A Guide to Low-Waste Backpacking
Whether you’re a beginner backpacker or know the backwoods like the back of your hand, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before setting off to commune with Mama Nature!
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Where will we go? This one’s a definite, it’s hard to make a plan if you don’t know where you’re going. The next and less obvious question, how will we deal with the inevitable waste we produce when we’re out in nature - both our trash and human waste?
The zero-waste movement is growing in popularity, with more and more folks becoming conscious of the waste they produce. The goal is to send as little as possible to the landfill. And while many people have already made the switch to low-waste homes, there’s one important part of low or zero-waste living that is often overlooked - how to do it when you’re recreating in nature.
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Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I moved into my van nearly four years ago because I wanted to be closer to nature. Not long into our life on the road, I made the shift to low-waste. But I realized that whenever I loaded up my pack and hit the trail, my waste-free principles went out the window. So I challenged myself to do better.
Last summer I experimented with zero-waste backpacking trips. As it turns out, there was a bit of a steep learning curve. It required a lot of planning and prepping - making lists, reevaluating my gear. It also meant obtaining a level of awareness about my waste consumption that I never had before. Of course, I could have just done it the way I always had, with convenient pre-packaged meals, snacks and single-use products. But all that waste adds up.
In the end, I learned the importance of planning ahead, recognizing that waste begins with the choices we make as consumers. This is especially true for single-use plastic, which inevitably ends up in landfills or in our oceans - and it will outlive us all.
