Hiking Gear

Adventure awaits you at the hiking trail. But what is hiking without good hiking gear? Here is a list of gears a typical hiker ought to have and not to have in his pack as well as some tips to lighten up the load:

Beware all the Gimmicks and the Gizmos!

Backcountry espresso machine, portable Dutch oven, collapsible chairs, portable saws, nesting pots, travel-design towels, etc. These days, outfitting stores offer literally loads of these things, purportedly to ease up the inconvenience of traveling in some godforsaken place. Well, all that is good and true, but the fact remains that these things are little more than opportunities for you to stuff your pack up with things you don't really need.

Yes, sure these hiking gear items all seem to be specially designed for travel. But wait ‘til you start loading your pack and try to heft it! The idea is to travel light. There you are laboring under a heavy pack filled with all sorts of trinkets including a first-aid kit that could have started a third world hospital, while a skinny drifter breezes past you with a slim pack that weighs less than one-half of the pack you're carrying. It's not fair, you whine.

So, rather than learning your lesson the hard way, pay attention to the first rule in lightweight hiking: get your hiking gear ready and beware all the gimmicks and gizmos trying to worm their way into your pack. All these seductive promises about bringing at-home comforts to the trail are no more than empty promises. The real deal is life on the trail is about simplicity. Hiking gear that's bent on luxury should be left at home and made to stay there. Anyway, you'll get back soon enough.

Re-Evaluate

Lightweight hiking is all about carrying as little hiking gear as possible. So even if you've been traveling light for most of your hiking trips now, continue to re-evaluate your hiking gear each time before you leave for the trail. Is there something you always, always take but never, ever use? Something you do use, but could really do without? What about all those extras you don't need?

For instance, nesting pot sets are vital only if you are a backcountry gourmet. So maybe you like to bring with you a nifty spice set, a spatula for making pancakes, and several pots and pans for countless other purposes. But the weight they add to your whole hiking gear can drag you down. Try to see if you can get by one-pot concoctions. If you can, then ditch the rest and go by only one.

Share with your Partner

If you travel with a partner, you have a better chance at traveling lighter than usual. Why? Well, just ask yourself this: do BOTH of you really need a Swiss army knife with a portable chainsaw and 14 screwdrivers on it? You can probably get by with something simpler and lighter. And if you share the hiking gear you're both already carrying, then so much the better.

Other items you can share with your partner are a water filter, tent, first-aid kit, guidebook, matches, stove, and pots.