Traveling Light Can Be Tons Of Fun Backpacker Has Found A Pleasant Balance Between Lightweight Gear And Comfort

Mike Tuskes is a long-distance hiker. He’s also 48 years old with an arthritic back.

It’s not an ideal combination, but there’s a way, said Tuskes, who spent three weeks last summer solo hiking the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail the length of Oregon.

The Beaverton, Ore., resident is a devotee of ultralight backpacking. On his PCT trip, his clothing, equipment and water weighed less than 30 pounds.

For Tuskes, there are a couple of simple rules: “Know the weight of every item. Take only what you need.”

His method begins with buying a small postal scale from an office supply store.

Most hikers carry about 45 pounds for a weekend trip, he said.

“You can easily drop 10 pounds by simply weighing each item and leaving the ones that ‘might’ be useful,” said Tuskes.

Ultralight backpacking doesn’t mean going without essentials, and doesn’t require much expensive high-tech gear, he said. It’s possible to put together a load under 25 pounds using a “normal” 5-pound pack and 3-pound synthetic sleeping bag.

“People think ultralight means you’re not going very comfortable,” he said. “I’m taking my radio, a book on philosophy, star charts, a thermometer, a full-length pad. If I really wanted to go light, and didn’t have a bad back, I could drop that down by going with a bivvy sack and a lightweight foam pad instead of an inflating pad.”

Carrying a light pack makes it possible to wear lighter boots, he said. Combined, they make for a much more enjoyable trip.

“When I plan my trips, I plan on at least 20 miles a day,” Tuskes said. “I’m not a fast hiker. I have a hard time averaging 2 miles per hour. That’s with a pack this light.

“In the summer, you have long hours to walk. It’s not hard to walk 11 hours, and still take breaks. It’s not hard because I’m not tired. I’m not sweating.”

Here’s a look at the major items in Tuskes’ pack:

Backpack: Mountainsmith’s Mountain Light 4000 internal frame model, 4,000 cubic inches, weighs 2 pounds 5 ounces, $295.

Research packs before you buy. An Arc’Teryx Bora 60 of the same size costs $6 less but weighs 3-1/2-pounds more.

Sleeping bag: Marmot Arroyo, down fill, rated for 30 degrees, weighs 1 pound 12 ounces. His stuff sack has an 8-by-12-inch piece of pile sewed on the inside. Turn it inside out and fill it with clothes for a pillow.

Tent: Walrus’ Swift, weighs 3 pounds 11 ounces. Space blanket serves as ground cloth, cut to match tent floor. Space blanket doubles as a body wrap, a quick way to stay warm when stopping without hauling out extra clothes.

Stove: Primus, cartridge-fueled, weighs 6 ounces plus 7 ounces for cartridge, about half the weight of liquid fueled stoves.

Water filter: Sweetwater, PUR “Hiker” and MSR “Miniworks” are all good light ways to filter impurities from drinking water. Use a lightweight plastic bucket as a settling basin to extend the life of filter.

Iodine is a good backup should the filter fail.

Food: Lipton packaged foods are light and are much cheaper than freeze-dried food. Add a 1/4-cup of nondairy coffee creamer (not powdered milk) to a Lipton meal for a rich, smooth sauce.

Power Bars and Gatorade work well for an on-trail boost.

Cook pot: A .9-liter titanium pot, one of his few spendy pieces of gear. For cooking efficiency, he sprays the outside with black stove paint to absorb more heat from the stove.

Miscellaneous: MagLite Solitarie flashlight, runs on a single AAA battery. For winter, better to go to a AA MiniMag. Lithium batteries cost twice as much as alkaline batteries, but they last about three times as long and are half the weight.

Ex Officio’s Amphi-Pant, made of nylon, built-in underwear, light and bugproof, tough and dry quickly, cost $56.