this hike to be tough and long, with little time at camp
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