Backpacking’s Religion

For a long time, I carried more than I needed. Hiking locally, I wanted to be prepared for situations that could arise for which I would be unprepared.

Forgetting your raincoat on a day that includes the possibility of showers is not an issue if you can change clothes easily, but is more problematic in the back country. The same for an injury or getting lost.

I always carried the ten essentials hiking locally, and a bit more peak bagging in the mountains. Extra water, extra food, extra clothes.

Car camping means you have the luxury of transporting heavy camping gear with ease. Heavy and spacious tents, sleeping bags, cookware and all the luxuries that resemble home are not a consideration. This all changes when you have to carry it.

Day hikes mean traveling relatively light. You’ll be back in the evening, so there’s no need to bring your accommodations with you. You are tethered to your base camp, and that means you are limited in where you can go.

I had picked the low hanging fruit of day hikes in New England. I needed to go deeper into the woods and go farther to reach peaks and complete trails that required me to exceed the 12-18 hour threshold.

I would need more in my pack, but could only carry so much. Better planning, lighter gear and a change in mindset would be required to convert from the day hiker’s rules of travel to the backpacker’s religion. This conversion is slow and for some gear, expensive.

Less is More

I would quickly learn that “heavy is cheap.” To lighten the load on my back, a big heavy tent would have to be replaced by a much smaller one, of much lighter material. My old 3+lb sleeping bag would be relegated to car camping use. I would need a lighter sleep system, including a pad or mattress to separate me from the cold, hard Earth.

This smaller, lighter equipment is more pricey, and would require an investment over time, just as I had done in acquiring winter hiking gear.

I would also need to adopt a new mindset. Each item carried would need to pass a test.

1. Was it necessary?
2. Was it redundant with another piece of equipment?
3. Could it be replaced by something that would make a dramatic difference in weight, comfort or improving my performance?

Now in season three of multi day hikes, the quest for the perfect pack weight continues. Eventually it’s hoped that the payoff is less pressure on joints and old bones, less fatigue, and a hiatus on spending.