Travel Light or Travel Heavy and the Reasons I Do Both

This is a question that I find myself fielding more and more as I delve further into hiking and survival. It is also a question that does not have a clear cut answer, and I inevitably end up saying to people, "do whatever you're comfortable with" or something to that effect. I honestly don't have a passionate stance either way, though I will say that if I go on a trip and something doesn't get used once, I usually won't take it on a subsequent trip. So with that in mind you could say that I tend to advocate more for lightweight hiking than hauling twenty-five or thirty kilos on my back, but I'm sure that at some point my mind would change as I add and remove other things from my pack.

  My general rule is that if I can't comfortably pick it up with both hands, then it's too heavy to have on my back. The reasoning behind this being that I still need to be able to comfortably put on and take off the pack, and my arms are not going to be as strong as my shoulders and legs; meaning that if I can comfortably pick up the pack with both hands, I can comfortably carry it over distance. This reasoning hasn't failed me yet, though it also means that my setup is completely unique to me and my body type.

  As I have stated in a previous article, I am relatively short, standing a mere one hundred and sixty-five centimetres, yet I am built quite big and at last weigh in I was around one hundred and thirteen kilos, making it more than a little difficult to not only find a pack that fits me but to find a set up that suits me. I find that more often than not, I alternate between two packs depending on what I am doing.

  For overnighters and extended hiking trips, I take my seventy-five litre Black Wolf Mountain Ash.

The Mountain Ash in action during my recent solo trip to Mount Cole

  It's specifically designed for those of us who are vertically challenged and tends to be favoured by women. It allows me to carry ALOT of gear, without taking all of the weight on my lower back and hips; which I have problems with for various reasons. I have a few reasons for travelling heavy, but the main reason is comfort. Whilst I don't like camping in a tent purely because I hate sleeping on the ground, I like being as comfortable as I can be; which for the point at which my skills are, means carrying a bit of extra gear. Things like my poncho in case it rains, spare underwear and socks, my lantern that hangs just under my tarp, even my axe and saw are redundant due to the fact that I always have at least one fixed blade knife on my person when I'm in the bush. I put the need for these items down to a lacking within my own skill set and a need to simply have more dirt time. The more time I spend in the bush, the less gear I will need.

Hammocks are under-rated for comfort and durability

  For day trips I take a much smaller, lighter and less durable pack. It's a no-name brand twenty litre day pack that carries the bare essentials, including a tarp, hammock, a day's worth of food and two litres of water. I have a belt kit that also comes with me on both extended trips and day trips which allows me to make fire, purify water and sharpen my cutting tools.

Some items I take on the outside of the pack vary, but this is the basic setup. In particular I tend to change the knives I take. 

  I consider this kit as a minimalist kit that would allow me to stay out overnight without being too uncomfortable. Whilst I could more than likely get away with simply carrying my belt kit, I like to be prepared for the possibility of being stuck overnight or even for a few hours in adverse weather conditions. I have planned for quite some time to do an overnight trip with this kit but it hasn't happened as of yet. I may wait until winter is over, though to me this will defeat the purpose of having the pack.

  

Regardless, the kit is lightweight and able to carry enough gear for a reasonable amount of comfort. My tarp is not pictured, however.

  Regardless of anything else I have mentioned above, tarps, hammocks, packs, lanterns, ponchos, eating utensils, cooking stoves, etc. they would all be useless without one specific tool that I always ensure i carry with me. That tool is of course, a fixed blade knife. Regardless of which maker you favour, it is important to properly acquaint yourself with your blade. Without consistent use, it is simply extra weight on your hip that you don't need and will have zero use for. Even if I hike with nothing on my back, which I rarely do, I always make sure I have some kind of fixed blade knife on my person.

I think it goes without saying, ensure that you check legalities in your state for carrying knives.