The great what if! I think packing your fears is an important step in learning what kind of backpacker you’re going to be. I’ve always believed new backpackers should have a couple trips with everything but the kitchen sink, just get a feel for what you really want, need, and use.

I generally agree, but I think it's also important to not remove all your "what if" gear, since some of that gear is very important for safety. You need to make sure the gear you leave behind wouldn't leave you in a deadly scenario because you didn't bring it. Then again, maybe I'm a bit more paranoid about deadly scenarios since most of my hiking is done in more extreme conditions than most people would encounter.

Good video and advice for those getting started with backpacking/camping. The "what ifs" can lead to very heavy/bulky packs and sometimes can prevent you from hiking further and seeing more while not laboring the entire time.

I set a challenging weight target so that I get to a low pack weight. I am striving to be ultralight, but it is not a critical objective - I do not throw items out just to meet this target. I do evaluate each item as mentioned in this clip. Carefully reducing the amount of several consumables (insect repellant, meds, etc) each individually saves an ounce or so which has actually then added up to noticeable total weight savings. I also did "spend the money" to get QUALITY lower weight items (tent, pack, quilt) as it is worth it to me to gain this additional weight savings for better trail enjoyment - without penalizing necessary functionality. Clothing layers is definitely a work in progress - continually trying to figure out what is optimal. Food planning is the biggest headache to achieve optimal weight - with adequate appetizing meals. When first going to altitude, I tend to lose my appetite and I must force myself to eat. I try to have very appetizing items for this. Getting to a lower pack weight has helped reduce (but not eliminate) this problem. I also find that I do have food left over at the end of each of my trips - which I accept, but I think there are some remaining weight savings yet to realize.

I care about base weight, however, comfort is king living room style in the back country. I carry both uber light gear and comfort gear. The comfort gear I carry is 19oz Alite chair, 31oz custom wild ideas bear canister , 4.3 lb tent; sierra designs UL flash2 (it has the most utility of ANY tent plus it withstands 55mph+ winds. you sleep with zero concerns) two quilts-36oz (25 zen bevy & 40 enlighten), 11.9oz zero camp shoes. Total Base Weight is 22lbs. all carried in the arc haul. I consider 22lbs light weight. of course gear like the 8.4oz montbell jacket help keep me light. I have been backpacking 47 years. Why be miserable. life is good when you are warm and dry. 🤙 I enjoy your channel. yabadaba doo

Pack weight is quite important to me, because I am old, creaky, have bad knees and cannot lug huge weight in the backwoods for very far. 😂 I invested in the best possible ultralight items for everything that matters. That said, I do bring along some comfort and luxury items to make my backpacking more fun and enjoyable.

I'm a trail runner more than a camper. One thing I do is intentionally go out in bad weather to test the limits of my clothes, then I keep a loose chart of what layers work. I'm pretty much outside 7 days a week running little mini-experiments on socks. I wouldn't be happy about it, but Im sure I could survive 2 days in the woods with the clothes on my back and whatever is in my pockets.

My buddy bought an arrn pack. It changed his life. I ordered one today.

Base layer = IceBreaker Lightweight Merino all the way!

I feel I am a happy hiker!!😂 I try to go as light as possible but take everything I feel I need to be warm, safe and comfortable in the back country. So that's why the only category that fits under is...a Happy Hiker😊🎉

My baseweight now 8.3 kg. If I am goint to buy western mountaineering alpinlite my base weight would be 7.9 kg. If hiking longer distances like 120-140 km this is max base weight for me because food is 5 kg at least. When you hike more then you will know what you need and what you don't. You cannot know until you start hiking.

Great summary of “what to/not to bring, why/why not” essentials, emergency gear, comfort items and the dead weight you bring along and never use are some of the categories. Thanks! I am able to think things much more thoroughly through someone else’s input like this.

Great tips to analyze and dial in your gear. Well done on your video, Devin. Have a great day.

Good advice. It takes time to figure out depending on the conditions and location. Like leaving the chair behind on short trips if I remember there's benches. Honestly, all I've been doing lately is loading up my different backpacks for different scenarios and conditions. It's good exercise haha. It'll probably be a few more weeks to a month until the storm damage is cleared.

Great advice. I have takin these steps many times throughout my backpacking career and it is constantly evolving. That great “what if” id definitely a strong force in the minds of most backpackers.

Good video. I always take KZfaqr musings on ultra-light packing with the sizeable grain of salt that is camera gear/tripods, mics extra power blocks and (frequently) drones. If you're not heading out as a one-person documentary film crew, that gives you a *lot* of leeway in the weight of your sleeping bag.

Great advises! Because a weight is a killer.

In short, here is the list of things you need to consider. 1. Do you need all of these items during your trip? 2. Did you use or felt it wasn't as useful after the trip? 3. Are you able to reduce weight by removing extra things you do not need? 4. Are you able to reduce weight by buying gear that is still cost effective as well as less heavy than the gear it will be replacing? 5. Why bring an hand axe that ways 5 pounds when you can bring a hand saw that weights 5 oz that does the same task? With me, I am not in the ultralight mindset of trying to get that 15 pound bag of gear on me for a three day trip. My mindset is "if" something happens then I will be set. For example, I have both a lighter and flint and steel. Two sources of creating a flame is worth the extra weight. I also have a filter and water tabs. Two different ways to get clean water. Those are the only two items I have extra of because anything can happen and you need to make sure you can stay warm and have clean water. I know in the video the "if" thought process is unneeded as if there is no real world way those possibilities can happen. It boils down to this, keep the things you need that will keep you alive vs. having extra clothing so you can be more comfortable.

Me, I’m retired Military. I keep my pack as light as possible while maintaining my comfort on the trail. I have roughed it. Now I’m more about being comfortable as light weight as I can. It has cost me, but it’s worth it! I’m an Outdoor Vitals member and use most of their clothing line up to help reduce my weight while maintaining my comfort level.

Thanks bro.. you really explain everything clearly and i am now have the idea what things need to remove in my bagpack before my major hike

I just pack what i like to carry and i pack alot of fun tools, i love bringing my axe saws and getting really nice cooking utensils too, its usuallly quite heavy but i dont mind. Its usually 1 day camping trips.

Every year we reevaluate our gear and each year we are able to make our packs lighter and to us that makes our adventures more enjoyable. This year we plan on getting our packs even lighter and we cant wait to get out there. Just waiting for the last of the ice and snow to leave now. Keep on posting your tips and adventures mate!

One of your best advice videos I've seen. Keep up the good work.

I always bring too much food. Did an overnight trip this weekend and purposely cut down on food. Then I got really hungry and didn't have enough.

These discussions about pack weight don't take into account that not all people are equally strong. Absolute pack weight alone doesn't say much. It's always relative to the person. There are sex differences, differences in body composition and training level. What's heavy for some may still be quite okay for others (and vice versa).

The post mortem after a trip is definitely key. I would also add it takes time to hone in on that layering system. I think it took me about a year to figure out what was juuuuust right.

I'm hiking in South Tasmania for nine days next week. I'm currently packing and weight is vitally important. The charter flight that is flying us in only allows each person 20kg luggage. I have to take around 8kg in food so that only leaves me 12kg for everything else. You need to purchase light weight gear to make it possible to go on longer hikes in remote areas.

I enjoy backpacking a lot more when my body isn’t in pain. A light pack for me is important. I don’t spend a ton on the latest and greatest to save a few ounces, but I look at weight when I purchase items, and ask whether the item is essential for the trip I’m taking. I want to stay minimal because that’s part of the reason I go. I want to get away from civilization a little, so I try not to take all the civilized things with me.

If you find yourself counting ounces, you might want to start counting pounds in the gym 🤷🏼

I think the best bit of advice I could give anyone is try and keep some kind of note when you're out on a trip about how often you actually use bits of gear, and maybe why you used stuff as much as you did. Maybe not like; tent - every day. Bit obvious. But stuff like clothing I think can be useful; seems to me, clothing is where people seem to pack "extras" they might not really need.* *This is coming from someone who generally packs a pub t-shirt on multidays, purely so I don't stink the place out if I fancy a cheeky pint 😂

Hi ! Was waiting for more reflexion on the bridge mindset between ultralight and « don’t care ». Maybe about shelter types and relation to confort, the chair was getting closer. I am interested in the differences between a minimalist and a ultralight. Maybe the way they hike and not always about gear ? good day !

I am going to try an ultralight backpacking trip soon. The only thing I really need to get there is an ultralight pack. My thing is that most of my backpacking is done in conjunction with hunting so that really negates getting even close to ultralight. My pack alone eats up half the ultralight base weight but it is designed to comfortably, (relatively), carry 75 to 80 lbs or more. I shaved weight and space by buying the lightest quilt, bag, floorless shelter, puffies, etc. It is just hard for me to shake the mindset and the gear that comes from having to be prepared to live and hunt off trail for a week and then get back to the trailhead with everything unspoiled. Trying to translate backpacking to backpack hunting and vice versa has been a real challenge.

I hate these balaclava hoods on most midlayers. Especially on the Ventus it’s so small it barely covers my head .

The Outdoor Vitals, hoodies, wind breaker and jacket have poorly designed hoods. The majority of outdoor manufacturers are in the same boat providing poorly designed hoods. The hoods provide coverage just above the chin or mouth but not above the nose. They should provide coverage above the tip of one's nose to protect the face from the elements, unless one prefers otherwise. My DIY heat reflective Anorak is breathable, wind and water resistant or proofed weighing a mere 3.25 ounces. My hood is designed to provide coverage above the tip of my nose to allow the warm moist air exiting my nostrils to warm my face. A wind breaker is a poor solution for outdoor use as it only protects against the wind. Unless protected by other materials or treatment, all natural and synthetic fabrics allow wind, cold wind, rain and snow to penetrate them reducing their thermal efficiency. Fleece is easily penetrated as well and is a poor insulator for its' weight and volume. The more layers you wear reduces your freedom of motion along with the additional weight and volume to be pack stored, putting them on, taking them off, loosing time in transit storing and removing them from a pack. Numerous layers are resistance to efficient bipedal motion that induces fatigue, reduced speed, comfort and endurance.

Do you need all of the items? Probably not. Don't forgo common safety items in the search for ultralight (common failure). If you use it all the time and it's a critical item, ignore weight and go for durability/reliability. It took me a decade before I decided to go with an ultralight pack, and even then I spent 6 months researching who I wanted to buy the pack from (had one custom built by Chris Zimmer). The vast majority of "ultralight" recommendations out there are just, well, stupid. But to inexperienced hikers it makes sense.

Do you bring a buff and find that useful vs the weight ? Thx for this vid

I noticed the Zoom pad. How are you liking it?

Pajak XC3 👍😃

Forgive me if you've answered this question elsewhere, and I'm only asking this out of genuine curiosity, not to be critical, but how does your employer feel about you being sponsored by a direct competitor?

Are you sponsored by OV? I ask. because your top layer alone is like over $800. I mean, wow. Well done, for sure. but dang!!!

Do you recommend rain pants in conjunction with a rain jacket? Or will the rain jacket suffice in areas where there is a lot of rainfall?

Make sure you set aside some room and weight for your Glock 20

Sooo, basically, you're addressing the normal backpacker? As always, when people go full spectrum on something(UL), they are going to write you of as nonsense...And for those who just want to walk from the car, to the nearest camping table, they will see you as uptight.... The normal backpacker constantly wages items on a trip, since they know, they gonna hump it! This leads your video to just a showroom. "Nice. Like the setup. Mine is better". So I say....Nice video. I got at similar setup👍

You almost saying the same in every time...