Fastpacking 101: everything I wish I’d known as a beginner fastpacker

Main image: Fastpacking in the Black Mountains | Credit: Lily Dyu

An adventurous blend of trail running and backpacking, fastpacking is all about travelling longer distances with a lighter pack. It’s easy to see the appeal – you can fit a bigger adventure into a smaller period of time, there’s no giant pack to lug around, and you won’t do your fitness levels any harm either. But transitioning to the ‘fast and light’ approach can be intimidating. Does stripping out grams mean compromising on comfort? Are superhuman fitness levels a must? Is any gear sacrosanct?

Cicerone’s Joe Williams is both publisher of Lily Ddu’s definite Fastpacking guide and an experienced fastpacker in his own right. Here’s his take and his all-important kit list.

How would you define fastpacking?

Personally, I think it’s more of a state of mind rather than an activity defined by a particular movement or item of gear. To fastpack, you don’t have to run a step, and you don’t have to cram all your gear into a tiny bag. I think it’s about travelling on foot for multiple days with the intention of including some running and/ or travelling as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How fit do you have to be?

Well, you probably have to be a runner of some kind already. And you need to be comfortable running on the terrain that you will be fastpacking. In all likelihood, though, you’ll be walking most of the uphills and jogging the flats and downs rather than running everything. Fastpacking doesn’t have to be a gruelling challenge though. You needn’t run 40km a day or be out from dawn to dusk; you could have a nice fry up, let it digest, walk and jog 20km, finish early and enjoy a beer – it can be fun too!

Any route recommendations for a first fastpacking adventure?

I’d recommend a similar approach to my first fastpacking adventure with my wife. We live in Kendal, so on the Saturday we drove into the Lakes and left the car at Thirlmere. We then ran over the Langdale Pikes and Scafell range to Nether Wasdale and spent the night at the pub there. My advice would be to start somewhere near (or at) home, run and walk for however long you like to a nice pub with rooms, then run back a different route the next day. Ideally, you’d make a route that had reasonable public transport connections along the way, so you can bail out if you’ve overestimated your capabilities!

How do you decide what gear to prioritise and what to cut?

You’ll be running or fast walking, so you’ll be cursing every gram you didn’t need to carry! Consider multi-purpose kit. Some examples include a super-breathable waterproof rather than both a waterproof and a windproof, and a spare pair of socks but no mittens. If camping, I commonly wrap myself in my sleeping bag in the evening rather than taking a down jacket.

What items would you never compromise on?

For me it’s having a suitable pack. A bag that’s too heavy, poorly fitting or jiggly, has inaccessible pockets or isn’t supportive enough can annoy you constantly throughout the trip. And the bag needs to be matched to the adventure. I would also never compromise on my spoon!

Can you fastpack without shelling out on ultralightweight gear?

To a certain extent, yes! For instance, you don’t need a hyperlight £1000 Dyneema composite fibre tarp-tent for a summer fastpacking trip – a £100 silnylon tarp will work a treat. Pair that with a £11 polycro plastic sheet rather than a £100 Dyneema groundcloth. There are cheaper alternatives to most pieces of kit. But I would get the lightest and best sleeping bag and sleeping pad you can afford. My 530g sleeping quilt didn’t come cheap, but I’ve used it extensively to below freezing temperatures for over ten years now.

How do you manage food and water?

Trips in areas where there are plenty of opportunities to stock up are easy. When you’re in a more remote location and need to be self-sufficient, that’s when I get nerdier and start calculating grams of carbs, fat and protein versus the weight of the item. You get more calories from fats and proteins than carbs, but these are harder to digest at altitude and may not work as well with your metabolism. For remoter adventures you may also need water filtration. I use filters built into soft flasks so I can drink and refill easily.

Sleeping arrangements – tent, bivvy, or something else entirely?!

Buy or borrow all the options (tent, tarp, bivvy bag, nothing!) and try them out in safe conditions to see what you prefer. The idea of a tarp might sound really unappealing to you, but you might love the ability to see straight up to the stars and the ease of getting in and out versus a tent’s zippers and flaps.

Can you fastpack in winter?

Yes, but your bag will be heavier! You might not need a different shelter, but your sleeping bag and pad will need to be warmer and heavier. If it’s sub-zero then you will need more gas for the stove to melt snow and ice for water. Plus warmer clothes. With a bigger bag, running will be harder or nearly impossible. But that’s ok in my opinion: you don’t need to run to fastpack. It’s your intention to move fast and fluidly through the landscape that makes you a fastpacker.

1. Sleeping bag, pad and repair kit: My Katabatic Gear Palisade quilt is good down to about freezing. I attach it to my Thermarest NeoAir XLite NXT pad. I always bring a patch and glue for the pad on trips over one night.
2. Pack: Salomon 20l pack and two ultralight stuff sacks. This is a great bag for trips with a tarp, bivi or ultralight tent.
3. Poles: I trust Leki and have never had a breakage. Poles are very useful for fastpacking with higher pack weights.
4. Water bottles: Two soft flasks, one with a filter cap, and a 1L platypus.
5. Phone and camera: My Sony RX100 fits into one of the front pockets of the Salomon pack.
6. Credit card and cash: For emergencies
7. Paper maps: lighter than an additional power bank for phone charging.
8. Watch and headtorch: The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro + solar lasts many days on the right battery setting. The Petzl Bindi headtorch is ideal for use around camp: you get 200 lumens for 35g.
9. Ancillary items: Toilet paper, sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, anti-chafe cream, soap, hand sanitiser, first aid kit (length of kinesio tape, antiseptic wipes, mini scissors), trowel.
10. Tarp, pegs, groundsheet: The Gossamer Gear Twinn Tarp is a mid-range tarp weighing 277g. The 50g Polycro footprint feels absurdly thin, but it does the job of protecting you from the ground.
11. Pot, mini cleaning cloth, lighter, gas, spoon: A titanium pot big enough for boiling water for two dehydrated meals at the same time, a Light My Fire sparker (and a spare), and the all-important aluminium spoon. For the lightest trips, I leave the collapsible Sea to Summit mug at home.
12. Light waterproof jacket: This is an Arc’teryx piece in GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY – waterproof, comfortable and breathable, though fragile.
13. Merino t shirt: It’s got to be a merino blend, so as to have the comfort and smell advantages of merino with the quicker drying benefits of synthetic.
14. Long-sleeved base layer: This is a very light one. For colder trips I’d choose a long-sleeved t shirt and make this one a really thick option.
15. Running shorts: Ideally these would have pockets for storage.
16. Warm jacket: My go-to warm layer is the Berghaus Vapourlight Hypertherm pull-on. This thin synthetic layer weighs 150g and has a half-length zip.
17. Running leggings: Optional for warmth at camp.
18. Running shoes: Whichever are most appropriate to the terrain you’ll be on.
19. Socks and underwear: Two pairs of socks (doubling up as mitts!). I really like Drymax socks.
20. Accessories: Sunglasses (no hard case), midge net, Powerstretch gloves (good balance of warmth versus weight), OMM Core beanie (just 18g) and a baseball cap.

Fastpacking by Lily Ddu is good further reading for anyone with an interest – it’s published by Cicerone (£16.95, cicerone.co.uk).