Going Light: My Trail Running Switch from Heavy Hiking Gear

Daily · Published 10/10/2022 ·

For a long stretch I hiked in full kit — mid-cut boots, a big backpack, the works.

And the longer you’ve been doing something a certain way, the harder it is to change your style.

But here’s the thing: anything involving exercise should be light. There’s nothing good about being heavy.

Look at running shoes — that’s a whole field where people fight to shave off a few measly grams.

I’ve been shifting my own style over toward trail running, so I’m swapping out my gear too. I figured there’s no reason hiking has to mean hauling heavy stuff around.

This is a seriously sturdy vest-style pack.

It’s got cabling on the outside so you can rig up all sorts of accessories. And as you can see in the photo, you can slot your trekking poles right in.

The front holds soft flasks, your phone, and other snacks for the trail.

I mostly use soft flasks — I put in two 600ml ones and drank from them in turn. If you only drink from one side, the weight can end up lopsided, so the recommendation is to alternate.

Two 500ml flasks already gets you to a liter. There’s extra water inside the pack, so once the 500ml flask in the shoulder strap runs dry, you just top it back up.

Because it’s a vest style, even as the weight climbs you don’t get pressure concentrated on one spot — it feels like the load is spread across your whole upper body. That day I deliberately packed a bit extra water, and went overboard on the snacks too.

The pack came to around 5kg. I could feel the weight, but it didn’t really restrict my movement.

Sometimes with a pack that distributes weight poorly, you’ll lose your balance for a second or feel yourself getting tugged backward — none of that with the vest style.

At 15 liters it’s plenty for a ridge traverse, so I plan to use it often.

There’s a lot of great gear out there these days.

These are the Hoka Tecton X.

They’ve got Vibram grip, and for hiking here in Korea they handled the climbs without any real trouble.

Breathability is fine, and the laces don’t come undone easily.

There was a time I thought you’d be asking for trouble if you didn’t wear mid-cut boots. Roll an ankle, get injured, that kind of thing.

I still don’t think that’s wrong, honestly. It’s just that boots come with the downside of being heavy and clunky.

Even in this lighter setup, I had no problem climbing mountains over 800 meters.

That said, hiking and running — any exercise, really — always carries a risk of injury. Stretching diligently on a regular basis helps a lot.

The 600ml soft flask I bought from a domestic seller keeps leaking. I’d assumed they’re all made in China so the quality would be much the same, but apparently that’s not the case. Looks like I’ll have to reorder from a brand I can actually trust. I should dig up some reviews from people who’ve used the ones with an extension straw to see if that’s the better way to go.

#BlackDiamond #Distance15 #BoughtItMyself #VestPack #SoftFlask #Hiking #TrailRunning #HokaTectonX

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