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Category:Technique 101
Introduction: How Do I Go Light?
"How do I go light?" is often among the first questions wondered by a wilderness traveler seeking to reduce their pack weight.
One answer to this question can be found in the "Seven Steps to Enlightenment" concept discussed in the article Backpacking Light 101. In its distilled form, those steps include:
1. Weigh your stuff. Use a scale, take inventory of gear item weights, and tally them up on a spreadsheet.
2. Take less stuff. Consider leaving the camp chair, SLR, and extra fleece jacket at home.
3. Limit your contingencies. Don't plan for every possible emergency, or you'll have to plan on carrying a lot of weight - be reasonable, check the weather, know your limits.
4. Take the lightest possible item to do the job. You may need just a ground cloth and a tarp to keep your sleeping bag dry: not a tent, a ground cloth, a bivy sack...
5. Take items that serve multiple functions. Ethanol serves as stove fuel and antiseptic. Trekking poles can be used for walking and pitching a tarp.
6. Build systems. A lighter sleeping bag, combined with warmer clothing, makes a versatile system that can be combined at night for enough warmth.
7. Develop your skills. Knowing how to build a fire might save you from bringing that extra canister of fuel "just for insurance".
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