5 Lightweight Backpacking “Luxury Items” That Make Hiking More Fun
Lightweight backpacking isn’t all about counting grams and ounces and becoming a slave to the scale. It’s also about freeing up space in your pack for things that can make hiking more fun!
Here are five non-essential gear items you may want to consider adding back into the mix once you’ve gotten the weight of your other gear under control…
#1. Amazon Kindle e-Reader (6 ounces)
Amazon Kindle e-Reader
If you are like me, and you love to read on the trail, the Amazon Kindle eBook Reader is the best invention since peanut butter! I like to read in the morning while I drink my coffee, at breaks while I rest my feet and in camp. Reading calms my mind (which tends to run like a faucet during long hikes) and helps me to relax and focus.
The newest version of the Kindle weighs just 6 ounces and has gone way down in price from when I bought my first one (now just $80). It can store a zillion books in memory, the “e-ink screen” can be read in full daylight (unlike LCD screens on devices like smartphones and tablets) and it can last up to a month on a single battery charge.
Packing Tip: Like most electronic devices the Kindle is susceptible to water and shock damage. To protect my Kindle I stuff it in the center of my clothing sack (Sea to Summit waterproof dry sack). This protects it from rain and the clothing protects it from being accidentally bashed by something while it’s in my pack.
#2. Ipod or MP3 Player (2 ounces)
iPod Shuffle
If you like to listen to music an Ipod Shuffle or Sansa Clip MP3 Player can hold all of your digital music for about 2 ounces (with earphones and cable) and cost less than $50.
For me, music is an important part of a long-distance hike. Although listening to the sounds of the birds and the trees is fun for a while it can get boring after several hundred miles. Music provides a welcome distraction and helps set the tempo for high mileage days. I have found that doing a 30+ miler is much easier with music than without.
Earbud Tip: In areas where there is a chance of being attacked by wild animals (such as rattlesnakes in the desert or bears in Alaska) it is smart to keep the volume down and use only one earbud so that you can still hear what’s going on around you.
#3. Digital Camera (6 ounces)
Canon A1200 Digital Camera
If you like to take pictures a digital camera is a must have. I have done some hikes before where I did not take a camera, but always regretted it later. It is amazing how quickly important experiences in your life can fade into the distant recesses of your memory (even though at the time it seems like you will never forget them).
My current camera of choice is the Canon A1200 because it is super cheap ($80) and light (6 ounces with lithium-ion batts). Canon’s entry level “point and shoot” cameras take remarkably good outdoor pictures. Many of the photos in my Pacific Crest Trail Gallery were shot using a Canon A610 (one of the early predecessors to the A1200).
Hiking Camera Features: Two things I look for in a backpacking camera are: 1) An optical viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen (LCDs are hard to see in direct sunlight) and 2) Powered by AA batteries (which are more convenient than rechargeable battery packs).
#4. Trail Journal (3 ounces)
Rite-in-the-Rain Waterproof Journal
If you like to write and share your experiences with others you may want to keep a trail journal. Like photos, this is something you can look back on to remember your adventures.
I’ve never been able to keep up on a trail journal for very long myself. Writing requires too much brain power (which I am lacking after a long day of hiking). But you may find journaling to be a stimulating, therapeutic and enjoyable way to wind down after a hike.
Notebook Weight Cutting Tip: A typical cheapo notebook with pen weighs about 3 ounces and a waterproof notebook about 4 ounces. If you don’t need all of the pages that come in your notebook you can remove the spiral binding and rebind as many pages you need with string. (Check out Stick’s Blog for tips on how to do this…)
#5. Deck of Cards (3 ounces)
Bicycle Eco Edition Playing Cards
Backpacking consists primarily of four activities: Walking, Eating, Sleeping and Sitting Around. If you have a couple of trail companions playing cards is a fun way to pass the time when you are just sitting around (rest breaks, lunch, mid-day siestas, around the campfire, zero days)
Like to play chess instead? Check out my instructions to make an ultralight trail chess set.
What kind of non-essential gear items do you like to carry to make backpacking more fun? Please post your comments below…
Hi, Erik. Done any research on lightweight solar chargers? If so, recommendations? Thanks.
I don’t have any experience with solar chargers. But I too would be interested to know how well they work from anyone has used one. I go through a lot of batteries in my GPS and rechargeables sound like a good idea if they could be charged by solar.
SO doing the JMT this summer, and just got a great point and shoot Nikon with a re-chargeable battery – does anyone have a suggestion for a lightweight solar charger that can be affixed to the top of backpack for charging up while hiking..? I know there are lots of the market but would like to know what you all think?
Over the last few years I’ve been lightening my pack and last year did a 4-day back-country hike in the Smokies with a base weight of 10.5 lbs. That experience made me realize that I wanted to add back some ‘luxuries’. Since then I’ve added a Nano 7 hammock with tarp (total 11 oz & glorious to relax in), and a few other extras. Total base weight still only 12.5 lbs but I now relax in style at the end of the day.
Nice list. One nice aspect is that the first three are gradually converging, and in another decade we’ll have a GPS/phone/camera/journal/ebook-reader/gaming-device that probably has a built-in solar panel and weighs negative grams.
Then you can add marshmallows and a collapsable titanium marshmallow roasting stick to the luxury list.
Oh, for the playing cards — google “Don’t Die Out There playing cards” for a clever deck that has emergency backcountry guides on each card.
Re Solar Chargers — I hacked one together for my partial JMT last year, and my research beforehand revealed that while there are a number of gizmos out there, none of them will really work well for a backpacker.
Generally, they fall into two categories. Most are standalone, and are expected to sit quietly some place and not on a moving hiker. These might work well at a base camp. The other category is the stuff from voltaicsystems.com, which includes packs with builtin panels. But these require that the sun be behind the hiker, or that the pack be otherwise situated so the sun is always falling on the panel.
The version I hacked together was based on the components sold by the DIY site Adafruit.com, and more-or-less followed the tutorial at http://www.ladyada.net/make/solarlipo
I’ve got a photo of the panel strapped to my chest (with little strips of tyvek and velcro) at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocjard/6967522125/
If anyone’s a word fanatic like my wife and I can be, take a gander at the Travel Scrabble – Folio Ed.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/toys-games-travel-scrabble-folio-edition/19030658
It’s good for backwoods play because the tiles lock in place. The locking also allows you to finish your game hours or days later.
Total weight – 386g If you’re lightweight, and not ultralight, this won’t add much at all; for us, it was worth it on our AT thruhike, especially after mile 1700 or so, when we looking for just about anything to make shelter-camping more enjoyable.
I have the above edition of Scrabble and it’s rather bulky. I also have a very small edition that uses plastic pieces that stick to a plastic board and it’s very compact and lightweight. Only weighs a couple ounces.
I purchased a kindle touch this year for the sole purpose of having something to read while backpacking. I expect to lighten my load by at least a couple of pounds!
Check out Goal Zero’s Solar chargers. They are light and can charge batteries, cell phones and I-Pods.
You might wish to try the “Solar Monkey” charger. It comes with many different connectors for most of todays electronic devices (including the iPhone ). I have one, and love it!!
I always take my Jaws Harp. Fits in a pocket and only weights 4 ounces.
Gail, sounds good. I’d never seen the small plastic edition, before, but I’ve always thought that if the bulk was cumbersome (folio ed. is about 1.5″x8″x4″), you could simply unattach the plastic, folding board from inside and carry the little sack with tiles, separately. That would only weight a coupla ounces, as well, and may be very similar to what you’re talking about.
Towards the end of the AT, I just happened to have a large chunk of space at the top of my pack, and it wasn’t a big deal to slide it in there. In fact, near the end, we carried speakers, mp3 players, Scrabble, UNO, tiny poker cards, and a hacky sack … my total pack weight was still 23 lbs. with water.
I, too, just purchased a Kindle Touch to backpack with!
#1-4 can all be accomplished on a smartphone (iPhone or Android) today. The latest smartphones available today can install the Kindle app, play music, have reasonably good cameras, and have a selection of journal/voice memo apps for note-taking. Some people may not light reading on such a small screen though. In airplane mode, a smartphone can last a lot longer than one day. In addition, extra batteries are easy to purchase for droid phones and addon batteries like the Mophie are available for iPhones.
That said, these are excellent suggestions. I think it’s wise to avoid bring “heavy” books.
@Joe: Thanks for the suggestion. Smartphones are definitely getting better. I still can’t seem to get enough juice out of mine though (HTC Droid Incredible). I have two batteries and even if I keep it in airplane mode it only lasts for a few hours of continuous use (will last for several days in airplane mode if I don’t use it though). Sounds like a good solar charger would solve this problem. (Thanks by the way to everyone who posted solar charger recommendations.)
I have a bigger problem with phones though: As cellular coverage begins to extend further into the wilderness it makes it too easy to get a signal and the urge to “connect” is hard to resist (for me at least).
When I first started hiking nobody carried a cellphone and it was bliss. We were all disconnected from the world and peacefully content about it. My only communication responsibility was to find a pay phone every few weeks and let my mom know that I hadn’t been mauled by a bear yet.
Then smartphones came along offering all these attractive features and I was enamored with them like everyone else. But looking back I think the phone is something I will be leaving out of my pack from now on. There have been too many times in the last few years when I have found myself on the top of a mountain and thought “Gee, maybe I can get cell coverage here” and before I knew it was bogged down in text messaging, checking emails, going on the internet, updating Facebook and engaging in all of the 21st century bullshit that I wished to escape by going hiking.
I’m sure some people will be able to exercise more self-discipline in this area. But not many. Most people (myself included) have become hopelessly addicted to their cellphones in this new age of instant communication and I feel like it is not healthy. The best advice I can offer to someone considering taking a cellphone into the wilderness (if you value your peace of mind and preserving all that is worthwhile about hiking) is to leave it in airplane mode or leave the phone in your bounce box and only use it in towns (which is what I plan to do from now on).
Richard: That’s it? The little panel? Looks brilliant. How did it work?
@Erik: Yes, I try to maintain some self-control when it comes to airplane mode. But I’ve learned that you can’t unsee or unhear things at home and that any bad news I get while on the trail could ruin the trip, so it’s very easy to make sure I turn off email if/when I connect. Nothing worse than hearing that someone died (for instance) and I’m four days away from getting home…that’s four days of misery.
When I do use my mobile phone, I use it VERY briefly to SMS my wife that all is well and that we are safe. That helps her a lot because she gets concerned when hearing news stories about recent accidents involving bears, falls, lunatics, getting lost, etc.
solar chargers ,I bought a “powerfilm”USB+AA charger in 2010 for PCT ,and though it states it will charge anything that charges from USB port ,thats just not the case ,many devices have a protective curcuit built in to only recharge from there charger ,but it does charge 2-AA batterys to about 3/4 load (for gps) does chrge my sons sansa mp3 ,but NO on cheap verizon flip phone, but I can power the phone useing the USB,but not recharge,no on flip video camera, though it does reconize input just never charges. Its a great ultra light ,very flexible solar charger thats nice for AA batterys ,but theres nothing thats going to charge every thing..
All Great advice! However, I tried the Goal solar panel(bought at costco). Works good, but, not that light, and you are oughta luck if you are stuck in overcast weather for a few days. For 90% of people, I would recommend a 5000mah rechargeable multi use battery. I got it on ebay, it will charge my iphone about 4 times, along with other devices, like ipod, etc. Great for 1-2 week trips. The solar panel(a good one like the one at costco) weighs close to a pound. The multicuse 5000mah battery weighs sub 1/4 pound.
Audio books make the time pass faster than music.
Radios are nice for weather, news, music, and NPR.
Fresh fruit, vegetables like carrots, processed meat like salami , and firm cheese are easy to carry for the first day or two after supply and will keep below 75 degrees.
@Joe — the whole “luxury” think already implies one is making compromises, and while you’re right that a smartphone does functions 1-4 (and even 5, as long as the “game” doesn’t have to be cards), it does most of them pretty poorly compared to individual components. But as I mentioned the convergence is getting closer and closer.
Yeah, it can even work today, if you’re okay with more compromises. Personally, I’m seeing too many glorious hi-def videos on Vimeo to go backwards in terms of my camera gear, though.
@Steve — the solar panel is, indeed, that thing on my shoulder. I glued together some tyvek/velcro straps so I could mount it to my shoulder/sternum strap, or on the back or side of my pack, so it would spend as much time as possible in direct sunlight. That is a 6 volt, 2 amp panel (see the links in my earlier post), and charges my 1.2Ah camera battery in about five hours in my apartment window; it would take longer in the shifting exposure while hiking. Between the consumption rates of my camera and GPS unit, recharging one battery per day would barely keep me even. Add in bad weather or another gizmo and I fall behind.
If you look closely (especially at the 1024×768 version) you can see the charging cord going down to the hipbelt pocket on my right. The two components weigh about 150 grams (5+ ounces). The hardest part was kludging together a holder for the little circuit board that would keep a battery pressed against the charging contacts while hiking. That — and day after day of overcast and rain in mid-September — kept me from being fully satisfied, but it does help. Frustratingly, the camera I’d really like to upgrade to uses 7.2 volt batteries, so this 6 volt system won’t work.
@steve — current off-the-shelf solar chargers do indeed run about a pound or so. But a reasonably adept tool user can put together a DIY solution at one third that weight. There are a lot of other cool parts and tutorials on that adafruit.com site (and linked-to ladyada instructions), including a 6600mAh for direct reserve-battery-to-battery recharging.
For a lot of cool ideas, see:
• http://www.adafruit.com/category/67
• http://www.adafruit.com/tutorials
• http://www.instructables.com/pages/search/search.jsp?q=solar+backpacking
• http://www.ladyada.net/make/
Thanks Richard for the info. I think it all depends on the type of trip one is going to take and how many devices one is going to use, and also how they use it. My rechargeable battery only takes 2 hours to charge my phone,and I can use it while its charging. If you are someone who needs to have a smartphone on all day, and use it a lot while hiking, then go for the solar. Phones use extra energy/battery when constantly looking for a signal when in motion (hiking, biking , car, etc). For me, I just call or text throughout the day for a bit, and then, turn it off and forget about it. So, the light 3 inch extra battery makes more sense compared to modifying a solar panel, but, for others out there, the solar panel will be the way to go.
https://www.getcharger.com
20 dollar chargers!! I am gonna try these.
Eric, great list. Here are some thoughts on trail cameras.
I’m a Canon shooter off-trail, but I’ll be using the Panasonic Lumix LX5 on my third trip down the JMT this summer. Here’s why.
Unlike the entry level shirtpockets, the LX5 has RAW shooting capability, a sharp f2.0 Leica spec lens and full manual control of aperture and shutter speed, if you want it. Its 35mm equivalent zoom range of 28-90 is perfect for the trail, and the 28mm on the wide end lets you capture those expansive JMT vistas with ease.
It’s got a battery rated for 400 exposures, almost double that of most cameras in its class. For a twenty day JMT trip, that would work out to 20 images/day. Or you could mail a charger to Muir Ranch, charge up there, mail the charger to Lone Pine and you’d have another 400 for the last half.
Here’s a couple tips to conserve battery power on the trail. The LCD screen is a real power hog. Set your screen review time to no more than 2-4 seconds. That should be plenty to check the framing and the histogram. And resist the temptation to review any images that night in the tent. Second, set the Image Stabilization to operate only at focus, not full time. It also sucks battery power like a teenager with an iPhone.
Want sharper images? Be sure to use the above-mentioned IS setting. It will give 2-4 stops of additional sharpness. And be sure to use your 2-second self timer on every shot. These cameras have such low mass that it is impossible to hold them steady while depressing the shutter button. But with two seconds to steady up, and the IS, you’ll get much sharper images.
Shooting something you might want to hang on the wall? Be sure to record it in RAW.
At $400, this camera is not for the faint of heart. You could also consider the Canon S100, the other camera in the high-end shirtpocket niche.
Hope to see some of you on the JMT this summer. Starting August 19 at Happy Isles.
@Tom Jacobsen: Thanks for the photography tips. That sounds like a real nice camera, especially for someone who knows how to use it. Shooting pictures in manual mode is something I don’t know how to do yet but hope to learn someday.
Thanks, all, for the solar/battery/photography discussion. Predictably knowledgeable readership on Erik’s site—excellent forum. Will make my JMT journey (8/28 … ) even more fun.
I have four lenses that attach to my iPhone by a magnetic ring on the lenses; a fisheye, wide angle, macro, and 2x. I’ve had so much fun with the macro lens capturing the tiniest detail. They come with tiny caps and lanyards Altogether they are less than an ounce and altogether about $20. It’s really changed the capabilities of the iPhone camera. There are options for iPhone 4, 3gs, and fit various othe camera phones as well. There are also 8x lenses. A little metal ring prepared with a 3M backing sticks around the lens of the phone and the lenses hold fast magnetically. The magnets have not created any problems with my camera however I wouldn’t store the lenses with the phone just in case. Also I’ve fashioned a spare clothe sunglass bag with the lenses clipped to the pull string of the bag so that I have a secure place to put the lenses while in use — to keep track as they are so small and serves as a lens cleaning clothe. They are readily available on eBay, but other sites as well. And of course YouTube offers visuals of them. They don’t diminish optical quality as does zooming with an iPhone. Anyhow I’m happily surprised.
@Lyndon — sounds like you’re talking about the Photojojo, right?
Yeah, if I had an iPhone I would be *so* buying those. There store has a lot of other cool stuff, too. The size of the photosensor is still the limiting factor, but those external lens adapters really would help.
@Richard
Yes, these are available at photojojo. I’m accustomed to eBay because I live in rural Hawaii and purchasing anything means driving (not complaining!) Anyhow, from the photos and description I’m pretty sure I recieved close to the same if not the same product on eBay for about half the price. There are also higher end iphone lenses as well, but as you mentioned there’s only so much the iPhone can pull off anyway. I’m kind of following the thread of the all in one iPhone weight reduction program. I actually worked as a photographer for nearly a decade and I’m having some fun working within the limitations with these little lo-cal things. Maybe its just happily thumbing all those years of hauling heavy camera bags around. By all means though having an actual small camera with lots of bells and whistles would surely be a beneficial luxury as well. But I’m getting detail on say a butterfly antenna and that’s entertainment for me! Thanks for your note.
Was walking through Costco today to get a cheap lunch and ran into the GoalZero solar charger. Was $99.99 and picked it up just in case they would run out and I’d decided to buy one. Love that 30-day Costco return policy. Nice technology. Size and weight look manageable for what it should be able to do. Now I can take that electric coolerful of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with me on my JMT through-hike. Will test and let you know what I learn. Thanks for your help!
Good article.
By the way, here are UL playing cards:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/mini_playing_cards.html
Also I’m looking at buying that Canon EOS 300HS ELPH:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-ELPH-300-HS/dp/B004J41T7Q
I think it has got great reviews, weights about 5 oz (without power adapter I assume), but you may not wanna dip it into water. =)
When I wanted a weightless luxury item, I had an artist friend silkscreen my merino technical base layer top with original artwork.
Keychain Mini Games
I just found these. They are little keychain versions of classic board games… and they only weigh a couple ounces:
Mini Scrabble Keychain
Mini Chess Keychain
Mini Checkers Keychain
Mini Connect 4 Keychain
Mini Boggle Keychain
Mini Sorry! Keychain
Mini Battleship Keychain
Mini Twister Keychain
Mini Candyland Keychain
Mini Monopoly Keychain
Mini Clue Keychain
Mini Chutes and Ladders Keychain
Mini Cranium Keychain
Mini Operation Keychain
My favorite luxury is loading audiobooks on my mp3- lots of free downloads out there (librivox is my favorite site for classics, and Starshipsofa has great sci fi short stories). Try listening to “By Ox-team to California” by Lavinia Porter- she was pregnant when she started across the country, and walked over the Sierra at 9 months pregnant, giving birth as soon as she arrived in CA. I listen only in the evening to save power.
If you like Backgammon try http://www.cafepress.com/uncletimsoffthewall/9230121 for Strip Tee’s Backgammon. The game board is printed on a tee shirt so that it has double duty.
OK I admit it’s my site but I figured that if I wanted on then there might be one or two others out there that liked to play after a hike.