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Start with the weight you're trying to beat

Most day rucksacks in Britain end up somewhere between eight and twelve kilos, which is roughly double what a summer day on the hills actually requires. That matters more than most people admit. On a gentle valley path you can carry almost anything; on the sustained pull up a Lakeland fell or the long, stony descent off a Munro, every unnecessary kilogram shows up in your knees, your shoulders and your pace. A realistic target for a three-season day hike is a base load of four to six kilos, plus water. Getting there isn't about buying expensive kit. It's mostly about what you leave at home and how you carry what's left.

Pick a pack that fits before you worry about grams

A 300-gram saving on a rucksack is worthless if the pack sits badly. For a day hike you want something in the 20 to 30 litre range: big enough for waterproofs, food, water and a spare layer, small enough that you can't fill it with nonsense.

• Back length first. The hip belt should sit on the top of your hip bones, not round your waist. If it rides up, the load hangs from your shoulders and you'll feel it within an hour.
• Load the belt. Tighten the hip belt before the shoulder straps, then adjust the sternum strap last. Most of the weight should be sitting on your hips.
• Keep it close. A pack that hugs your back swings less on rough ground, which saves far more energy than shaving grams off the fabric ever will.
• Test it loaded. A rucksack that feels lovely empty can become a nagging ache once it's holding a litre and a half of water and a full day's food.

Decant everything you can

Packaging is the easiest weight to remove. A day's food often arrives wrapped in more plastic and cardboard than actual calories, and a full tube of suncream weighs as much as a small flask of tea. Repackage at home into small zip bags and squeeze the air out of each one.

• Food: aim for around 700g to 1kg of dense, high-energy food for a full day — oatcakes, cheese, flapjack, nuts, dried fruit, a decent sandwich. Strip the cardboard, tip the crisps into a bag, and take the amount of suncream you'll actually use in a small bottle.
• Water: a litre weighs a kilogram, so don't casually carry two. On a cool British hill day, a litre to a litre and a half is usually plenty if you know where you can refill. Two 500ml bottles are lighter and easier to manage than one large bladder, and you can see exactly how much is left.
• Safety kit: a small head torch, a whistle, a basic first aid pouch and a foil emergency bag together weigh very little and stay in the pack permanently. Don't trim these — trim the third fleece instead.

If you're walking somewhere without reliable water, carry a lightweight filter or purification tablets rather than extra bottles. The tablets weigh almost nothing and turn a stream into a refill point.

Resist the "what if" trap

Almost everyone overpacks clothing. If the forecast is reasonable, you need one spare insulating layer, waterproof jacket and trousers, a hat and gloves. That's it. The second fleece, the spare trousers kept "just in case" and the full toolkit all stay at home.

Weigh your waterproofs once and you'll see why it pays to buy well here: a good shell at 300g versus a heavy one at 700g is a difference you notice on every climb. Keep waterproofs at the top of the pack or in a side pocket so you can pull them on without unpacking everything. On a British hill, you'll often need them within twenty minutes of setting off, and again twenty minutes later.

Share the group kit, not the personal kit

If you're walking with others, a surprising amount of weight can be divided up before you leave the car park.

• One first aid kit per group, carried by someone who knows how to use it.
• One group shelter between three or four people — genuinely useful on an exposed ridge, and far lighter per person than everyone carrying their own.
• One stove and flask rather than four, if you're planning a brew stop.
• One repair kit with tape, a spare lace and a couple of cable ties.

What you don't share is navigation and personal safety. Everyone should carry their own map, compass and head torch. That's not weight to be clever about — if you get separated in clag, it's the difference between a good story and a call to the mountain rescue team.

Pack it so it actually carries well

How you load a pack matters as much as what's in it. Heavy items — water, food, stove — go in the middle of the pack, close to your spine. Soft, light items like spare clothing go at the bottom. Things you'll want while walking, such as snacks, gloves and a hat, go in hip belt pockets or the lid. Keep the total height of the load low so it doesn't pull you backwards on steep ground.

Before you leave, weigh the loaded pack on the kitchen scales and write the number down. Next time, weigh it again. That simple habit does more for your comfort on the fells than any single piece of kit, because it forces you to notice the small things that quietly add up. A lighter pack isn't about suffering. It's about arriving at the summit with something left in your legs for the descent.