Contrary to what many think, ultralight backpacking is not just about the freedom to hike more miles or to take your whole pack up the mountain with you. It is also about comfort and safety. Backpackers with heavy loads work too hard and threaten their joints too much. Challenges may add to the experience, but why suffer more than is necessary?
You can't easily take a side trip up that hill, just to see what is there. If you do it without your pack, you have to go back the same way to get your pack.
Putting on and taking off your heavy pack quickly becomes a chore. You start leaving it on even during rest stops, just so you don't have to deal with it.
Backpacking is clearly more tiring with a heavy pack, and you probably won't enjoy yourself as much when you are tired.
Sprained ankles, blistered feet, sore muscles, and back and knee problems are just some of the common consequences of too much weight on your back.
More weight equals slower progress, which means less access to wild places (you can't go as far on your four-day trip), or it means less time to for enjoyable activities, like a swim in a mountain lake, or a relaxing evening in camp.
More injuries, and the inability to move quickly when a storm is coming or an emergency requires you to get to a road, means that backpacking can actually be more dangerous with a heavy load. Add to that the possibility of bad decisions due to tiredness.
Done the right way, ultralight backpacking gives you more freedom, more comfort, more safety, more enjoyment and less suffering than traditional backpacking. It allows you to move faster, but notice that I say "allows." It doesn't require it. It just gives you the option. That's more freedom.
I have yet to meet or hear about a person who has tried lightweight backpacking for a while, and then gone back to a heavy load. I'm not saying it is for everyone. Bad ankles may require heavy hiking boots, and bad habits may require a big pack to satisfy them. But even a backpacker who needs a pillow and big rectangular sleeping bag, can find these in lighter forms.
You just can't understand the sense of liberation felt by a convert to ultralight backpacking, until you try it yourself. When I, with my eleven-pound pack, walk past overloaded backpackers struggling up steep trails, I remembered being in their place, and I know I am enjoying myself more now.
Not so. Bring your favorite camera! A lighter load means you can stop to use it more easily. If you leave behind the things you don't need, and bring a lighter backpack, tent, and sleeping bag, you can more easily bring that telephoto lense or whatever is really important to you.
The opposite! Bring all the safety items; a sleeping bag, first aid kit, shelter, water purification, etc. Just bring lighter versions. A light load makes you less likely to lose your balance and fall, or to otherwise injure yourself. It also means faster response to iffy situations.
A note about safety:
It is lagely a matter of knowledge and experience. A trained survivalist will always be safer backpacking with no shelter than a neophyte with the best tent. Learn a little about how to use you equipment properly, or to read the sky for comimg storms, and you can go lighter and safer.
Is it less comfortable to have 18 pounds on your back than 50? Is it less comfortable to have an ultralight sleeping bag if it keeps you just as warm? I stopped getting blisters (totally) when I started using running shoes instead of hiking boots. Cut the weight on your back by twenty-five pounds, and you can add back a heavier coat, if that is what you need to be comfortable.
Ultralight sleeping bags are expensive. Almost everything else needed for ultralight backpacking can be found for the same price or cheaper than traditional gear. There are many sub-three-pound backpacks under a hundred dollars, for example.
Try it. The first time you are fifteen miles into the day, and you realize that you can easily run up that hill-just to see what is there, you'll know you made the right decision.
Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of going light. His advice and stories can be found at the ultralight backpacking site. (the ultralight backpacking site)
Highland Park charter limousine .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWhen you look at a river, what do you see?... Read More
How many of you take the time to just relax... Read More
Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest mountain, after Kilimanjaro. It... Read More
If you are on a tight budget and can't afford... Read More
An African honeymoon safari is the perfect way to celebrate... Read More
Base camp sits at 12,000 feet - stark, windy, unshaded... Read More
For the fortunate few, life isn't complete without a backpacking... Read More
Camping for fun is a great way to enjoy the... Read More
The Udzungwa Mountains National park was created primarily for the... Read More
Take a captivating trip through the Cape Cod National Seashore... Read More
Contrary to what many think, ultralight backpacking is not just... Read More
There are two types of used inflatable boats for sale... Read More
Eulogised as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Cochin, Kerala's... Read More
We weren't planning to go rock and arrowhead hunting in... Read More
Pictures of a massive dead Great White shark on the... Read More
Spain offers the visitor over 4,000 kms of coastline where... Read More
Which is the best African safari company for my safari... Read More
Mystic Seaport celebrates the seafaring past of New England. Known... Read More
To get the most out of a wildebeest migration safari... Read More
Isn't it time you stepped out of the concrete jungle... Read More
Climbing the glaciers to the summit of Mount Chimborazo in... Read More
Ask about perfect wildlife destinations and a Tanzania safari will... Read More
Mt. Washington Valley Trails & Mt Washington - NHThe highest... Read More
Maybe your favorite backpacking food is a freeze-dried turkey dinner.... Read More
If you're looking to spot a whale, the first few... Read More
Antigo car service to O'Hare ..Spring:Essential items when preparing for a walk-Compass-First aid kit -... Read More
Campgrounds are a perfect Pigeon Forge lodging option for visitors... Read More
White Water on the Comal river in Central Texas is... Read More
WHAT TO FISH AND WHERE: Alaska offers some of the... Read More
This truly beautiful country at the southern tip of dark... Read More
Today Bookpleasures and Sketchandtravel are pleased to have as our... Read More
Back from our family's vacation to Costa Rica, I am... Read More
Pictures of a massive dead Great White shark on the... Read More
The thing with enjoying the great outdoors is seeing aspects... Read More
My favorite outdoor related quote comes from John Muir, the... Read More
Last week in Australia, one man's day at beach could... Read More
A Botswana safari is an excellent trip to undertake because... Read More
Okay, it wasn't quite a sleeping bag. However, it was... Read More
How to get discount lift tickets for popular ski resorts... Read More
If anyplace on earth is a natural paradise, Plitvice Lakes... Read More
A camping gear checklist is an important tool to help... Read More
A canoe trip is a great way to appreciate Nature!A... Read More
Sun, Sand and Surf ? an apt description for Goa?... Read More
Nightlife in Big Sky, Montana is more exciting than you... Read More
It was the end of my first year as a... Read More
Soon, the busy summer tourist season will be over in... Read More
One morning in mid summer, I headed out for some... Read More
When it comes to birding, Acadia National Park is a... Read More
The last thing you want on an African safari is... Read More
Up to now the preponderant view held by many historians... Read More
Outdoors |