Introduction

This is the second article in a 4 part series that provides backpackers with a set of easy to follow recommendations to reduce their base pack weight. The first article in the series, titled Lighten Up your Backpack: Weighing your Gear stressed the importance of purchasing a digital scale and taking the time to weigh [...]

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If you’re seriously interested in reducing the weight of your backpacking gear, the most important thing you can do is to buy a digital scale. The best place to purchase a postal digital scale is probably eBay. I like the model shown here, called an Ultra-35 because it can weight your items in ounces or [...]

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Here’s the gear list for my last major section hike of The Long Trail, a 4-day, 50 mile backpack from Johnson, VT to the Canadian Border. This gear list weighs a bit more than those from my late spring and summer hikes because the weather up north is getting a bit cooler at night. On [...]

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If you’ve been following my Long Trail progress this summer, you know by now that I am always fiddling with my gear list and experimenting with different weight, comfort, weather, and safety combinations. The gear list for my last trip from Middlebury Gap to Appalachian Gap is listed below.
I’ve also listed links to the gear [...]

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