Streamlining Your Gear

Hiking light is the biggest backpacking trend in recent year. New materials and designs have made it possible to cut the weight of loads, making hiking much more enjoyable.

The following five strategies will help you to keep down the weight and size of your gear. Follow them sensibly and your pack weight will drop without compromising safety.

1. You can easily get rid of excess and cut several pounds from your load by closely examining the contents of your pack. Do not bring extra changes of clothing – instead, rinse clothes in a stream. Also trim your cooking kit to bare essentials – a single cooking pot will do.
2. When hiking with a partner, asses what gear you can conveniently share. You can save several pounds by sharing a tent, stove, cooking kit, first-aid-kit, pocketknife, and even personal items such as a toilet trowel, sunscreen and insect repellent.
3. Consider weight when replacing old equipment. Look for newer lightweight components such as siliconized nylon and titanium, and for simple designs that maximize function while minimizing weight.
4. Some equipment can do several jobs, which makes it weight-efficient. For example a trekking pole helps you to walk during the day and can be used as a tarpaulin support at night. Similarly a foam mat can be folded to make a backpack frame during the day and then used as a mattress at night.
5. Measure out portions of all consumables. Buy insect repellent in small plastic bottles, or use insect repellent that has built-in sunscreen. Travel or sample-sized soap, toothpaste and first-aid ointments are lighter than standard sizes. Pack spices in miniature zip-locking backs (available at many food stores) and minimize all packaging (such as cardboard food boxes).

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