The how to thru hike series continues! With everyone's favorite topic, gear. Specifically how you can get an ultralight backpack! But why would you even want a lighter backpack? A lighter backpack is easier to carry while hiking since whatever you bring, you then have to haul up mountains for miles and miles on end. It's more comfortable on your back, shoulders, and joints carrying less weight. And in many many ways it helps to avoid potential injuries you might see with people toting a heavier load. Enjoy the rest!

A couple terms you may be unfamiliar with:
*BASEWEIGHT - The total weight of your gear excluding food and water. We weigh things this way because food and water varies greatly from day to day while your 'base' stays the same.
*SHAKEDOWN - Generally referring to shaking out all the unnecessary gear in someones pack, and seeing what sticks. You could perform a shakedown hike by going out with the intention of paying close attention to your gear and what you don't need. Or someone more experienced can give you a shakedown, telling you from their perspective what they think you need, or what you could leave behind.

THE TEN TIPS:
1. USE WHAT YOU HAVE - because the best way to learn what you like and want is by getting out there regardless of the gear. This will give you a better idea when it comes to changing things out or removing items from your list.

2. WEIGH EVERYTHING - take out everything you have, weigh it, and write it all down. Categorizing things in this way allows you to scrutinize your gear further. It's one thing to know your gear feels heavy, it's another thing to know exactly where that weight is coming from. Use websites like lighterpack.com to help with this.

3. CONSTANTLY REEVALUTATE - Everytime you go out, reevaluate your gear. Take small trips as frequently as you can, come home and look over your gear. Consider what you used, what you didn't use. What you like, and what you want to replace, or what you could leave behind next time. Before I did the appalachian trail in 2016 I had done thousands of miles of these little evaluation trips. I learned more on those short hikes than I ever did thru hiking.

4. LUXURY / SURVIVAL - make a distinction between what is actually necessary for your survival and comfort, and what is purely luxury. This way you'll know what you could potentially leave behind without actually suffering for it. Remember a thru hike is much more a walking trip than it is a camping trip.

5. MODIFY EVERYTHING - Cut your toothbrush in half, remove unnecessary straps from your backpack, repackage that sunscreen in a smaller container, cut off tags from your gear. Modify everything. A free way to lighten up. In some cases can even shed a couple pounds by doing this.

6. FIND THE VALUE IN THE ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM - and then add back things you want from there. Since you've already made the distinction between luxury and survival it's time to splay your gear out and recognize what the most important items in your pack are. What is the least amount of gear you need to survive.

7. CAMPSITE SELECTION - Good campsite selection means you can get away with less gear. Being protected from the wind with natural features, protected from heavy rain, sleeping in areas that are naturally warmer than say on the tops of mountains, and finding a spot to lay down that has a good layer of natural plush ground cover. This is personally how I get away with so little. I'm very choosy about where I camp.

8. USE OTHERS AS INSPIRATION - Whether you're just beginning or you're an expert, looking at what has worked for others on their thru hikes is an incredible way to learn. Don't just do this with one person. Do this with many people to get a well rounded idea, and use this information to your advantage when it comes to your own gear list.

9. SPEND MONEY - The biggest area you can save a lot of weight by spending your hard earned money is by replacing your big three. Your Shelter, your backpack, and your sleeping bag. Looking for lighter materials and better designs. I like Zpacks for shelters, I use Pa'lantepacks backpacks, and EnlightenedEquipment is an incredible company for quilts/sleeping bags.

10. DON'T PACK YOUR FEARS - Learn how you can overcome these fears. Knowledge and information is power. The more you understand your fear, the less frightening it becomes, and instead turns into a strength. If something scares you, be sure to put special attention and focus into that topic of research.

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