As a long-time and unapologetic gearhead, I can testify that a little bit of good hardware is essential to a great trip but that too much of it quickly drags down the experience. But as much as I'm inspired by Ray Jardine and his books on ultralight high-mileage hiking, I know that the Ray-Way is not my way. As I head into my later 70's, I like a slower pace and a bit more gear and I'm definitely out to see the sights and not to log the trail miles. Life seems to rushing by fast enough these days without any additional encouragement and a trip out with the backpack is a personal opportunity to slow the pace back down to a manageable level once again.

As a side note, all this lightweight gear also fits quite nicely in a small kayak or on a BOB/Yak bike trailer.

Tent, bivy-sack, tarp, or nothing? Bag or quilt? All good choices in the right context. The pack, tent, and sleeping bag combination - the big three - tend to suck up a disproportionate chunk of weight and volume and deserves some thoughtful consideration. I personally prefer an ultralight three-season tent (Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 and UL2 are current favorites) for most occasions - the combination of light weight, bug and rain protection, and overall coziness works well for me. For sleeping bags, I like a minimum-sized down bag when the weather is likely to be nice and an artificial fill for when it might get damp or rainy. The older I get, the more I appreciate a comfortable spot to lie down at night, and there are now several quite lovely small and lightweight choices available (the surprisingly compact, comfortable, and expensive Thermarest NeoAir pad is a good example). A stuff bag full of the spare clothes makes for a fine pillow provided you don't have to wear them all on a chilly night.

And while it's hard to justify any kind of a comfortable sit-down chair (always too heavy and bulky), the very spare 142 gm (0.31 pounds) Mountainsmith Slingback Chair works pretty well with a couple of hiking poles, particularly when it's paired up with two segments of a Thermarest Z Lite pad for seating. But if you want to just go light and lean up against a rock, that Z Lite works well and takes the sharp edges off your back.

I keep my food trip fuss to a minimum and pack accordingly: an MSR Pocket Rocket stove, a single titanium pot and lid, alloy spoon, plastic (easy to clean) bowl, plastic mug (with handle removed), and MSR MugMate coffee filter (with good ground coffee) pretty much takes care of the gear end. Yeah, I know - the disposable fuel cannisters suck - but after trying various camp gas stoves, alcohol stoves, and zip stoves, the Pocket Rocket works SO well for a 3-4 night trip. But maybe I'll dust off my 50 year-old Svea again someday. Really. Titanium sporks look cool but leak when I try and eat soup or oatmeal with them.

Or, you can just ditch the hot food altogether ...

I personally keep it very simple for most trips - if it requires anything more advanced than boiling water as the main component, it's probably not going to happen at my campsite. A typical menu is hot oatmeal for breakfast, abundant snacks throughout the day, and something steaming out of a bag or pot for dinner. Don't want to spend the big bucks on the official camping food? Check out your local grocery store or Trader Joe's for meals in bags (just throw in hot water) and plenty of similar items. I never get as hungry as I think and generally bring too much food but also really hate to come up short. A cold beer or a little scotch at the end of the day (remember, you don't have to carry these out) is always appreciated and please note that 151 rum mixed with powdered Gatorade fruit punch and water = a campsite Mai Tai. Aloha.

If you've ever experienced the side effects of giardia (yes, I have), you'll understand why good water can get to be a bit of a preoccupation. There's no need to filter all water from all sources but there's some very good reasons to exercise some reasonable caution when filling your canteen from any untested source - you never know what might be upstream (use your imagination). I was also reminded in the Grand Canyon some years back that it's better to carry too much water than not enough.

Don't forget the NSAID's and toilet paper. For first aid, an assortment of large band-aids along with some duct tape should cover most issues. For blisters, a small piece of moleskin (and small scissors) works well. If there's water available, a dab of Dr. Bronner's and a rinse helps to keep the thighs from sticking together on a warm night. If it's a little chilly out, long underwear will also handle that last task nicely. In sunny weather, it's easier (and cleaner) to cover that exposed skin with lightweight clothing than sunscreen.

Layers layers layers. Leave the cotton at home except for perhaps a handkerchief with which to clean eyeglasses. If cool out, wool socks, stocking cap, and lightweight wool gloves at night will be a welcome addition. After numerous cold nights, my Patagonia Nano Puff heads out with me on all but the warmest trips. Lightweight and comfy shoes usually do the job quite adequately and I recently stumbled on some elastic shoes laces - Lock Laces - that make it easier to slip in and out of the hiking shoes. Ultralight camp sandals are a very nice but optional luxury at the end of the day. Stay warm. Stay dry. That about does it.

Much as I like being out in the woods or the desert, it can get a little tedious on occasion and those 14-hour nights in the tent in the fall require some solid in-shelter entertainment opportunities. I find that a good book (small print) and an iPhone loaded with podcasts and some e-books really help out. A lightweight battery extender and/or battery phone case (there are plenty out there although I like the Mophie brand) are also valuable for longer trips. FYI, a Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel helps to ameliorate battery anxiety. And I've abandoned my standalone digital camera and am relying exclusively on my iPhone camera and a couple of small Moment camera lenses. When it's cool out, a lightweight pair of wool glove liners help keep the fingers warm when reading. The iPhone clock app is also handy for those long nights when you wake up and wonder how many hours it really is until dawn.

As I've grown older,I've come to appreciate devices like the SPOT Connect or Garmin inReach, intriguing small pieces of satellite communication technology that have also occasionally prompted some hikers to behave quite cluelessly. They will allow an out-of-cell phone range user to send a short reassuring or informational email (and location) to friends and family or to tap into up-to-date weather information. Customer reviews for these can be found at amazon.com and TREKSUMO and are well-worth reviewing very carefully if you're interested in exploring this technology. Fairlt new to this group is the Bivy Stick, a compact device that touts a very straightforward no-contract data plan. I'm currently test-driving this one and like it so far. And I recently spotted Zoleo, another small device that also appears to use a monthly no-subscription data plan. In the meantime, I'm remain hopeful that Apple will add satellite capabilities to the iPhone before I'm too old to apreciate it.

Apple iPhone User Headphone Jack Issue and Solutions: Several years back with the introduction of the iPhone 7, Apple opted to remove the standard headphone jack, a "courageous" decision that has added a complication for backcountry users. While it may be fine to use wireless bluetooth headphones (good for several hours of use before a recharge is needed) while cruising around downtown between coffee shops, I suspect that Apple designers haven't been spending many long fall nights far from a power outlet recently while using their devices in a tent. In that situation, the ability to both charge an iPhone and use headphones simultaneously is a real plus. Who wants to wake up in the morning with a dead iPhone and a full day on the trail ahead? For Apple Watch wearers - that includes me, a former skeptic - a watch induction charger is now an addition to the camp list. In any event, keep your screen dimmed down at night and hit the off button if you're listening only to audio - the power-sucking screen will be turned off but the sound will continue to play. Keep a pre-charged external battery handy (perhaps with a small solar panel along for longer hikes). Good luck and thanks, Apple.

There's no better tool for trip planning than a topographic map and it used to be that all a person needed was a compass, a good topo map, and some practice in how to use them together. But no longer. These days I'm much more likely to turn to several iPhone solutions for trip planning and orienteering. Until recently, portable standalone GPS's were mighty cool but I've now completely abandoned them and replaced them with iPhone map apps. Please note that iPhones have built-in offline GPS capabilities that work spectacularly well with many mapping apps. And don't forget to pack a backup paper map in case your electronic device decides to go swimming or runs out of battery life.

The most informative tips that I've run into so far about the use of smartphones as mapping and GPS replacements are from Adventure Allen. Some very useful reviews of handheld GPS's can also be found HERE.

I put together this little website because it helped me to get focused on the joys and pleasure of the backcountry once again. Although I started out backpacking in the Oregon Cascades in 1970 with Colin Fletcher's Complete Walker as my bible (whatever happened to bacon bars?), the distractions of life - education, children, career demands, house payments - somehow gradually took over. Over a decade ago at age 62, it was time to head back out again! No regrets about that decision. I hope to see you out there and aspire to eventually be the oldest hiker that you run into (or pass) on the trail.

The new cubicle ...