35 Tips to Lighten Your Backpack for FREE
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- I think everyone can agree that ultralight gear saves a lot of weight, but it also costs very much. In this video, I share 35 tips that will help you with lightening your backpack for free - without spending a single dollar. By thinking about which items are really essential to you and trying to save weight wherever you can, you can lower your backpack base weight by quite a bit. But also keep in mind, that you don't have to follow all of these tips if you don't feel like it. I'm just sharing some suggestions on how ultralight and minimalist you could be - but it's definitely not for everyone!
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▼ TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Tip 1
00:52 - Tip 2
01:19 - Tip 3
01:37 - Tip 4
02:06 - Tip 5
02:22 - Tip 6
02:41 - Tip 7
02:50 - Tip 8
03:00 - Tip 9
03:21 - Tip 10
03:36 - Trailgoals
04:09 - Tip 11
04:34 - Tip 12
05:08 - Tip 13
05:26 - Tip 14
05:57 - Tip 15
06:17 - Tip 16
06:25 - Tip 17
06:37 - Tip 18
07:02 - Tip 19
07:14 - Tip 20
08:00 - Tip 21
08:20 - Tip 22
08:52 - Tip 23
09:02 - Tip 24
09:15 - Tip 25
09:30 - Tip 26
09:44 - Tip 27
10:03 - Tip 28
10:31 - Tip 29
10:49 - Tip 30
11:03 - Tip 31
11:22 - Tip 32
11:33 - Tip 33
12:13 - Tip 34
12:50 - Tip 35
13:29 - Outro
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1 thing about knives. I don't carry tent pegs, because i only have steel ones and titanium ones are out of budget for me. Instead at every stop i make small pegs from wood, it gives me something to do around camp. I wouldn't call this bushcraft since i am just making a stake.
Some times instead of bringing those expensive bulky freeze dried meals you can just eat other hikers
depends on how cute she is 🥰
@@tomcatt998 your the real hero of this comment Section
Funny, but someone could actually live off of food from hiker boxers at the beginning of the Appalachian Trail. If you can live off granola, you can eat what other people have realized they packed too much of.
friend you are genius
I doubt he's a cannibal!
Headlamps are considered a PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), they are a must have.
people only think using a phone is a good idea till they've tried it
i always bring 2 lamps because without light i feel more likely to fall into a crevice than to properly set up a camp (:
If you are hiking mid summer in Scotland, it doesn't get dark, so it depends on where and when you are.
@@ArcanisUrriah your options are bright or brighter
Phones aren’t bright enough
As a wise person once said: always bring a headtorch and a spare battery. And the best place to keep the spare battery is in a spare headtorch.
"Socks tied to your backpack will dry out while hiking" - have you tried hiking in the UK? 😂
Always bring a pair of waterproof socks in the UK. I change into them if my trail runners are soaked through to keep my feet dry
@@thepissedofflandlord A submarine is the best option. My seal skinz let me down big time last year.
Yeti gaiters are decent but definitely are more suitable for bushcraft than hiking
@@davidcann6021 Honestly i found the best solution was dog poo bags over thick socks, barely weigh anything, fully waterproof and you can keep a few spare or double layer just in case.
I do this unless raining
the issue with using your down jacket as a pillow is that if it gets cold enough to where you’d want to actually put it on while sleeping, you’re kinda in a tough spot
One way to cut down on the overall weight is to lose weight personally. I'm a big guy and since I decided to walk the Cumbria Way in the UK (75 miles) I have lost in the last 5 weeks 9kg. Hopefully I will lose 20kg by the time we go. So yes we bigger walkers can look at our kit but maybe we need to look at ourselves first. Love the video, off to checkout more if your vids now. Cheers (Fanny pack 😂😂😂) (Pants are your underwear as well 😂😂😂)
yea but the lighter you are (around 5-7% of bodyfat) the faster you get tired. The more muscles with 12% of body fat is the key, of course your body will SHOUT for more calories but as long as you maintain your calorie 0 level you can pretty much hike all day long without being tired. Tested on myself
@@dybek0062tested wrong way then. I'm 60kg usually with 16kg backpack. What makes difference is body habituation to constant weight after week of traveling in rough terrain, after some time you can walk whole day until get tired.
@@dybek0062 you're right. The British army discovered that in the Falklands war. Their soldiers who were body builders with 3-5% body fat wore out far quicker on the long march across the main island than did "normal" soldiers with 7-10% body fat.
@@VoyagerEugen wow really? no experience in hiking makes hiking harder?
@@les3449interesting info, but 3-5% is incredibly low and very few people have a body fat % anywhere near that.
Speaking as a 50yo and having had time to reflect on experience, navigation tooling and understanding might be the one skill that saves your life. Other times, it'll be your ability to build a fire, perform emergency signals, etc. A good compass is not too heavy and understanding orienteering is a must. In an emergency you need the right minimum tools because your life will depend on it. But a tool is useless without practice. Regarding food, always bring three days extra, even if you are going for a single night. On Stewart Island in New Zealand, at its most remote place, I ran into a man whose equipment was largely lost or destroyed in an Antarctic storm. I gave him that food. On another occasion I was injured. I use shelf stable sausage for protein and fat and make a stew of mashed potatoes with part of an instant soup mix for flavor. I stick to three pairs of socks; have a backup to a backup. Heavier items should be between the shoulder blades and as close to your back as you can. Add a signal mirror and a chem light to the pack out. It adds minimal weight but I've used both. Have two ways to start a fire...ask me why. Great post, as always. Best-
Why two ways to start a fire? Heh!
@@Cale-Davison”Two is one and one is none.” An age old saying when it comes to survival.
Solid advice, but it’s falling on deaf ears. I’ve come to realize most of the backpackers of today have absolutely no idea how to land navigate, start fires, or any real survival skills. They carry $400 Garmin GPS and $300 JetBoils to do that for them.
@@Cale-DavisonI was on a mountaintop caught alone in an Antarctic gale in the South Pacific. There was a hut in my area but the last inhabitants had not restocked wood or protected the dregs of what had been left. They also gave no love to the woodstove cleaning. In raw weather, I had to improvise. On another similar occasion, following a rescue of a severely injured hiker, I had lost my main fire starting material.
@@dbbeck90Hopefully, their eyes make it past their ears. Mother Nature always has you outgunned. Build skills. You'll be glad and proud. And alive.
I few things I disagree with: A map and compass never run out of battery , Rice takes the same amount of time to cook as pasta... and uses less water, always carry a Individual first aid kit, coffee bags can be carried with good quality coffee in (similar to tea bags), always carry a knife... a swiss army knife is ideal for light hiking.. also giving you tweezers /scissors etc , a tip for outdoors is that a natural variation for deodorant is crushed pine or cedar needles rubbed on the skin.. which also help as an insect deterrent
Rubbing crushed pine needles on my skin...ahhh! Feels great man!
@@samuelschlager9528I guess you snip the sharp tips off with your fingernails or scissors first?
@@Ensensu2take all the fun out of it
@@samuelschlager9528builds character Sammy
Do you not wash your rice?
I would like to add a few tips: Instead of bringing ingredients for meals, take dehydrated trekking meals. Not only do they weigh less than separate ingredients, they also taste good. In my opinion good food is the key to a good trip and your food should make you happy. Bringing dehydrated meals also reduce cooking time as you only need to boil a cup of water instead of heating a whole meal. That saves weight in terms of gas and regarding cookware because you only need one pot. Only downside is, that retail trekking meals cost around 10-15€ per meal. But if you’re really into it you could make them at home too.
The second tip I’d like to share is about saving money on bottles and containers: Check out items sold in small plastic bottles like smoothies or ginger shots or whatsoever. Buy them, clean the bottle and voila, you get a decent storage item that doesn’t add bulk or weight. For example I use a 0.2L smoothie bottle for coffee powder.
Third one: Get a buff. It can be a scarf, a beanie, full face cover or even a cover for your eyes to sleep.
My general rule is this: For each item I check how many functions it offers. If it has only one use, I check if anything else could perform the same task. Redundancy is only allowed if something is relevant for my personal safety. Such topics are: Navigation, water and hypothermia. Never hesitate to consider aborting your trip if something really fails, that is unlikely to fail. And make sure that you are able to abort your trip by always being able to navigate out.
Anything that is not immediately connected to my goals/objective of a trip goes into a “luxury” category. This category should not make up more than 5% of my overall weight. Or 10% if you take weight differences into account like bringing a bigger (>1.5kg/person) tent for luxury reasons.
dehydrated meals are a luxury....a made up bag of oats and milk powder for porridge is about 12p, noodles 35p.... buffs are awesome and great for hot aand cold, i soak mine and use for evaporative cooling.....
Great tips on using a dry bag/rubbish bag liner and stuffing in soft gear at the bottom of your pack. Much more efficient. The only caution is rubbish bags will get micro holes if you put them on the ground. You can buy a light dry bag to line your inside pack - 100% brilliant solution. Consider Hydrapak Seeka hydration reseirvors over plastic bottles. They pair brilliantly with the Hydrapak water filter and no more waste. With your rubber mat, consider folding it in half and strapping vertically on the back of your pack if you have panel compression straps - particularly if you need clearance moving through bush/scrub. It will protect your pack also. You can refill your butane canisters pretty easily after each trip using an adaptor and larger canisters. Means you are running at full capacity (don't overfill, causes a flame thrower), reuse the same one for multiple trips (the threads do eventually go) and reduce waste. Suggest also consider small alcohol cookers with a Toaks titanium cup for small overnighters. A lot more fun to cook with. If bringing a frying pan remove the handle. A lot more fun cooking real foods on the trail. Great tip to double check your spot where you stop and the back of the vehicle before you leave for gear on the ground. Note what you do and don't use on a trip, and update your list when you return. Oh, and bring your camp puffer slippers. You've worked hard to reduce your pack weight, so be kind to your feet! Lastly, pack more coffee than you think you need.
Have you ever had a wet bag!? 😂 It weighs several kg extra
@@JoeZUGOOLAYep. Depends on your use case I guess. I'm off the track hunting, so pushing through foliage means a rain cover will be quickly munted.
You can get the trash bags that are thicker, made for yard work.
How do you refill the fuel canister using an adapter without overfilling?
Terrible advice to recommend not bringing a map compass and flashlight because "use your phone" now their phones dead, no light, no navigation, and no way to call for help. Bad form dude.
Agree in general about relying on phone... Garmin watch is more reliable short-term than paper map
Personally I’ve never needed a compass bc the trails I do are well-marked, so I think that’s more situational. And I use offline GPX trails for guidance instead of a paper map. This seems more dependent on the trail you’re doing and experience level
You can navigate using the stars, sun or landmarks. Paper maps can get wet or blow away easily. I wouldn't go without a dedicated headlamp though personally. He said to take his advice re the map with a grain of salt so grow up.
@@tb-nzhow do you tell what gully you’re in by the stars? You’re not sailing intercontinentally
@@tb-nz speed run the route where the topographic lines touch.
Great tips - learned from experience! One big weight game changer - managing how much water you carry based on availability of sources.
Learned this on my last trip, took 3l, I don't know why cos bloody water everywhere 😂
And still ended up having to top up in the morning
Well done. You don't have to be a gear fetishist or spend a lot of money to hike lighter.
Tip 4: rain jacket. Depends. For some, a rain jacket is like a mobile sauna. But true, you should rethink your own layering system.
Tip 28: shoes. Right but it depends. If you are not well trained or have weaker ankles, some additional support might make sense but you certainly don't need heavy alpinist boots for a light trail.
Tip 32: I bring 3 pairs of socks (when it's colder). 2 for hiking, 1 for the night. It's important that the ones for sleeping are not tight or you get cold (blood circulation).
Tip 35: in German it's called Bauchtasche but now more commonly Bodybag. Also not ideal...
I laughed at the coffee advice - it took years for me to convince my hiking buddy that it was crazy to carry a heavy metal coffee percolator.
I drink very good coffee most days of the year - I can deal with instant while I'm on the trail. Starbucks instant is not too bad.
I’ve used coffee (like tea) bags , a step up from instant
AeroPress is the way to go! A good cup of coffee is the one luxury I wouldn’t ditch.
I do a lightweight French press mug, instant expresso (Medaglia D'oro), or Starbucks instant packets. I seen some long distance hikers act like drug addicts when those Starbucks single serve packets first came out.
I’m an avid Australian hiker, backcountry fisherman and cafe owner and after years of experimenting I have settled on making cowboy coffee. Very easy once you get the hang of it and taste amazing
@@Jondantic what's cowboy coffee? ☕
Definitely go on a comfortable 5-7 mile hike one way, camp then return. You'll quickly learn what you can leave behind and what to bring. I backpacked a simple 14 mile round trip over night and very soon realized a heavy nylon belt was not great. Took it off for the trip back and took a lot of pain off my hips. Also tighten your trainers(shoes) as much as you can and double knot them. Nalgene weighs too much as well and takes up a lot of space. Smart water bottles are still my fav. Know your water sources as well. Water weighs a ton..
This is key. I am getting my wife and kids into backpacking and ended up being a pack mule carrying all the things they “needed” for a quick over night. 60 damn pounds later I pulled out all the crap that never left the packs.
Big bonus for the food tips!! I watched a lot of videos on lightweight food for camping and the other videos were rubbish - you managed to give me way more advice in just a few minutes than they did in several long videos. Thanks a lot!
I like this guy! And this may turn to became my new favorite outdoor channel. He is showing real, practical hacks and applications, which are actually achievable and accessible for us ordinary people. Not like some other channels, where the main focus is to promote stuff and doesn't put a lot of thought if it is practically, just shoot out any idea, stupid or not, mainly repeating the same things over and over in every video. Often encourage people to overspend thousands on gear.
Anyway - I like what you are doing, buddy, keep it up - we the ordinary poor people thank you! :) Love ya!
Converse sneakers..... try these in Australia! I'll wear my boots thanks, they might be all that stands between my feet and the 10 most venomous snakes on Earth....
Yeah I think there is some very region specific advice here. No snakebite kit, no boots and I always take a topo map and compass if I'm going somewhere remote in the bush and I don't know the track.
I think he said it in the beginning of the video: these advices can differ depending on the region where you are hiking.
No problem with venomous snakes or scorpions where I like to hike. But boots are necessary to keep my feet dry!
As a former EMT, please take more medical supplies! You're going to need way more gauze than that little strip, that's one thing you don't want to strip away
I don`t know what you think about this, but if you need more, maybe you could use the gauze you have and a tshirt on top of it(?) let me know what are your thoughts!
@@mateovicuna7640 The shirt fabric would work alright to stuff into a wound if you have nothing else, but you still need to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. And from where I'm standing "Ripping my shirt off and undoing my belt to wrap around the wound while I bleed profusely" sounds like a much worse emergency plan than "Take pressure bandage from IFAK and apply".
EMTs opinion on gauze is my IBSs opinion on toilet paper so im inclined to agree
Loved the fanny pack bit! That's common in the US also.
You can save a lot of space and weight if you eat raw food. Even oatmeal, that you've previously mentioned you like, can simply be soaked in cold water for 15-30 minutes. It tastes a bit weird the first time, but then you get used to it and can even develop a liking for it (I eat it that way now even at home).
If you have a food dehydrator and you are ready to spend some time preparing for your trek, dehydrate a bunch of fruit and vegetables beforehand. Some of it can be eaten as-is,; others (mushrooms, carrots, etc.) can be left soaking in a plastic container during the day, and they'll be rehydrated for dinner. Saves a lot of weight and space without losing any vitamins, and they don't go bad as quickly as fresh fruit and veggies do.
As for the soap on long treks... I recommend you read the book "Clean" by James Hamblin. I'll leave it at that ;)
Precise and to the point, thank you for sharing! Great video.
Really good video filled with lots of good advice. I've been backpacking since I was 11 in Boy Scouts and I'm now 67. Along the way I picked up most of the tips you mentioned. I've also made plenty of mistakes. One recent change I made was by greatly reducing my toilet paper use by using a TONELIFE Pocket Portable backpacking bidet. When I was younger I typically had a pack that weighted at least 30+ lbs (13.6kg). These days I'm usually at 12 lbs or less (5.44kg) base weight. The reduced weight is so important since it makes hiking so much easier - especially as you get older.
Video like this is what I really need. Thanks Oscar.
Thanks for the tips. IMO a compass and a map are always a must-have, if you know how to use them. If you don't, add a power-bank... I hike to go offline, so compass and maps usually are my main navigations aids, the GPS smartphone with pre-loaded maps being more a backup and a tracker. Now, I also have a Protrek watch paired to my smartphone that can be really useful for navigation while the phone and maps stay in the pocket.
I'm a tarp and blanket enthusiast.. you can wear a blanket under your jacket and fold a tarp to cover your bag. Can be much cheaper than traditional set up and about the same weight its also warmer more flexible to set up near fires. I often use my stove under my tarp and it traps so much heat vs a tent which you have to worry about burning. I use propane. It's big and bulky but it's reliable.
For food I'd do partially preserved meats and pasta rice, simple stuff and save my freeze dried stuff towards the end. Hot sauce spices and a bag of brown sugar. I'm hypoglycemic.
I'm not really a hiker but I live outside. So using the same stuff doesn't always make sense. I also make a lot of my own gear by hand or improvise
I also like kombucha bottles. You can use it to pack in milk and it works great to keep hot liquids filter water into use it for soaking rice or use the bottom as a mortar and pestle.
Great video! As an avid backpacker I do 99% of the tips you mentioned, like you I used to carry a miniature mocha pot for coffee but now I settle for instant coffee packets, I never carried a hatchet or saw but I do like to have a fire at night when allowed, I'm going to look into a saw, some other ideas are leaving your filter's dirty water bags at home and use one of your water bottles instead, is much easier to fill them anyway, thanks.
Great trips Oscar. I would caveat Tip 28 (10:04) with the strength and durability of one's ankles, and the number of hours hiking, the number of days, and the weight of one's backpack. Hiking boots are heavier, but they provide much better ankle support for those of us who have weak ankles. But for those who don't, I agree that lighter footwear is a better option.
Advice from my sports med Dr after yrs of rolling my ankles…ditch the heavy boots, start out VERY slowly w trail runners, and build the foundation and strength of your ankles to manage the stresses of hiking. Worked like a charm. Have only rolled my ankle once in the past 10 yrs.
@@4potslite169 Thanks for the advice that are more true for hiking with much less weight and less days. Hiking shoes or trail runners are good for lightweight backing. However, for hauling a much heavy backpack over many days, boots still are the better choice for the support.
I'll try day hikes with trail runners and ankle exercises to hopefully strengthen my ankles.
@@shogunshogun I've trekked for 10 days with more than 20kg of luggage in approach shoes without any problem. I've even hopped from boulder to boulder.
Always bring a knife... 1. On the hip and 2. Wherever you want .. that's the way I roll. 😉
Thank you for the video!
2 is 1, 1 is none. Redundancy for the one tool that is most important to keep you alive is a good, add a couple fero rods and you are covered.
One tip for packing light is to finish packing 3 days beforehand, then come back and repack 2 more times, eliminating/substituting to meet target weight. I tend to throw in too many things when I pack at the last moment.
This was really helpful! Some of your tips I hadn't thought of before.
These are real tips on a criminally underrated video. Some of these things I figured out by myself while I was homeless. I wish I had a video like this back then it would have saved a lot of hardship.
Tip number 1 is a bad one. The weight of proper backpack rain-cover is very low anyway. Also its usually neatly designed into the pack itself (I sometimes store some other item there, like gloves for quick access). Your backpack will absorb water when it's not covered! The longer the rain the longer you will have carry extra weight even when the rain stops. Backacks can be 0,5 kilogram heavier when wet!
Interesting video, thanks for doing it, it helped me out a bit.
You did say not to bring an axe, which I get, but then what do you use to pound tent stakes in with? I had a plastic hammer but it took more space than a cheap small skinny axe, and the axe wasn't that much heavier but I can use it to hammer down stakes and make wood chips.
You're young, I'm 70 years old, I need a camping chair for my back to rest against! LOL!!
Coffee-wise, you can make Turkish coffee really easily, and it's better than just using normal coffee grounds, and way better than instant crap, it is a powder consistency so unless you have a grinder that can grind it that fine you would have to buy pre-ground; the other thing you can do if Turkish coffee is not your thing is to buy the GSI Ultralight Java Drip maker, this is a pour-over method, the drip maker weighs next to nothing and stores extremely flat taking up very little space and was designed to fit under the underside of most fuel canisters. Simply watch CZcams videos on how to make Turkish or the GSI pour-over coffee, both methods are very easy to do.
If the ground is soft, you push the stakes with your foot. If it is not that soft, you can usually find some stone around. I have something like 200 nights in a tent in all kind of conditions and terains, including stepe, deset, high mountain, winter... and never even imagined that I needed an axe or a hammer to push the stakes :)
Coffee bags are always a good option now for a decent brew. Also protein powder for weight training is pretty cheap and has some good flavours. Also for all the small volumes of liquids use small electrical bags. Really great bits of advice there. I've never thought to weight my wallet
You always have brilliant advices, practical tips, your channel is priceless, good job buddy 👌🔥🤘❤️🍻💯
Thank you very much! :)
great tips, thanks!
You showed several times tooth paste, so just to say it even it is a weight saver of a couple of grams only: try tooth powder, put the required quantity in a small ziplock or so. Less weight, much less volume, same effect. Helps even to clean your cooking gear ...
About food - endless discussions possible, but I suggest mainly to always have also a look back on traditional backpacker's food. E.g. cheapest protein source also today is most probably hard boiled eggs, which you can always bring on your 1-2 days trips. Might add some extra weight but that doesn't really matter on short trips. There is no need for cooking at all (neither gear nor fuel required), and eggs can be used as snack or main dish. Another traditional backpacker's source of protein which isn't too costly and doesn't need cooking of any kind is hard cheese (gouda, cheddar etc.), or any summer sausages (or Salami etc.). Such items have by weight same or even better amounts of calories and add usually much less volume as most of modern dehydrated food stuff. Apropos dehydrated - instead of using dried pulses like chickpeas or lentils as they are, try to get (or prepare it yourself) sprouted and later dehydrated pulses. They take half (or less) of cooking time resp. fuel, after a rehydration of 20 minutes or so. And check your pasta items carefully for required cooking time. Some need 10+ minutes, others 3 minutes, others need only adding hot water. Some soup noodles like e.g. Waiwai noodles don't even need water at all, you can easily eat them dry as a snack.
baking soda is a pretty cheap way to do powdered toothpaste, little mint oil in it. Don't the hard boiled eggs go bad?
Thank you for the tips, oscar!
While I disagree on the map and compass bit, this was a great video.
I honestly think this was not a great video. A lot of his recommendations are 1) "in an ideal environment" you can get away with this (duh) 2) take away this redundancy (not always a great idea) 3) swap this out to save a bit of weight to massively decrease utility.
Tip
At the end of every trip, before putting your gear away, arrange it into three piles.
Pile A: Stuff you brought, used and are happy with (or perhaps not happy with but can't afford to replace right away).
Pile B: Stuff you brought and didn't use at all, but don't want to get rid of or would be stupid not to bring. I.e first aid kit, emergency blanket ect...
Pile C: Stuff that you brought and didn't use and can actually probably not bring again. That third pair of socks, your camp shoes etc.
Ditch everything from pile C and only pack A and B on your next trip. You save 100% of the weight of items you don't bring, and it costs nothing.
Other tip
Take a look at the forecast before you go. It's going to be hot and not drop below freezing? Maybe don't being the puffy jacket and gloves. It's going to be super buggy? Bring a head net, and a long sleeve shirt and leggings. Knowing what to bring for the conditions means taking fewer items for "just in case..." That can save several pounds. And it's free.
If the days are getting in the 80s (28-30C) but nights are dropping into the 40s (6-8C) that puffy jacket will come in very handy. In the Saudi Arabian desert temps would hit around 130F (55C) during the day and drop to the 80s at night, and it was COLD. A folded mosquito net made a great blanket.
Great production, great tips and great presentor, you're going big!
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Great video and tips!! For 1 night summer hikes at patagonia, I just dinner cold stuffs, like a sandwich and chocolate, while the only hot "meal" is a tea or coffee in a thermo already prepared at home.I think that 1 thermo take less volume that all cooking things, while the weight of a filled thermo maybe is comparable. Also I just do vivac instead of using a tent, but that is not always possible, especially when rain might be present or too much wind.
Actually very useful tips. Thank you ❤
Glad it was helpful!
9:19 i have a rebuttal. I run a Nalgene brand bottle. it's easy to boil up some water, pour into the Nalgene bottle, close the lid (make sure it doesn't leak) and toss it into your sleeping bag/ under the quilt about half an hour before going to bed. depending on how cold it is, it can keep you warm for most of a cold night.
Good tips, thank you!
I definitely never leave my beanie ( or to us Canadians, a toque) at home, as I wear it at night.
I'm gonna start packing a mini first aid kit in a ziplock bag!
I keep my beanie at home only if it's not going to be below maybe -2 C. I learned this on my thru-hike in the Pyrenees in the summer. The lowest temps there were maybe -3C, and I ended up regretting bringing the beanie!
Who started this “beanie” thing anyway? It’s a toque.
I've basically do every single one of these ideas from my decades of being a weight weenie. I hike in sandals in the mountains, never use a map but do carry a dedicated super cheap and UL plastic cup for making coffee. Also like soy protein, salami and pasta and carry a beer with me to camp regardless of how hard the hike will be.
Several of these compromises are accepting significant risk in the name of saving a few ounces.
A well-thought-out and properly stocked first aid kit is of vital importance. It's all well and good to skip a splint, until someone breaks an ankle and all of a sudden you're trying to make sure you can medevac them before it gets damaged so badly they'll never walk again.
You can skip a light and spare batteries, until your phone dies while you're answering nature's call and can't find your way back to the campsite.
You can skip a compass, until you lose the trail and get lost.
I could go on, but if you're even reasonably fit, 5 pounds of kit is hard to notice but might save your life.
Well, about hiking boots. I agree, one can just be fine with trail runners, on some trails. But on rocky, steep routes hiking boots may actually save you from injury
Yeah and proper boots really arent all that heavy these days, my body and feet feel much better after a long day for having them than not.
Alot of good advice! I'll be sharing this on my FB🙂🇧🇻
Very good & quick - that's good.
Never I do take a towel. In summer one just dries or puts on the clothes, they are drying very quick and I use my hands like a windshield wiper. I don't get dry like the windschield but the windshield has not so many hairs everywhere like me.
And I don't want to carry water 'home'. When you do a day tour and at noon you see you have too much water I drink it or pour it out. I do this here in the centre of Europe.
On long trips i take some very very important things twice: it is my glasses and my shoes. The extra shoes are barefootshoes - one has to teach the food to this - or just very flat flip flops one can also use in the shower of a campground, if you don't need this you can take also duct tape. No not duct tape but 50mm adhesive tape. It is lighter and it glues better, when you go full around and glues it on itself.
I’d feel really stupid if I dumped out my remaining water halfway through a hike and then an injury or bad weather kept me in the woods overnight. If 1kg for 1l of water was that much of a burden I’d start training with an extra 2 or 3 liters. But I do live and hike in a very remote part of the state, in all 4 seasons, almost always solo, even in winter, and seeing anyone else on trail is rare and most places have no cell signal except near the summit.
I refill my gas cartridges, so I can take with me only the amount I need.
There are mokka pods weighing half of the bialetti ones. Usually, the dekagon shape is lighter than the oktagon. instead of the sleapingbag the recueblanket fits for me most of the time. To cook a wider pan heats up food bether then a high one. Happy hikes everyone
These are something that really needs to be tried how it fits your own style. For example I camped many years without inflatable pillow (only stuffing gear to make a pillow), but getting that extra better sleep is SOOOOOO much more important for me than that extra 100g weight.
Good tips nonetheless to try to change the mindset of what to bring with you. For example my first 5-day trip was that I packed individual clothes for every single possible situation, as well as having x3 t-shirts, boxers, socks. Nowadays my total clothing consist of three different layers. For example for upper body I have 3 clothes that can be mix & matched for pretty much every weather (1x merino long sleeve, 1x merino-polyester t-shirt, 1x rain/wind jacket).
Great and useful tips!
Thanks you saved me!
Oscar, thank you for these tips. Press on.
The nature shots to represent fanny 😂😂😂 great video dude
That glacier needs to put a pair of knickers on.
tooth paste tabs are great for multi day hikes as well as cut the handle off your tooth brush i know its not as easy to hold but it fits better in a ziploc bag
I think there is a lot of good info here. I believe some people are missing the point. These tips do not work for everyone but helps you to get thinking on how to adjust your needs and equipment.
I tend to always over pack so I’m guilty of most of these at least at some point 😅. Talking with your group so making sure not to take double of certain things can be real helpful
This is exactly it. Comments on UL videos always turn into the same arguments but everyone needs to remember (and tbh content creators need to be better at communicating this) that everyone can make their own choices about where on the scale they want to sit. We all have different choices about what comforts we think are worth the extra weight, or hike in different environments. e.g remote Australia is not the same as hiking well known trials in Europe, so I will adjust my packing to reflect that. No one has to do any of these, but even if its a just a few of them, then it will help.
If you watched this and are just beginning hiking. Forget everything he just said. He lightened his load but at great risk to his physical safety. BEWARE!
Here here!
scout06171 is speaking straight facts
Words "great risk to physical safety" are in my opinion exaggeration.
Yeah, the "use your phone" for light and navigation is a bad idea. Water gets into it, battery runs out or it breaks, you are dead.
Chill people. Oscar did provide a warning to use your best judgment on his suggestions. Everyone hikes their own hike.
I loved the part about packing a bag properly...I pack my bag based on where things conveniently fit, but I need to reassess to get the greatest weight towards the middle and close to the body. But the part about the socks...my instinct tells me to keep those feet as clean as possible throughout the hike as a matter of survival, really. That is one thing I won't change...I take a pair of socks for everyday, period, and it's worth the weight and space to me. I always manage to fit the socks in small space and in the cracks. I won't skimp on that! I guess everybody has their "thing", but I think this one is pretty important for health.
Beanie and headlamp are safety items.
Other than that, great video!
Good video. Thanks.
I've pretty much learned all of those tips the hard way! The only one I disagree with is a cup, I don't like drinking out of a hot pan so a collapsible cup is a must have for me.
I agree about the coffee tip. Most people don’t like this because they believe you will get a mouthful of coffee grounds. However a lot of people don’t seem to know that if after you have boiled up your ground coffee you take it off the boil and then add a few drops of cold water in the pot it forces all the granules to sink to the bottom of your container allowing you to drink the coffee without the fear of swallowing the groundings
Great tip! Hadn't heard that before and definitely wouldn't have tried this before.
Water bottle holders on the pack straps allow you to utilize the side pockets for gear or other items and keeps more weight forward
Great to see you again! Beautiful! Greetings from Poland!
i ALWAYS give people a hard time when we hike in to a swimming spot and they bring a towel. I am like, "If it's warm enough to go swimming, it's warm enough for the air to dry you off quickly!"
Bwhahahahaha 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
Fanny pack fanny pack... and the visuals of the Top Gear clan laughing..... had Me laughing!!!!
Great vid and I'm with you, it is Fanny Pack.
Absolutely reccomend compression vaccuum bags. This may be a little controvertial because you'll be forced to bring an air pump which may be bulky and heavy, and may run out of power. The other issue is that taking clothes out is a hastle as youll have to take pump all the air out again after closing the bag. HOWEVER, the net impact is very positave. My bag may be a little heavier because of the air pump, but thats a sacrifice im willing to take given the fact that it allows me to fit a lot more into the bag, and additionally adds waterproofing to everything. I also cover my sleeping bag in a vaccuum bag of its own, as it really sucks all the extra air out and saves a TONNE of space. Just be aware that these are ripable. If you cover something that you put on the outside of your bag, watch out for branches and other sharp objects. Once the bag is ripped, it doesnt serve anywhere near the purpose it did before, and wont pack down to the compact size that you are now relying on. Long story short; I absolutely reccomend them, but be careful
Thursday, February 22nd: We all try our best. Experience is hard to pass on. Often each of us must gather our own. Thanks for sharing. Happy Trails! Ross08
Another great video.
A very important tip would be to note down what you didnt use so that you can better judge wether or not you need it next time! Helps a lot!
Love the Fanny pack idea.
if you are really serious on losing weight: replace fleece and polar with wool - it keeps you warm in cool and cool in warm weather. Also you might consider using poncho instead of rain jacket - it really depends on your trail area but its worth if you can. On thing I disagree in your video is using gas stove on hiking trip. It is heavy and expensive and you can't regulate amount of fuel you want to take on you. Use the soda can spirit stove instead - the fuel+stove combination will most probably beat the weight of a gas stove and will be a hellalot cheaper for sure. Great video though! Thank you!
spirit stoves are very inefficient and if you have to cook multiple days, the weight of your fuel will be more than the gas canister and the stove. For example with 230g canister, which weights 300 and something grams + 50g stove you can cook more than 10 days twice per day. Plus it is much more stable in windy conditions. Try this with alcohol stove. Also there are smaller canisters too. Wool is heavier than fleece and once wet, becomes even much heavier and dries very slowly.
yeah nah mate
Thanks for these helpful tips! Another idea is to dry your veggies in order to reduce the weight further.
Dry not only vegetables, but also all other possible products. I bought a dehydrator this year. And the main reason is not the weight, but the fact that dry foods do not spoil. Have a nice trip to you!
@@GreyFoxTube good point! You too!
The first rule of cutting wieght is only bring what you need, number 2 is everything should have more than 1 use. It's a direct inverse relationship between comfort at camp and comfort (aka wieght) on the trail, choose wisely. Where will you spend more time?
Ha ha ha! Loved the fanny pictures and the great advice - thank you! 😊
I will be on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2024, so I really appreciate the advice. My pack weight will be around 35 pounds total. I should be good to go! 😁 Plant Papa
i have to disagree with using a bag as a inside liner because if your pack gets wet it will weigh alot more
Instead of one big plastic bag inside the backpack, I used smaller plastic bags to group things together: a plastic bag for food, one for clothes, one for the cooking gear etc. Much easier to find what you need.
Great video. I never rely on my phone, and I usually have it turned off, or onto aeroplane mode, to save battery. To reduce water weight, carry a Lifestraw. In hot places, use a Camelbak inside the pack to save carrying a separate waterbottle (2 litres instead of 750ml, and the weight better distributed).
honestly I think camelbacks are a pain to pack and if you are filtering water etc you need separate bottles anyway. I used to use them but get on better with bottles. Obviously your mileage may vary.
As Oscar who hikes I approve this video
TVP really is legit! Absorbs water really fast, can be flavored to anything, and the texture is perfectly acceptable. It's surprisingly really good!
Very fanny video, cheers mate!
Do you have any tips to make your pack heavier? Ultra light really doesn't cut it for me.
Thanks for the tips. Very useful. I'd like to share a cool idea for those of us that need our morning coffee. There's a product called a Brewspoon in my country but there might be something similar in other countries that goes by another name. It's light-weight and small. You simply add your ground coffee (or tea leaves) to a small mesh container, close it up and stir it through your cup of hot water. Available in South Africa from YuppieChef, Takealot and Cape Union Mart.
Two suggestions.
1) take a smaller pack, which forces you to take less.
2) for longer trips, put everything that you think you need in your pack. Empty it, take half and bring twice as much money.
As a British hiker, I thank you. Absolutely hilarious 😂 🤣
Use smart water bottles and a Sawyer water filter for your hydration system. At a water source, drink liberally, and fill up only as much water as you need to get to the next source. You can even carry an extra bottle, empty, in your pack if you know you will dry camp or have a long water carry at some point in your hike. Us a bottle for dirty water and the other two for filtered water.
can sometimes save a few grams by making tooth paste tablets. dab out a bit of your tooth paste onto parchment paper. either like 2 days in the open air. or a few hours in a dehydrator at like 60-70 degrees will turn the blobs into dry-ish tabs. slight dusting of baking soda keeps them from sticking. Can bring like... just enough for as many times as you'll brush your teeth. vs. a tube. can also chop the end of the toothbrush off ... like. if you don't need all the length why bring it?
dynema cordage. if you have paracord, or rope in your kit. even for guy lines/tent lines. or rope/paracord on a bear bag/food bag to hang in a tree. can save a tiny bit of weight switching to dynema cordage. super light weight, fairly strong. typically is bright yellow or orange. so easy to see for like bear bags/guy lines. ...can also jettison your head lamp strap. for simple dynema cord loop. if you're good with knots can easily make a simple band .... will save a few grams
another "hack" i've always liked, because it tends to save more money than weight is going on ebay, or to the hardware store maybe, buying a length of Tyvek housewrap. vs using a tent footprint. Often time a tent footprint is heavy or thick material. Tyvek house wrap. comes in big rolls. can get a length cut ....once it's used a bit it becomes very soft/flexible. is water proof. tends to be fairly puncture proof. and is much lighter than the misc tent foot prints they try and sell you with tents.
Curious about the production process of your posters, I really want to learn!
Great video
I like many of your tips, but there are some things I would not go out without.
Map and compass a mandatory for me, since they are a reliable backup and often even my main navigation.
My ifak is also always prepared. Although it is an I-fak it is always good to bring some spare items to help other people in need. The few grams saved here won’t make that much of a difference and could make the difference between saving a life or not.
A small knife is also always useful.
Lastly a headlamp is just more reliable in the rain, especially if one encounters bad weather and has to get out of a sticky situation in the dark.
All these items don’t take up much space and weight, but are (in my opinion) mandatory for safety reasons.
“Light weight is great“, but half a kilo more or less doesn’t make the difference. Some people may be willing to risk their lives for 500 grams. I am not.
However, overall you shared some interesting tips of which I will probably try some in the future.
Keep up the good work!
Amazing
good tips. I'd go one further, I don't bring soap or hand sanitizer. Water works just fine for me. Happy trails!
For save some weight I cut and remove extra portions of my gear like sleeping pads and the toothbrush.
In addiction on line there are some foldable silicone cups and bowls
Finding that cool rock from your carrying system can depending of the mood be a good laugh too while usually stil not recomended 😅
Haha reminds me of when I climbed 4 Munros in Scotland a horseshoe walk of 22km I had a day pack and on 1st summit I noticed there was a pack of 4 cans of tuna in the bottom of pack from a previous shop visit 😅
I disagree with ditching compass and map altogether. But in case of gas I would replace it with an alcohol stove. It's smaller and can contain some fuel inside already. Also it's easy to buy more if needed.
Tip 25 about replacing nalgene bottles with regular, plastic ones is great, but only in warmer seasons. You can put hot water in a nalgene bottle to warm up your sleeping bag or to drink hot/warm tea while walking. A narrow bottle mouth can also freeze over, preventing you from drinking water that you have in a regular bottle - since nalgene bottles have wider mouths, that solves that problem as well.
I've climbed 6434m peak with a water in a regular plastic bottle :) THe bottle was upside down in my bagpack, so the bottle mouth froze, but I crushed it with the Ice axe :)))