Short People Make Better Hikers

You have to give us short people something. I’m just joking about being better hikers, but I think short people have several advantages when hiking. And we always get the short end of the stick (pun intended) in everything else in life.

This is meant to be a fun post… so take it that way. I’m short, always have been, and I’m getting shorter as I get older, haha! I remember the first day of high school when they handed out lockers. In my high school lockers there were boxes 6 tall in columns. I just had the feeling that they were going to give me one of the best. You see, although I could reach the top one, it wasn’t high enough to see the number at the top of the dial. So I couldn’t open it. As I walked down the hall, holding the paper with my locker number and combination in my hand, my anxiety increased. Of course, when I got to the right hallway, as I scanned the lockers, my assigned locker was on the top row. Needless to say, already embarrassed, I had to go to the principal’s office on the first day and ask them to assign me a different locker.

In my high school it was important to fit in, but that was impossible for me as the shortest person in the entire school. The good thing is that I learned to develop a sense of humor and joke about myself. It built character, :).

In life, short people don’t have many advantages. But I’ve found that we have several key advantages when it comes to backpacking and, hopefully, hiking. Here are some that I have found:

Package weight

If you are short, then you have smaller clothes. Smaller clothes mean lighter clothes. Clothes are one of the heaviest things in your backpack.

If you are short, you can use a short sleeping pad. A short mat means a lighter mat.

If you are short, you can use a short sleeping bag or quilt. A short sleeping bag or quilt means a lighter sleeping bag or quilt.

You get the idea. By the way, smaller items mean less volume needed in your backpack. A smaller volume package means a lighter package.

Stability

If you are shorter, then you have a lower center of gravity. According to physics, a lower center of gravity means you are more stable on your feet. More stability means being more stable on uneven terrain with less chance of falling.

If you are shorter, you typically have less total mass. Less mass means less kinetic energy when falling. Less kinetic energy means less chance of serious injury.

Agility

If you are shorter, you are usually more agile and can fit through tighter spaces. This is useful on the trail when ducking under blowdowns and navigating through brush. You are at a slight disadvantage if you have to climb obstacles, but being more agile when climbing helps reduce your chances of injury.

Also, as a side note, it seems that hostels tend to have tight spaces for bunk beds, showers, and bathrooms in general. At least the couple I’ve been with did. A smaller, shorter person has the advantage of navigating them much more easily than a taller person.

Conclusion

Short people make better hikers than tall people, haha! Not really, but at least we have some advantages. We need them since the rest of our lives are more difficult…

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