Archive for the ‘Light Weight’ Category
Our Annual Backpacking Adventure
My brother and I take a couple weeks off from work every summer and go backpacking through the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. We have a strong disdain for technology despite the fact that we both work for an IT company, so it’s a good opportunity to disconnect and reacquaint ourselves with nature. Since we carry our packs with us everywhere, we bring nothing but the essentials: backpacking tents, emergency rations, tools and a few other miscellaneous lightweight supplies.
It may seem irresponsible to head into the great outdoors with such minimal equipment, but my brother and I were both Eagle Scouts and spent time in the Marines, so we’re well versed in the ways of the wild. Much of our food comes from fishing, which is one of our favorite activities on these journeys. On particularly good days, we dry some of the fish to save for later when they may not be biting.
Pointers for Picking a Hiking Tent
Portability is key when selecting backpacking equipment, especially if you plan on taking extended day hikes. Toting massive quantities of supplies just isn’t an option, so it’s best to pick and choose wisely. Which items can you not live without? One of the most essential items you’ll take on any outdoor excursion is a tent.
The main selling point for a backpacking tent is its lightweight construction. After all, you’ll be hauling it around all day before setting it up at night. Ease of use is a secondary but also immensely important consideration. No one wants to wrestle around with a tent after a long day on the trail. When scanning the market for tents, factor in the total weight – not just the trail weight, which often doesn’t include the stakes and poles.
Trimming Down on Backpacking Weight
When it comes to backpacking, any experienced backpacker knows that cutting down on the weight is essential. Backpackers go to extreme lengths to remove even a few ounces from their packs because backpacking becomes much more difficult with a heavier pack. When backpacking, it’s important to carry as little weight as possible, and this often means shying away from the standard camping equipment. For example, two person backpacking tents might weigh as much as ten pounds less than a standard two person camping tent because a backpacking tent will have plastic poles and lightweight fabric.
When backpacking it’s also important to leave behind those items that weigh too much. Cookware and dishes, for example, are items that backpackers prefer to remove from their packs. Food and water is essential outdoors, but both can add a lot of weight. Backpackers tend to eat a lot of powdered food like humus, and instead of having a potable water supply, backpackers often use a portable water filter and carry just a single bottle of water for each person.