The Concept Lightweight Backpacking

The Concept Lightweight Backpacking. I'll start it, with the video below. Imagine a situation where his bag was heavy as is the video of the character, a trail a few days. Surely you will not have a good performance, the stops will be constant, the pace will be slow, the daily distance cobrida will be very low and the risk of an injury is great. I confess that the video may be exaggerated, but I have seen similar things and even worse, the tracks I have ever done; I myself was not unlike the first track I did at 16.

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Lightweight backpacking, ultralight backpacking or light backpacking , are terms used to a new style of hiking and trekking, emphasizing the concept that "the lighter, far more and we took advantage" and this has the sole purpose of providing greater comfort to the trekker , minimizing any possible damage.

The term was popularized by the climber Ray Jardine , whose book PCT Hiker's published in 1992, laid the foundation for many techniques used today by more experienced trekkers. In his first foray into PCT, Jardine walked with basis weight of 11kg and after some upgrades, weight decreased to incredible 4.1kg in his third kick by the PCT. For information, the PCT or Pacific Crest Trail is a trail that leaves from Southern California, covering the 4.263km California, Oregon and Washington, up to the Canadian border.

Weight reduction for application of the concept, especially should come from items based trekker, excluding consumables such as food, water and fuel, which vary according to the style and length of a crossing. This reduction in weight must be studied and analyzed, it can not compromise the security of the individual wishing to use the concept. One can not simply remove an essential item of the backpack, being heavy. It is worth noting that some experienced trekkers, use weight reduction in consumables, substituting food for bars, pastes or gels of equal energy value.

The terms "light" and "ultra-light" generally refers to the base weight and 4.5kg 9kg below, respectively. Traditional trekking often result in basis weights from 14kg to 27kg or more, depending on the script and style adopted. This is due to the fact that the lack of information about weight reduction. On the other hand, lovers of this concept are overcome, while having its basis weight of about 2.5kg.

The weight base comprises tent, sleeping bag and backpack. We can include a lesser degree of importance, thermal insulation and stove. The first step to reduce weight on your walks is well study your script and with it, leave at home unnecessary items like electronics, spare garments, trinkets will not be used, etc. The next step is to reduce the weight of the items. This often results in higher cost to acquire good equipment (we will deal with it soon), but you can start with the basics like cutting out the middle cable your toothbrush, use bisnaguinhas for toothpaste and sunscreen, cut a small piece of their ecological soap, etc. Finally, we can give two purposes for the same equipment, eliminating the use of another. A good waterproof and lightweight poncho, can also be used to build a shelter against rain, simply include cordeletes for mooring.

Here in Brazil, it is still not well known and widespread. With that, I will discuss this topic some concepts related to consumables (food, water and fuel) and leave the more technical posts, related to equipment, on another topic.

CONSUMABLES: WATER, FOOD AND FUEL

In addition to loading the equipment, trekkers should also take consumables, responsible for much of the weight as water, food and fuel for cooking food (not even think about making fires to cook their food. I abhor the use and treat the subject in a future topic). Depending on the cross, we can easily replace these items frequently at various points of access, minimizing the burden in some places.

We know that 1 liter of water weighs 1 kg, so this significantly contributes to the increase in weight of your backpack. The activities in moderate climates, require 2 liters of water a day, so that the trekker keep proper hydration of the body. As you walk through areas with many springs or streams, a flask of 500ml can be sufficient to supply, noting that the region should be studied before and must be aware of the time of year or forecast rain date for the region.

Water from many sources must be purified for the prevention of waterborne diseases. Some hikers choose to reduce the weight of water purification devices by use of chlorine tablets to dissolve in water, as opposed to the heavier filters. If the region is well known and the sources are carefully chosen, one can eliminate the use of purification, recalling that not boiling chips or filters are effective against common chemical pollution.

Once the weight of the basic items and water are resolved, the food also becomes one of the largest contributors to the increased weight. The effort in the form of walking, consumes approximately 450kcal per hour, totaling an average of 2500kcal to 3000kcal daily. Thus, depending on the type of food loaded, a trekker requires approximately 1 kg of food per day (3cal per gram), considering a 3 activity stations (in winter spent more energy).

Many foods may be dried or dehydrated to reduce the weight of water on it. Dehydrated meals are much more practical and can be found in any store specializing in adventure or made at home. On the trail, the rehydration of food can be made by cooking in hot water, but most can be consumed even dehydrated. The reduction in food weight can be done by choosing the same minunciosa. Protein and carbohydrates is about 4cal per gram whereas foods containing fat has 9Cal per gram. So who takes food with high fat, have more energy in less weight. Good choices are: peanut butter (5.89kcal / g), nuts (6.87kcal / g), toasted coconut (5.92kcal / g) and powdered whole egg (5.92kcal / g). So-called "energy bars" contains on average more protein and carbohydrates than fats, if we take into consideration the amount of calorie to weight ratio.

And you will adhere to the concept of lightweight backpacking?

Soon we will discuss the items of the basis weight of a trekker: tent, sleeping bag and backpack.