I started the journey with a backpack that weighed over 13 kg before food and water. My Camelback bladder holds 3 litres, which I filled with 2 litres, so let’s say my bag was slightly over 15kg to begin.
Chin-Yu’s bag was 8 kg before food and water, so a solid 5 kgs lighter to begin.
As a retired backpacking guide, I truly thought I had paired the contents down to the essentials. However, walking for a month is different from a week of backpacking.
I sent my first package home on Day 3. My bag magically became 1.5 kg lighter, and I sensed it.
I decided early that I didn’t need:
I sent my second package home a bit later, on Day 15, in Ringebu. My bag became another 1.7 kg lighter, for a total of 3.2 kg lighter. By then, I no longer needed:
I think I could have also sent a few pairs of thicker wool socks home, but I didn’t, and I did use them all several times.
Everything else in the bag, I used at least once, though I would exchange some products for different ones. For example, I would bring a second wool t-shirt rather than the two polyester sport t-shirts I also used for walking. I would also bring a small hotel soap and shampoo rather than use the liquid Castile soap which burned my sensitive body parts when used as body soap, and made my hair feel like straw when I used it as shampoo. Instead of 100ml, I might bring 25ml of it as it was useful for hand washing socks and undies.
Stories from the Walk Home 