At the end of a recent ultralight backpacking class Paul Randolph and I were teaching for PWV members, I made some ill-considered comment about the real reason for taking weight out of my backpack was so I could carry the new Corona saw I purchased to "cut all those trees" off my favorite trails. "I love to cut trees," I declared. I had no idea anyone was listening.

Backpacker.com offers these tips to keep your gear working as long as possible.

Leave No Trace (LNT) is both a set of practical rules to protect wilderness and an educational program to teach the rules and increase awareness of them. The program is described on the LNT Website. The following text is taken from LNT and reprinted with their permission.