What does your pack weigh?

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balzaccom
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by balzaccom »

We (my wife and I) begin with a total of about 35 pounds between the two of us, not counting food & water. And then we add about 2+ pounds a day for food. So for a 3-4 day trip we are around 45 lbs total plus water. For a seven day trip that get closer to 55 plus water. I usually have about 35 of that weight, and she has about 20. We each carry our own water more or less---about 24 ounces each. But if we are looking at a long dry stretch, we'll carry more.

I still remember meeting three guys about 15 miles into Emigrant Wilderness last summer. They were each carrying about 50 pounds. We were carrying 50 pounds between the two of us. I think we were having more fun. And one of them was hiking with a limp because his knee was killing him.

And yeah--that inclues a couple of pounds of fly fishing stuff, plus a small camera and small binoculars.
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quentinc
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by quentinc »

I'm always in a state of astonishment at people who go out there carrying something like 30 pounds for a whole week trip.

I'm with the heavy folk -- I'm at about 50 pounds. And that is counting no stove/jetboil (I'm a primitive), and no bear canister, and I usually don't carry more than 1/2 quart of water unless I know I'm in for a long dry stretch. The no bear canister rule is because there is no way on earth I could get 7 days of food in a single bear canister, maybe not even in 2 bear canisters.

But I'm into my creature comforts (cold food, notwithstanding), and it's worth the trade off for me. I did buy a super-light Marmot Helium sleeping bag and a North Face R-2 jacket last summer, and that will save maybe 2 pounds. I have an Arcteryx 85 pack, which weighs at least 7 pounds, but I need something that big, and I also need something that is padded enough to be bearable on the hip bones. So mostly I focus more on trimming weight off myself than off the pack.
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balzaccom
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by balzaccom »

Quentic

OK--so you don't have a bear cannister, and you use a light stove. So what the heck is in your pack to get it to 50 pounds? Creature comforts? What are they?

We take enough clothes to stay warm and clean (and wash them occasionally during the trip) and plenty enough food to avoid hunger. We have a bear cannister. My wife takes two sleeping pads. And our packs are not superlights---about 4 pounds. So what ARE you taking along for the trip?

BTW--one of our favorite creature comforts are two small remnants from an old sleeping pad, each about 8X15 inches, They weigh nothing, slide into the bungie cords on the outside of the pack, and cushion us every time we sit down, whether it is on the trail or at the campsite. Old bones need the help!
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BSquared
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by BSquared »

balzaccom wrote:BTW--one of our favorite creature comforts are two small remnants from an old sleeping pad, each about 8X15 inches, They weigh nothing, slide into the bungie cords on the outside of the pack, and cushion us every time we sit down, whether it is on the trail or at the campsite. Old bones need the help!
Yes! Sit-upons! At the last second I tossed out my small bit of Ensolite (remember Ensolite? ;) ) for the last JMT trip, and I think it was a mistake. I'll certainly put it into the mix this time and see how the weight looks. They are light, but "they weigh nothing" is a bit of an exaggeration, I think you'll agree...

-B²
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

I was looking at the Bearicade vs. Garcia to get my pack weight down a bit, but i'm not sure i can get the Bearicade into the slot on my pack that i want.

Garcia: 12" x 8.8" 2lbs 12 oz 614 c.i. $ 70
Bearicade expedition MkII: 14" x 9" 2lbs 5 oz 900 c.i. $275 :puke:

Not sure i can justify a Bearicade if it only saves me 7 oz. the 2 extra inches of height would help out as a stool to hang out near the fire.

Russ
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

ok.. i weighed all my stuff and this is what i found:

Items are in Ounces. "Note this is for a 7 day trip in late september when it can get nasty.
Assumes no fires allowed. Otherwise I bring foil instead of the frying pan to bake the fish"


Kelty Tioga 5500 (pack) 86
Stove (coleman exponent) 19
Thermarest 40
REI sleeping bag (10 degree) 53
Tarp and stuff to make a tent 28
GSI Lexan coffee press (14 oz) 15
Fishing gear (two rods), gear for both fly and spinning 80
Fuel ( 2 bottles white gas) 40
Water (with electrolyte) varies on path. Bladder system up top in the pack. 40
Clothes (synth long underwear, extra shorts, shirt, socks) 16
RainGear 56
Hats (beanie for sleeping, normal hat) 7
Bear Canister (Garcia 812) 44
Food (sans bear canister 16 oz per day usually minus one day for fish) 120
Bacardi 151 (lighter and used for mix) 40
Pots (one 2 quart and one frying pan) 23
Cups and utensils (lexan) 9
Extra Poly Bottles (2 usually) 8
Filter Pump 15
Extra daypack 15
tennis shoes (I like to get out of my boots) 30
Camera (hp R927) 11
GPS/radio (rhino 530) 11
Batteries (extra) 8
Sundries (meds) 4


Sum in Ounces 818
Sum in Pounds 51.125

sorry for the formatting, but i'm at 51lbs already. i cant see spending a fortune to reduce this further, for a few lbs. Again, this is a 7 day trip with fishing and not eating cold food. No Fires.

Russ
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hikerduane
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by hikerduane »

Wow! Do you use all the fuel?
Rain gear, there is stuff out there that is much lighter, even Columbia stuff is lighter.
Bear canister, compare apples to apples. The Expedition is half again as large as the Garcia, if you bought the comparable, but larger sized Bearicade Weekender, you would save 13 oz.
Pots, what is the two qt. pot for, there are smaller and much lighter options out there.
Poly bottles? Can Gatorade bottles work instead?
Daypack, get something lighter, look at Z packs, a daypack would only be a few oz.
Do you need a water filter? Water in the Sierra is pretty good. I use pills if anything now.

You could save 5-7 lbs. right here.
Piece of cake.
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

I think you'll find that most are like me. we have stuff that works well, and we don't want to spend zillions (at least not right now) to replace it. On fuel, we ran out 2 years ago. we ramped it up last year to make sure we didnt. we like coffee and dessert which takes a LOT of fuel, not to mention when you cook fish. I love my coleman stove.

I usually go with about 4 friends.. we do cooking, etc communal style, so the more water we can effectively boil for 4 meals, etc, is a good thing.

I would NEVER drink from the sierras without a filter.

I would like the bearicade as it is somewhat lighter, but my prior post.. way, way too expensive.. I'd rather be a tad slower on the trail for that money..

Russ
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

to elaborate on "rain gear".. I carry REI fleece pants, and then a gortex rainpants shell. The upper is a combo gortex/fleece shell. keeps me warm at 10 degrees easily. that's my last gasp before crawling into the bag to keep warm(er). I add an extra fleece jacket if the weather indicates i need more. My Pack is waterproof and i dont care about covering it.

Russ
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by el cuervo »

Bearikade expedition vs Garcia

Yes it is lots more $. But, you pay that once and you save the weight on every step you take ever after.

A big and meaningful difference is the wide mouth of the Bearikade vs the constricted opening of the Garcia. Access to the Bearikade is much much easier, especially early on in a trip when it is crammed full.

I bought mine in 2004 and have taken it all over the place. No regrets.

The o-ring breaks down earlier than I think it should. I send Allen an email and he sends me a new one, no charge. I have replaced it (o-ring) twice since 2004.
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