Ultralight Backpacking Hacks You Can Find at a Gas Station
Sure, it’s expensive to achieve that elusive sub-10 pound base weight. But trimming a few pounds off your kit is shockingly affordable. You can spend less than $20 at your local gas station and trim more weight off your backpack than spending hundreds of dollars on a Dyneema ultralight tent. Here are the top ultralight backpacking hacks for saving weight while saving your wallet.
Smartwater Bottle
For years, there was an obvious tell for the likes of ultralight thru-hikers versus traditional weekend warriors. One group was carrying a trusty Nalgene (or two) in their backpack’s side pockets. The other had bedraggled smartwater bottles. Occasionally, it’d be a Vitamin water or Gatorade, but the slim profile — often with a Sawyer mini sticking out the top — of the Smartwater bottle was the most ubiquitous.
January 22, 2025
Laura Lancaster
Chunguza Maudhui Zaidi
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
This stuff flat-out works and this bottle from Sawyer is easy to apply, lasts for six weeks or six washes, and is less than $20.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
Smart backpackers now combine a lightweight filter like the Sawyer Squeeze with chemical tablets as backup – a system that processes water from alpine streams and desert potholes alike.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
This insect repellant's permethrin spray provides long-lasting insect and tick protection for clothing and gear, effective for up to 6 weeks.
Kutoka kwa kikosi
Mazungumzo ya Campfire na jamii yetu, kutoka kwa Wanachama wa Squad na Mabalozi kwa Washirika wa Brand na timu ya Sawyer.
