How I Started Hiking Lighter and
How Only The Lightest Camping Equipment
& Hikelight Started
I suppose my conversion to lightweight backpacking started one sunny
Saturday in 1960. My Boy Scout troop went on a day hike near my
hometown of Cottage Grove, Oregon.
It
wasn’t a very hot day, and my backpack wasn’t very
heavy. But those old canvas backpacks didn’t fit very well
and they were hot against your back. I noticed that George, one of the
other scouts, carried only a small brown sack with his lunch. After
lunch, he smashed his soda can flat, folded the paper sack, and put
them both in his back pocket. So during the warm afternoon, he
didn’t carry a thing! George was as free as the breeze while
I carried my uncomfortable and unnecessary pack. I questioned every
little silly item I’d carried in my pack just to
“be prepared.” The only thing I really needed was
the lunch.
So, from that point on as a scout I carried what I needed and nothing
more. It didn’t take a great deal of planning, and every
outing was more fun.
About 12 years later, I was a very untrained scoutmaster. I could have
avoided going on a 50-mile hike with the scouts, but I wanted to go,
and I wanted them to have the experience. We lived near the Three
Sisters Wilderness area, a gorgeous place for a 50-mile hike. As raw
and untrained as I was as a leader, I knew one thing for sure
– I didn’t want to be a baby sitter for some boys
who were ill equipped and struggling to carry their packs.
By having training sessions and meetings with parents, we were well
prepared for our adventure. The trip was a total success and it
increased my love for backpacking.
From that time on, I tried to spend a few days each year in the high
Cascades. During good years, I was able to get away for a few days and
add to my miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Gear wasn’t as
fancy then, but you could still pack light. My wife helped me sew some
extra pockets on a fanny pack and we made a foam sleeping bag. One of
those old adventures was a weekend hike in the Mt. Hood Wilderness
where I carried 13 pounds. Some things worked better than others, but
it was fun trying to lighten up.
My kids went with me as soon as they were potty trained. I loved the
simplicity of grabbing a pack instead of loading a car with tons of
items for some “car camping.”
My summer interest in backpacking lead to my winter hobby of figuring
ways to lighten my backpack. I enjoyed looking through all the
backpacking equipment catalogs, but was frustrated at how much
“heavy stuff” I had to wade through to find a gem
of lightweight backpacking gear. I started thinking of putting together
a catalog of all ultralight hiking gear.
I figured I could offer everything except food and footwear. By looking
through the catalog, backpackers could get an idea of how to reduce the
weight of every piece of gear in their packs. Hikers could treat my
catalog like a buffet and choose what they liked.
A few of the items in the catalog/website today are much the same as
they were in 1993. The silk shirts, nylon shorts, belt, one of the
Gerber knives, mess kit, towel, lexan utensils, plastic cup, water
purification tablets, Timberline filter, Campsuds, small containers,
emergency blankets, whistle, small zip-seal bags, windproof/waterproof
matches, and first aid kit have stood the test of time with little or
no change. Other lightweight backpacking gear has had small changes and
totally new items have been added to the choices.
One thing has remained the same since 1993. We’re still
small, by choice. If I’m out hiking or just out of the
office, you may not get instant service. I need to hike, too. But most
times you’ll get fast service. And you can still talk to the
owner. I understand lightweight hiking and what you’re trying
to accomplish.
It’s fun to hike light, and it’s rewarding to help
other hikers reduce the weight of their backpacks and have more fun.
About the author: Steve
Green of www.hikelight.com is an avid hiker who has enjoyed trimming his backpack weight for over 40
years.
Contact
Call: (800) 933-HIKE (4453)
Or send $1 for a catalog
Email: hikelight@yahoo.com
