The Lightweight Backpacker Web Site

    Rarely does one find a Web site that is easy to use, useful, aesthetically pleasing and independently owned and operated.  One such site is The Lightweight Backpacker. This site is operated by Charles Lindsey and can be found at https://www.backpacking.net.  Rightfully so, this site has won many awards, including the "Best of the Net" award from this site.

    What makes The Lightweight Backpacker such a good site is its quality, and quantity of advice.  The site takes you through the process of acquiring gear; what to look for when your planning and purchasing something new.  If you are still in the market, check out the site's gear reviews, if not, contribute your own information or review.

    The real highlight of this site is in the content.  There is no lightweight content here, this site is heavy with good advice.  One of the most useful pages is the 27 Pound, 7 Day Pack, which features excellent advice on what to take and the philosophy behind lightweight packing.  Other excellent features are Packweight Reduction Tips, the basic gear checklist as well as a seasonal checklist. Finally, perhaps the future pack weight rule of thumb is mentioned in the article called Packweight is Relative.

    If you are new to the sport, check out Charles's advice for beginning backpackers.  There is a ton of information for newbies (pun intended), including backcountry ethics.  You can also see photographs of of locations and lightweight gear, including sleeping bags, tents and accessories.

    Finally, you can get interactive by reading one of several editorials and give your own opinion in one of several forums.  If your tired of cyberspace, you can bring information and goods together in our dimension by purchasing a book or some gear directly from the site!

    The bottom line is that this site is one of the best on the Web, corporate or not.  The information here is vital to any backpacker; it is presented without flash or time consuming "Loading Java..." messages or annoying pop-up advertising windows.  All I can say to Mr. Lindsey is to keep up the good work!

Chris Kallio
Backpacking.MiningCo.Com