Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

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Zanni ◴[21 Sep 25 12:52 UTC] No.45322277[source]▶

Why your [ultra-light hiker] friend suddenly has [the world's lightest] power bank.

I remember Colin Fletcher, years ago, writing in The Complete Walker about trimming the borders off his paper maps to save weight, which seemed like an insane over-optimization to me. But then, I'm not an ultralight hiker.

I am impressed folks are getting their loads down to 10 pounds though.

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1. binary132 ◴[21 Sep 25 15:06 UTC] No.45323399[source]▶

>>45322277 #

I mean, maybe that makes sense if you carry 50+ pages of maps, but carrying a whole book of maps on a single expedition doesn’t.

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2. JohnFen ◴[21 Sep 25 15:23 UTC] No.45323571[source]▶

>>45323399 (TP) #

Paper is very heavy. Even if you just carry a single map, you could likely save much of an ounce by trimming the borders.

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3. int_19h ◴[21 Sep 25 21:16 UTC] No.45326724[source]▶

>>45323571 #

And then there are things such as maps printed on silk...

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4. eichin ◴[21 Sep 25 23:28 UTC] No.45327613{3}[source]▶

>>45326724 #

... and tyvek (no idea if that wins on weight, but they're disproportionately durable)

5. eru ◴[22 Sep 25 00:58 UTC] No.45328104[source]▶

>>45323571 #

If you are bringing your phone anyway, might as well use that for your mapping needs?

You can have a backup paper map inked on your skin.

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6. prawn ◴[22 Sep 25 01:11 UTC] No.45328173{3}[source]▶

>>45328104 #

I have previously wondered about printed handkerchiefs and bandanas that functioned as backup maps. Invest in my kickstarter!

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7. heelix ◴[22 Sep 25 03:16 UTC] No.45328771{4}[source]▶

>>45328173 #

https://truenorthmapco.com True North makes a great bandana sized map of the BWCA areas.

8. eru ◴[22 Sep 25 06:38 UTC] No.45329809{4}[source]▶

>>45328173 #

That's a great idea!

(Mildly amusing, I first read 'printed handkerchiefs and bananas'. Like paint your map on the skin of your apple, or the shell of your hardboiled eggs.)

9. JohnFen ◴[22 Sep 25 14:06 UTC] No.45333684{3}[source]▶

>>45328104 #

I like to keep my orientering skills sharp, so use a compass and map to navigate. I take my phone with me and it can serve as backup navigation, but I usually just keep it powered off and sealed in a waterproof bag.

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