I am what you might call a “comfy camper”. It’s just a theory, but I think the ground is harder, the air colder and the rain wetter than when I was a teenager. My husband has another theory, but I think I must have tuned him out at some point because for the life of me I can’t remember what he said after the word “old”… Apparently there is a correlation between my increasing age and my increasing pack size. It might have something to do with bringing a bigger and thicker sleeping pad, folding chair, pillow, gourmet food…
Anyway, contrary to the tide that has seen me creating an ever chummier relationship with creature comforts, this is a year that will see me attempting some more technical trips. My family will be going on not one, but two journeys this summer that will require me to rediscover my lighter side. We’re talking about an advanced seven day hike along the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park AND a three week canoe trip cutting the entire of Algonquin Provincial Park from north to south. When I was younger I brought what I pleased on trips. Luckily it pleased me to bring far less than my current self. After years of casual canoe tripping, I’ve been spoiled by the fact that I can bring pretty much anything as long as I (or lately my kids) am willing to carry it on the portages.
Being so far removed from a time when I measured my necessities by the ounce, I am very much out of practice. It feels like I’m relearning the game with a whole new set of players and rules. I mean, titanium pot sets and cutlery, headlamps the size of toonies, folding chopsticks? They’re so small, I’m almost afraid that they will become needles in a haystack if I were to drop them in some brush! Don’t get me wrong; these are by no means complaints about modern gear, but rather wide-eyed amazement at all of the advances. I am thrilled to set up a compliment of gear for the times when my trusty regulars just won’t make the cut. When every piece is one more that you will be piggybacking for days or weeks on end, they better be earning their keep!
So yes, smaller and lighter are great attributes, but my favourite word right now is versatile, like ponchos that double as tarps. It’s all about taking what you need, making what you bring work for multiple applications, and cutting out the fat. The problem is that I like fat. No, I love fat. I can’t force an ultra-light diet down my throat, but I am staring down the inevitability of one free of folding chairs and corn on the cob and full of silicone impregnated tarps and micro-stoves. To top it all off, I can throw all of my shiny new toys into a multi-day pack that weighs in at about 2kg! It’s a whole new world out there, and thankfully it looks like it’s going to be a comfortable one that won’t break my back.
So for all of you hardcore, ultra-light veterans… do you have any tips for a convert looking to lighten the load without sacrificing on comfort? I’ve got the general idea, but I’d sure love to hear from those in the know. I’m staring the down the barrel of a couple of very long and demanding treks and I’ll have miles to go before I sleep.
Two things. Food caching is often overlooked. Either a DIY or seeking out others who may be in the vicinity crossing your route ahead of you and willing enough and reliable enough to cache food in a secure, locatable, bear proof manner.
Second also food related. We cook a bit extra supper from all dry ingredients then save the extra in washed and reused 1 L milk bags to use as “astronaut” lunches the next day. Leftovers in bags with some snacks is a great way to bridge the gap between breakfast and supper and it allows you to save bulk and weight on the food.
Love it! My brother in law is going to meet us two weeks into our Algonquin trip to trade new food for old garbage. I’ve heard about reusing milk bags…they’re that good huh?
I’m no lightweight veteran, but, when I do my kayak touring, clothes seem to be my biggest challenge. Its hard to choose what will keep you warm vs what fits in a 10L drybag (the limit!), what can be used to make your sleep more comfortable, and what will dry quickly if it gets wet. A must have for me is a down vest for warmth and a spare pillow.
Maybe instead of a folding chair, bring a folding canoe seat that you can double as extra padding for bedtime?
You may see my theme here, bedtime is important. I’ve never been opposed to whiskey stashed in a Sigg to help sleepytime come a little easier. That only gets lighter and lighter as the trip progresses.
Lol…I’m not a drinker, but I might just need a little something to help ease the aches and pains
I love ultralight camping, especially multi-use gear like poncho tarps! There’s a mental shift required in getting used to sleeping in them, but they can save a lot of weight.
Figure out what is most important to you – I’ve found it’s essential to not skimp on whatever I need to get a good sleep. Bad sleep can take a lot of fun out of a trip. Some people might want to emphasize better food, coffee, etc.
I’ve always found it much easier to take a lot of weight out of food/water/clothing setups than anywhere else. Get comfortable with bringing less redundant gear and clothing, and look at learning some new skills to deal with potential gear failure instead of hauling more stuff.
Always start by simplifying as much as possible, and adding in what you absolutely wouldn’t want to go without. Can you get by with your entire cooking setup consisting of a single pot and a spoon each? Do you need to bring a stove, or is firewood available? If you need a stove, look at making a pop-can alcohol stove. They’re ultralight, dead simple and a fun project to try with your sons.
I highly recommend running a test trip of one or two nights (with an easy bailout option) to test your setup and make adjustments before committing to a long trek.
I would love to go tripping with you…these are all great ideas! We are planning a weekend test trip in early May. And I agree that with decent rest, everything seems better. Food is a very close second
Look up pot cozies on YouTube. They can be made at home. They reduce fuel consumption majorly. Meals can be brought to a boil and then removed from the stove to “simmer” within the pot cozie.
Go for a 3/4 or smaller sleeping pad, and use whatever you decide as a camp chair for your feet while you sleep.
Embrace down.
Super simple thing to do is use a kitchen scale and luggage scale to record the weight of all your gear. Take the lighter of the options.
I’ve never heard of this pot cozy of which you speak…I’m interested. Gonna go Google it right now!
Ultralighting is about sacrificing camp comfort for trail comfort. No such thing as keeping your comforts while ultralighting. But lightweight is still good.
I am a moderate lightweighter who aspires to be a lightweighter. I will never be an ultralighter. I try to find a balance between comfort on the trail and comfort at camp.
My key is prioritizing. Pick which things really matter to you, and go ahead and bring some luxury there – but trade off by really cutting back on the areas that don’t matter as much.
Pick only a couple out of the luxury camp chair/big thermarest/pillow/gourmet meals, etc.
For me, I bring a really warm sleeping bag and pad, because I *hate* being cold when I sleep, and I don’t want to plan on wearing my clothes to bed which would leave me no backup if it were colder than I expect. But I keep my food very simple, because it’s mostly just fuel to me. Hopefully there are some tradeoffs you can make too.
What would probably help regardless is learning some skills. I find that a lot of stuff can be replaced by skills – food, for example. If you like to have really good meals on the trail, you can bring more, heavier stuff. but if you practice, you should be able to learn how to make really good meals with a tiny stove and all dried ingredients. That will help.
The other tradeoff is money. If you’re willing to spend, you can cut down on the weight of all your essentials – even if you must bring two, titanium pots are lighter than others. you can get very good, very light tents, sleeping bags, and thermarests that are still comfy if you are willing to spend on it.
But folding chopsticks are just ridiculous. Avoid buying all the gimmicky crap that keeps popping up. MEC sells a lot of stuff these days that looks neat, and might be good for packing the car a little tighter, but has no place on a backpacking trip.
I hate being cold too. I just picked up a Merlin -3 that should be super warm and packs crazy small and light. I also bought hubby a dehydrator for Christmas but we haven’t tried to dry anything yet. I better get on that!
hehehe, your province is showing.
I own a -12 for 3-season use.
Try chili in the dehydrator – it’s almost impossible to mess up. Just cut the veggies and whatever else you put in to similar sized pieces. Spread it in a thin layer, and let it run until it feels dry. Since it’s already a kind of mushy food, it’s very forgiving if you’re not perfect on the amount of water you put in. A nice, simple first step.
Jerky is also extremely simple, and great as a snack or to add to meals.
I have had tons of dehydrator success with spaghetti sauce (PACK IT with vegetables cut up little), also I have put raw veggies in the blender (broccoli, carrots, celery, everthing!) and puree into a watery gross looking liquid, and cook your brown rice with it, then dehydrate the whole lot. It flavours up the rice excellently and makes for a quick re-hydrate that is very nutritious. Also any cooked ground meat dries and rehydrates well, as well as beans and chickpeas (but bust chickpeas in half first after cooking before dehydrating). Leftover pasta, steamed or blanched vegetables and almost any fruit dehydrates great too. Even soup – just put it in a large flat pan in a low oven to steam off as much of the liquid as you can so its like stew, and then glop onto the fruit leather trays and dehydratre away. And theres definetly no worries there about adding too much water!
Glad you asked. Yes milk bags are that good. Worth moving back to Ontario for in my case. They use jugs and cartons and the occasional bottle for milk in the west. None of which are relevant. But bags! As long as you use two bags and seal each one independently with a sturdy elastic band wrapped around and around… I have never had a bag failure, ever, fuel spills, soap spills, sunscreen spills… yes. Milk bags are also the best way to contain those spills in a tightly packed pack.
Do a pre test at home.
Take that expired salad dressing from your fridge and then double bag double tight elastic band seal it and grab a hockey stick and hiking boots and discover how secure the contents are. A skillfully wrapped elastic acts like a boa constrictor, the more you hike the tighter and tighter the seal gets. Every other seal starts at optimum and can only get weaker and weaker or stay the same, that is why leaks in packs occur.
You need to be a good Bag washer and dryer or risk tasting cheese.
Yes, I have boiled in the bag too with good results but not sure about the endocrine disruptor implications. Twitch twitch…
i don’t know. I’m old, and will never be converted into an ultralighter. For me, it’s not just about comfort, but more about adequate resourcefulness.
I had gone on a winter trip about a year ago in W. Virginia, and I brought along a 70 pound pack (35kg?) full of all my winter necessities. The young guy that came with me was an ultralighter. He brought a 30 pound fanny pack (15kg?), which did make his 60 mile hike easier. He was always pushing in front. However, to make a long story short, when the temperature dropped down to 0F (-17C) he shivered his buttocks out from under his tarp and into my tent.
My opinion, I’m out there to enjoy the experience, not to conquer it. If I my heavy pack slows me down, then great! This way I’m forced to smell the roses.
I’m a new reader of your blog and I LOVE IT! I want more!