How light do you travel?

[CSG]

Now, it depends, of course, if one is traveling in remote back country for weeks on end or going "camping" for a few days but in looking at the photos on this site of various campsites and trips I am absolutely floored by how much gear some of you travel with! Cooking seems to be a big deal with many here and the camp kitchen set-ups and menus are quite elaborate. I don't know how you keep all the stuff clean and sanitary.

I have a different approach which is to travel as lightly as I can and food is not a big deal while traveling. I eat stuff like jerky, food bars, instant foods that just need hot water to cook and eat in their own container. I use disposable plates and utensils. I carry water of course and appropriate clothing and gear for the country. I can pack up my rig in 10 minutes for a two week trip (talking about the camping van here) because the stove, refer, sink, is all built in. If I use the Land Lexus, it might take a bit longer as I'd need to pack a few kitchen items.
I'm not being critical of you folks who bring all the crap it just is way more than I need and would be lots of hassle to hump all that gear. But I'm coming from the perspective of a backpacker who carries as little as possible to be safe and comfortable.

I once traveled for six weeks throughout the southwest with my old Dodge D-50 with camper shell and carpet kit, my backpack, and a small plastic tub of odds and ends.

Maybe it's getting older or being lazy though. In the Land Lexus, I'd rather sleep in the rig if I can and not deal with RTT's, camp kitchens, Engels, etc. A duffel bag or two and a plastic tub or two, and maybe my trusty old Quest 5th Season tent is all I'd need to travel for a couple weeks through remote country.

How heavy or light do you travel? Why do you travel the way you do?

Again, just curious about the different styles and methods of travel by ExPo members.

FWIW, here's a typical campsite for me for a couple days. The folding chair is out of the picture on the bank of the little creek nearby. This is the SNRA in Idaho.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I am a backpacker myself, and can and have lived for weeks out of my pack (65 lbs).

The general theme for my truck build has been "prepared." When I take the truck, I take lots of crap, and usually stuff for others as well.

I bring chairs, a cooler (until I can afford a fridge), a tent, plenty of food including some MREs, lots of water, cooking crap, etc.

All told, with 21 gallons of water, around 325 lbs of gear and supplies. 400 if I bring enough food to last a few weeks instead of 1.

 

[rynosurf]

When I use to own a Wrangler all my camping equipment was backpacking gear but now that I have Kids and a truck I usually pack more gear than I need. I have switched to a propagne stove and lantern and have a larger tent, I even have a porta-potty! I try and keep it light when go out for a short time but it is easier for me to just throw in my large box with all my gear in the truck than try to sort out the necessities.

 

[1leglance]

this is always a loaded topic and really isn't fair to ask unless you understand that each of travels with a different set of conditions...
Sometimes I am alone..
Sometimes I have my wife & kids..
Sometimes I am part of a group and am expected to cover medical needs...
Sometimes I am part of an event and need display setups...

Honestly with the Sportsmobile WAVE (Wheelchair Accessible Van for Expeditions) I feel like I carry less stuff since so much is built in or tucked away...sink, fridge, porta-potty, shower, bed, chairs, cooking/eating kit, recovery gear all have places that take them out of sight and out of mind and are always ready to go.

However I still going my younger son on Boy Scout campouts as a Leader...this keeps me in tune with my hammock, stove/pot/bowl kit and ultralight setup.

I camp to enjoy the backcountry and see/experience cool things...for me it isn't a competition with anyone else

 

[Life_in_4Lo]

camping once in awhile, you can do what you describe.

Camp a lot and you need a system to hold gear and easily use for years.

I'm not eating crap and junk just because I'm on a trip. Once in a while, ok. Again, camp a lot and that crapola meal gets old, quick.
I look at it as part of the fun. Eat, share

If i'm by myself, I don't need anything. A couple bags of stuff and I'm out.

Now that my wife is along, it makes a big difference to have stuff. That's not saying a lot of crap-- that is saying some little things to make it easier and enjoyable. So, she will want to go again.

Camp for several days and a 12v fridge is worth it's weight in gold. You need it to prep a good meal and it's well worth it.

If you have a camper van then you have a ton of stuff already built into it. So you are taking a ton of stuff, you are just not loading in your van. How hard is it to keep your van sanitary?

Also, some have the mentality of self-supporting on a trip. That means taking stuff that you might never use except in an emergency or specific situation.

Some people never think of that and think everything is solved with a cell phone.

I don't know what that means, travel heavy or light.
Pack for the trip. However that ends up is what you have.

Is it heavy, light? I'd rather it be "just right for the trip"

 

[Sirocco]

There will be hundreds of personal opinions on this and it is much the case of "each to their own".

As I drive a Land Rover 90 I cannot take too much stuff, so I am forced to be very critical of the equipment we carry both in size and weight. Many a night has been spent deliberting the smallest of items. The over riding factor in each case is the fact we travel alone in foreign environs for a few weeks at a time so have to be totally self sufficient... Its not easy

G

 

[007]

I use a RTT on top of an open rack because many of my trips involve hunting.

I don't want to share an enclosed space with something I just murdered, the awkward silence is one thing but the smell is another.

Take only what you need and everything needs its place.

 

[Yudda]

I don't want to share an enclosed space with something I just murdered, the awkward silence is one thing but the smell is another.

Definitely one of the best quotes ive read in a long time.....and i agree.

Rob

 

[kellymoe]

The more stuff I take the less fun I have. I dont enjoy arriving at location and spend the time setting up camp. If weather is fair I dont set up a tent, just ground cloth and pad or if I am traveling solo I sleep in the back of my truck.

I love exploring not setting up camp.

 

[RHINO]

I can pack up my rig in 10 minutes for a two week trip (talking about the camping van here) because the stove, refer, sink, is all built in. If I use the Land Lexus, it might take a bit longer as I'd need to pack a few kitchen items.
I'm not being critical of you folks who bring all the crap it just is way more than I need and would be lots of hassle to hump all that gear.

i'm a little confused about where you want this thread to go. after the list of what your van has built in what do you mean by "all the crap"?

i have been out for a week in an 18# pack, and although i can take a bunch of stuff in my rig i have never had anything as big as your van,,, so really its a wide open field for discussion.

like lance said, what i take depends on what i'm doing, family camping tends to bring out quite a lot of stuff, i can also pack alot of stuff solo when i want to, but i have also gone out in my rig very, very light. heck i dont even own a tent. i would say my average is moderate, but ample.

 

[CSG]

I tried to be careful to say that this topic wasn't a challenge or a criticism. I am simply curious about what people think they need when they travel. Obviously, it's going to be different depending on whether you're solo, with a group or your family, way out in the backcountry or camping at a campground for a few days, etc.

A couple of responses are defensive and I'm not sure why. I asked this as benignly as it can be asked. "Crap" is simply another word for "stuff". I guess it all depends on what we feel we need when we're getting away from it all. After doing this sort of thing for well over 40 years, I find I need less than more as I get older. I find I enjoy being in the outdoors with less stuff not more.

As far as my van, it's 17' long and travels light on the land. The fact that it has most everything built in is a good thing and there's nothing to set-up. I park and I'm done setting up camp.

However, when I camped out of my old pickup or if I camp out of my LLC I can do with much less. I also rarely spend more than one night in a location as I'm more about the journey than the destination. For me, less is more. If you're offended by my asking, I'm sorry. My wife hates camping so she doesn't go. We'd done RVing starting with a self-contained truck camper and moving up to fifth wheels after we had kids so that my wife would travel with me but as the rigs got larger and all the crap that she and then the kids required became more and more I finally said, enough. I'm selling the truck and fifth wheel as soon as I can because that's not the kind of travel I want to do. My boys are a bit more flexible.

There was a photo of an Aussie in one of the campsite photo threads sitting by his rig in front of a small campfire with a bivy and making billy tea saying it was all he needed. We share a similar philosophy.

 

[Desert Dan]

Fuel, Water and Firewood are the bulky items when I travel.

It seems the larger the rig I have the more stuff I carry. I keep meals simple but enjoy a nice breakfast and try to keep dinner to stuff I can BarBQ. I also bring no-cook types of food if the weather is nasty.

The more weight you carry the more likely you are to break things on your rig so it is best to travel light if possible.


Speaking of that I need to get an extra leaf in my rear spring pack

 

[CSG]

Well, I will admit to eating better when using the van what with having a 2.7 cf fridge and cooktop. It's also got a microwave but I've never used it. It's just a storage cabinet.
Even so, the fare is simple. One can eat pretty well without a fridge or even cooler for an outing of a couple, three days. Veggies, fruit, summer sausage, bread, certain cheese and summer sausage, tins of kippers, etc.

 

[efuentes]

I usually just take a towel, just in case I suddenly get beamed somewhere

 

[1leglance]

I also say it depends on the kind of person you are...
I bring extra medical gear since I have the training and experience to help others...
I bring extra recovery gear since I have the training and enjoy helping others...

I bring a portable propane fire pit & tank since I don't like some and we have many restricted areas in the southwest.
I bring a comfy chair and all the cheap ones cause me discomfort.
I can sleep on the ground but I am sore the next day and getting up from ground level is tough as an amputee....
I bring spare leg parts...but those don't wiegh much

The Disabled Explorers Sportsmobile is 10,000 plus when on the trail, but it will allow a quad to camp in comfort and that makes it all worthwhile.

My Boy Scout pack weighs under 40lbs for 4 days and I can go ultralight to under 30lbs if water is aval...but I am sore, dirty, eating freeze dried.....

I think the reason you got the responses you did is because how much a person takes is a personal thing...even when we have more than we know we should we don't want to hear about it from someone else...especially if that person doesn't operate under the same conditions.
Now if some guy can show me how to carry a pull pal in a manner that doesn't take up room & wieght that is cool...but unlikely as you can't change physic's.
I am more likely to listen to someone who find a new and creative way to meet the same conditions/standards as I am with less/lighter gear.....