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Fastpacking is a portmanteau of distance trail running and lightweight backpacking merged into one epic outdoor adventure.
Basically, you’re moving swiftly – mostly trail running or jogging, at times power hiking – whilst traversing longer distances with a light essential gear just adequate for a multi-day adventure allowing you to escape the crowds, access wilder parts of the backcountry and experience the great outdoors in a shorter time than if you were just tramping, backpacking or trail running.
Fastpacking is a fast-growing niche in the world of ultralight adventure. Underpinning this activity is the ‘fast and light’ and ‘less is more’ mentality. Unlike any other adventure, it’s unique because, unlike ultrarunning, you carry all the essential gear including a sleeping system, and food on a lightweight pack for a multi-day trip. And unlike heavy backpacking, you rely on your minimal gear weighing almost half that of a traditional hiker’s.
While fastpacking, you’re pushing your comfort zone, constantly challenging yourself both physically and mentally. It’s a fascinating sport that empowers you to be self-reliant and sufficient, completely on your own feet to address unforeseeable risk, making sure you’re nourished and safe while immersed in wild surroundings.
New Zealand has extensive, large swaths of wilderness, along with a good network of well-connected and maintained trails, making it a standout example for fastpacking. The best part is that with the country’s government-run hut system, the place inspires fastpacking adventures and exemplifies the lore embedded in the adventure-spirited demographic of the country.
Tsewang Nuru Sherpa
Hut-to-hut running is popular in New Zealand.
Indeed, in a country famous for towering mountains, rugged coastlines, and amiable locals, fastpacking allows an ideal framework for exploring. Particularly, hut-to-hut running is popular in New Zealand where a network of backcountry huts operated by the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides a sanctuary to spend a warm night, enjoy hot meals, and travel light, encompassing the true essence of fastpacking.
On one of my recent fastpacking trips in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, I travelled to the oldest hut in the Mt Cook National Park, Sefton Bivouac. The tiny timber-framed, orange-dot, peaking across the valley from Mueller Hut, has served generations of climbers and thousands of overnighters.
Fastpacking through the famous Hooker Valley in the Mt Cook National Park, up the Footstool to Sefton Bivvy can be quite arduous – but compared to the crowds you’ll face in the region itself, it’s a more secluded alternative.
Tsewang Nuru Sherpa
On the way to Sefton Bivvy, overlooking the majestic Aoraki Mt Cook.
The challenge of fastpacking over the steep cliffs, exposed rock faces, no marked trail, and a gruelling ascent to reach a bivvy is a slog. However, the idea of staying in one of New Zealand’s oldest backcountry huts under the gigantic Te Waewae Glacier with views that stretch until the azure glacial blue of Lake Pukaki outweigh everything.
More adventure-seekers are in strong pursuit of fastpacking trips in New Zealand, with several days out and about in the wild. Fastpacking doesn’t have to be just spending multiple days in the wild, it could also mean an out-and-back, overnight trip at your own leisurely pace.
It’s about understanding your limits and exploring the great outdoors at your pace. The reward is the journey itself and the adrenaline of running light and fast. Quite simply, if you enjoy running, fastpacking is just another wonderful medium to explore and it is for everyone.
What to take for fastpacking?
Tsewang Nuru Sherpa
The interior of Sefton Bivvy with my sleeping system.
The key to fastpacking lies in its simplicity, lightweight equipment, and streamlining all your essential equipment needed for a multi-day journey, without skimping or compromising on safety and comfort. My packing system for Sefton Bivvy, which would be applicable for all fastpacking trips, is outlined below:
– Lightweight backpack: A lightweight pack is key, helping you with storage, comfort, and mobility. Heavier packs can cause chafing issues and lead to faster fatigue. I carried a 30-litre pack.
– Clothing: Trail running clothes that are fast-drying and insulating materials like merino wool are the best option with extra warm dry layers including pullovers, down jacket, socks, rain jacket and windbreaker shell. For the shoes, trail running shoes with a good grip and support are recommended.
– Sleeping system: Sleeping bag, pad, and tent, or an ultralight combo such as a bivvy sack is an ideal option.
– Food: A compact stove, fuel canisters, dehydrated foods are the most common food source, with energy bars, and gels. One to two litres of water at a time is adequate to stay hydrated.
– Phones, cameras, hiking poles, maps, GPS receivers, sun-protection, headlamp, first-aid, water-purification system, and an emergency blanket.
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