Photo by: Darren Lone Fight

Guest post by Darren Lone Fight
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Day Hiking, Multi-Day Hiking, and Weight

Getting outside and enjoying the outdoors is a great way to maintain and increase fitness levels, burn calories, and has the potential to be a very enjoyable hobby. Nevertheless, the enjoyment can be quickly lost when you’re lugging a pack, pouring sweat, and trying to remember why it is you’re on a trail in the first place. Lowering pack weight, then, becomes a very important component to maximizing your enjoyment of the outdoors and create a positive, healthy experience that you’ll want to repeat in the future. Hiking with a backpack falls very generally into two categories: day hiking and multi-day hiking.

Day hikers don’t need to carry such items as a tent or a sleeping bag, but the pack itself and whatever other supplies that are brought along with the hiker might weigh anywhere from 2-10+ pounds. While this weight is not negligible, it is nevertheless a significantly lighter weight than the average multi-day pack. This article will focus primarily on reducing weight in the larger packs of a multi-day hiker, but most of the general points made here can apply to a lesser degree to the day hiker as well.

For a multi-day hike, one has to carry many supplies for daily use. I’ll be speaking here of a weekend trip, since this is the kind of backpacking trip most of us are able to fit into our schedule (not to exclude the bearded and smelly Appalachian Trail thru-hikers and other multi-week and multi-month hikers). This means a half-day Friday, Saturday, and half-day Sunday (or roughly two full days of supplies). A Base-pack weight for a multi-day hike of this nature includes the “Big Three” of backpacking: the pack itself, sleeping system (sleeping pad/bag), and shelter system (tent, tarp, etc.).

The (Other) Things We Carry

On top of this base-pack, a backpacker will often carry: a first-aid kit, food, water, a compass, whistle, GPS, knife, cooking system, map, clothes, water purification system, light (headlamp/flashlight/lanterns), camera/electronics, etc., etc. Obviously this list grows quite long very quickly, and it is not uncommon to see multi-day pack weigh 30 pounds or more, even for such a short trip. The “best” equipment in each of these categories is fiercely debated, but this post will take simplicity and utility as a guiding principle to organize and revise how we plan for a multi-day hike. In this scenario, we’re looking for our pack to be 20 pounds or less fully packed including food (excluding water). 20 pounds is the ceiling, but 10-15 pounds should be readily attainable. This process of winnowing pack and equipment weight in order to decrease overall weight and increase enjoyment is known as lightweight backpacking or ultra-light backpacking depending on how “ultra” you get about cutting weight: If you’re counting half-ounces when weighing your individual pieces of equipment and sawing the bottom half off of your toothbrush to save weight, it’s safe to say you’re “ultra.”

Perhaps the most common mistake made by hikers who are preparing for a short -weekend trip in the middle of summer is that they pack like they’re going on a two-week trek in the middle of winter. Bring only what you need and prepare for what you can reasonably expect! I’ve seen a fellow backpacker, bent at the waist and red-faced, hauling enough equipment, food, and water to feed and shelter himself and everyone in our crew for at least a week! He had an enormous tent, food for miles, and he was paying for it with every trembling, labored step he took on the trail.

The relationship between food and packing can actually make hiking even more useful for weight-loss; it’s good exercise, yes, but it can also teach us important lessons about portion sizing and the relationship between calories and exercise. Before a trip, you’ll need to determine the amount of miles that will be hiked and calculate the food necessary for the trip. If you’re going to cover five miles a day (10mi.), depending on weight, one would burn at least 4,000 calories a day in hiking alone (not including basal metabolism). This means the amount of food one would need to bring to replace every calorie would easily be close to 7,000! To calculate for weight loss, one would adjust the replacement calories down from these totals, and when you’ve got to pack each of those calories into a backpack and wear it on your back, you will begin to get a better sense of how much food that really is and make decisions on what and how much to bring accordingly! Even more, when you’ve got to be sure to portion your foods out correctly because you can’t run to the grocery store if you eat it too quickly, you’ll begin to necessarily harden your resolve about portioning.

While monitoring and portioning food may sound like a less-than-fun part of hiking, I’ve found that when out hiking trails, food becomes less of a central concern and more of a functional activity: we eat because we need fuel to keep walking and enjoying our hike. This doesn’t mean that good, warm, and healthy food shouldn’t be enjoyed on the trail, but that hiking holds entertaining or interesting wildlife, incredible vistas, and other beautiful flora and fauna that you’ll (hopefully) be too excited about what’s around the next bend to be too worried about food other than to refuel the tank!

Dropping Weight and the Lightweight Pack

So, aside from the more psychological components of food portioning and its relationship to physical activity, calorie burn, etc., there is the basic equipment list of a lightweight pack that will allow you to spend more time enjoying your hike and less time wishing your back and shoulders weren’t screaming at you. Examine the following suggestions as you take a look at your own pack and see where you might be able to make cuts. I have provided some links to places where you can buy ultralight or lightweight gear, but don’t feel as though this is an activity that you should “buy” your way into: paring down backpack weight in order to have a more enjoyable outdoor experience is about finding ways to do more with less. Sometimes this can best be attained by purchasing something, but very often what is needed is some DIY trimming, sewing, or construction or an honest appraisal of what is really needed in the backcountry.

The Big Three—This is the place to find the biggest/easiest weight savings. Right now, I’m using an old Swiss Gear backpack that I had for school. It had a waist strap, so I hand-stitched more straps to lash a sleeping bag, tent, etc. to the pack, and I use this for most of my weekend multi-day hikes. It weighs in fully packed with tent, pad, bag, food, etc. (minus water) at about 15 pounds. My wife uses a canvas, no-frame pack we found at a garage sale for $2 (it does have a waist/chest strap). Her whole pack weighs about 11 pounds, and the knee pain she used to suffer from lugging a 30+ pound pack around has gone away. Whatever you get, make it light and comfortable. Gossamer Gear (http://www.gossamergear.com/) makes a wide selection of very light gear, including packs, bags, and tents. Most major pack brands (Osprey, Gregory, etc.) all have ultra-light and lightweight models as well that you should look into for your next pack purchase. Ideally you’d like a pack that weighs in at under two pounds. Nevertheless, go with what you’re familiar with and what is most comfortable, just be sure you pay special attention to weight.

A sleeping bag can be replaced by a good, lightweight quilt (you really only use the insulation on the top part of the sleeping bag anyway when you sleep on a pad). I still use a bag, but I have cut out the stuffing on the bottom side of my sleeping bag and sewn back up the cells. This allows my sleeping bag to pack down to a very small and light size. Finally, I use an old, A-frame, single-wall tent which, with poles and stakes, weighs less than 3 pounds. This sleeps me and my wife (and very little else) and is basically a glorified bivy. Speaking of Bivy’s, they’re actually a good option for a tent as well. All-in-one hammocks, such as the Hennessy Hammock (http://hennessyhammock.com/), are a good third-way option (tent/bag/pad all in one!).

The Other Stuff— Look into getting an alcohol stove (http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm) and using it as your primary cooking system. Keep your food simple: lots of gorp/jerky/trail-food, couscous, freeze-dried foods, and other add-boiling-water foods. Be prepared to purify and treat water rather than attempt to haul 2-3 gallons (this will add 25 pounds to your weight alone). For purification I would suggest a combination of the AquaMira Frontier Pro (http://www.aquamira.com/) and a chemical treatment, either iodine or chlorine dioxide (I prefer the latter). Bring one LED headlamp for light. It will be more than enough (you should be sleeping at night anyway!). Lightweight multi-compass/ruler/etc.. Skip the non-essential electronics. Use only a closed-cell, ¾-length sleeping pad rather than an inflatable system. One small pot, one large mug-bowl, and one spoon. Buy a small, waterproof first-aid kit appropriate for your trips. Use light-weight and small containers (I like Platypus Bottles: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus) to hold your water.

These suggestions certainly aren’t all-encompassing, but they should get you started towards a lighter weight pack and a better experience on the trails.

Finally, Philosophy.

Backpacking provides an enjoyable and healthy pastime for people who enjoy the outdoors, and is made all the more enjoyable the less weight we have to carry around. More than this, the process of stripping weight down is done most effectively by looking to get rid of extraneous or unnecessary items and by maximizing the utility of our equipment. In the first move, we must examine our own mental categories of “necessity” and “luxury.” It can be difficult to let go of the three-room tent and blow-up air mattress, but remember that the glory of the trail is found on the trail; when you’re attempting to be out in nature and enjoy a good long hike, it’s important to remember that we’re there to enjoy the raw natural beauty of the environment and not attempt to import the necessities of our daily lives (obviously in the “real world” my pillow-top bed is a necessity. It simply is.) into the great outdoors. Necessities have to shift when we’re on the trail. What is a necessity at home (refrigerator, toilet, infinite water, etc.) can be impossible in the backcountry. This shift will help you trim down and simplify your backpacking experience, but it will also heighten your appreciation of your daily-life luxuries when you get back from a hike. No hot shower and short nap in a comfy bed has ever felt better than after a multi-day hike.

The second philosophy of utility is about finding ways to get the most out of equipment. I know hikers that use only a tarp for a tent system, which also doubles as a poncho in a pinch. We don’t have to be quite as radical as that: using a spoon for most all utensil needs instead of bringing a full compliment is one example of this sort of utility; using a stuff-sack with your clothes in it as a pillow instead of bringing a separate pillow is another: these little tricks are simply ways of getting more out of less equipment by removing redundancy where you may not have realized it was present. Such small tweaks often help save significant space and/or weight by allowing for items to be used for multiple purposes. Small changes in how we perceive the functionality of our gear can lead to large savings in both weight and space, and the smartest cuts/utility uses/modifications of your gear will come from your own examination and reflection on the role your gear plays in your backpacking excursions. Look for redundancies in your gear that can be remedied with increasing the scope or role of another piece of similar (or modified) gear.

Finally, this is really all about locating an aesthetic which treasures non-excess, simplicity, and utility. This often flies in the face of how we live our daily lives, and yet there are important lessons to be learned from this outdoors paradigm. These reorientations run through the heart of the lightweight and ultra-lightweight backpacking philosophies, and they can also inform weight-loss strategy as well. As I’ve mentioned previously, the relationship such backpacking creates between a hiker, his body, his “fuel,” and his activity is invaluable in creating an awareness of the interdependence at the heart of any endeavor to lose weight, and is a necessary awareness to truly begin to manage calorie intake and exercise/physical activity in a meaningful manner. When you can translate a bag of chips into the several miles/hours of hiking it contains in energy in a meaningful sense, you’ll hopefully begin to have a better sense of the relationship between energy/calories and what, say, 1,000 calories translates to in real, physical terms.

Ultimately, weight loss works best when it comes while doing something you enjoy. I hope that some of these tips and ideas help make your next hiking trip more about enjoying your beautiful surroundings and less about enduring the physical pain of an unnecessarily large and/or heavy pack. Stripping your gear and pack down to the essentials and focusing on the enjoyment of the experience itself will help you not only enjoy your hike, but enjoy the pounds you’ve shed off your body because of the pounds you’ve shed off your pack!

Darren is a Youth Conservation Corps supervisor for the Trustees of Reservations (http://www.thetrustees.org/), a PhD student in the humanities at UMass, and a free-lance writer and reporter. He hikes primarily in Western Massachusetts and Southern Vermont and is preparing for a hike across the state of Massachusetts (north-south) at the end of the summer. He can be reached at: darrenlonefight@gmail.com Please put “Huskyhiker.com” in the subject line.