Comfort vs. Weight: Gear Guidance for Aging Backpackers

Terrific topic, well-written article.  As a 66 years young female backpacker, I’ve been slowly transitioning my gear to as ultra-light as I can afford without sacrificing safety & my health.  Ryan Jordan’s blog/website’s topics & members’ commentaries have assisted in that process.  I especially like the equipment assessments and the gory technical details (I’m a retired engineering nerd.)

I use to carry a Gregory Jade 62L pack (too many convenient pouches/pockets that temped me to “stuff them”; carrying the little extras to assuage my trail fears.  (Purchased at REI and was coached by an experienced backpacking employee.)

Now I use a ZPack, UL-62L zip pocket pack:

– with two hip pouches, 1 external mesh pocket for my: Snow Peak 900 ml pot (nested inside my Snow Peak 450 ml Titanium mug, MSR Deluxe Pocket Rock stove), RePack (Hyperlite Resoaking Pouch) & Toaks long spoon.

-the Hyperlite Phone Pouch for my iPhone, 1975 Silva Polaris compass (Girl Scout days), & Garmin inReach 1.

I switched from my Big Agnes UL2 Tiger Wall tent with Tyvex Groundsheet to the Dynema Durston Mid1 Pro with Durston ground sheet and the two carbon poles (so I can use my trekking poles for day hikes and my tent stays erect.)

This was the biggest weight savings. (Not only weight savings, but camp set-up time savings not having to “fiddle” with poles into the tent’s pole grommets then fiddling some more with the fly, then having to tension everything well.) I miss the spaciousness of the BA & the chance to leave the rain fly off to view the night’s stars.  I also like the BA’s mesh for more “air.” I’m still fiddling with getting the corners’ staked correctly so the erected tent geometry is right. (I don’t like to have to fiddle with camp gear after a long day – I just want to rest.)

I did switch from a Nemo Jazz 30 degree sleeping bag to an Enlighten Equipment quilt (custom 950 fill 15 degree, with extra collar), as I did not sleep warm enough when October backpacking in the Sierra Palisades Glacier area.  Much lighter and warmer.

I switched this year to a Nemo Extreme Tensor R8.3 sleep pad from the Big Agnes R5.3 (both pads are/was 72” long, 25” wide), because I slept too cold with the BA.  I recognize that the pads are “heavy”, but I needed while sleeping warmth & soundness so I would not be delirious when making trail decisions.  The trade-off carrying a heavier, wider pad is worth the warmth.

This summer’s Yosemite trip [with the Andrew Skurka group (I had “Flying Brian” as a guide)]  my pack without water, fuel, food, and bear can weighed 15 pounds! With all that, a few extra clothing items, back up battery (Angkor 20,000), the pack weighed 25.6 pounds with 5 days of food (I dehydrate my own.)

This has been the effort of now backpacking for the past 6 years in the Sierras, where the terrain can be demanding due to distances my trail-mates wish to travel and the elevation.

Like everyone aging, I’ve had to be consistent with Pilates, weekly hikes (10-15 miles), weights, stretching, etc. to maintain muscle mass, stave off effects from COVID, and keeping abate the osteoporosis in hands, feet, hips, and knees.

I hope to continue to backpack for at least several more years in the Sierras to see the grandeur, the night skies with star (no light pollution), and see the endangered wildlife (pikas, yellow legged frogs, bears, big horned sheep, etc.) and gorgeous flora.

Cheers to us aging backpackers who are willing to reassess our gear and trade-out for both lightweight, comfort, and safety.  Happy Trails!