STOP PACKING YOUR FEARS! 👉 Three to ditch. 

The difference between wanting something or needing it is huge. I go by the rule of three. Take everything you want on the first outing. Then when you get home make three piles. 1st one. Items used all the time. 2nd one , items used now and then. 3rd one , items never used. Pack #3 away somewhere and go with #1 & #2. Next outing use the #1 & #2 and when you get home make three piles again... Put #3 away somewhere. The third trip you will have a lot lighter pack and might not have anything for pile #3 , if you do , put it away somewhere. Then think about The Four P's.... Prior Planning Prevents Pain.

Chairs turn backpacking into sheer pleasure!!

My polycro footprint weighs 1.5oz... Easy way to make sure your tent last a long time and keep pine needles from poking through the tent into your sleeping pad.

I find these kind of video funny. Because what you need to bring is really dependent on what activities or goals for your trip.

a knife. i know lots of UL people don't see the point, but usully i eat dry saussage with bread and it's usefull. it's an easy food to buy here, it has a good shelf life. this way i can eat a cold lunch without soaking things. it's a change in texture and taste and I can put it in a side pocket of the pack without fear of spoiling it. even moist with rain, it stay firm and edible, and quite tasty.

Ultra light baby!! I don’t bring food, I live off other hikers 😛

Honestly, most of the list makes sense to me, except the footprint. It’s designed to increase the water resistance of your tent, and act as a sacrificial shield protecting the bottom of the tent. If you really want to shed weight, ditch the body of the tent, as most tents can be set up as a shelter with footprint and fly only. However instead of the weight saved, I’d rather be dry, bug free, and not have a hole in my expensive tent. If you really need to shave grams, buy a lighter tent set, or consider a bivy setup, or you could also home brew a replacement footprint. Edit: oh also a knife is very required, preferably a fairly solid one. A good knife is part of what I consider to be your first aid/emergency kit. With it, you can replace a lot of the items on the list and some other essentials too. Food? Well a knife can help you process some you find in nature if needed. Tent? it can help make a shelter (unless it’s an emergency with no other options, respect the rules and laws of where you’re hiking). Extra clothes? It can help make a fire to warm and dry you. I could go on, but if I had to pick only 1 piece of gear to be in the outdoors with, it would be a full tang non-folding knife. It should be sturdy enough to baton with, and be comfortable in your hand. To save weight? Don’t bring multiple knives, just the one secured safely to you (not in your pack, pocket, etc. but connected to a belt or strapped securely to your leg). Some knives feature cut outs or different lighter materials, but be wary of reducing the strength of the knife. A knife is so essential that it would come with me before a backpack would, even if I don’t plan on using it for anything. I would never go into the outdoors without a knife of some sort, but ideally with what I described above. Disclaimer: I work for an outdoor retailer and these opinions are my own, and do not represent the opinions of the company I work for.

Great advice I always take food home

Agree with most of those - I have been guilty of the first two, partly because I HAVE run out of water on day hikes when I didn't have a water filter. I have the MSR Trailshot which is supposed to be one of the faster ones, but it's still REALLY slow. So I actually find I use purification tabs with water from streams most of the time. Tastes fine, a little chlorine-y but nothng major. Food yes, I have extra issues - usually you can restock right on longer hikes? Not me, cos of my gluten intolerance. It makes looking for bread a nightmare, so I tend to have to carry several packs of Schar rolls, and more dehydrated meals than I need because to be honest, that small shop in the tiny village en-route nearby won't have those things. Ditto pasta, rice is the only one I am OK for! Or meat. But I am trying to cut down. Now spare clothes...this is where I tend to differ - extra socks is a must, cos they can get wet and changing socks is amazing at night or after a few days. Socks get cardboardy from sweat after a while and then start promoting foot issues and blisters. I think spare socks are a must unless you're going for an overnight or 1-2 nights. Also I take a spare t-shirt and a spare shorts/trousers...cos I've been caught wanting to wash my existing clothes on longer hikes and well...walking around naked doesn't go down too well on most campsites! So the ability to wash and rinse them is good. Also they act as extra emergency layers. I'd certainly not go anywhere without a spare t-shirt even on a short trip.

Danke für die Information.👍 Viel Grüße von Prignitz Outdoor.

You are not saving any weight by "ditching" your nalgene bottles. You can buy "ultralite" Nalgenes that weigh like 2 ounces more than single use bottles like a Smart water bottle. Nalgenes are more durable and will last much longer if not the rest of your life, don't have to worry about losing the water bottle cap, easier to fill with a sawyer squeeze, among other benefits. You and also buy the "ultralite" in a narrow mouth if somehow you are unable to drink out of a wide mouth bottle. Cheaper in the long run too as eventually you'll toss those single use bottles in the garbage/landfill.

Another fine video, thank you for sharing this one. 🤗

Absolutely right about the food. I know hikers who preach about getting sufficient calories, but ignore how many of those calories we're already carrying in the form of excess stored fat! Water ditto - my system closely mirrors yours, and probably represents the greatest weight-saving change I made. My stream-crossing shoes are staying!!! Your longer list makes sense, although some of the items can be necessary on some kinds of hike. I'm disappointed, however, that you didn't mention the greatest fear people seem to pack nowadays - the fear of running out of electricity!

I tell people to try a short distance overnighter with minimal amount of gear… Just the necessities. As they become comfortable, they can try a weekend hike and so on.

Chair for winter only for me...helinox ground chair fits perfect next to my wide pad in the Staika. Too many hours in the tent with back issues for me otherwise. Rest of the year I’m hiking 30plus miles daily, no time to sit around. Don’t get me started about goretex footwear...unless you wear fishing waders, your feet getting wet...! Loved the video as always sir. .Wish.

good content as always, of course as you mentioned this is your list and your preferences, with most I totally agree, for example I've been hiking for 47 years and never understood the chair hype but three of those I will never go without, flashlight, earbuds and small (22gr) Swiss knife with scissors. Once I started using DCF tents, I dropped also polycro footprint. For my usual week long hikes my food is 400gr per day, 2550 gr/week (without first breakfast and last dinner) and I enjoy loosing a kilo or two )

that was a pretty perfect list and items to ditch - except the first two. My fragile tent absolutely needs a footprint/rain kilt/lay mat/emergency shade tyvek sheet. Its the manufacturer of the 800.00 tent that says you don't need it....they didn't buy it. I camp on decomposed granite almost always...like sand paper. And my pack cover I use it to keep as much water off my pack as possible - not to keep everything dry but so I'm not packing water I'm not drinking. That list unfortunately could be MUCH longer. Your list was just the "really, gonna fight a bear on this trip" list. Cheers to all that pack the stuff I won't but would be happy to share it with me if I was in need.

Overall I agree with him. I was following along until he got to the no knife part. There are plenty of lightweight knife options if weight is a concern but seriously who goes into the woods without a knife?! I dont leave the house without a knife and a pistol. Not to go to work. Not to the grocery store. Not to go fishing. And dam sure not to go out in the wild. And soap, got to have soap.

I bring a footprint because most of the places I camp are very rocky and an extra 6oz is better than holes in an expensive tent floor or sleeping pad. I’ve had a bottle of Sportsman’s Soap in my first aid kit for years, just a couple drops is enough for cleaning your cookpot or washing your hands (soap is much better than hand sanitizer), and if you ever have to tend to an injury cleanliness is always good.

Awesome video.

Nice mando reference!

I generally agree with what you say here, however, this whole trail runnner and allowing your feet to get wet thing is just the worst advice ever. As an ex-soldier I can say for sure that keeping your feet and the inside of your footwear dry at all times is an absolute priority if you are doing multiple day hikes. Once your feet get damp or wet for extended periods then the skin quickly starts to break down and you will be in trouble. Fine if you are in a hot climate, but in variable to cooler climates this really is very bad advice in my experience and seems to be quite widespread unfortunately, I've already seen a few through hikers come unstuck because of this . On a wider point some things are not necessary but are what I call morale items, they can have a positive effect way beyond the inconvenience of carrying them, my ultralight chair is such an item, I take the hit on carry it because sitting in a chair and having a brew under temporary cover can be a priceless morale boost when things are getting tough.

You need food if you are athletic fit. If you are a mush pensioner doing 8 flat miles per day, obv you are fine. You need even more food if it's cold, though that' part of equation is at least easily solved by adding 200g of plain fat, unlike overall intake. Water carrying capacity weights nothing, and it's better to have 5g extra of 3l instead of 2l platypus soft bottle(or whatever bladder you like), than not to have. Carrying water is completly separate from carrying capacity. Try to get into frozen footwear at 2 am and go pee. You'll rethink camp shoes immidiately. Though this is the least niche advice, camp shoes are mostly useless.

This guy looks like mr. Miyagi from Karate kid

What water filter system would you recommend to use for a 3 day hike?? I’m getting conflicting advice and not sure of the best one to get! Thanks x