Backpack Smart: How To Make Room For More Water

 

When back­pack­ing in remote desert wilder­ness areas, you typ­i­cally carry up to half of a loaded pack’s weight in water. Given a choice between car­ry­ing extra water or extra gear, expe­ri­enced back­pack­ers choose water—even when it comes to small per­sonal items that at first glance look like they would add only min­i­mal weight. The fact is, every ounce counts. But there is a way to have your tooth­paste and shower too. Here are 8 light­weight options that can replace heav­ier items so you can still stay clean and com­fort­able on the trail:

MUMMY LINER
Aver­ag­ing a scant 4.7 ounces, silk sleep­ing bag lin­ers add lit­tle weight but add up to 10 degrees to your bag’s warmth rat­ing, plus they improve bag longevity and clean­li­ness by help­ing keep the lin­ing and insu­la­tion free of body oil and the inevitable trail dust you drag in on your un-showered carcass.

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DEN­TAL DUTIES
For­get the reg­u­lar tooth­brush and tooth­paste. Bring some floss—removed from its plas­tic dis­penser, in pre­cut lengths—and place the strands in a tiny plas­tic bag. Buy a pack of ultra­light mini-brushes. They’re pre-treated with tooth­paste, but if you’re sen­si­tive to the flu­o­ride or sodium lau­ryl sul­fate in tooth­paste, rinse each brush thor­oughly and fill a small plas­tic zip bag with an ounce or two of toothpowder.

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UNDIES AND SOCKS
The weight of under­wear and socks adds up. Women back­pack­ers should con­sider leav­ing behind the daily change of undies they may be in the habit of using at home and pack­ing along sev­eral thin pan­ti­lin­ers to save them­selves the added weight. Whether you’re male or female, con­sider pack­ing a cou­ple of pairs of light­weight liner socks to elim­i­nate the added weight of extra hiker-weight socks………….

More Interesting Articles:

• Is Your Backpack Too Heavy?
• Are You Sure Your Backpack Isn’t Missing These Items?

 

Read the full article here: The Clymb

Article source: The Clymb
Image source: LifeMix