Some people love calm and relaxing vacation which they love to spend in a beautiful resort while others are adventure seeking types and opt for trips which involve hiking. Well if you are the adventurous types and love hiking, then this article is for you.
When you hike the first thing that you should know is how to pack light, because hiking is tedious, and if you carry unnecessary stuff it will weigh you down. There are many examples, where first-time hikers had to end their hike halfway because their luggage weighed them down. So in order to prevent yourself from aborting your hiking plans halfway, we are giving you some tips on how to pack light
- Analyze Yourself – Each individual has a different capacity for carrying weight and the threshold for distance also varies. A person who weighs 100 pounds cannot carry the same amount of weight a person who weighs 200 pounds can carry. It is also true that a person who is in fit physical condition can carry more amount of weight than a person who may not be so fit. So know how fit you are, and whether you will be able to carry all that you pack. This self-analyzation is very important because only you can know your threshold.
- Know the Terrain – Knowing the terrain for packing is important. If the place is hot and humid, carrying weight can be difficult than carrying the same weight in a cool and dry weather.
- Opting for Lightweight Clothing – The biggest secret of packing light for hiking is opting for high quality and lightweight gear. The base layer must be moisture wicking tees and tanks. These can be worn alone if the weather is hot or can be used under a jacket if the weather is cold. The second layer must be a nylon woven long sleeved shirt. Nylon pants and nylon shirts for bottoms. The wicking material is extremely lightweight and you can also feel comfortable in them as these clothing wicks moisture from your body and throws it outside and maintains the temperature.
- Basic Items in Your Backpack – Sunscreen, First Aid Kit, Map and compass, Food, Water, and High-energy snacks.
- Important Gear – Hiking poles are very important for hiking trips which can take the pressure off your knees for long hours of hiking and also adds balance as well as you can use the pole as a security. Hiking boots – buy only those that are made of full leather or leather-lined and come over the ankle and are non-goretex. Make sure that the boots are well-broken in before you use them for the hike.
- Light Options for Liquids – instead of carrying juice bottles, water bottles and other liquid bottles, it is better to carry just water bottles and carry milk powder and juice powder, which you can mix with water. Also, carry paper soaps instead of soap bars and shampoo sachets instead of the whole bottle. You can carry a portable water purifier which you can use as a straw in your bottle. This purifier will help you reload water in your bottle on the way, and the purifier helps prevent any infection.
- Distribute the weight evenly. If your baggage is heavy on one side you will soon feel discomfort on that side.
Hope these tips will help you on your next hiking trip.