Backpacking Tips

One of the main reasons I carry a soda can stove on my backpacking trips is because they're unbelievably light. I'm in the camp that the single best thing that you can do to make your trip a more pleasant experience is to cut your pack weight as much as practical. A light backpack makes for happier backs, feet, and general well-being.

So I thought I'd put together a page with some ideas for lightening your pack. If you're really serious about lightening your pack, check out Ray Jardine's book on backpacking. It seems to change names with each edition that comes out, but there's a lot of good information in them, and a lot of the ways I cut weight off my pack came directly out of this book. (I don't follow all of his recommendations, however. Use what works for you, but don't feel pressured to follow all of his tips—nor even mine for that matter.)

• Use a tarp or a tarp-tent. A full-fledged tent—even the 'ultralight' models—are ridiculously heavy. It's a little scary at first to depend on a mere tarp, but they really do work!
• Buy a pack smaller than the salesman at an outfitters would recommend. Force yourself to pack light, whether you like it or not!
• Most water sources in the backcountry—I'm talking about those in the mountains before the water runs through civilization—are far safer to drink than manufacturers of filters will lead you to believe, and filters are far less reliable than they'll lead you to believe. I thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail without getting sick, and I can count on one hand the number of times I treated my water. There is a risk to drinking untreated water, but there's also a risk in drinking treated water. I didn't trust the water I used along the Florida Trail and treated it religiously. Depending on where you hike and the level of risk you're willing to take, you can leave those heavy filters and water treatment systems at home.
• Even most thru-hikers think I'm crazy for doing this, but I don't carry a pad to sleep on. The habit started when I bought a small pack (forcing myself to pack light, whether I liked it or not), and I couldn't figure out a way to fit in the pad. So I left it behind. The first few nights I camped were miserable without one—sleeping on hard, compacted ground. A strange thing happened after a few nights, however. I started sleeping well. I started using my backpack under my legs to help. And I found a few positions that I could actually sleep in comfortably. I still prefer to find soft ground to sleep on—a thick bed of pine needles is the best mattress I've ever used—but I now have no trouble sleeping on hard-packed ground or the wooden floors of shelters with no padding at all. And I no longer have that weight to carry. Again, even most thru-hikers think I'm crazy and I've never met anyone else who does this—I didn't even think it would work out at first—but it did, and it is an option!
• If you're particularly ambitious, sew your own gear. I used to use a GoLite pack that weighed about 10 ounces. That's pretty light for a pack, as you'd expect from a company calling themselves GoLite. When I sewed my own pack, however, not only was it three ounces lighter, but it had 30% more capacity and could carry double the weight that the GoLite pack could. To date, I've never found a commercially made pack that weighs less than the one I made myself with an equal volume.
• The digital camera is not optional. If you're doing a long-distance hike, don't take a camera that needs to be charged periodically. I prefer one that uses AA batteries since those are so easy to replace just about anywhere.
• Titanium pots are light, but they're also incredibly expensive. Unless you plan to get a lot of miles under your feet, I'd stick with an aluminum pot. They do weigh more, but save your money for better things. I don't think the cost is worth it for most people.
• When it comes to rain, my opinion is that if it rains long enough and hard enough, you're going to get wet. There's nothing you can do to avoid it except to stay indoors, which kind of defeats the point of being outdoors. Don't try to stop from getting wet with expensive Gortex clothing or waterproof boots. Even if they keep the water out, they'll keep your sweat in. If it rains, just let yourself get wet. I'll carry a small umbrella (which doubles as sun protection in sunny places) to keep rain off my head and face, but the rest of me just gets wet. At the end of the day's hike, change into the dry clothes in your pack. Always (always!) keep one dry outfit in your pack for wearing in camp.
• If you need ankle support, that's all fine and good. But studies have shown that for every pound of weight on your foot requires the same amount of energy as several pounds in your pack. A backpacking trip is tough on your feet, but heavy-duty boots make it even tougher. Those shoes take longer to break in, they wear you out quicker, and take longer to dry when they do get wet. Don't be seduced by buying more shoe than you really need. I prefer sneakers and runners myself, but anything more than the lightest boots is probably overkill.
• Get a dehydrator. You can make great strawberry leather with it! Among other things, of course. If you're a meat eater, dehydrated ground beef rehydrates very well and is great with Hamburger Helper. Quick and easy, and for trail food, it's pretty darned good!
• Keep a journal of your travels. Force yourself to write in it each night before going to sleep, including names of people and places along the way and anything noteworthy that happened. It doesn't have to be highly detailed, but the more details you include, the more fun it is to go back years later and review.
• Most long-distance hikers will carry two trekking poles, but don't feel like you need to. Many people have hiked long distance trails with no hiking poles and do just fine. I started my Appalachian Trail hike with two, but decided I didn't like both and gave one away. I use one pole and love it. Others who've tried just one said it makes them feel 'lopsided.' So try different numbers of poles and figure out what works best for you.
• Don't bring cotton clothes on a backpacking trip. They never dry. Nylon and other synthetics that do dry quickly can be washed without staying wet for days, and they can still keep you warm even if the clothes are wet. Even in towns at a laundromat, the cotton clothes take considerably longer to dry in the drier than just about any other fabrics available.