Photos by Jesse Metzger
The so-called “ultralight” backpacking movement is, for many hiking enthusiasts, a mysterious concept, surrounded by myths and doubt. Many assume that adopting for weight-saving practices and gear is expensive, uncomfortable, and even unsafe—or at least not worth the effort.
I’d argue that the greatest possible comfort while out enjoying the backcountry is a light backpack. Time spent on trail, not time spent in camp, can be the best opportunity to pamper oneself and the most incredibly rewarding without additional discomfort, safety hazards, and investment.
So start counting those ounces, embrace your inner dirtbag, and even nerd out with a scale and an Excel spreadsheet. Remember that every ounce really does count if you are fully committed to going light, and never underestimate the power of making a great number of tiny changes to go lightweight.
1. Think beyond the tent
The connotation of tenting while sleeping outdoors- dryness, shelter- is firmly entrenched in most backpackers’ minds as the most.
Stepping away from this mindset affords an opportunity to shed an incredible amount of pack-weight A lightweight backpacking tarp strung up using trees or a pair of trekking poles is the lightest possible alternative.
Wear a head-net while sleeping or string up a netting insert to keep bugs away if necessary, and use a rectangle of Tyvek house wrap as a light, durable, cheap, and waterproof ground-cloth to protect your sleeping pad. “Tarp-tents” provide better protection in harsher environments while still affording significant weight savings, through the use of trekking poles as support and its single wall structure.
In choosing to forgo the luxuries of a tent, backpackers save money – even a high-end tarp will be far cheaper than a solid “ultralight” tent – and also connect more closely with the surroundings. Spend a few nights with just a sheet of nylon between you and the mountains, and you may never want to go back.
2. Ditch your Nalgenes
Nalgenes are everywhere! But save that plastic bottle the next time you buy a beverage at 7-Eleven. At 0.8 ounces, a one-liter bottle made of thinner plastic is almost eight times lighter than a Nalgene or a comparable Lexan bottle. Best of all, it’s free.
Apply this mentality to as many pieces of gear as possible; you will quickly learn that the some of the most weight-efficient gear exists not on a store shelf but in trash or recycling bins. It’s not recommended that you fill disposable bottles with hot liquids – just sip straight from a solo cook-pot or bring a single “baby Nalgene.”.
3. Be wary of accessories
I once saw a $10 not-so-light “Ultralight Salt & Pepper Shaker” for sale in an outdoor gear store. As you might guess, I cringed. There’s no issue in wanting seasonings, but a pair of teeny zip-top baggies perform a similar function for a fraction of an ounce and less than two cents per bag. If you really need something of the sort, there is often a simpler, cheaper, and lighter option elsewhere if you are willing to look for it.
4. Make your own alcohol stove
All you need to construct one is a soda or cat-food can, a hole-puncher, and an Internet connection for basic instructions. Fuel it with denatured alcohol—a cheap and readily available fuel source carriable in a disposable plastic water bottle—and you have the lightest and cheapest one- to two-person stove available.
Its efficiency, simplicity, and reliability make it a favorite among some of the most seasoned long-distance backpackers. With truly lightweight backpacking equipment, often play catch-up with what creative hikers produce in their own garages. So, be willing to make or modify your own gear..
5. Dress like a distance runner
Many long-distance hikers who are best at traveling quickly may look more like they’re dressed to run a marathon than to trek. This is no accident.
The more backpackers treat a trip like an extended, slow-motion endurance event, the better their gear choices fit the fast-and-light approach. The most affordable lightweight attire can often be found in the running aisle at a regular clothing store, rather than dedicated outdoor gear store.
Perhaps the best example of this concept is the recent trend of hiking in “trail-runners” (running shoes designed for rugged terrain) rather in than clunky, high-topped boots. Low-cut shoes take some getting used to; don’t embark on a summer-long thru-hike without first getting used to the lack of ankle support on rough terrain.
Trail-runners will, however, reduce fatigue, as extra weight down by your feet is far more costly than the equivalent weight closer to your body’s center. You’ll feel more agile as you move, all while avoiding blisters. It’s worth investing in a quality pair of shoes, but a good pair of trail-runners will almost always run you less than a good pair of boots.
6. Choose foods with high caloric densities
While focusing on reducing the weight of your gear, it’s easy too overlook food.. You can evaluate how well a food provides maximum energy for minimum weight by finding its calorie-to-weight ratio, which describes how calorically dense – in terms of weight – a food is. Use the nutrition facts on the package to figure out how the calories per ounce of the food, and use that information to compare options.
The foods that perform best actually tend to be far cheaper than their traditional counterparts. A humble bag of Fritos gives you 160 percent more calories per ounce than a chocolate chip Clif Bar, and 200 percent more calories per ounce than beef jerky.
Doritos, Oreos, Nutella, and peanut butter are also other excellent choices with 150 calories or more per ounce, and off-brand varieties are usually significantly cheaper. So long as you work in proper nutrients around the edges, go ahead and snack freely on your guilty pleasures.
7. Be critical of everything you bring
If you simply try to replace everything you usually carry with a lighter, but otherwise identical version, you will likely spend a lot of money to make only a modest impact on your pack-weight. It’s necessary to employ minimalism, in addition to lightweight gear choices, in order to truly lighten up – and this often means leaving things behind that you are used to taking with you.
For example, I decided to test the assumption that one needs a knife while backpacking, and hiked for five months on the Appalachian Trail with only a single-edge razor blade stored in a cardboard sheath. The weight savings weren’t huge, but the blade satisfied my need for a sharp object for gear repair.
Especially when compared to a knife, this substitution was incredibly cost-effective. I’ve also stopped carrying camp shoes, as my trail runners are comfortable enough to wear in camp. I use my cook-pot to eat out of instead of a separate bowl or mug if I’m carrying my own cook system, I only carry enough layers to keep warm at night.
It’s amazing how little one really needs.