The Principles of Going Lighter
Lighter packs aren't about obsessive gram-counting. Five simple principles will do more for your back than any single piece of gear.
Going lighter isn’t a club with membership rules or a number you need to hit. It’s a way of thinking about what you carry, and why. These five principles have made more difference to my own hiking than any single purchase.
1. Take only what you need
Before every trip, lay out everything you plan to carry and ask a simple question of each item: will I actually use this? Duplicates, “just in case” items and gadgets that never leave the pack are the easiest weight to lose.
2. Choose multi-use items
A trekking pole that pitches your shelter. A pot that’s also your mug and bowl. A buff that’s a hat, scarf and pot grab. Every item that does two jobs saves you carrying a second.
3. Focus on the big three first
Your pack, shelter and sleep system are almost always the heaviest items. Swapping a 2 kg tent for a 1 kg one saves more than a month of trimming toothbrush handles. Start with the big items and work down.
4. Know your conditions
Lightweight doesn’t mean under-equipped. The right kit for a dry summer week in the desert is very different from the right kit for autumn in the Scottish Highlands. The goal is to carry exactly enough for the conditions you’ll realistically face — not the lightest possible thing.
5. Skills replace weight
Knowing how to pitch a shelter in the wind, pick a sheltered campsite, manage your layers and read the weather lets you carry less with confidence. Every skill you build is weight you don’t need to carry.
The lightest item is the one you leave at home. The second lightest is the one you know how to use well.
Where to start
Weigh everything once. Put it in a spreadsheet. You’ll quickly see where the weight is hiding — and you’ll probably be surprised. Then work through the list above, one principle at a time.