Backpackers who pack light can travel further and faster. Lightweight backpacking allows one to wear running shoes and a fifteen-pound backpack instead of heavy hiking boots and packs in excess of 45 pounds. This allows the backpacker not only to travel further in shorter period of time, but provides an increased level of comfort and safety, which equates to more fun.

First, let's explore the disadvantages of traditional backpacking. When hiking with heavy, bulky equipment, the user has less freedom. One can't simply run up over a hill off the trail to see what's over there because this would be very exhausting. Or if one were to set down the heavy backpack to go see, the equipment would be left behind and the user would have to come back to retrieve it.

Of course, traveling with heavy gear fatigues the wearer more quickly. This results in sore muscles, blisters on the feet, sprained and twisted ankles, knee injuries, back problems and all sorts of maladies. These result from tired wearers with simply too much weight on their back and legs, causing hikes to be much less enjoyable.

Additionally, traditional back packing is more time-consuming. Not only must the backpacker travel slower because of the increased weight, preventing him from reaching distant, exotic locations quickly, they must also spend more time packing the backpack as well as spend more time putting it on and taking it off. This means less time for the fun parts of a hike like swimming in a remote lake.

Finally, traveling with heavy equipment involves more risk. If backpackers get caught out in the wilderness with lots of burdensome gear when a storm rolls through, they have much less chance of being able to get out of it because of the reduced pace. Or perhaps an injury during the hike requires medical attention: reaching civilization to the backpacker treated would take longer than if they had lighter gear.

So now you can clearly see there are many disadvantages to bringing heavy gear on your next excursion. What advantages does lightweight backpacking offer?

Lightweight backpacking provides a greater degree of safety than traditional backpacking. With a lighter pack on, a hiker is much less likely to lose his balance and fall, or if he does, it is likely to be a much softer fall. Where a traditional backpacker might get caught in a storm like in the previous example, a lightweight backpacker would have a better chance at getting to shelter before it hit.

Lightweight backpacking is simply much more comfortable, as it only requires the wearer to carry less than 20 pounds of equipment, whereas a traditional backpacker might be expect to lug around 50 pounds of gear. Lighter, more comfortable running shoes as opposed to thick hiking boots almost eliminates blisters. Also, wearing a lighter backpack frees up more weight for the hiker to wear a heavier coat.

In order to reduce weight, many companies offer lightweight versions of their products. It is also important that the lightweight backpacker knows how to use his equipment for maximum efficiency, where the traditional backpacker can make up for this with the sheer amount of tools he can bring. Lightweight backpacking might not be for everyone, but for some it is surely much more enjoyable than traditional backpacking.