The little luxuries | Press

The hiker arrives at the refuge with a tiny backpack. Tracy Généreux is getting ready to travel the 650 kilometers of the International Appalachian Trail with the bare minimum: a tarp as a tent, a small sleeping bag, a small mattress, very little clothing. However, in a waist bag, it carries an SLR camera with a respectable weight.

Marie Tison
Press

It’s her only luxury, she cares about it. Even though she swallows the miles at high speed, she never misses the chance to take a beautiful photo.

“Having my camera is a way of expressing my creativity on the trail, but also coming home when I edit my photos,” says Tracy Généreux, a concept artist by profession. It allows me to relive and share special moments with a more personalized, more artistic touch. “

Since they carry everything on their backs, hikers are very sensitive to weight. Whether they’re setting out on a quiet little trail for the day or embarking on weeks of expedition, they don’t want to carry more kilograms than they need to. They get the lightest gear on the market, especially when it comes to long hikes. They make heartbreaking choices between this or that piece of clothing: rain pants can be very comfortable, but it’s heavy. Hop, we leave at home. Two pairs of spare socks? No, a pair is enough. And so on.

But almost everyone gives themselves the right to bring a little something that may not seem essential at first glance… but that is really, really important.

For Jean-François Gauthier, it’s the espresso machine. “It’s essential so that I don’t kill my partners in the morning,” he explains. I cut on clothes or food if necessary. ”

For many hikers, indeed, coffee is not a luxury, but a necessity. For others, hot chocolate is what is needed to get the day off to a good start.

A small, absolutely unscientific in-house survey of seasoned hikers shows that chocolate is also a little luxury that often fits in the backpack. Several hikers also carry fresh fruit. An apple, an orange, a grapefruit, it is still quite heavy because of its water content. But they think the extra weight is worth it.

“It’s a change from the camping food, which is generally not very refreshing,” explains Joëlle Dupont.

If a hiker brings a small can of beer (to cool off in the stream when arriving at camp), another does not leave without some gin in an ultralight bottle. Nothing like it to properly pass a freeze-dried meal. Some people swear by pastis, others prefer Calva. Still others will go for a little marijuana, perfectly light.

Precious pillow

Long-distance hikers will often make sacrifices in terms of comfort in order to lighten their burden. But there is one piece of equipment that can still be found in many backpacks: a small inflatable pillow.

“Before, I did not drag and I organized myself with the means at hand, like pieces of clothing”, comments Julie Vézina.

But now, the pieces of clothing eventually settle down overnight and everything becomes as comfortable as a concrete pillow. Inflatable pillows for camping or on the plane are a little softer, if you take care not to inflate them too much.

Minimalist hikers don’t bother with camp shoes like sandals or bighorns (chunky camp slippers). However, many consider that they are essential and that they are worth the extra weight “to have dry and / or warm feet,” says Jean-Claude Lefebvre.

Many hikers also store a book in the backpack, whether it’s an e-reader (you can download an entire library, enough to occupy countless evenings) or a good old paper book. . For the latter, it is essential – “even if sometimes I am so tired that I do not even read a page and I fall asleep!” », Comments Julie Vézina.

Sometimes the “little luxury” would almost require hiring a sherpa! “A cell phone, a solar panel, spare batteries, a mini-tripod and two small cameras to make a nice video edit on the way back”, lists Julie Paquette.

The little luxury is often what will make the difference between a great hike and a truly rewarding hike. “I take my wide-angle observation binoculars from time to time to observe the fauna, mainly flying,” says Xavier Glorot.