You’ve heard of backpacking and you may even have heard of fastpacking, but what about slackpacking? I hadn’t heard of it until I hiked the West Highland Way last summer and as I was researching my trip, discovered that many hikers opt to slackpack it. Being keen to have the traditional backpacking experience, I didn’t pay much heed to the idea, but once I got on the trail, I must admit I felt the odd pang of envy during some of those 20-mile days when I passed a carefree slackpacker while i was rubbing my tired feet and I can definitely understand why some hikers do it. Read on to discover this lightweight approach to trail travel, the benefits of slackpacking and how to do it.
