Lightening Your Load Part 1: Five “Comfort” Items

Lightening Your Load – The Series

As a backpacker, I like to monitor how much weight I carry in my pack to minimize fatigue and strain while on my trips. There is no use carrying extra supplies you really don’t need or will never use. In this multi-part series, I will discuss various methods on how to make your backpack lighter.

What are “Comfort Items?”

Even though I like to minimize weight hiking and backpacking, I will carry a few “comfort” items – supplies I don’t really need, but help make a trip more comfortable. I like to tailor my comfort items to being light and compact. You can go out and travel through the backcountry, but you don’t have to suffer while you do it.

1. Hi-Chew Candy

Hi-Chews serve as a desert for your meal or a celebratory snack

I find nothing more satisfying while on a hike or backpack than snacking on something fruity. Hi-Chews are small, compact, and serve as my fix for a candy craving.

Tip: Space your candy out over the entire trip. Don’t just eat them all at once or on the first day. Make them last!

2. Drink Mixes

Drink mixes can make any nasty water taste great

Water is plain and boring. Mixes add a bit of a “pizzazz” to my drink. Iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, and iced coffee mixes all find their way into my pack. They are light and easily fit into any pack, jacket, or pants pocket.

Tip: When making a day trip from a base camp near a water source, I’ll often mix a drink and leave it in the creek to stay cool. When I get back from the hike, my drink will (hopefully) be cold.

3. Trekking Poles

Trekking Poles makes crossing rough terrain much easier

Over the last couple of years, I’ve found trekking poles to become quite useful. When carrying a heavy pack or crossing rough terrain, poles provide another two points of contact for stabilization. I’m always using them while walking, so they don’t add weight to my pack or slow me down. You can see me using my poles in various pictures and videos throughout this blog, such as on my Home page.

Tip: Don’t just set your poles at a certain position and use them at the same height all the time. Check out more on how to adjust your poles for varying terrain here.

4. A Cushion

Notice the cushion I’m sitting on in this picture. Keeps my butt dry, warm, and padded!

I personally don’t like sitting on a cold, hard rock when I’m eating my dehydrated mashed potatoes. One comfort item that I carry wherever I go is some sort of cushion. Even if I have just a straight piece of foam, I’ll take it with me and use it to sit or kneel on. Having another layer between you and the ground can help to keep you warm and dry.

Tip: Don’t place your cushion in anything wet! Once it’s damp, it may take a long time to dry out. The only thing worse than sitting on a cold, hard rock is sitting on a chilly, water-logged pad.

5. A Mosquito Net

For hikes in mosquito-infested valleys, a mosquito net can make or break a trip

I could really care less what people think when I walk by them wearing a mosquito net over my face. I’d much rather look goofy than have to constantly swat at those pesky critters buzzing around my face. Mosquito nets are cheap and very light, so there is really no reason why you shouldn’t carry one with you anytime you are hiking or backpacking around water.

Tip: Don’t just rely on a mosquito net to protect your from the blood-thirsty creatures. A net should be just a piece of your mosquito-repelling arsenal. Montem’s website has some great advice on other ways to prevent mosquito bites on the trail, as well as a background on mosquitos and their tendencies. Check it out here.

Do I have any comfort items in my pack?

If you don’t, hopefully you will now. After reading through my list, consider adding some of these items to your own pack. If you have any ideas on other materials to bring, feel free to mention them in the comments below.

 

Stay tuned for Part Two next week on how to Lighten Your Load!