Remember the old days when multi-day hiking/tramping involved carrying a backpack so heavy it felt as though it was going to kill you?
Those days are long gone, of course. Like computers that—decades ago—took up the size of a house and now fit into mobile phones, tramping gear has evolved, become hi-tech, and with it lighter and lighter. These days it’s all about backpacking light and lightweight tramping.
Rob McKay—a lightweight tramping expert
If you’re like me, keen on the idea of ‘losing weight’ and not quite sure where to start, help has arrived:
Rob McKay, a passionate tramper, who I met at Waingaro Forks Hut many years ago, has become an expert on lightweight tramping, and recently started a blog on the topic: www.lightweighttramping.blogspot.com
Despite it being a young blog with only a few posts, it already contains a wealth of info on lightweight tramping. Rob freely shares his experiences, lists gear and specs, and gives tips on how start shedding tramping gear weight.
Whether you are a novice or experienced lightweight tramper, head over to Rob’s blog and—as he puts it—“subscribe, make comments and share your lightweight gear experiences.”
Be warned though, it seems to me that lightweight tramping is a type of bug that could easily catch you unawares!
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Many thanx Markus. Rob’s blog sounds like my ‘cuppa’… About to explore, as the sooner I escape to the bush the better for all concerned..;-)
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Markus – thanks for the “plug”. In my beloved Nelson just back from a couple of days testing new lightweight gear in the Richmond range. Back to Auckland tonight.
I will post new pics and review of new tarp on my blog over the week. Cheers Rob
PS Hope to see you in the New Year – I will be doing 12 day in the Lewis area from 27th Dec -
Have just completed Red hut to Hacket traverse on 21st Nov, very slowly as we are in our 70′s, although we did in 7 1/2 days. My wife’s pack all up was 10kg and mine was 14 kg, I find it hard to get our packs any lighter with out taking for us unnecessary risks.
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Hi Ian, congratulations on your Red Hut to Hacket traverse! 10 and 14 kg respectively may sound heavy to some, but considering it was for a week plus, it’s still a good effort on keeping the weight down, AND a greater than great effort completing a traverse in topographically challenging terrain at age 70+! Very inspiring!
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Hi Ian – I did this trip in reverse from the Brook to Rocks Hut down to Pelorus, up to Mt Fell and Richmond, Top Valley and back up to Old Man where I joined your route through to Red Hills hut via Red Hill. Great trip!!
Your weight sound very acceptable – were you carrying a tent?
Pop on over to my blog for some weight saving ideas
PS Just back from 12 days in the Lewis Pass area – some photos on blog
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Ian, just saw your post. I think you have the gear sorted. You probably can’t cut corners here. Weight reduction comes with technology. Fabric design is a BIG one here, but this comes at a price. As an example, I had a sil nylon tarp – 274grams. Went to cuben fiber – 96grams, but for $us185. Lightweight is addictive!! I am 64 and just completed 18 day on the JMT in the high sierras. I carried no more than 10kg with one resupply. I could not have done this safely without technology.
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