Trail Life: Ray Jardine's Lightweight Backpacking

by Ray Jardine

This could be the most important book about backpacking that you will ever read. There are a few names that have revolutionized the sport of backpacking, Ed Garvey, Colin Fletcher, Harvey Manning and of course the Master of lightweight backpacking Ray Jardine. Ray's book 'Beyond Backpacking' revolutionized long distance backpacking by showing hikers how to cut the weight out and exploding myths about heavy equipment. Much of the lightweight backpacking equipment and styles today were inspired by Ray and his groundbreaking book. Now long out of print Ray and his erstwhile hiking partner and wife Jenny have revised and updated that classic book with Trail Life. Trail Life is chock full of lightweight hiking ideas that will further revolutionize the sport. Written in a kinder, gentler style, Trail Life will be the new standard reference book for the sport of backpacking. If you plan to hike the AT, PCT, CDT or ADT not buying this book would be just silly. And if you have ever thought your pack weighed too much on a week long hike well then this book can help you too.Each section is broken down into many chapters that cover all aspects of long distance lightweight hiking.How to make you own gear.This is the most comprehensive long distance hiking guide ever written.The author and his wife have hiked well over 25,000 miles and all the well known trails as well as a myriad of other trails. Their experiences will prove to be an invaluable guide for those who love to hike and those who seek the solitude of the woods..Binding - Paper.Pages - 399.Author - Ray Jardine.Publisher - Adventure Lore Press.Year - 2008.ISBN - 9780963235978.

Genres: Outdoors, Nonfiction, Travel, Adventure, Sports, Guides, Nature

399 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Colin Robinson]

The man is a nut, but an informative nut.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's classic Jardine".
This 2009 publication is the updated version of Ray's classic 1990 "Beyond Backpacking". It details his present system of long distance thru-hiking, which i based on "25,000 Miles of Trail-Tested Know-How".
It is not on Amazon.com, and may not be. Ray is distributing the book himself. My copy came 2 days after I ordered it through his web site. There are no references to any specific products by outdoor manufacturers, as is the case in the usual gear/ backpacking review book. Ray's own products are promoted.
The book is heavily Pacific Crest Trail based, which is understandable, give the Jardine's ( includes wife Jenny's perspectives). Ray's new home made pack is under a pound, and his base weight is 8.44 pounds. Extensive information about sewing your own gear is contained in the chapter on making your own stuff.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the two page author's profile, which is a staggering list of Herculean achievements in multiple sports: skydiving (2,591 jumps in 2.5 years), a 2 month and 28 day AT thru hike, extensive wilderness canoeing and kayaking excursions, long distance bicycle tours, and a 740 mile ski to the South Pole.
The writing is to the point, and readable. I liked the chapter on physical conditioning.
The book is crammed with original thinking, "who the hell cares what anyone thinks about my angle on this" observations, and thought provoking glimpses on accepted trail practices. This is the man who brought lightweight backpacking to the masses, when we were all carrying 50 and 60 pound packs. For example, " Some dentists think that toothpaste actually complicates various gum problems", and then, "At home, Jenny and I brush our teeth, not using toothpaste, but with our home-made soap.."
I think Ray is on to something, and the book has challenged my own increasingly set ways about backpacking. I now plan to sew my own tarp ( 11.89 oz.) and experiment with it this season. I may very well get my own base weight down to 13 pounds this year.
Where the heck can I find some corn spaghetti?

[Brett Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jardine is a genuine adventurer. His 25,000 miles of trail experience just scratches the surface of his sweeping array of accomplishments.

This man has put in the hours on the trail & diligently refined his system of lightweight backpacking, which he refers to as "the Ray Way."

Jardine has engineered the system shared in this book from the ground up over several decades. The first edition of this book was a pioneering impetus for many lightweight backpacking techniques that now are widely popular. Several times in the book, Jardine presented elegant solutions to problems I had struggled against in vain while on the trail.

This text provides superb coverage of backpacking that would benefit hikers of all experience levels. Jardine invites all to awaken our senses and view long distance backpacking through the same refining eye he has used to developed the many techniques covered in the text. A highly inspiring read, which I recommend heartily.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book from an amazing hiker about how to improve both performance and hiking experiences by paring down and getting with nature- complete with advice on through hiking and patterns for making your lightweight packs and gear. We've adopted some of the easier recommendations here, and there seems to be a good argument for implementing the more extreme ones for through hikers- that you will make better mileage with less wear AND enjoy the trail more by lessening your load. I agree that in some bits there is little differentiation between what is proven fact and what worked the best for Ray and Jenny, and that this could have been clarified a bit more. And I don't know about the mental state of mind needed to repel mosquitos. But if you are looking for advice from someone who knows the trail, has methodically researched ways to improve his hiking experience through lightweight approaches and want to know what worked for him, this is the book for you!

[Laura Leaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rousing and practical; this is a book that makes me want to quit my job and head for the hills. I'm not going to be sewing my own backpack or crafting my own sun umbrella, but everything else seems fairly doable. I shall find out, no doubt, next month. Love, love, Jardine's myth-busting of "gear" salesmen.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this handbook which I was gifted would have lots of information I already knew, and while that is somewhat true, I enjoyed it nonetheless! As I've learned about backpacking in the past year or so it seems as if lightweight (and now ultralight) is the standard, but this book and discussions surrounding it made me realize how that wasn't always true, and how much Jardine did to bring about that change. Some of the tips read a bit silly (e.g., Jardine's manifestos about corn pasta), but the majority of the content was very useful. Before reading I was nervous about starting my attempt in May, but Jardine's itineraries, thoughts on the safety of starting early vs. late, and about how hiking efficiently can be just as enjoyable (and even more-so) than a relaxed pace all helped assuage those fears.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Jardine is beyond amazing. He has hiked/paddled/climbed/skied practically everywhere, with many ultra-long-distance treks under his belt. And under the belt of his wife as well, who shares these pages and is clearly also tough as nails and fit as 100 fiddles. The Jardines are justly famed for having assessed the hiking gear industry and found it wanting in simplicity and feather lightness. They sew their own minimalist packs and sleep under tarps even in mosquito country. Ray hikes along with his tiny pack slung across one shoulder. They are fairly rabid about ultra lightness and about self sufficiency and a frugal and keen (and in my case aging) backpacker will pick up many useful and tips that will lighten her load, spare her pocketbook, and increase her enjoyment. For me the strongest message is that you don't need all the gear and everything doesn't have to have a brand name on it. The Jardines even remove brand names from purchased items or sew patches on top of them. The point is to plan for what you need and truly evaluate what you need for comfort, and to recognize we can be in nature without being completely bubble wrapped. It's a technical book and one to refer to as needed. Lots of helpful information with the added tang of the Jardines' single-mindedness and highly driven personalities.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ray Jardine played a significant role in popularizing an ultralight approach to backpacking. Beyond backpacking is a follow-up to his book are how to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. This book has a few flaws. First, it don't recognize the extreme vital cottage gear markets which provides excellent equipment to people who don't plan to sew their own items. Second, Ray doesn't clearly delineate between thinks that are just his opinion and things which have factual basis. Finally, I think there are places were Ray is just wrong and I think there is good science to debuke his perspective such as the superiority of corn pasta."

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book radically changed my thinking about how to backpack. It is a must read for those who want to continue backpacking past the age of fifty! However this book has ramifications beyond backpacking; perhaps best described by the old Quaker song ''Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free." Hooray for the Ray-way!!

[Tom Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent info from an experienced expert. There is that weight/comfort tradeoff in backpacking, but who realizes that the bottom of a sleeping bag is compressed by your weight and useless? Read and digest and make your own tradeoffs, learning from a guy who picks up a stick in his last mile before camp to use as his ten pole!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray has his opinions but a lot of good advice on light weight backpacking. The latest addition has removed a few of the goofier notions, like repelling mosquitoes by having the right frame of mind. Ray's a bright guy with some clever solutions.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I followed the advice of one of my Grand Canyon river friends when I told him I was was contemplating a return to backpacking, perhaps with the goal of hiking the Middle Fork of the Salmon that I have joyfully floated many times. Ironically, my last backpacking trip into the Bench Lakes in the Sawtooths preceded my first trip down the Middle Fork. Remembering the heavy packs and the tough hiking, I was the more taken in by how nice it was to load everything needful thing and then some on a raft without regard to weight or bulk. Jardine's starting premise is that, of course we get discouraged with backpacking when we think in terms of 40+ pound packs. I appreciate his specific encouragement and direction that covers everything from sewing your own pack to making the most of adversity to the familiar challenges of re-entry. I found the outdoor fabric supplier he used and recommended less than 100 miles from here. They were as helpful and confidence encouraging. So far I have learned to operate the sewing machine and sewn a cap, mittens and a ditty bag. I look forward to tackling the tarp, sleeping quilt and pack before the snow is off the mountains and I can get out there and explore and enjoy the mountains around us and beyond. (BTW- I think I can avoid becoming a minimalist backpacking curmudgeon zealot :) )

[Gnörf Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray's legendary pioneering status in the ultralight backpacking world puts a lot of expectations on this book. I loved the first few chapters describing his ultralight philosophy. Despite being very familiar with it through its osmosis into the broader thru hiker scene, I think he does an excellent job of distilling it to its essence. Probably due to all the time he spent justifying his techniques in the 70s to the military style crowd.

The rest of the book didn't have too many insights to me and I find a lot of his more niche advice really strange and not useful, but I think it speaks to how creative and unorthodox of a mind he has. The food section was the strangest of all and filled with the most pseudoscience, I cannot imagine how a diet of unsalted hand cracked whole grains that you need to fully boil, with no real seasonings (he calls these "excitotoxins" and claims they lead to strokes), plus fresh vegetables, is practical, but I guess it works for him. Good for him. He doesn't get into some of his more infamous pseudoscience, such as his electric blood cleaner, but I'd recommend checking out that link before you read to get an idea of the type of guy you're dealing with here.

[asogi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, easy to read, highly educational. I wish I read this before buying any gear. Even though I thought I knew about backpacking, this book contained non-conventional information that you can't learn by spending more time in REI or looking at backpacking magazines. I will admit that there was one section mentioning the author's interest in repelling mosquitos with the mind. But the rest of the advice was extremely compelling, useful, and based on reality, so I prefer to just pretend like that wasn't there. It was an isolated section in a book where everything else was worth reading. It includes such necessary yet seldom-discussed subjects such as how to:

- sew your own gear
- pitch a tarp in every possible way
- actually eat proper nutrients, on and off the trail
- tie knots
- deal with lightning, snakes, bears, cougars, ticks, and mosquitos
- traverse and read snow
- turn a thru-hike idea into reality
- do a successful resupply
- find and select a hiking partner
- ford a creek
- achieve 20+ mile days
- have the right hiking philosophy
- maintain a positive mindset

Highly recommended.

[Molly Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially just a guide to backpacking from one person’s perspective. Certainly some good considerations within it but mostly a guide based on preference and lacking some considerations. With the existence of the internet and other more comprehensive resources, this is less relevant today and really only worth a skim if wanting a deeper guide in one place as opposed to multiple internet articles.

[Drew Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now outdated by about three decades but undeniably inspiring, "Beyond Backpacking" is Ray Jardine's seminal work, first published in 1992. The specifics may have changed, but Ray Jardine's attitude created a huge change in backpacking, pioneering the style known as ultralight hiking. "Beyond Backpacking" is worth browsing even now (2024) to get a taste of Jardine's infectious idea that less weight on one's back equals more fun moving down the trail.

[Gretchen Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading, because it is a classic. The dated parts, like the long discussion about film processing, are kind of humorous. But obviously, he is a nut!! And an egocentric didactic nut at that. Not to say some of his ideas aren't powerful and have been adopted by the greater number of hikers, and some should be considered and possibly adopted. Good food for thought.

[Laura S]

This was an important book that helped shape some early adventures! I always tried to keep my pack under 30lbs. and was even a weirdo who’d cut the handle off my toothbrush because it added to my weight! It was a chapter of my life that started with some momentous failures, but I learned from them and ended up with some good stories and a lot of confidence gained.

[Charity Gillihan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read the 'lightweight' perspective on hiking, and he really does make some powerful points in its favor. The sections on making your own gear are way beyond my skill level, though.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent advice herein.

[Ericka Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best backpacking book I’ve ever read.
I read it once a year.
The reason I pack light!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the advice here is gold, even for somewhat experienced backpackers. Well-written, too.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray is a radical in the most creative and rational sense.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot's of helpful information, but also a lot of condescension. I could have done without the bits about whole grains or the evils of packaged food.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got 186 pages into the Handbook before I left for my first backpacking trip, and the tips in here were fantastic. Mostly, the author inspires confidence with his endless resourcefulness and common sense. And while I didn't plan to hike 25-33 miles per day at 2.75 mph (!!), I figured my first trip was going to *feel* like that. (It did.) He talks about training, nutrition, foot care, hygiene, pack weight, improvising, first aid, and many more things, all of which are extreme but helpful. He also addresses motivation, goals, pacing yourself, and maintaining a positive attitude. It was really an inspiring book loaded with great information for any level of hiker. I recommend it to anyone going backpacking, even if you are just going for a few days. Apparently his other books are great too; I think it is approach and attitude overall that are so helpful.

[Alyson Indrunas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I am not a lightweight backpacker, and I don't think I'll ever be. This book did have some good tips about food, packing an umbrella(!), and how to pack your pack. Ray knows his hiking, and I learned some things about being in the backcountry that I'll use on my next trip. For the record, Ray, not all mountain bikers are "adrenaline junkies." As a hiker and a mountain biker, I like the same things about being in nature whether I am on foot or on my bike. Not every rider is like what you see on Red Bull commercials. And while I'm preaching here, we really should work together to keep trail access for all legs and wheels. Or we'll lose to the McMansion builders and/or loggers who want nothing more than to take our trails for their profit.

[Timothy Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reminder that you don't need to carry a 70-lb pack or spend a ton of money on gear to head for the backcountry and have a good time. I won't be sewing my own gear (this time), but I appreciate the plans.
As with any one-man effort, quirkiness abounds, and Jardine has strong opinions about all sorts of things that are...well...matters of opinion. But I reckon anybody who's hiked the PCT, AT and CD trails -- some of them more than once -- can be expected to harbor some strong opinions, and has a right to them. You don't learn everything there is to know in the first hundred miles. The book is jammed with good ideas, and I plan to put several of them to work when I go on retreat later this summer. Well worth the time.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was initially hesitant to look into the whole ultra-light thing, since some of its adherents have a kind of cult-ish attitude towards it, but my dad convinced me to read this, and my attitudes have definitely changed. Yes, some of the stuff in the book is a bit...fanatical (sewing over logos? Refusing to eat products made with processed flour?), but if you exercise a healthy skepticism while reading it, there's a TON of great information to be had, not to mention some great philosophically-oriented sections addressing peoples' attitudes behind hiking and gear. I look forward to trying many of these ideas.

[Greyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one to return to. Acts as much as a philosophy of nature exploration as a travel guide, and serves both purposes wonderfully. Will definitely return as I plan my Isle Royale trip next spring.

On the spectrum of Jardine (1) to an REI catalog (10), my preferences are probably about a 3.

Bonus points for this copy since the great Bill Cronon read and underlined many of the most abstract passages.

[Martha☀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the guide for light-weight backpacking. I have read it and continue to use it as a reference for any camping trip. Not only does Jardine have incredibly logical ideas about how to reduce pack-weight, he delves deeply into backpacking topics, such as what to eat, what to wear and how far to travel each day. Amazing!