Fastpacking. Lily Dyu
handles off their toothbrushes to reduce weight – but there has to be a balance. Even when packing minimally, you should always have the right gear for the terrain and likely weather.
The weight of your pack is the most crucial factor for enjoyable and successful fastpacking
Backpacks
Your pack is your most important piece of kit and needs to be comfortable, fit well and hold all your gear. There is an excellent range available due to the growth in ultra-running, so it’s just a matter of finding one that rides well on your body and meets your needs. Here are some factors to consider when choosing:
Volume – when wild camping you will need 25–30 litres; for an Alpine hut-to-hut trip, 15–25 litres is probably sufficient; and for a UK national trail using existing accommodation, 10–15 litres is plenty
Comfort – choose a pack with a soft back-pad that moulds to the shape of your back
Stability – comfortable and stabilising straps around the shoulders and across the sternum are crucial. You should be able to pull the waist belt, shoulder straps and chest strap tightly to eliminate as much movement of the pack as possible
Rubbing – when running, there should be very little motion of the pack against your back, both horizontally and vertically. If your pack moves, it will make it hard to run and lead to painful pack-rub
Pockets on the waistband or straps are useful for quick access to essential items such as head torch, snacks, map and compass, and camera. With some packs, you can also buy map pouches that attach to the front of the pack
Camera access – invest in a specialist pouch that can be attached to your chest straps at the front, or waist belt, allowing easy access. If your camera is in your main pack, you are unlikely to use it.
Top tips
Before buying a pack, try running with it, loaded with some gear.
Women may find that many unisex packs don’t fit well, even with straps pulled tightly. In recent years, however, designers are paying attention to the need for a good fit on different body sizes, so the range has improved with women-specific packs available. Make sure you test the pack.
Keep your clothes, sleeping bag, and any electronic equipment dry by putting them in ultra-light waterproof stuff sacks or plastic bags. Freezer or Ziploc bags are ideal. In addition to this, a waterproof cover for your pack will prevent it becoming heavy and sodden in rain. Also watch out for sweat soaking into your pack from your back.
Sleeping bags
Your sleeping bag needs to pack down small without compromising on warmth. Much of your recovery happens when you are sleeping, so being comfortable at night is important. Down sleeping bags are lighter and pack down smaller than their synthetic counterparts; however, a good ultra-light down sleeping bag is not cheap. If your bag gets wet then synthetic will be warmer than down because feathers clump together.
Your sleeping bag will be a personal choice and what you take will depend on the expected conditions. You can also buy fleece liners or consider a silk liner for additional insulation. Your spare clothes packed into a stuff sack will make for a comfy pillow.
Sleeping mat
A sleeping mat is worth the extra weight for the added comfort and insulation from the ground. In bothies these will provide cushioning from the sleeping platform or stone floor.
Foam mats are cheap, light, comfortable and good at insulating against the cold but are cumbersome to carry. Self-inflating mats tend to be fairly light (but often a little heavier than foam), comfortable and pack down small, but are usually much more expensive. There are some very lightweight mats on the market that you can inflate with your breath or even using a ‘pump sack’, which is a stuff sack that doubles as a pump. Some mats are now designed with gaps and holes to reduce weight. As with sleeping bags, there are many options available.
Many running packs, designed for mountain marathons, have a removable back pad that you can use as a sleeping mat beneath your upper back and shoulders. Some people might make do with this, cushioning the rest of their body with their empty pack. If you want to try this, experiment with a one-night trip first.
Shelters – tent, tarp or bivvy?
When should you take a tent versus a tarp? Your choice of shelter depends on the weather and how exposed you are prepared to be. If you are likely to encounter heavy rain or insects, a tent will provide more space, comfort and protection. If it’s going to be dry, you might be happy with a lightweight tarp – a rectangle of nylon or plastic that you set up as a shelter in whatever way best suits your needs. A tarp means sleeping without any walls, groundsheet or insect netting but you will be more connected with nature, as you are essentially sleeping outdoors.
There are also tarp tents, a lightweight hybrid of the two, but as with other outdoor gear there’s a direct correlation between the cost of gear and how much it weighs. Super-lightweight tents and tarp tents that you may like to use on a fastpacking trip aren’t cheap.
Finally, a bivvy bag or even just sleeping bag without a shelter are both options if the weather is going to be good. Read Ronald Turnbull’s classic Book of the Bivvy (Cicerone Press) for advice and amusing accounts of his bivvying adventures.
Camping beneath a tarp while fastpacking on the John Muir Trail, Sierra Nevada, United States (Photo credit: Olly Stephenson)
Tents
Most one or two-person tents weigh around 2kg but advances in materials have seen weights come tumbling down to nearer 1kg or less, although lighter tents will be more expensive. A new tent may be unsealed, seam-sealed or fully waterproof with factory-taped seams. Water can potentially find its way into any tent through needle holes in the seams or through an accidental pinhole or tear, so it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s recommendations for seam-sealing your shelter if this hasn’t already been done. This is usually straightforward and simply means applying a sealant product (available from outdoor stores or online) to all the tent seams. Most commercially available tents have been factory seam-sealed and some will need to be re-sealed every few years, to keep your shelter in good condition.
Top tip
When fastpacking with a second person, split the tent and camping equipment between you.
Tarp tents
A tarp tent is a tent with wall, insect netting and groundsheet but it is significantly lighter than a regular tent because it combines the rain fly-sheet and inner tent into a single wall instead of two layers. Besides its weight, another advantage is that it sets up very quickly in the rain because the entire tent pitches as a complete unit. In addition, some tarp tents can be pitched using hiking poles instead of having to carry additional tent-poles, saving further weight, and some can be turned fully into a traditional tarp, without a groundsheet, in good weather.
Tarps
If you go for a tarp, be sure to try it out before starting your trip, to practise pitching it as a shelter – perhaps even using your running poles. Think about whether you want a groundsheet and/or bivvy bag to complement it. A groundsheet is good if you’re fastpacking in climates where the ground is perpetually damp or if wet weather is expected. Some people even forgo this and sleep on their waterproof gear to save extra weight. Heavy dew can soak a sleeping bag, so some people choose to pair a tarp with a lightweight bivvy bag. Additionally, if bugs and insects are likely to be an issue, you could consider buying a lightweight mesh shelter for extra protection.
Bivvy bags
Bivvy bags are another lightweight option and provide a fully waterproof tube into which you put your sleeping bag. Some also provide a bug screen that goes over your face. You could use this set-up in lieu of all other shelters,