Do you prefer to have your cake and eat it too? Is your cake normally dehydrated to avoid wasting weight since you usually carry it into the wilderness to get pleasure from? If so, fastpacking may be for you.
Fastpacking is a lesser-known however rising development in backcountry journey. It fits outside adventurers who prefer to cowl miles quick and light-weight to absorb as a lot of the wild as they will. To be clear, the “cake” on this metaphor is backcountry tenting. The “eat it too” is path operating.
Confused? Same. But, don’t fear. Below, we’ll drop the metaphors and dive right into a crash course on every thing fastpacking. If you’re seeking to go quick, mild, and much, we’ll cowl what to learn about fastpacking, together with:
- What fastpacking is
- Reasons to provide fastpacking a strive
- What to hold when fastpacking
- Tips for getting began with fastpacking
So, bust out your bundt pan, mates, and let’s get cooking! (Last cake metaphor, promise.)
What Is Fastpacking?
Fastpacking is the love youngster of path operating and ultralight backpacking. Fastpackers cowl lengthy distances on path and carry solely the necessities wanted for a fast camp on the finish of every day. So, assume velocity backpacking, or multi-day path operating—or ultramarathon tenting.
You might have observed an uptick in quickest identified instances (FKTs) for various trails over the previous a number of years. Oftentimes, the journey athletes setting these data are fastpacking. Carrying an ultralight load—usually no larger than 15 kilos, and ideally lower than 10 kilos—helps these people sustain their momentum with out being weighed down by their gear.
Fastpacking will look a bit of completely different relying on the person’s targets and the terrain. Some fastpackers would possibly hike uphills, jog flat stretches, and run downhills. Some fastpackers might select to go pretty far, whereas others select to go actually dang far. The expertise may be tailor-made to satisfy the wants of the adventurer.
3 Reasons to Try Fastpacking
So, why would somebody select fastpacking as their journey mode? While it’s not for everybody, there are a number of the reason why fastpacking could possibly be interesting to mountain athletes.
1. The Challenge of Fastpacking
Fastpacking pushes a person out of their consolation zone, each bodily and mentally. Outdoor adventurers searching for an additional problem could also be interested in fastpacking as a method to check their skills and see simply how a lot they’re able to.
2. Fastpacking to See and Do More
Fastpacking helps you to get deeper into the backcountry quicker. This is nice for hikers eager to see as a lot of a panorama as attainable even when they’ve restricted time. Because fastpackers are in a position to transfer far rapidly, they’ve a possibility to expertise sections of wilderness away from the crowds, which different vacationers might by no means see.
3. Exploring Minimalism and Self-Sufficiency Through Fastpacking
Fastpacking depends on a person’s capacity to hold solely the necessities and have the ability to belief their abilities. Fastpackers must hone their navigation strategies, dial of their vitamin, and be in tune with their physique to stop damage. It could be a nice exercise to strive for individuals exploring a minimalist way of life. The train may also turn out to be a part of a mindfulness observe by means of its repetition.
What Should You Carry When Fastpacking?
What you carry when fastpacking is vital. On the one hand, it’s essential carry sufficient to have entry to protected water, correct vitamin, fundamental shelter, and emergency survival provides whereas on path. On the opposite hand, every merchandise you add to your pack weighs you down, so deciding on the appropriate gear makes an enormous distinction on your base weight.
To begin, you’ll need to carry among the fundamentals for security, reminiscent of:
Nutrition for Fastpacking
Next, you’ll clearly want meals and water. Through observe, you possibly can proceed to excellent your vitamin necessities so that you’re solely carrying what you really want to stay correctly fueled. For water, you’ll need to know your refill alternatives alongside the path and carry a light-weight water bottle and water filtration system.
Clothing for Fastpacking
Your clothes ought to embody wool or artificial garments for operating, in addition to thermal and rain layers. But, keep in mind, extra stuff means extra weight, so that you gained’t be packing further outfits on a fastpacking journey. Embrace the stench and rinse off at water sources if you’re ready.
Sleep System for Fastpacking
You’ll additionally want a light-weight sleep system. This will seemingly embody a tarp shelter slightly than a standard tent. For instance, fastpacking is an ideal use case for Gossamer Gear’s Solo Tarp or Twinn Tarp. Both may be arrange with our light-weight LT5 Three Piece Carbon Trekking Poles to avoid wasting extra weight by means of their multi-use.
The Best Backpack for Fastpacking
Finally, you’ll want the right pack to carry your streamlined gear package. A superb fastpacking pack matches your physique like a hydration vest however permits for extra storage that’s straightforward to entry. Gossamer Gear’s Fast Kumo pack was designed with fastpacking in thoughts.
The Fast Kumo is a brand new spin on a Gossamer Gear basic. We re-designed the Kumo 36 Superlight Backpack with a vest-like match and quick access storage to maintain up with you at your quickest speeds. Whether you’re new to path operating or a seasoned, record-setting fastpacker, this pack is constructed for the problem. Some of its key options embody:
- Detachable quick belt
- Layered shoulder strap pockets for simple entry to bottles and vitamin
- Dual sternum straps for a safer match
- Zippered cellphone pocket on shoulder strap
- Hydration tube routing system
- Trash stash pocket
4 Tips for Getting Started With Fastpacking
Fastpacking is an excessive sport. If you’re new to backpacking or climbing, it’s not the place you’re going to begin. But, if the thought intrigues you, there are methods to get began with it and construct your self up towards taking your first fastpacking journey.
1. Increase Your Fitness Level
Fastpacking requires endurance. Your physique might want to get used to the influence of hanging the path when operating and navigating rapidly round potential path hazards.
If you assume you would possibly need to strive fastpacking, start by rising your health stage. Go for longer and longer runs over an prolonged time frame and ensure to do some cross-training. Taking the time to slowly construct up your health stage will assist forestall damage whereas on path.
2. Start With Trail Running
Running by means of your neighborhood is completely different from operating on a mountainous path. Hiking on a path can be completely different from operating on it.
Before you head out for a multi-day run by means of the mountains, check out a fast path run for a day. Practicing path operating can provide you a style of what fastpacking could possibly be like and also will allow you to really feel what it’s prefer to run with a light-weight gear package.
3. Partner Up With an Experienced Fastpacker
One of the most effective methods to be taught something is to hunt mentorship from an skilled. Have a good friend who goes fastpacking? Ask them for suggestions or to take you on a brief journey. This method, you’ll have the ability to be taught by means of doing.
If you don’t personally know somebody who fastpacks, contemplate becoming a member of some on-line climbing or path operating teams. Ask of us in these teams in the event that they’ve tried it earlier than and see who may be prepared to assist as you be taught the ability.
4. Practice Lightening Your Load
The greatest time to zero in on what to take and what to go away at residence for fastpacking is earlier than you’re on a multi-day energy run by means of the woods. As you’re getting began with fastpacking, do shorter journeys to let your self really feel what completely different hundreds are like whereas path operating. Use this time to additionally be taught what you would possibly have the ability to reduce out of your pack to avoid wasting weight.
As you observe, take notes. Remember what meals you took and the way that vitamin made you are feeling for that stage of exercise. Note which gear gadgets you probably did or didn’t use whereas on the market. Staying interested in these components will enable you to excellent the last word fastpacking package.
Try Fastpacking for Adventures That Go the Extra Mile
If you need to go backpacking, however you additionally need to go operating, then fastpacking may be for you. That’s the better method of summarizing this weblog slightly than moving into the entire cake vs. consuming the cake state of affairs once more.
Fastpacking depends on a light-weight load, and Gossamer Gear is right here to assist. In addition to the launch of our Fast Kumo, we’ll additionally use this house to proceed educating and galvanizing our group on this distinctive exercise.
Hungry for extra backpacking gear and planning information? Check out a few of our different articles on the Light Feet weblog: