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Packing It In
If you're a veteran of the trails you probably are already set in your opinions about what gear is the best for you. It doesn't take many miles to love or hate a new piece of equipment. I have my own style of travel and sometimes when I see the gear other people carry, I shudder. I'm sure other people look at my rig and wonder why I carry the rig I do. Backpacking is not just the art of walking, as Conan Fletcher wrote about it decades ago; it's the art of fine tuning. Backpackers spend many hours planning trips, putting gear together, weighing loads--and then dumping it all out and starting over.
I do less of that now than I used to do. I tend to keep my gear together, and I don't overthink the problem--I'm apt to just say the heck with it, dump everything in the car, and slap it together when I get to the trailhead. I'm pretty sure it will all work out and probably I'll forget some small detail anyway. I can deal with it. Sometimes I'd rather just go.
If you're beginning, I'd advise against that. You need to consider basic needs and prepare for them. You may try several different approaches to wilderness travel before you find one that you really prefer, so committing a lot of money to gear might not be the best answer right at first. Keep your first investments small--when you know what you want to do, whether it's trail running or trekking, build your gear around it. You may have two or three different kits, when you're done.
Maybe you're a day hiker, out and back between sunup and sundown--obviously your gear won't be so fancy, but you should invest some money and thought in backup equipment for the odd days when things go wrong. You might wind up staying overnight in spite of your plans, and you need to have options for that.
Many of us are overnighters, rushing to the trailheads on Saturday morning, charging into the mountains for an overnight camp, and pushing ourselves to get home Sunday evening in time for a shower and a good night's sleep before work on Monday. It's a cruel undertaking, and you'll need good gear to limit the suffering. This is where ultralight gear shines.
For that more awesome experience, the trail vacation, when you actually can get out for a week or more and really go somewhere--you need different gear altogether. In my opinion, ultralight gear doesn't come up to this standard. Sometimes you need to be able to carry a heavy load and eat your way through it. It might be ultralight at the end, but not at the beginning. I want gear with some strength and some carrying capacity to it, if I'm going on a long trip, and I don't trust anything built from gossamer wings.
If you're a veteran of the trails you probably are already set in your opinions about what gear is the best for you. It doesn't take many miles to love or hate a new piece of equipment. I have my own style of travel and sometimes when I see the gear other people carry, I shudder. I'm sure other people look at my rig and wonder why I carry the rig I do. Backpacking is not just the art of walking, as Conan Fletcher wrote about it decades ago; it's the art of fine tuning. Backpackers spend many hours planning trips, putting gear together, weighing loads--and then dumping it all out and starting over.
I do less of that now than I used to do. I tend to keep my gear together, and I don't overthink the problem--I'm apt to just say the heck with it, dump everything in the car, and slap it together when I get to the trailhead. I'm pretty sure it will all work out and probably I'll forget some small detail anyway. I can deal with it. Sometimes I'd rather just go.
If you're beginning, I'd advise against that. You need to consider basic needs and prepare for them. You may try several different approaches to wilderness travel before you find one that you really prefer, so committing a lot of money to gear might not be the best answer right at first. Keep your first investments small--when you know what you want to do, whether it's trail running or trekking, build your gear around it. You may have two or three different kits, when you're done.
Maybe you're a day hiker, out and back between sunup and sundown--obviously your gear won't be so fancy, but you should invest some money and thought in backup equipment for the odd days when things go wrong. You might wind up staying overnight in spite of your plans, and you need to have options for that.
Many of us are overnighters, rushing to the trailheads on Saturday morning, charging into the mountains for an overnight camp, and pushing ourselves to get home Sunday evening in time for a shower and a good night's sleep before work on Monday. It's a cruel undertaking, and you'll need good gear to limit the suffering. This is where ultralight gear shines.
For that more awesome experience, the trail vacation, when you actually can get out for a week or more and really go somewhere--you need different gear altogether. In my opinion, ultralight gear doesn't come up to this standard. Sometimes you need to be able to carry a heavy load and eat your way through it. It might be ultralight at the end, but not at the beginning. I want gear with some strength and some carrying capacity to it, if I'm going on a long trip, and I don't trust anything built from gossamer wings.
Photo by marykbaird at morguefile.com
Good Incentive for Ultralighting
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Copyright: All original material on this site is the sole property of the author and cannot legally be copied or used in any form without his permission. That would be me.
Data Collection of Non-Personally Identifying Information:
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.