A WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS Text: Olof Lange / Photo: Emelie Voltaire
A long day's hike is at its end. You've taken hundreds of steps, and now your legs and back are crying out for a rest. After a long uphill finish, the campsite is finally in sight, down by the stream. Taking your backpack off and resting your weary feet is a glorious feeling. Now picture the same scenario with a backpack that's half the weight and comfortable shoes that weigh grams instead of kilos. Doesn't that sound good? Now, we're not suggesting you need to go and replace all your equipment, obsessing over every gram, but a bit of knowledge and a few smart hacks can lighten the load for anyone.
Heavyweight terminology in the world of lightweight hiking
Base weight is all your gear, including your backpack. Clothings and consumables like food and fuel aren't included. The big three are the parts of equipment that weigh the most: your shelter, sleep system and backpack. By reducing the weight of these items, you can quickly shave several kilos off your back. It comes with a price tag though: the lightest, high-quality equipment is rather costly. Lightweight & ultralight
refers to your base weight, and there are a few different definitions in actual grams. A lightweight pack with moderate comfort can be achieved by relinquishing all but the most necessary items and choosing the lightest options. An ultralight pack requires more knowledge and bigger sacrifices – but lets you hit the trail with just a few kilos on your back.
76
