A Lightweight Backpacking Activity Leads To A More Enjoyable Holiday
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008Backpacking can be a very enjoyable activity, full of fun experiences that can leave an individual with many wonderful memories, but not if all they remember is traveling with a heavy, overstuffed backpack. For traditional backpackers, toting around 30 to 50 pounds of backpacking equipment is the norm. Yet not all individuals can or would want to be burdened with all of that weight. This is why many are taking to lightweight backpacking. Lightweight backpackers travel with a considerably less amount of gear, bringing backpacking equipment down to between 12 to 20 pounds. This can alleviate a lot of stress from the body and cause a more enjoyable trip.
Heavier backpacks can cause serious problems for many people. If a person is consistently packing 30 to 50 pounds of gear, then over a period of time they may experience exhaustion, increased chances of injuries, the chance of falling by making poor foot placement and of course being tired and cranky. The elimination of some of the weight can allow individuals to have more fun on their trip and have more fun to do the exciting things that have been planned, instead of being tired from carrying all of the heavy backpacking equipment. Lightweight backpacking is being practiced by more and more individuals who are far less worried about the amount of backpacking equipment that they bring and more interested in what they gain from the experience itself.
When backpacking hiking with less gear, simply do not take more than what you know you will need. Many people tend to pack duplicate equipment just in case, but many people never need the duplicate gear. Believe it or not, packing your everyday 12 ounce tube of toothpaste or your ultra mega bottle of sunscreen can add to the weight content of your backpack very quickly, yet you will never need those amounts of products for a weekend or even a week long trip.
Instead, try packing trial size bottles of products so that you are more comfortable when traveling. Another item that can significantly add to your backpacking weight is packing unnecessary food. This is where deliberate food planning comes in. Many lightweight backpackers have found that packing food consistent with a 2,000 calorie a day diet relieves them of a lot of weight.
This averages out to about 1.5 pounds of daily food and can actually reduce the average backpacker’s weight by over 5 pounds, in food alone. While there are other items that can be deleted from your backpack to drop weight, starting with items like these can get you off and running.
Backpacking can be a enjoyable activity but one that can become very cumbersome, if a individual’s backpack becomes extremely heavy. If you become a weary traveler, what fun will you really have? Lightweight backpacking allows individuals the freedom to do more activities. While there are individuals who can handle the heavy 30 to 50 pound packs while traveling, without any problems, is it truly necessary? If you can take all that you need for your weekend or even week long trip in a 12 to 20 pound, or even 25 pound pack, then why wouldn’t you?