How to Cut Weight…. In Your Backpack

Alright...we’ve all been there. Christmas has just past, maybe one or two extra chocolates and WAY too much turkey was eaten...just maybe. Feeling energized from the possibilities of a new year we pick up our pack and head out into the backcountry. 

Not even a kilometre into the trail we find ourselves gasping away...who the @#$% put rocks in my bag?!?! Why does this thing weight so much? It has got to be the pack that is the issue, not the “one or two” extra chocolates we ate over the holidays. Right?!?!?

We get it, we totally understand. It is most definitely the pack. Don’t worry we have your back! We are here to help and maybe make you laugh with our suggestions on how to pack a lighter backpack. 

• One or two pairs of socks. 1 for three days. 2 for 3+ days. Yeah your feet will smell, but trust me, you’re fooling yourself if you think you don’t smell after 2+ days of hiking. 
• 2 pairs of underwear. No, we are not asking you to follow the bachelor rule (front, back, inside and right side out). With two pairs you can wash one pair in the stream while wearing the other pair. Alternate as needed. Usually your pack will have loops on the outside where you can fasten the wet pair so they dry. This system worked while Jenna hiked 5 months completing the Appalachian Trail.
• Baby wipes - dried out. No need to carry the water weight. Dry these puppies out before packing them in your bag. When you go to use them simply splash a little bit of water on them and you're good to go!
• Cut off the end of tooth brush. Yeah, it is only an ounce or two but trust us, it adds up!
• Small travelling container of toothpaste. You’re not planning to live in the backcountry. Only take what you need and you can even find toothbrushes where the toothpaste is in the handle.
• Stuff sack for your sleeping bag + clothes = pillow. No need to carry an extra pillow. Place your puffy jacket inside the stuff sack and wrap a buff around it and you’ll be off in la-la land before you can….Oh! Sorry, I fell asleep there for a bit. If you need a little more support, place your hiking pants at the bottom of the make shift pillow with your puffy jacket on top. The pants will provide more support while the puffy jacket gives you the cushion. ​

• Calculate your food for each day and portion it out. If you’re like me you may get nervous that you’re going to run out of food. If you portion the food out you will know exactly how much you can eat that day without fear you are eating too much. It also helps you prevent packing more than you can eat. Get the measuring cups out and have fun! Need some ideas? Try out some of our tried and true recipes 
• In drier environments pack two shirts. One to wear while the other dries. Same idea as the underwear in bullet point two. 
• No deodorant - we all stink out there. You’re not kidding anyone. If in doubt see the first bullet point. 
• Man’s comb broke in half. For the long haired folks out there. Brushes take up a lot of space and also weight a lot. Break a comb into smaller pieces and you’re good to go!
• A short sleeve T-shirt, long sleeve T-shirt, soft shell jacket, small puffy, and rain jacket = enough layers to handle all weather conditions from 30 deg to -10. This is Jenna’s route and she swears by it!
• Carry no more than 1-1.5L of water and a light weight water treatment option (unless in very dry environments). You can usually find a water source along the trail. No need to carry more than a 1.5L, you’ll just tucker yourself out. You can always stop and refill if you carry a treatment option. ​

Hopefully, you found this informative, or at least humorous. We’d love to hear of ways that you keep your pack weight down! And we’d love to share these and other tips on our backpacking Women’s intro to Winter Camping and Women’s Intro to Backpacking courses this year. Check them out!