This post has been brought on by necessity. An ageing body means less ability to cope with the increasing rigours of the trail. Therefore reducing rucksack weight for multi day backpacking trips seems a logical step to take. It isn't as if I have neglected weight over the past 40 years of my mountain life. I haven't. It's just bourne out of a need to take that extra step to save every gram and make my continued mountain existence that much more enjoyable.
An upcoming trip to the Patagonian Icecap has fuelled this need and I require every bit of help I can muster these days! Of course the following steps can be taken whether you are going summer backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, climbing alpine peaks or even an himalayan giant. Your own gear list will be adjusted for each particular and personal situation.
My standard 75 litre pack is a Deuter Air-Contact Pro. Very comfortable for big loads but empty weighs an incredible 3500gm. I also have a Berghaus 70 litre lightweight rucksack from our expedition to Kamchatka that weighs a mere 1500gm, but will only really manage a 18kg load.
Here are the steps I took to reduce my normal 23kg pack down to under 18kg. Hope it helps you in your endeavours.
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Know What You've Got - list everything you currently think you will require for your trip. Take some time with this. Think it through. Put a weight against each item on your list. Total it. Now we have a target to work on! As you make savings adjust the list. Target the higher weight items first but don't forget that you must progress through the whole list.
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Be Utterly Ruthless - anything not absolutely essential for the trip must be eliminated. Do you really need both cameras and their spare batteries? Movies on your tablet at night? Fresh underwear every day? Is there really a need for your striped pyjamas?
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Think "Outside the Box" - Is there any item that can have a duplicate use? For instance, can I substitute a lighter sleeping bag as I am already taking a down jacket? Maybe by using a Ribz front pack this can lessen the load on the back and bring items closer to hand? Can I use my ice axe as a shovel handle if I buy a Grivel Snow Blade? Working in pairs if possible means sharing weight!
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Spend Money - Yes, I have to include this I'm afraid. Why? Because it's true. Modern technological advancement means lighter and lighter gear is now available. But at a price. You have to go through your list and "weigh up" (joke!) the weight saving you will obtain against the price you have to pay for it. Unfortunately this is the reality and we will all make our own choices in this matter. There are many great internet websites that will give you plenty of good information and part you from your hard earned cash. For me, Ultra Light Outdoor Gear provided good information.
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Rethinking Food - We can all go to the outdoor camping store and buy pre packaged food. Most of it these days is ok. It does a job. But, as we all have differing tastes why not prepare your own? Most dehydrated vegetable or fruit products can be bought in powdered or dehydrated form. We have a basic soya,concentrated tomato sauce recipe to which we add either bulghar wheat, noodles or potato powder. If we want a curry we add curry powder, Mexican - chili powder, Italian - oregano etc. If you know a nutritionist or chef, why not ask them to come up with the most nutritious and tasty daily mountain menu? We did. They are working within a budget of 300gm per person per day (yes, that's a little light and for harder trips maybe this needs to be upped to 400gm+ a day). We've also got a highly concentrated tasty breakfast bar as a result. The point is ..... always question "Is there a better and lighter way to do this?", "By eating less shop bought products, can I actually be better off in terms of weight and health?". Try it. It's fun too!
N.B "Never Compromise Safety" - this is an overriding rule to everything we have been talking about above. If your trip demands a 4 season tent then don't skimp by going for 3 season. If you need satellite communications then make sure your unit is with you.
10 Specific Gear Weight Saving Examples relating to our forthcoming Patagonia Expedition.
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Replace PHD Hispar 600 bag with PHD Minin 400 (saves 570gm)
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Replace Grivel crampons with Camp X Magic 10 (saves 200gm)
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Replace Deuter Air Contact Pro with Berghaus 70l (saves 2000gm)
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Replace old Trangia cooking set with mix of Edelrid stove and MSR titanium pans (saves 650gm)
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Tech Gear - buy lightweight HMS karabiners/tiblocs (saves 230gm)
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Kindles - yes we even changed our 5 year old devices for newer models (saves 150gm). N.B this might seem strange but we regard these as essentials in case we are tent-bound for some days
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Buy Black Diamond Trekking Poles (saves 280gm)
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Change water storage from Nalgene bottles to Platypus plastic bags (saves 80gm)
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Change Black Diamond Snow Shovel for Ice axe/Snow Blade combo (saves 170gm)
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Buy lightweight Black Diamond ice axe (saves 300gm)
Loma de los Cuartos