Lightweight Gear: When Is Light Enough?

Looking back on my first rather lengthy hiking adventure on the Dobson Trail in New Brunswick, Canada I am shocked that I actually managed to hike 60kms with the gear I had packed. Wearing highly worn surplus military combat boots and a backpack weighing in at just over 50lbs, inclusive of three miniature Coleman propane cylinders, a bulky -5 degree celsius sleeping bag (with a compressed rolled diameter of 1.5 feet), a propane lantern, propane stove, a massive Maglite, an excessive WalMart 3 man tent and Dickies cargo work pants, all packed into and around an external frame WW2 ruck sack, I'm surprised to this day that I enjoyed my hike at all. Having completed the hike and after a rather lengthy rest period and subsequent required lapse of memory regarding the countless hours of torturous hiking endured on the Dobson Trail, I was hooked, hiking would be my new recreational hobby; following some major gear adjustments.

After a few quick Google searches and magazine subscriptions I quickly discovered that my newly discovered hobby was not only rather technically complicated but was riddled with differing opinions and suggestions. It's no joke, long distance multi-day hiking has quickly evolved into a technical recreational activity encompassing its own doctrine of Do's and Don't Do's,  ever-changing gear selections and is arguably indicative of a highly commercialized product backing. However, in the mix of seemingly endless gear selections and enthusiast discussions the one residing topic dominating a major portion of discourse revolves around pack weight and differing degrees of lightweight hiking classifications. But when is enough enough?

A quick internet search regarding lightweight hiking gear yields proof of this phenomena, resulting in an assortment of hits ranging from countless lightweight equipment manufactures to blogs and video postings, but the question remains how lightweight should someone go when considering a multi-day hike? classifications, based on the poundage of gear an individual carries can be quickly divided into 'lightweight', 'ultra-lightweight' and varying degrees of 'lighter-then-lightweight' and as notably obvious from varying opinions and suggestions each method is far superior then the others.

So how lightweight should you go? The obvious answer to this question is .... 'it depends'. When considering how light your pack should be, varying circumstances and factors need to be considered. Examples ranging from climate and expected weather, trip duration, the number of participants, food preferences and dietary requirements, desired comfort level and safety all need to be considered when determining what gear to pack.

Therefore, the definition of lightweight hiking and the argument of what an appropriate pack weight is defined as can be summed up as a construct of a persons perceived desirable percentage of total physical moveable weight that yields the most desirable outcomes in terms of function, safety and comfort. Although not definitive, this understanding of lightweight hiking is universally applicable and allows hikers the freedom to explore and experiment with differing gear selections; arguably one of the most engaging off-the-trail based aspects of hiking. As far as recommendations, the fact still remains, when hiking long distance trails you can either 'hike' or 'walk'; the decision is yours.


- Steve