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Backpacker Magazine – September 2012
Master Class: Lighten Your Pack
Drop 5, 10, or 15 pounds (or more!) by packing smart, planning ahead, and fine-tuning essentials.
Foods with more than 100 calories per ounce (Bydlon)
Shed the Easy Stuff Reduce your pack load by just a few pounds and you’ll hike farther, cut injury potential, and reduce trail fatigue.
Ο Leave Nonessentials at Home
Take a critical look at your packing list and off-load (or substitute) these items.
>> Wallet 6 oz. Bring only your insurance card, ID, and some cash
>> Food packaging 4 oz. Discard boxes; measure servings into zip-top bags
>> Pillow 6 oz. Fill your sleeping bag hood with rolled-up clothes
>> Extra pot 8 oz. Plan one-pot meals, use nonstick for easy cleanup
>> Camp shoes 10 oz. Unlace boots and switch socks to walk around camp
>> Stuffsacks 20 oz. Stuff clothes into pack corners; roll your tent
>> Guidebook 9 oz. Photocopy the pages you want to reference
>> Trowel 3 oz. Dig catholes with a sturdy stick or tent stake
>> Repair kit 4 oz. Pack a tiny sewing kit, tube of SeamGrip, and safety pins
>> Water filter 15 oz. Use chemical or UV treatment instead
Weight saved 5+ lbs.
Ο Streamline Your Pack
Don’t purchase an ultralight hauler until your baseweight (all your gear not including food, water, or fuel) is less than 15 pounds; lightweight packs lack the suspension and comfort features (like hipbelt padding and frame stays) that you need for heavy loads. Instead, cut up to 20 percent of your pack’s weight by ditching the top lid and trimming unnecessary features like extra buckles, webbing, and pockets. You can shave pack heft without sacrificing functionality or comfort. Learn more cutting tips in our video tutorial.
Weight saved 12oz.
Ο Ditch Unused Gear
Count individual items like tent stakes, guylines, trail bars, and lengths of TP. After each trip, make a list of gear you carried but didn’t use. If a piece of your kit makes the list after three consecutive trips, leave it behind next time (exception: first-aid supplies).
Ο Plan Calorie-Dense Meals
Combine high-calorie foods for efficient fueling on trail and in camp.
All these foods have more than 100 calories/ounce.
>> Fruity PB Roll-Ups
Spread peanut butter on a tortilla and top with dried apricots and chocolate squares, then roll it up. 6.5 oz., 522 calories
>> Buttered Hot Chocolate
Make hot chocolate using 2 packets of powdered mix; stir in a tablespoon of unsalted butter. 2.5 oz., 348 calories
>> Cheesy Salmon-Pesto Pasta
Cook 2 cups of pasta; toss with a 5-ounce pouch of salmon, 2 tablespoons pesto, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. 8 oz., 640 calories
Go Stoveless Pack a no-cook menu on short, warm-weather trips, and you can unload your stove, pots, and fuel.
Weight saved 2 lbs.
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READERS COMMENTS
I can't help but detect a nagging twinge of hypocrisy wafting from this article: full-length socks or a full supply of water is too heavy, but it's totally cool to carry pouched salmon and some pesto?
To each his on on the grounds of how your trips come together, but there comes a point when the pursuit of lighter weight comes at the cost of common sense.
Why not advocate practical moderation of weight and regular training exercise?
Why not teach people how to reduce weight by dehydrating their own food and cutting out packaged foods that generate almost their own weight and bulk in waste?
And for the sake of mentioning, my core weight rarely reaches twenty pounds, and I'm by no means a UL hiker.
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Maybe my math is wrong, but the article says "these foods are more than 100 calories per ounce". So if the Fruity PB Rolls are 6.5 ounces, they should have more than 650 calories, yet it is listed at 522 calories.
And shouldn't the 8 oz of Salmon Pasta have more than 800 calories????
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WOW! I hike, used to hike alot, I do it ,ad did it because it was fun, I tried the UL method once, it wasnt fun, , I admire people who can afford to spens bukkoos on their gear, I figure 100 bucvks per pound to lighten the load, just do your bewst to get in shape, get gear you are comfortable with, if you need a trowel, take one, if a roll of tp makes you feel better, by all means take it. but dont tell someone else this is the only way, or a have to. as for the charcoal hammock and pine bows, lets not, most state and national parks would write you a hefty ticket for any and all, can you contain an open fire with three rocks? justify ripping limbs off a tree or tearing bark off a tree with a hammock? always check local laws. or you just migght end up off the trail all together.
Lots of attitude about TP. I'll carry a U-DIG-IT, TP and wet wipes incase the TP gets wet. Or you might wipe with Poison Ivy. Oops!
Hike YOUR Own Hike!
RealMan sounds like another BP "Ringer" to me..Been using a stick instead of a trowel for longer than I can remember or 20 or more years..The problem most people have is they pick up a round stick and expect to dig a hole with it...What I do, is pick up a stick and take out my trusty Victorinox Work Champ with the locking main blade and flatten out the end of the stick so it has a shovel type end instead of a round stick. So simple..Also regarding food, I noticed right away in the picture the following words screamed back at me,,Starches, Sugar and Salt equals Constipation and sugar moods swings time for me so I wouldn't need the Trowel anyway. I always carry dehydrated veggies and meats and beans I get from Packitgourmet to bulk up of meals and most of the time I make my own Stew which is a lot healthier for me than the garbage they have in the picture. Mullein leaves make great TP. Also have you tried taking Charcoal Briquetts with you instead of a Stove? The ones that already have the fluid saturated in them. Be surprised at how long one lasts and what you can cook on it. Experiment with at home first. take three small flat rocks, arrange in a triangle place the bricquette in the middle and light it off. You may have to blow on it some..Try it...
Opps, spelling error:
"Uncomfortable you're willing to be for a lighter pack."
In a similar article someone recommended using only water bladder and leaving the nalgeen behind. Stupid idea, it's a pain having to haul the damn bladder around camp, esp at mealtime.
I don't mind the extra weight for all my little extras, I just hike less/day. This is supposed to be FUN, not a marathon nor a test to see how unfortable you're willing to be for a lighter pack.
Super light weight sleep system: get a hammock and underquilt (top quilt is cool too). With my hammock and DIY under quilt, I have a 5 lbs system. Still trying to figure out my top quilt/sleeping bag situation (it's too hot with the warmth of my UQ!) but my total weight will still be under 10 lbs and hammocks are better than the ground most days
Camp shoes..I wear Merrill mids, wtrpf because I tend to go off trail and find all those little slips of water you trailees miss. These boots have gotten me into serious wild places and are an absolute must. They also weigh 2.5lbs (+ with laces!) and my camp is immeasureable more pleasant and refreshing without having to lug them around on my 58 years old feet after a 10 mile cruise in the outback. Leave your 2lb camera home, greenies, and pack the "extra" 10oz (mine are only 8oz, regular thin mocs, not 200$ suede or those ridiculous "fingers". Did you ever notice their actually toes?
"Real man" if this isn't your cup of tea no need to be petty, just skip this information. "Atmouse", the trowel was just a suggestion, a light weight alternative is a sea to summit lexan trowel that weighs less than three ounces.
The thing I'm concerned about is the pine bough idea. Please backpack don't encourage people to cut pine boughs and leave them in a pile to save 9 oz. (the weight of a 3/4 length ridgerest)
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