A tiny sleeping mat weighing 350 grams costs 150 euros. A large sleeping mat weighing 800 grams costs only about ten euros. A sleeping bag weighing 1200 grams or 750 grams? I won’t even mention the price difference. Oh, and I’m definitely taking along a tripod weighing 1.6 kilograms!
This coming summer, I will be exploring the highlands of Norway—the Hardangervidda nature reserve—with five other enthusiasts. Over the course of seven days, we will hike from Finse to Odda carrying our full backpacks. This year, it isn’t a hut-to-hut trip with luxurious hot meals, a reasonably good bed, and friendly people, but rather a trek with tents, small stoves, and other gear that will keep us alive. I want to hike lightly and enjoy the surroundings instead of huffing and puffing under a weight that’s unbelievable. That’s why I started paying attention to every gram.
Without food, drink, and camera equipment, my current load is 6kg, and that makes me completely self-sufficient. That means I carry a tent, cooking gear plus gas, a sleeping mat, a sleeping bag, and all kinds of other small items like toothpaste, sunglasses, a headlamp, etc. And that 6kg does not even include food, drink, or camera equipment. I know it all precisely—I have a Google Spreadsheet where I literally weighed everything on a kitchen scale.
Officially, I can now call myself lightly packed. Not yet ultra-lightweight—you have to be under 5kg for that, but then you end up paying an arm and a leg. In short, there’s a chance that if I don’t take a tripod weighing 1600 grams, I’ll be in good shape in Norway. The only thing left for me to do is to get fit.
This coming weekend, we are going to practice for a weekend. That means hiking through the Drenthe landscape with full packs, cooking a modest meal in the evening on a small stove, and sleeping in a tiny tent at night. Not everyone will feel the same way as I do, but at least I’m excited about it! :-D
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