Lighten Up!: A Complete Handbook for Light and Ultralight Backpacking

by Don Ladigin, Mike Clelland (Illustrator)

Short, to-the-point, and humorously illustrated by famed outdoor illustrator Mike Clelland, this book presents everything hikers and backpackers need to be safe, comfortable, and well fed while carrying a very small and lightweight pack.

Genres: Outdoors, Nonfiction, Travel, Adventure, Reference, Nature

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to lightweight hiking. I learned some things like:

-instant hummus powder exists! makes a good hiking snack
-you can put food in freezer safe bags then pour boiling water directly in for an easy meal.
-good ways to test shoes in the store before you buy
-the PCT method for hanging food from a tree. Genius!


Hilarious illustrations as well.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a ton of backpacking books lately. This book is the shortest, and hits all of the major points. It's also more practical than the others. Trail Life or Beyond Backpacking are more wishy washy. This book is practical.

[Sjors · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light and cheerful introduction to the art of “light and ultra-light backpacking”. A breeze to read with some interesting advice here and there. Must buy? No. Buying regrets? None.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to lightweight backpacking. It is nowhere near a complete guide to subject, but it was not intended to be complete. It is easy to read and with many great illustrations. If you know nothing about lightweight backpacking but are curious to learn you should check out this book. If you want to go more in-depth with lightweight backpacking you should read Lightweight Backpacking & Camping.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read, and excellent info, including superb illustrations. You can always learn something by reading about cutting down on weight.

[Hardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was invaluable for my trip to Norway, even though it was mostly a series of day hikes interspersed with car rides, instead of a full backpacking trip. As a complete novice, this book gave me tons of solid tips as to what to bring, how to pack it and how to make the most of what I had with me.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and simple intro to ultralight backpacking. I've been doing a lot of research and browsing r/ultralight on reddit but it can be overwhelming. While this book is over 10 years old, I still think it's worth a read and I was able to borrow a digital copy from library.

[Aaron Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not an ultralight backpacker, nor am I likely to become one any time soon, but I really enjoyed this short little book. Plus some of the advice is surprisingly useful when it comes to packing airline luggage or the trunk of a car for family vacations.

[Curtis Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro into backpacking, even if you're not going for light or ultra-light. Though, if you're looking for more than an intro, I don't think this will be your book.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of how to lighten your backpacking load. Funny yet useful illustration and short, to the point text makes this book a great read.

[David Paton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many useful ideas

Focused book helpful in planning a more enjoyable hike. Will help any hiker lighten their load whether all of the suggestions are used or not.

[Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely out of date in a few areas, but still a really good primer.

[Luboslav Emilov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Изключително практична!

[Drew Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice primer for new backpackers

Covers all the bases without preaching or sounding extreme. Really an awesome starting point for beginners like me. Highly recommended.

[VRDrive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice tips and tricks, some outdated, some not. But please don't cook food in a plastic bag using boiling water, same goes with re-using PET-bottles on long hikes. That shit ain't good for you...

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might have been fine as a first book about lightweight backpacking, but it's just far too simple and shallow. The illustrations are humorous and the book touches on important points regarding lightweight backpacking (take clothing layers that can all be worn at once for flexibility in different temperatures; maintaining safe temperatures while reducing weight; reduce unused gear, etc) but doesn't get into any details about the things that backpackers looking to get lightweight gear have to worry about: fabric technology, fill weights of down, companies that specialize in light weight gear, etc.

Between this and the backpackinglight.com book, I'd certainly suggest the latter. This 90 minute read just isn't detailed enough for anyone seriously interested in the subject and the information is just covered in more detail elsewhere.

[Todd Benkert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an easy read and a good primer for the various gear options when going on an overnight backpacking trip. While other, more thorough guides are available, this small book gave a handy overview of the various options available. The focus of the book was on packing light compared to traditional hiking techniques. For each category, the pros and cons of each gear selection were considered. Included humorous helpful illustrations. Ultimately, each hiker will need to develop their own gear list and preferences. This book is good for those who want to quickly understand the basics of backpacking gear options before digging deeper. Recommended for beginning backpackers and traditional hikers who want to go lighter.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire the author's willingness to put out his message in such a little book, but it is an effective medium for its contents, and I think this book is about the best way possible to introduce a moderately experienced outdoorsman to lightweight backpacking. Nicely done!

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this thinking I might pickup a few ideas for lightening up my pack... which I did (thought I haven't gotten it out on the trail)... but it's got me interested in the idea of ultralight backpacking...

It's informational, and the illustrations are funny.

[James Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently you don't need to take everything you own when you go backpacking. In fact, backpacking CAN be cheap!

[Walter Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to making your pack lighter. Don't be fooled into thinking it is shallow because it is short. This is concentrated stuff. I learn something new every time I read it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, concise, and easy to read.

[James Fearn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I didn't realize how seriously some backpackers take their pack weight.

Great ideas in the book about packing it in and taking it out.

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the drawings that accompany this book's useful and fun tips for lighter weight backpacking.

[Lloyd Fassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightweight backpacking is like writing well because you only take what you need.

[Nancie Lafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, fun read with humorous line drawings. Great primer for light backpacking. Made me want to get out and do some overnight hiking.

[Jaume Lloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, easy-to-read book about how to pack safe and lightweight for hiking!

[Martha☀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome little book that uses humour to prove common sense about backpacking. Funny and useful!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get right to the point. I got several ideas to check out.

[Ann Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun! easy! good ideas!