My ultra-light backpack part 1

Anyone who has ever hiked over 20 miles in a day while carrying a backpack will know that weight is a really significant factor. Most experienced backpackers will know that you can reduce your weight by concentrating on the three most important items: your backpack, your sleeping bag and your shelter.

So you will want to leave your huge 10 pound tent and snug 5 pound sleeping bag at home and get yourself the lightest backpack you can find.

It may be hard to believe but there are some really good quality backpacks that weigh in at less than four ounces. That’s no exaggeration. Most bags like this will have a capacity of around 1500 to 1800 cubic inches which will enable you to carry about 15 pounds of equipment. This should be enough for your lightweight sleeping bag, a tarpaulin for some shelter, a basic first aid kit and some energy food. And you mustn’t overlook the need to carry some water with you.

When packing your kit for a lightweight trek you’ll probably find that the water you need is the heaviest item in your backpack. This makes it worthwhile planning your route so that you can refill your water bottle and reduce the amount of water that you need to carry with you.

Another excellent benefit of going lightweight is that much of the gear is significantly cheaper than the heavier, tougher versions. You can even find some perfectly adequate lightweight backpacks, often sold as day sacks, in various bargain disount store costing only a few dollars. These are often very simple with only a few external pockets. They may be cheap but they can be excellent for lightweight hiking trips.

If you are lightening your load it’s really worth paying some attention to your clothes and footwear. Forget your all weather outdoor clothing and instead go for an ultra lightweight rain and wind proof fold-up cagoule and some light weight sports shoes rather than heavy walking boots.

When you’ve lightened your load with some lightweight clothing and less gear in a lightweight backpack you will find that a 20 mile trek will seem like nothing at all.

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Tags: backpacking, Camping, Hiking, outdoors, trekking, ultra light