A detailed list of what to pack in a repair kit if you are trying the new ulta light backpacking technique.
Ultralight
hiking is becoming more and more popular these days. Perhaps it’s the urge to
test ones self by only carrying the bare minimum of what you need to survive
out doors. Maybe people are just tired of carrying too much gear, or maybe its
just a fad. Whatever the reason may be ultralight hiking is something every
hiker should try at least once. I would almost bet that if you are an avid
hiker that once you try hiking ultra light you will never want to go back
to packing normal. Getting in to ultra light hiking can be a little confusing
in the beginning. Here are some tips to help you get started in the ever so
enchanting world of ultra light packing.
When people
start cutting gear loose from their packing list because they want to get into
ultralight hiking there repair kit and survival kits are usually the first
things they toss out. This is fine if you are a 100 percent sure you know how
to get by without either of them. But 98 percent of us don’t know how so
instead of chucking those out all together try skimming them down to the bare
bones and maybe adding things that have multiple uses. Here is a good basic
repair kit for the new ultralight hiker.
Duct Tape
You will
want to bring about four feet of this fix all piece of gear. The possibilities
of what you can do with this stuff is almost limitless. I mean what was MacGyver’s
favorite thing besides his trusty little pocket knife. You can use this to fix
ripped clothing, a torn pack, waterproof band aid, patch a tent, or even make a
wallet. To save space you can wrap this around a tent pole or to the inside of
clothes or zip lock bags.
Zip Ties
It can’t
hurt to take a small handful of these and throw them in your repair kit. You
can use them individually to fix things like zipper pulls or string them
together to make a large zip tie for who knows what.
Tent Pole Repair Tube
If your
tent did not come with one you may want to order one from the manufacturer of
your tent. I don’t think there’s any need to explain why you need this or what
you can do with it.