This is the second and much expanded edition of Smarter Backpacking. It contains 40 percent more text and over 50 instructive colour photos.
This book isn't about turning you into an ultralight hiker - it's about making you a better hiker.Drawing on the principles of lightweight and ultralight hiking, it strips away the unnecessary complexity of wilderness travel. It gets to the heart of what truly matters: freedom, simplicity, and joy on the trail. Whether you're a weekend day-hiker or a seasoned thru-hiker, a curious beginner or a globe-trotting adventurer, you'll find practical insights that help you move more comfortably and confidently through the wild. Because no matter who you are,
a lighter pack makes every step lighter.
Jorgen Johansson brings decades of experience from the trails and wilds of Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. His deep knowledge and thoughtful approach to backpacking have inspired hikers all over to embrace a lighter, freer way to walk in nature.
Said about the first edition of Smarter Backpacking:
Jorgen Johansson has a no-nonsense, non-preachy approach, based on his 40 years of wilderness ramblings, designed to help average backpackers shave weight, not comfort or safety, from their loads. -
Kristin Hostetter, gear editor Backpacker Magazine Smarter Backpacking aims to make better hikers through use of ultralight hiking techniques, rather than create more ultralight hikers. The spot-on advice is presented in an easy-reading conversational style, rather than a lecture, like you were sitting around a campfire with Jorgen Johansson. -
Glen Van Peski, Founder and Chairman, Gossamer Gear Some authors have a guru approach that's too specific to their personal hiking style, while others fail in offering practical advice because they're too generic and theoretical. Smarter Backpacking achieves a happy-medium: Jorgen Johansson shares his personal preferences and opinions, but he knows that backpacking is not a "one size fits all-activity" so he is sure to qualify his views and to recognize the views of others. -
Andrew Skurka, renowned long-distance adventurer and a National Geographic "Adventurer of the Year" and Backpacker "Person of the Year"
There have been several books on lightweight and ultra light backpacking since Jardine's. One of the most interesting is Jorgen Johansson's Smarter Backpacking, which is about applying lightweight and ultra light techniques. Jorgen is from Sweden, and his approach shows that lightweight backpacking can work in wet or cold northern climes. -
Chris Townsend, outdoor writer and long-distance hiker, gear editor of TGO Magazine and author of The Backpacker's Handbook Jorgen Johansson distils the complexity of wilderness travel into its simplest core concepts, allowing us to enjoy the freedom of backpacking rather than be encumbered by it. His approach is not only a simpler one, but a vastly smarter one.
-Ryan Jordan, Founder, BackpackingLight.com
