Pack contents.

[Yggdrasil]

After a few backpacking holidays in this country I have learned that it is hard work walking with heavy packs for long periods of time and after say 4 hours walking it becomes more or a hard trek than an enjoyable walk. I am increasingly improving my knowledge of bushcraft but being new to it i am not very advanced.
What level of knowledge would you guys say we should have before we can travel relatively light, and also how would set about doing that?
Does it simply come with experience?
thnx.

~yggdrasil~

 

[Graham_S]

for me, it comes down to experience. after a trip somewhere, on my return i empty out my pack and look at the things i didn't use. then i don't take that stuff with me next time. of course there are some things i take even if i don't use it e.g. FAK, bivvy bag. so use your judgement.

 

[sandbender]

In my experience as long as you can keep yourself warm and dry at night, then you can dump half the junk you think you will need for during the day and save kilograms....

 

[stotRE]

What level of knowledge would you guys say we should have before we can travel relatively light, and also how would set about doing that?
Does it simply come with experience?
thnx.

~yggdrasil~

Hi Yggdrasil

Try sleeping out in your garden one night with nothing more than the clothing on your back and if possible a fire.
If your cold during the night you can nip in and grab your dos bag/bivvy bag.

Another night you can repeat this exercise but this time practice making and eating/drinking a hot meal/beverage. Try to see what is the practical minimum needed to carry out these tasks comfortably (comfort is most important).

Practise different tasks and write down your findings in a notebook so that you can refer to this information and use it.
With this info you then know what youneed and you could use this info to write up different kit lists for different tasks or seasons( bow making, spoon making,foraging etc).

Eventually you will know what to take without even having to look at your book and you will have confidence in your own decisions and your own skills.

Good luck

 

[Rhapsody]

I wouldn't really say that there's a certain point at which you can just whittle down your kit to a lightweight setup; the simple rule is just to carry what you need. If you keep this rule in mind then your kit will naturally become lighter and lighter as you replace pieces of equipment with knowledge as and when it comes.

 

[Hoodoo]

One of the greatest risks comes when you are a situation where it is cold and you can't get a fire going. It doesn't have to be real cold to die from hypothermia and being wet does not help. If you think you can survive a cold rainy night without fire, or feel positive that you can start a fire under all conditions, then you should be able to lighten your load quite a bit. I'm curious though. What do you consider a heavy load?

 

[Viking]

Pen and paper, write down what you pack and then take notes during your hike what works and don´t works. Next time you will probably skip some of your kit and bring less or lighter/better items. I have been doing this for a long time and stil keep doing it. What works for me may not work for you, there no shortcuts to the perfect and the expereince to use it.

When I was in the army things were simple, you acked everything you had in your locker.

 

[greg2935]

Depends what you aims are, you can go hi-tech and use light materials right at the start, many companies already do equivalent equipment (i.e. Hennessey Hammocks to replace moskito nets and tents, ultra lightweight cookers to replace old gas stoves, titanium pots, pans etc). Personally my aims are somewhat different: to slowly replace all my equipment for more natural materials, this is one reason why I am possibly the only person who still uses a canvas rucksac. The downside is that natural materials weigh more. Therefore for me, the main aim is to reduce the number of items I carry, not their weight, and that takes time. For instance, I have borrowed a Hennessey Hammock for the May Moot to test out, I already like the look of Neil's Thai Hammock and I am hoping he will be there so I can have a closer look at the construction. Then I will draw plans up for the best bits from all the hammocks I have seen, and build one for myself using the best natural materials I can get, that does not mean I am adverse to manmade plastics, if the weight of a "natural" hammock is too high, I will use ripstop or similar.

 

[MalIrl]

What do you consider a heavy load?

Hoodoo has a point. For backpacking expeditions, the general rule in our scout book is that you should only carry 25% of your body weight. This can be a real challenge if you are light like me, AND if feels pretty heavy!! So when you talk about a 'holiday' I take it you are staying overnight and need to address shelter, water, food, weather (clothing) and emergencies.
The first thing to do is weigh yourself, then determine how much max weight you can carry. Then weigh all the essentials that you will have in your pack.
You have to really think about this. Water is heavy, and no technological advances will make it lighter; but if you are going where there is plenty of water, you could make do with the minimum you need for your walk in and just pack steri-tabs. If you are up on the moors and mountains, you will need a tent, but if you will be stopping in woods, you could get away with a basha. Can you light fires where you are going? If not you need to bring a stove and fuel. As the wiehgt of your combined essentials mounts up, it will focus you on what you need and don't need, and help you think of alternatives. Doing such an analysis is only needed on your first couple of trips: after doing this a few times, and bearing in mind Viking's useful suggestion:

Pen and paper, write down what you pack and then take notes during your hike what works and don´t works. Next time you will probably skip some of your kit and bring less or lighter/better items.

you'll get the pack weight down to something you're comfortable with.

Slán,
Mal

 

[Gary]

Your kit needs are very simple - I see people turn up on courses with all manner of extra gear when the kit list they have been given outlines what they need.

One one course of a weeks duration a guy turned up in a camper van with 4 bergens of kit!!

Yggdrasil - pm me your email address and I'll copy you a basic packing list - or email me and I'll talk kit with you.

 

[Gail]

There is a whole fraternity out there dedicated to lightweight backpacking.

Guaranteed, much of their advice is based upon the lightest (and quite pricey) kit available, but this is useful if either you are starting out or your current kit needs renewing soon.

If you put "Lightweight backpacking" into a search engine, there is loads of information out there - beware some of it is quite obsessive such as cutting the labels out of your clothes etc!

I have looked into the whole lightweight option as I am small and require the lightest options available

 

[Spacemonkey]

One of the rules I try to employ when buying new toys is that it must have more than one use, and a use that I will need. And be the lightest 'practical' option available. And cheap. I can quite happily get enough kit and grub for a weekend in a 33 litre 'Highlander' (aka 'Forces' brand) sack, which is not heavy or bulky at all. When travelling longer, or carrying a bit of kit for an accomplice, then I can get everything in a Snugpack Rocket pack. It still doesn't weigh much. A mate of mine uses a Berghaus Crusader (? or is it Vulcan? Can't remember) which is big enough to pack a caravan in, but when positioned on the hips correctly the weight disappears. This can make a world of difference. If you need a cheap, good sack, then a Highlander 88 is for sale in the relevant section and they are bargains.

 

[Minotaur]

Depends what you aims are, you can go hi-tech and use light materials right at the start, many companies already do equivalent equipment (i.e. Hennessey Hammocks to replace moskito nets and tents, ultra lightweight cookers to replace old gas stoves, titanium pots, pans etc). Personally my aims are somewhat different: to slowly replace all my equipment for more natural materials, this is one reason why I am possibly the only person who still uses a canvas rucksac. The downside is that natural materials weigh more. Therefore for me, the main aim is to reduce the number of items I carry, not their weight, and that takes time. For instance, I have borrowed a Hennessey Hammock for the May Moot to test out, I already like the look of Neil's Thai Hammock and I am hoping he will be there so I can have a closer look at the construction. Then I will draw plans up for the best bits from all the hammocks I have seen, and build one for myself using the best natural materials I can get, that does not mean I am adverse to manmade plastics, if the weight of a "natural" hammock is too high, I will use ripstop or similar.

Like that idea. Not sure I could follow though on some of my favorite peices of kit.

It is worth looking at some of the lightweight hiking sites for ideas and the way they look at kit is completly different. The idea behind the lightweight movement is to get out of hiking boots and cover more distance, so you make your pack lighter, (the holy grail is 5kg, not including food! ). The theory then is you run less risk of doing your ankles and can walk further, paying attention to what is around you.

25% of my body weight, I'm not sure I could pick up the ruc, hiking with it might be interesting.

The trick I found was to pack my kit and then go for a long walk with it everyday for a week. Every night go though your ruc for what you do not need. It will get lighter, trust me.

Another scout idea, one troop used to run survivial weekends. The way they worked it was, you could take what you where wearing, your sleep kit, and a large ice cream container. If it does not fit in the container, it does not go. Lots of discussions before and after those events.

 

[wentworth]

Actually, some people get their base weight (w/o food and water) down to 2.5 kg.... it is questionable whether your enjoyment would be any different when carrying 2.5kg as opposed to 5....