Lightweight tips

Hi, I am a new member to this site and a fairly new backpacker. I have been doing it for about 4-5 years now, yet only get to get out about once or twice a year. You may be able to tell from my other post's that the place's I go most often are in Wisconsin and Minnesota, especially the Superior Hiking Trail. Everytime I go, I end up having a bag that weighs about 40 lbs. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or pointers to bring the wieght down to a more enjoyable number.

Thanks,

-Daniel

For my first pass at lightening my load I made notes of what I carried but didn't use on my treks. I then looked at each piece of unused gear and assessed whether I could delete it, either because it wouldn't be a big deal to be without it or because I could use something else I carried as a reasonable substitute.

Second, I looked at all my gear assessing for things that might serve a dual purpose. Socks as mittens, a tent stake as a potty digger, etc.

Eliminating what I could was worth about 10 lbs.

The next pass was to buy lighter weight gear as the old stuff wore out. <2lb sleeping bag vs. 4 pounds, 3lb pack vs. 7lb, etc. Cannister or alky stove vs. white gas.

And finally I ditched raingear and a tent in favor of a poncho/tarp when I expected mild weather.

9 years ago I started with 85lbs for an 8 day trek. Just a few weeks ago I started a similar length trek at less than 40lbs, roughly 15lbs before food, water, and stove fuel.

Take it trek by trek and figure out how to shave a little weight each time out. Steve

Pillow - water wings work nicely, save weight.

Kitchen stuff:
-Eat only dehydrated foods when possible.
-Trash your pots/pans, leaving just one for boiling up to 2 cups of water, and do your cooking in freezerbags (freezerbagcooking.com)
-bring only spoon or spork

Water:
-Chemically treat to save weight (Aqua-Mira, or 1 mL Clorine Bleach/liter, or iodine). I don't like this myself, but you don't need to carry a filter that way.
-Carry less. Do you really need a full gallon, or can you just fill up whenever you hit water? Also, "camel up." i.e. Drink your fill early and often. Your body is the most efficient place to carry water.
-Pop bottles instead of Nalgenes (5oz each, iirc). Platypus bladders are great too, but unnecessary expense.

Do a search for dirtbagging, and you'll get tons and tons of cheap ideas.

Daniel, There are a lot of websites devoted to lightweight backpacking. If you use Google or Yahoo and "lightweight backpacking" as a search term, I am sure many of them will show up. As already noted, the answer is both simple and complex-you need to look at every piece of gear, every article of clothing and everything you consume and begin one item at a time to see first of all, do you need it, and second, if so, is there a lighter substitute.

Make yourself a list of what you take and then weigh every single item. Get yourself a little digital scale or take everything to the post office after hours and use their scale that you usually find in the lobby.

You need to consider what kind of weather you will be in and what is your comfort level. A true lightweight backpacker (which I am not, but I frequent several lightweight sites)will, for example, use an alcohol stove made from a soft drink or similar can; sleep under a silnylon tarp or use a very light,small tent; carry virtually no spares of anything; wear running style shoes instead of boots; carry a very light down bag; and put it all in a pack that may weigh as little as a pound or two. Completely re-outfitting yourself can be expensive, but many items, like the stove, can be made for almost nothing. If you visit some of the sites, you will see gear lists that will give you an idea what people carry and what it weighs.

Example-if you carry a flashlight that uses C or even AA batteries, get instead a headlamp that uses two AAA batteries-much lighter. Remember, it all adds up.

If you are solo, it is even more important to save weight on each item since you are carrying it all. If there are two or more of you, don't duplicate items among the group. Some people want to be self sufficient, even in a group, so it is a matter of choice.

Thanks for all the great tips, I am sure it will help me out on my next trip!

-Daniel

Ultra-light is a mindset. The rules are up to the individual. In spite of the removal of useless sewn-on labels and extra length on straps, I still find it hard not to lift a 40 pound pack (my wife carries the other 25 in her's) first because that Wt. represents what my pocketbook can afford and what I am not willing to leave at home. It is a personal decision of how much one is willing to do without and how much money one is willing to invest to shave a pound off here or an ounce off there.

With any compromise in gear quality or quantity, there is a risk or a consequence one must be willing to accept. Can you sleep under a tarp or do you need bug protection too? I can sleep on bare ground, can you? I've spend rainy nights with mosquitos and slept well just wrapped up in a sheet of plastic, but a dry double-walled tent and a self-inflatable mattress feels much better. How many holes do you have to drill in your toothbrush to compensate for the Wt of that romance novel you want to enjoy in camp? I don't like being cold and wet. I pack stuff other UL trekkers might leave at home just so that I don't have to risk being cold and wet. I do pay much attention to the weight of things I take to keep me dry and warm. I am willing to carry an extra 11oz to have my binoculars because I enjoy bird watching. I am not willing to carry a 2 pounder. You must draw your own line in the sand.

The UL mindset looks for trade-offs and ways to double up on gear usage. Consider that just the water in a 32 ounce size canteen weights 36 ounces. If you have a one pound water filter and will be able to access a spring, lake or stream, you can ditch that extra water bottle and save 4 ounces plus the weight of the water container.

Shoot for light weight to the extent you can because there is no debate about the benefits of backpacking light. You can trek further and with less fatigue which results in a more enjoyable experience.