RE: the newbie ?

There is a lot more to it. Bringing just what you need and nothing more, helps. But Choosing light weight stuff rather than heavy gear makes a HUGE difference. Knowing "just what you need" may be difficult. Do you need a full double skinned tent? Why? Lightweight packing means dual purpose gear. It means choosing the lighter of two items that do the same job, It means knowing how to choose a correct campsite. It means knowing when to bail when things get a bit sticky. It means knowing that a GPS is ALWAYS heavier than a map and compass, but deciding which would be best for you. 

Do you need a 6#9 pound pack for a week? I use an 8.5oz pack. And a heck of a lot more...a lot more than just bringing what you need. By eliminating non-essential things you will find your pack is way too big. Get another. There is many volumes written about lightweight packing. Putting these techniques to use can save you pounds on your back for no weight in your head...knowledge doesn't weigh a thing and is perhaps the biggest contradiction to "everything weighs something." 

Bringing "just what you need" is a good start, though. But, a 8+ pound military style sleeping bag is not the same as bringing a 2#13 down bag. I can drop an easy 5 pounds by going with down. 5 pounds is what some hikers use for a full outfit! (To bad I'm not that into light weight, I carry about 20# for a week.) Food is another big savings. MRE's for example give you about 1300C-1500C. and weigh 1.3 pounds. For 1.3 pounds, I can carry 2700C of fairly high density foods.       
	My thoughts only . . .
		jdm  

James D. Marco
302 Mary Lane
Ithaca, NY  14850
607-273-9132 (land), 607-220-9969(cell)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
> bacncheesmurrder88
> Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 1:49 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [BackpackingLight] the newbie ?
> 
> so im new to the whole minimalist, lightweight
> backpacking scene but am no stranger to carrying a
> heavy pack over long distances, (ARMY.)  i guess my
> question is... is the point to see how light you can
> get, or to see how little you can bring?
> without advise, i myself would bring just what i needed
> and not anything more, not worrying about the weight of
> it. but i may be missing the point of this style
> backpacking?
> 
> 
> 
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