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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nice tips and tricks, some outdated, some not.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...
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.