#Backpacking weight tracker full

I’d rather carry less weight, decreasing the likelihood of developing a stress fracture or lost cartilage. Does your tent floor really need protecting? Are a couple of punctures in the floor really the end of the world? You’re probably carrying the tent body anyway, which renders the lightweight shelter function as unnecessary. What does it do? It protects the floor of your tent, and it creates a lightweight shelter when you eliminate the tent body. The often-peddled “tent footprint” is a great example of an unnecessary function. Comfort and small luxuries have their place, but remember at the end of the day it’s all about getting from point A to point B (I’m assuming that finishing your thru-hike is a priority). You should find that most gear functions become unnecessary. I will say this – for a thru-hike you need to be ruthless. At the other extreme, I’ve day-hiked the Canyon with a “necessary” 40-plus pounds of beer, ice, pizza, etc. There’s too much room for variation.Īt one end of the spectrum, I’ve done an overnight trip in the Grand Canyon where everything necessary was shoved into a small day pack… shelter and all, with success. What is “necessary?” It depends on where you’re going, how far, and why… this subject of “necessity” has way more nuances than I’m going to dive into here. Step 3: Eliminate gear with an unnecessary function. If you’re serious about this exercise, write down those functions. Identify the various functions of every item in your pack.

If so, then you’ve discovered that you can hike in sandals! Chacos! Why not?

#Backpacking weight tracker full

Maybe, now that you think about it, full foot protection isn’t a priority after all. Or you remember you have socks on your list, which also satisfy the function of keeping warm. If your ankles don’t need protection, then you need shoes, not boots. Do your ankles need protection? Not necessarily. What else do they do? They keep your feet warm.ĭo your feet need protection? Probably. Step 2: Determine every item’s function.Ĭonsider a seemingly redundant example, like boots.īoots protect your feet and your ankles. If you need to, use generic terms like backpack, shelter, etc. If you’ve never been backpacking before, go ahead and cheat from my gear list to get started. Nothing goes unlisted – passports, iPhone, car keys, Ziploc bags… it all gets written down. List every last item you normally take on a backpacking trip. Write it out on paper, on the laptop… make a spreadsheet if you want. You’ll be thinking outside the box and shedding those pounds in no time. Go in with an open mind, and a willingness to be critical of yourself. The four steps may seem self-evident, but take your time here. These lessons are won through endless days of trudging up and down mountains, like on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. Thru-hikers have a lot of time to think about gear and efficiency, especially when you’re crawling up a steep grade or descending with screaming knees.

Take the first steps toward ultralight backpacking supremacy and lighten your load! That heavy pack must be destroyed, and it can be done through a craft that we here possess. Nobody likes to carry a heavy burden, especially when you’re simply walking into Mordor backpacking for weeks and months at a time.