By: Jeff Garmire
–
Fastpacking is the ever-elusive time period for transferring quicker and lighter. It’s taking your glamorous backpacking gear setup and whittling it right down to the necessities with out shedding the enjoyment of an journey. Whereas it’s best accomplished by way of your individual expertise, there’s additionally all the time 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 recognized time (FKT). Whereas I actually wouldn’t advocate going that excessive, there are a variety of issues I’ve realized in my experiments with effectivity, breaking information, and discovering the boundaries of having fun with an journey.
Beneath, I’ve shared seven tricks to think about when shifting to fastpacking.
1. Get a smaller pack.
This isn’t a advice to leap instantly from a 60-liter pack right down to a 30-liter backpack, however begin working your manner down. When you give your self much less area 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 sufficiently big to hold the necessities and an additional factor or two that improved my expertise.
Talking from expertise, if you happen to purchase an even bigger pack, you’ll fill it up. Set a wholesome restrict on the room you enable your self. That is finest accomplished by attempting a smaller backpack on an in a single day journey first. Fill it to the brim with all the pieces you’ll be able to match, after which make a remark of all of the stuff you didn’t use if you get again to the automotive.
2. Make notes and reassess.
On the finish of a visit, word all the pieces you didn’t use in your pack. Then, decide the issues on that listing that you just 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 load financial savings could appear trivial and small at first, however over a few journeys, it’s simple to avoid wasting a number of 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. Lower down the “Large 3.”
The very first thing I did after I transitioned from a standard thru-hiker to a peak bagger and aspiring FKT-setter was to chop down the heaviest gadgets 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 package is these three heaviest gadgets, and by merely chopping over a pound off of every, I used to be transferring quicker and feeling more energizing 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 gadgets in a number of methods.
Discovering methods to make use of gear in many alternative methods is the important thing to effectivity, weight financial savings, and packing much less. As soon as I assumed by way of the gear I used to be taking into the mountains on the weekends, I noticed there have been some ways to make use of the gadgets 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 slightly experimentation, I may wrap up within the “cloak” and depart the thicker puffy jacket at house in change for one thing lighter.
Kate Brown and Heather “Anish” Anderson have additionally used this technique to set information 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 title fastpacking, pace is implied. However that doesn’t merely imply the pace 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’ll be able to really sit down for a break, that’s time wasted. A lesson I realized on my first thru-hike was to worth, treasure, and respect the alternatives to relaxation. Messing round to search out issues solely eats into the time you can be sitting, consuming, and even swimming.
The largest factor I attempt to do now’s preserve all of the meals I’m going to eat through the day both on the high of my pack or on the surface of it. I put the whole 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 could rain, my rain gear is on the surface of the pack. It makes relaxation breaks extra restful and gratifying whereas additionally making mountain climbing extra environment friendly.
6. Depart pointless clothes at house.
Clothes is the simplest factor to overpack. Burdened by “what if” statements, the further layers can add up. Dwelling in Montana, it is likely one of the hardest issues for me to beat. However, merely packing for the anticipated climate and realizing I’ve a number of multi-use gadgets to get me by way of any chilly temperatures makes it much less anxiousness frightening.
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 search out the clothes that you just put on, take pleasure in, and worth, and depart the pointless gadgets at house (see tip 2).
7. Discover your consolation zone.
Essentially 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 nicely within the chilly and may carry 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 lots, and my toes bear the brunt of the harm.
Packing the occasional third pair of socks is one thing I worth and it contributes to extra enjoyment than shaving off the couple further ounces of weight. Discover the issues that you just worth, and don’t hesitate to carry them with you.
Take Notes Over Time to Develop into a Higher Fastpacker
Every of the above suggestions is a tenet for the methods to enhance, lower down weight, and transfer extra successfully by way of an setting. The true coronary heart of fastpacking is to go additional, see extra, and accomplish that in a secure and rewarding manner. 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.
–
Jeff “Legend” Garmire has accomplished the Calendar 12 months 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 report, and Colorado Path unsupported FKT, amongst others. Be taught extra about his adventures at: freeoutside.com.
