In the early days of backpacking, it was common for people to carry huge packs weighing 50-70 pounds for typical long trips into the Sierra Nevada. Packs had sturdy metal frames, boots were made of rigid leather, cook gear was made of cast iron, tents were cotton canvas, and so forth.
Really tough backpackers were able to travel only short distances each day. They would need many comforts in camp to make the experience worthwhile.
Now, in the Age of High Technology, the whole outdoor equipment picture has changed. Today's high tech backpacker can go lighter and farther and see more in a long weekend than ever before.
Start by getting your gear worked down to the barest essentials. One tool that is handy for planning purposes is a baby scale with a capacity of 20-30 pounds. An ordinary bathroom scale does not have resolution to measure ounces (which is necessary to get unneeded ounces weeded out). A postal scale with fractions of ounces does not have the capacity to weigh the fully loaded pack of, shall we say, 15 pounds.
If we make the trail time easy enough with a lightweight pack, then we don't need so many heavy comforts when we get to camp. If we have only essentials, then the packing and unpacking time is minimized, allowing more time on the trail.
Try this: bring one long-handled aluminum water ladle with a capacity of about two cups. This can hang off the back of your backpack while you are on the trail. When you arrive in camp, build a small wood fire (assuming you are camping in an area where a wood fire is legal). Have a two-quart plastic milk jug to carry water from the nearest stream. Fill the ladle with water and cover it with aluminum foil before putting it in the fire. After it boils, mix your instant soup, cocoa, oatmeal, Gatorade, or whatever in your plastic cup. Repeat the process for all the hot liquids you need for breakfast and dinner. Make sure that the water boils to kill Giardia.
At least half of your food should be cheese, bread, or dry fruit that is eaten without cooking. A quick lunch beside the trail would probably be dry fruit bars and crackers. Something like instant Gatorade powder is great to mix into your water bottle to help you keep your energy level high during the mid-day.
Hike a few hours to the first stream crossing. Stop and scoop up water in hour two-quart milk jug, then dump in a standard dose of iodine to treat it. While that is working, eat your first snack and drink your entire pint of good water that you have been carrying. Then pour the jug water into your pint bottle and continue hiking. After 20-30 minutes, the iodine will have killed anything in the water. After a few more hours, when the next stream crossing is reached, you repeat the process. This way, you are only carrying about one pound of water around with you. That one pint can be handy in case you find only a dried-up stream when you are thirsty. Use a little instant Gatorade to kill any iodine taste (after the iodine has worked for its time) and also to help your body to retain the water in your muscle cells rather than passing it out.
Polypropylene liner socks with wool or wool-blend socks over them make the best choice to protect your feet.
Instead of a heavy foam mattress pad, consider a 5 x 2 foot piece of Bubble-Pak. This is the almost weightless plastic wrapping material used inside shipping containers. Get the type that has air bubbles about a half-inch thick. Put that on top of a space blanket or similar piece of plastic used as a ground sheet.
In the event of rain, tie a string between two trees and drape over it a 9 x 12 foot plastic painter's drop cloth. You can get these in a 1/3 mil thickness for about 50 cents. That is just enough to keep off the rain. To really shed wind, you want about one mil thickness, but that weighs a couple of more ounces.
Perhaps you get the idea that not much of a pack is needed. Since we are only carrying essentials, it doesn't take much time to load your pack in the morning when you are breaking camp.
Last but not least we have map and compass. On some occasions, we have made a photocopy of just the topo map sections needed since that is one ounce lighter. (Quit thinking about pounds and start thinking about ounces.) Do all your planning and trail mileage calculations in advance so that you don't have to waste valuable trail time for it.
Some of us sneak along a pocket-size 35mm camera, such as the Olympus or Pentax.
Plan for Light, Compact, and Quick, not necessarily long and hard. Long
and Hard may happen anyway. Get in top shape before the trip, then go for
it!
In 1982, Bob Gross completed a 65-mile loop trail around the high country
of Yosemite National Park in only two days, with a 15-pound total pack
weight.
this originally appeared in the Loma Prietan, May 1990
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