Choose the right rucksack for the job
I am a person who learnt the hard way about this title on a trip up to the Everest base camp when my friend Saroj was acting as my guide. It was around 13-15 days and I was relatively new in Nepal at that time. So the night before I pack up my big 40 litre rucksack with everything I thought I needed leaving the rest at my friends place and went to sleep. Next morning on meeting up with Saroj we set off to the airport he with all of the equipment he needed in just a rucksack of 15 litre rucksack which I thought didn’t look very full at all.
So the quick flight to Lukla was taken and we set off up the trail with about 3-4 hour walk & as the trail was quite easy I had no problems carrying my rucksack. But over the coming days it started to get heavier & heavier even though I was a fit healthy man who often walked 10+ miles a day. And everytime I watched Saroj carrying this tiny rucksack I thought lucky bugger which got me to thinking.
When you are out on long distance treks you don’t need to be carrying everything from 10 changes of clothes, soap & such because its not a fashion show and you are there to enjoy the hike/trek as well as the beautiful views that go with it. Nearly everyone you meet will smell a little, wear dirty clothes and be looking forward to a warm shower on return down to civilization. Enjoy the experience without having to worry about carrying all of the amenities. So depending on where you are off hiking choose the rucksack to suit you. Ideal for camping trips (to get your equipment to your camp use a Mountaintop 50/70 litre) then leave it in the tent while using something as small as the Berghaus 24/7 20 litre or even smaller for those days out when supplies are needed.
Because lets face it we all go hiking to enjoy the outdoors, see new places and generally like being outside so why carry too much with us. A lesson I learnt in Nepal was to go native because you can survive with just enough.
So please remember when choosing your next backpack Choose the right rucksack for the job and enjoy the days out rather than all of those extra things you want to carry which arent needed. Remember travel light and enjoy.
