By: Jeff Garmire
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Fastpacking is the ever-elusive time period for transferring quicker and lighter. It’s taking your glamorous backpacking gear setup and whittling it all the way down to the necessities with out dropping the enjoyment of an journey. Whereas it’s best executed by your individual expertise, there’s additionally at all times one thing to be gleaned from the experiences of others.
I went from a full freighter measurement pack to a sub five-pound base weight to do the John Muir Path quickest identified time (FKT). Whereas I actually wouldn’t suggest going that excessive, there are a selection of issues I’ve discovered in my experiments with effectivity, breaking data, and discovering the boundaries of having fun with an journey.
Under, I’ve shared seven tricks to take into account when shifting to fastpacking.
1. Get a smaller pack.
This isn’t a advice to leap instantly from a 60-liter pack all the way down to a 30-liter backpack, however begin working your method down. In the event you give your self much less house to “pack your fears,” then you might be extra apt to pack strategically. It took me three totally different backpacks over 4 years to settle right into a measurement that was simply large enough to hold the necessities and an additional factor or two that improved my expertise.
Talking from expertise, in case you purchase a much bigger pack, you’ll fill it up. Set a wholesome restrict on the room you permit your self. That is greatest executed by attempting a smaller backpack on an in a single day journey first. Fill it to the brim with every little thing you possibly can match, after which make a remark of all of the stuff you didn’t use whenever you get again to the automobile.
2. Make notes and reassess.
On the finish of a visit, word every little thing you didn’t use in your pack. Then, decide the issues on that listing that you simply don’t anticipate to ever want on the path. This could possibly be an excessive amount of bathroom paper, clothes, a whole bottle of Advil, a big tube of sunscreen or toothpaste, an exterior battery that was overkill at some point of the journey, or perhaps a thicker coat than the climate required.
The burden financial savings could appear trivial and small at first, however over a few journeys, it’s straightforward to avoid wasting just a few kilos by merely eliminating the “fluff” in your gear listing. In my journey to fastpacking, I discovered that 99% of the time, I used to be merely carrying rain pants and by no means bothering to put on them. Now, even in wet climate, I carry a light-weight rain skirt.
3. Reduce down the “Huge 3.”
The very first thing I did once I transitioned from a conventional thru-hiker to a peak bagger and aspiring FKT-setter was to chop down the heaviest objects in my pack. I switched to a single-wall tent, obtained an ultralight quilt, and began utilizing a smaller pack.
The middle of a gear equipment is these three heaviest objects, and by merely slicing over a pound off of every, I used to be transferring quicker and feeling brisker on the high-altitude climbs of Colorado. The lighter gear is extra compact, packable, and even multi-use. In its simplicity is flexibility.
4. Be taught to make use of your objects in a number of methods.
Discovering methods to make use of gear in many various methods is the important thing to effectivity, weight financial savings, and packing much less. As soon as I assumed by the gear I used to be taking into the mountains on the weekends, I spotted there have been some ways to make use of the objects in my pack.
For instance, if the temperature dropped whereas I used to be on the market, I may wrap up in my quilt. How a lot totally different from a down jacket is a down sleeping bag in any case? With a bit experimentation, I may wrap up within the “cloak” and depart the thicker puffy jacket at dwelling in trade for one thing lighter.
Kate Brown and Heather “Anish” Anderson have additionally used this methodology to set data on the Appalachian Path, Pacific Crest Path, and Arizona Path. Why solely make use of a sleeping bag for sleeping? It’s one thing you’ll already be carrying, and a terrific supply of heat and insulation tucked away in your pack.
5. Improve your effectivity.
Within the identify fastpacking, velocity is implied. However that doesn’t merely imply the velocity you might be transferring. If it takes ten minutes to dig out a snack from the underside of your pack and repack all of it earlier than you possibly can really sit down for a break, that’s time wasted. A lesson I discovered on my first thru-hike was to worth, treasure, and respect the alternatives to relaxation. Messing round to seek out issues solely eats into the time you may be sitting, consuming, and even swimming.
The most important factor I attempt to do now could be preserve all of the meals I’m going to eat in the course of the day both on the high of my pack or on the surface of it. I put your entire day’s price of trash within the water bottle holders and check out by no means to must dig one thing out of the underside of the pack. If it might rain, my rain gear is on the surface of the pack. It makes relaxation breaks extra restful and pleasing whereas additionally making mountaineering extra environment friendly.
6. Depart pointless clothes at dwelling.
Clothes is the best factor to overpack. Burdened by “what if” statements, the additional layers can add up. Dwelling in Montana, it is among the hardest issues for me to beat. However, merely packing for the anticipated climate and understanding I’ve just a few multi-use objects to get me by any chilly temperatures makes it much less nervousness scary.
My rain jacket can double as a windbreaker, and an additional pair of socks can double as a second pair of gloves. It’s a problem to seek out the clothes that you simply put on, get pleasure from, and worth, and depart the pointless objects at dwelling (see tip 2).
7. Discover your consolation zone.
Probably the most private of recommendations on the listing is studying about your self and the way you reply to totally different environments. I do very properly within the chilly and may convey fewer layers than many hikers. However, within the warmth, I’ve to throw in a second or third pair of socks as a result of I sweat quite a bit, and my toes bear the brunt of the injury.
Packing the occasional third pair of socks is one thing I worth and it contributes to extra enjoyment than shaving off the couple additional ounces of weight. Discover the issues that you simply worth, and don’t hesitate to convey them with you.
Take Notes Over Time to Grow to be a Higher Fastpacker
Every of the above suggestions is a tenet for the methods to enhance, lower down weight, and transfer extra successfully by an atmosphere. The true coronary heart of fastpacking is to go additional, see extra, and accomplish that in a secure and rewarding method. So, discover what works for you on the market and preserve notes of the issues that work and don’t work alongside the journey to turning into a fastpacker.
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Jeff “Legend” Garmire has accomplished the Calendar Yr Triple Crown and Nice Western Loop, completed the Nolans 14 in 59 hours, climbed all of the Colorado 14ers, and broke the Arizona Path self-supported FKT, Pinhoti Path self-supported FKT, Lengthy Path unsupported FKT, John Muir Path document, and Colorado Path unsupported FKT, amongst others. Be taught extra about his adventures at: freeoutside.com.