Jörgen reads a few chapters from his book Lättare packning från A till Ö

Tips and thoughts I have amused myself with making some mp3-files out of chapters from my book Lättare packning från A till Ö ("Lighter Pack from A to Z"). It is probably less amusing if you do not understand Swedish, since it is all in Swedish. However, the contents can be found in the English book Smarter Backpacking. If you understand Swedish rest assured that the chapters are pretty short, so you won't be bored for ages should you decide to listen in.

By Jörgen Johansson

This time of the year it is always a good idea to remember the fastest and simplest way from a tradtional to a light pack. The rule of thumb Martin and I call 343 or that the 3 big ones should not weigh more than 3 kilos collectively. If you click on the logo to the right, in the margin, you will find a bunch of older articles on this subject (in Swedish, I might hasten to add). If you are already managing 343, you can always aim to undercut it. When my friend Brian Doble yo-yoed the Appalachian Trail a couple of year ago his 3 big ones weighed 850 grams all together. The mp3-file below lets you listen to the chapter on 343 from the book.

Listen to "3 for 3" (mp3)

My homemade quilt is wonderfully fluffy, but maybe it is loosing ground. Pros and cons on sleeping bags and quilts in this chapter...

Listen to "Sovsäck" (mp3)

Packs can really heavy, but do they have to be? The following chapter digs into different aspects of this.

Listen to "Ryggsäck" (mp3)

My homemade rainjacket with a combination of GTX Paclite on the yoke, a lighter, less sturdy waterproof/breathable on arms and chest and silnylon at the back (not much moisture will pass through your pack anyway) and below the belt. Not high fashion, but it worked well for a couple of years. Now retired with honors.

Listen to "Regnjacka" (mp3)