Heavy Light Hiker

"Heavy" winter pack

On my very first trip into the cold climate I had a pack weight of 15Kg for an overnight outing in -25C.  While I dont consider this ultra heavy, I do consider it quite a ways off of light.  The problem I had was that I wasn't making good use of the equipment I was bringing.  Majority of the stuff I brought wasn't at all needed.  Going lighter for me was a simple matter of making more uses from single items.  Instead of bringing my pack towel and a handkerchief I left one at home.  Instead of carrying a pocket knife and packing a multi-tool and my mora fixed blade, I now only carry the mora.  Taking the large bottle of soap or tooth paste and shrinking them down to what you use in a day or 2.  Same goes for fuel, on this trip I had nearly a liter of white gas!  I may have used 1/8th of what I brought in the 2 times I fired up the gas stove (normally cook on the wood stove).  These were simple things I could change for free and while it only looks like a few grams here or there it quickly adds up!

The magic number for me is 10Kg.  If I can keep my total pack weight below the 10Kg mark I find it easy to carry yet still have redundancy on certain items I go a little heavy on (my first aid kit being one of them).