Lightweight Backpacking by Kevin Yule

Lightweight Backpacking

There is no “real” standard for lightweight or ultralight backpacking but for this paper I wanted to shed some light on some of the ways more and more people are able to pack lighter, smarter and go farther more comfortably. Backpacking light takes a special breed of person in my opinion. Packing lighter means going with the minimal of certain comforts or even cutting out some of the things you are used to packing altogether.  We shall define ultralight backpacking as resulting in a total pack weight of less than 20 pounds and lightweight 30 lbs or less. 

In contrast to traditional backpackers, ultralight backpackers and lightweight backpackers choose gear based primarily on weight. In doing so this variety of backpacker often sacrifices comfort or durability to do so. Traditional backpacker might carry more equipment in the name of a comfortable camp, lightweight  backpacking means valuing a lighter pack weight and forgoing some of of the “luxury” items if you will.

Moving forward I want talk about what to look for in your basic backpacking set-up so you can customize your own lightweight backpacking gear. Now will go over size, price range, technologies and more to help anyone who is new to backpacking get a better understanding of what to look for. For the sake of this list I will include some items for a 4 day hike through that the backpacker would take. Our backpacker will be doing some of the John Muir trail in Yosemite Valley during early fall.  The temperature in the valley will not drop below 50 in the evenings. 

Our backpacker will be traveling about 30-45 miles with the gear that will be listed below. The backpacker will be using an Osprey Exos 46 backpack. The Osprey Exos 46 checks in at 2.5 oz and makes a big statement with it’s air-like weight. The Exos has an aluminum frame for stability and good load transfer.The Exos 46 weighs just 2 lb 5 oz, but it’s sturdy enough to carry 3-4 days worth of gear for lightweight backpacking. 




For our backpackers tent they will be taking a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 tent. This ultralight tent will have you in disbelief at it’s 2lb 2 oz weight. The optional footprint is 5oz. This tent is a 3 season weatherproof 2- person tent. It’s so light you can keep your pack inside the tent if you are backpacking solo!

The sleeping bag our backpacker will take will be the Marmot Hydrogen 30 degree sleeping bag. One of the biggest things in going lightweight is a down sleeping bag. This bag weighs in at 1lb 9 oz and is stuffed to the gills with 850-fill down. Later in this article I will explain why choosing down is better and what exactly it is. 




For a sleeping pad our backpacker brought the Neoair XLite, which at 8oz is super warm and comfortable while feeling like you are sleeping on a cloud. 








SteriPen Protector is going to be in the pack for water sanitation. This little gadget can purify water using ultraviolet rays to sterilize 99% of the water. At 6.4 oz you won’t even notice it in your pack. 






For the backpackers stove I chose the MSR Whisper Lite Universal. This bomber stove is 1.3 lbs and can use any fuel from  canister fuel, white gas, kerosene and unleaded gasoline. Some other items you want to round out you pack are items such as:
 

• Dehydrated food for dinner and breakfast
• Energy bars, etc for snacking throughout the day
•  A couple of water bottles
• A fleece jacket or insulated jacket
• A rain cover that fits your backpack
• A First aid kit; make sure it includes Moleskin for blisters and firestarer
• A warm hat such as a beanie or balaclava
• Waterproof maps  and a compass
• Base layers (for sleeping in)
• Hiking Socks (Wool or Wool blend)  
• a Knife or multi-tool
• Stuff sacks (ultralight sil-nylon)
• lip balm
• bio-degradable toilet paper and trowel

Next I will break the main three biggest items you obtain while acquiring gear. I will break the tent, sleeping bag and backpack options.

Tent: When looking for lightweight backpacking tent you want to factor in price,space and weight. Look for something easy to set up with single entry. Factor in weather conditions and where you do most of your backpacking. You want to aim slightly under 3 lbs a person for your tent. A 3 season tent will cover you for spring, fall and summer. The lower weight tents are in the $300-500 range.

Backpack: The kind of backpack you want for lightweight backpacking does differ depending on length of trip. Things like Volume, built in raincover, personal style and comfort to weight ratio are very important when selecting a pack. The lighter your load the smaller pack you need. You size a backpack by your torso length  not your height. The size number is the amount of space inside the pack. So The Exos 46 for example has 46 liters carrying capacity inside the pack. The length of your trip is normally what determines the size of pack you would carry. The volume you carry varies person to person but listed below is a chart to help you. So when shifting to a lightweight bacpacking style your goal should be to carry a smaller volume pack.

Sleeping bag: Ideal backpacking sleeping bag is normally made with goose down. Goose down is the lightest on the market because they are feathers. The main drawback to a down bag though is that when it gets wet it does not retain its loft and takes long time to fully dry. The good news is that companies  are making better water resistant fabrics for the sleeping bags to protect the down. The thing you notice first about the sleeping bag is its temperature rating. Temperature rating identifies the lowest temperature at which a bag is intended to keep you warm. This translates into a “32 degree bag” keeping its rating for warmth as long as temperature does not dip below 32 degrees.

These ratings assume that the sleeper is inside a tent, using a sleeping pad or mat and as well as wearing layers. Ratings for sleeping bags are a guide not a guarantee. There are factors such as layering, metabolism, gender and even hydration factor into how warm you will be when paired with your sleeping bag. A good rule of thumb is selecting a lower rating bag then the climate you expect to be camping in. If you are expecting the occasional cold night go for the 30 degree bag instead of the 45 degree one. These are just some of the guidelines that someone new to lightweight backpacking can use to assist them in selecting the lightweight set-up right for them. Remember to experiment with gear and that there are hundreds of ways to shaves ounces off of your pack weight. See you on the trail!