Peak District Tourism

Hiking Lightweight is more popular than it was before. Too much weight on your back when you hike actually distracts you from enjoying the outdoors as you should. You feel free, unburdened, and close to nature. If you want to significantly reduce your pack weight, you can start with your shelter.

There have been some good lightweight shelter options for many years, especially if you backpack with a partner. You could split the weight of the tent by letting one person carry the fly and poles while the other carried the tent body. However there are now more options for lightweight two person tents and older models simply don’t qualify as ultraweight anymore.

Many tent manufacturers are still producing tents that are overkill for lightweight backpackers. Cheap and heavy material are still used today to make these tents. Taking good care of your tent will make it last for many years. Tents are one area of lightweight backpacking where the specialty tent makers are far outperforming the mainstream manufacturers.

With the introduction of ultralight silicone-based nylon, 2 person tents are now in the two to three pound range. One person tents are even lighter, obviously. It’s not just the fabrics that got lighter. Carbon fiber is now the standard material for tent poles. A 45″ tent pole can now weigh less than two ounces. Many new tents are designed to use a hiking pole as the tent pole. So if you’re already using hiking poles, your tent pole weight is zero. Further reduction in weight comes from the stakes which are now titanium rather than aluminum.

Tarps are a good alternative to tents for ultralight backpackers because they’re very light. It protects you from light rain if you set it up correctly but it’s also a good way to feel closer to nature. Some people use ponchos which can be used as raingear as well as tarp. It’s always great to save the total weight of a piece of gear. To protect yourself from the rain when you use a tarp, a lightweight bivvy or sleeping bag cover can be as light as six to seven ounces. A ground cloth underneath you can be in the three ounce range. Ground cloths can be made from silicone-impregnated nylon or Tyvek.

You can either use an insect repellent or mosquito net to protect yourself from bugs. If you want something less confining, use just enough no-see-um netting so that the netting stays away from your face.

If insects are just about the only concern you have, use a bug bivy. It’s a really doesn’t weigh very much.

Most lightweight tents are not freestanding like your old dome tent. But they’re fast and easy to set with parts not included like a fly sheet. Instead the tents rely on well-designed ventilation on all sides.

If you sometimes hike solo, consider the advantages of having a separate ultralight one-person shelter for those times you go alone. Since there won’t be anyone to share the burden with, you would want your tent to be as light as possible. A two-person shelter is flexible because you can also use it for solo hiking for extra space and comfort.

Look closely at all the new options for ultralight shelters. See which ones have the features to fit your needs.

The tent is usually of the heavier and bulkier things you have with you on a camping trip so if you take the lightweight option it will really save your back and the need to use bigger backpacks.