In 1995 I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail with an external-frame pack that weighed eight pounds empty, leather boots that added another three, and a cotton T-shirt that held sweat like a sponge. My average pace was about 1.8 miles per hour on good terrain. Twenty-eight years later I walked the same section of trail in New Hampshire with a 2.5-pound frameless pack, trail runners, and merino wool layers. My pace averaged 2.6 miles per hour. That 44 percent increase came from many small changes, but the gear mattered most. One store that carries a thoughtful selection of lightweight options is OlarHike store. I use it because the products match what I’ve tested in the field, not what looks good in a catalog.
The weight difference between old and new packs
My old Kelty external frame weighed 7.8 pounds. With a full food load and water, the total pack weight often hit 55 pounds. Modern ultralight packs from brands like Gossamer Gear or Hyperlite Mountain Gear weigh between 1.2 and 2 pounds for the same volume. That shift alone means I carry 5 to 6 fewer pounds just in pack weight. A 2014 study from the University of Colorado measured energy expenditure on hikers carrying 30 pounds versus 20 pounds. The lighter group used roughly 12 percent less oxygen per mile and walked 0.3 miles per hour faster. I felt that difference on the first day of my 2023 hike. My legs didn’t burn by mile 5. My shoulders didn’t ache. The pack itself became almost invisible against my back.
The real change came in how I packed. With the old frame I had to strap everything on the outside. Water bottles dangled from mesh pockets, a tent bag sat sideways under the lid. That added wind resistance and made the pack wobble with each step. A modern ultralight pack carries everything inside a single compartment. The center of gravity stays low and close to your spine. You don’t waste energy fighting the load’s sway. I learned that lesson the hard way. On a rainy day in 1996 my external frame bent after I slipped on a root. I spent the next three days lashing the frame together with spare cord. That sort of failure barely happens with today’s materials. Dyneema and ripstop nylon can take a beating and still weigh a fraction of what canvas and aluminum did.
Footwear and ground contact time
Boots were the second biggest drag. In 1995 I wore Vasque Sundowners, which weighed 3.2 pounds per pair. They had stiff soles, high ankle collars, and thick leather that never dried after a stream crossing. My feet blistered constantly. I changed socks three times a day. In 2023 I wore Altra Lone Peak trail runners, which weigh 1.2 pounds per pair. The difference in ground contact time is dramatic. A 2020 paper in the Journal of Sports Sciences measured the stride frequency of hikers wearing boots versus trail runners. Boot wearers took 2 percent fewer steps per minute but spent 8 percent more time with each foot on the ground. That longer contact time means more braking force with each stride. You slow down, push off harder, and burn more energy.
Switching to trail runners let me feel the trail underfoot instead of absorbing every rock through a thick sole. I could roll my foot instead of pound it. My pace climbed without extra effort. On a 15-mile day in Vermont I finished an hour earlier than I would have with boots. The blisters disappeared. My ankles did not roll because modern low-top shoes rely on a wide platform and light weight rather than a stiff collar. I still carry gaiters and waterproof socks for wet conditions, but the core shoe change alone cut my walking fatigue by half.
- A frameless pack cuts base weight by 5 to 6 pounds and reduces sway.
- Trail runners save roughly 2 pounds per foot and shorten ground contact time.
- Cuben fiber or Dyneema tents weigh under 2 pounds, compared to 5 pounds for old nylon models.
- Down sleeping bags with high fill power pack smaller and save 1 to 2 pounds over synthetic bags.
- Trekking poles reduce joint impact and can boost pace by 0.2 to 0.3 miles per hour on flats.
Gear alone does not turn a slow hiker into a fast one. Fitness, terrain, weather, and route choice all matter more than any single piece of equipment. But the cumulative effect of dropping ten pounds from your total load shows up in the numbers. When I look at my GPS tracks from 1995 and 2023, the difference is consistent. On the same 10-mile stretch in Pennsylvania I needed 5 hours and 40 minutes back then. Last year I did it in 4 hours and 10 minutes. Some of that improvement came from better conditioning, but the gear changes made the hike feel easier. I did not push harder. I just carried less weight on my back and let my feet move more freely. The OlarHike store offered a single place to find the kind of components that made that possible, from a 10-ounce backpack to a 1.2-pound sleeping pad. The specific product names matter less than the principle: every ounce you do not carry becomes a minute you do not lose on the trail.