What does your pack weigh?

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bheiser1
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by bheiser1 »

Until the above pic, I thought I was the only one left on Earth still using an external frame pack.
Not the only one... there are two of us :). I still use the Kelty D4 I bought in ~1978. I'm mulling over trying an internal frame pack :).
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

There are more than just two of you who use external frames. I swear by mine, because i'm usually over 45 lbs. I don't trust some of the ultralight packs to do that.. Plus, I hunt/backpack sometimes which pushes my starting pack weight to about 55lbs.

Even with a 45lb full weight, I find it very comfortable and supports the load well.

I retired my camptrails i bought in '77. Bought a Kelty Tioga 5500 3 years ago. I absolutely love it, but, to each their own.
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GH-Dave
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by GH-Dave »

Last year I returned to backpacking after a long hiatus, and am leaving tomorrow for my first-ever solo. My first reaction upon packing for the 5-day trip up to Ten Lakes is shock at how much more weight I have to carry because of going solo.

Can't share the tent. Can't share the cooking equipment. Can't share the food. Have to use a bear canister. Bummer.

A lot of my equipment is a good 25-35 years old. Still using my original MSR Whisperlite. I did buy a new Aether 70 pack, and a new cheapy poly fill bag. Both weigh in at more than what an ultralight purist would put up with. I have foregone the full-size Thermarest and bought a Thermarest Z-Lite pad.

With food and 2 liters of water right now I am starting at 49.8 pounds. That's compared to a trip I took with my 18-year-old pack mule son last summer where I had to carry only 35 pounds. I can really feel the difference.

I'm probably taking too much food for 5 days. My full Garcia bear canister weighs in at 12.4 lbs. But, I need to do this trip to find out what my needs are. Then I can plan better for the next trip.

I also think I'll be more comfortable with the two-man tent. Don't want to get caught out in a mid-September storm or cold spell with only a tarp. Oh, and I could probably have shaved 4-5 lbs off if this was a mid-summer trip instead, but feel the need to bring plenty of warmies this late in the season.

If this trip works out well, I will probably start buying better, lighter equipment a little bit at a time.

This has been a good thread, and encouraging for me to know that I'm not the only one who has to head out in the 50 lb range.

Dave
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Herm
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by Herm »

I have not weighed it all out, but I am pretty sure that my pack weight for my recent trip to Humphreys Basin was in the neighborhood of 50 pounds +/-, including food and water, pretty much standard for me. For years, I have been known as a pack mule, willing to carry pretty heavy loads. I don't think 50 pounds is too much, at least not in the sense that I am uncomfortable, but it is more than I should carry. A lighter pack would probably free me to consider many more options in the off trail arena, which would open up many possibilities. I drink a ton of water, so carry a 100 ounce Platypus bladder and a 24 ounce bottle with electrolyte fluid, which I regularly finish in a matter of a few hours - I don't like the idea of stopping to filter water frequently, which necessitates dropping and dismantling the pack, etc. The pack that I carry is an Osprey Aether 75, which I find to be quite comfortable. I have made gear upgrades recently, including a better sleeping bag (Marmot Arroyo 30 degree 800 FP down), a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL3 tent (to be used solo, as well as when out with my wife), and a comfortable, but heavy inflatable sleeping pad (Exped Synmat 7 Deluxe). I carry light but warm SmartWool shirts (short and long sleeve), a warm but light down jacket, and light silk long underwear, specifically for use in the sleeping bag. Crazy as it sounds, I also carry 2 (yes, I said two) bear canisters - one a Garcia for storage of my food and trash, and a BearVault Solo 250, which holds my stove (MSR Simmerlite) and titanium cookpot, my coffee mug, as well as a bottle of wine in a Platypus bladder, and all of my toiletries, plus any extraneous items. When I get to a camp spot, I do not at all worry about bears/critters, owing to the dual canisters - everything scented is stored. I also like to carry fishing gear, and in the case of my last trip, had both a fly fishing rod and a spinning rod, but tackle was kept very basic. Sure there are many out there who would advise getting rid of this or that, but for me it would be like starting all over. Where to begin? :paranoid:
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Herm
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richlong8
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by richlong8 »

The suggestion to make a simple spreadsheet, and list and weigh everything is where I started. It really helps me not to leave anything behind that is important, but to see how I can save weight by making various changes.
I am like you, I don't like pumping water, and I like to drink a lot of it. I have come to realize that one of the reasons I don't like pumping is the pump I am using. (Katadyn Hiker) It never was easy to use, and it is about worn out. My top priority is to replace it, probably with the MSR Sweetwater. I experimented on my last trip with pumping and filling a quart bottle and hydrating in the morning, before I leave camp, and then every few miles. Then I just kept a quart of water in my hydration bladder. Water weighs about 2.2 pounds per liter.
So I think in most High Sierra areas, with the abundance of water, an easier to use pump will make this a viable option for me to save weight.
And in some areas, I would not hesitate to just drink the flowing water without treatment or pumping.
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cmon4day
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by cmon4day »

My pack starts off usually around 40 - 45# for a 7 -10 trip. After the first day, the beers are usually gone and the pack lightens up quickly. I've found the best way to reduce weight is to share community gear. Before you leave, have everyone lay their gear out on the floor and place all community gear in the middle, (ie. stove, tents, pots, 1st aid, etc.) You will be amazed at how much duplication is out there. Then divy up the items in to like weights. The weight savings is tremendous. There's no way you can make up this kind of weight saving by cutting off toothbrush handles.
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Herm
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by Herm »

Richard;
I will readily drink from a spring without filtering. However, when camping at a lake, or if gathering water from a trailside stream is the only option, then I will filter. I use MSR Sweetwater, which can be a little fussy, but when it is working properly makes filtering easy. Always make a habit of hydrating before hitting the trail.

A spreadsheet would definitely assist in lightening my load, or at least explaining why the load is so heavy. Anyway, I pulled it off no worse for wear. And this was a solo outing, by the way.
Herm
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rlown
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by rlown »

lately, i decided to review what i packed out, food wise, or what i didn't use. I had at least 3 lbs of food i didn't use on the last 7 day trip. Now, that sounds bad, but one never knows if they get fish or not. With the tent, i didn't need the gortex pants or the long undies as i had fleece pants and military surplus pants (great stuff as no leg sunburn). I felt great on the Carol Col crossing. My target weight for the pack was 45lbs. It was 50. Paul's was 55 easy, and we did cull the communal stuff first which helps immensley. I think he walked out with 6 lbs of food. For me, 50 is about the weight where my hips go numb from the hip belt.
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GH-Dave
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by GH-Dave »

What did my pack weigh during my recent 5-day solo?

Too much!

During my initial packing before I left I cranked it up to right at 50 lbs before water. So, I re-evaluated and threw out some food, a fleece blanket that I was planning to use to supplement my cheapy polyfill sleeping bag, and a couple of small miscellaneous items. I think I knocked off about 4 lbs ... then, add a couple of liters of water, and guess what? Back to 50 lbs.

Turns out I lost my appetite for my own cooking halfway through the trip and lived the rest of the time on jerky, trail mix and survival bars, and ended up bringing quite a lot of the food back.

Also, because the weather was so pleasant I didn't need any of the rain gear.

So, I learned.

I'm seriously re-evaluating my food needs, and even the need to bring a stove and all its paraphernalia on such a short trip. I might also eventually spring for a lightweight down bag.

I do believe that my comfort level is more around 35-40 pounds ... so that's my goal.

Added in Edit: Also, a couple of miles up the trial from the trailhead I discovered I had left my huge set of keys in my pocket. I had intended only to carry my one car key. In my trip journal are the words, "BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!" Egads! I was so angry at myself for having to carry 10 pounds of keys over 25 miles of switchback trails. :(

Dave
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Re: What does your pack weigh?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Here are the stats on pack weight for the last part of my trip- Roper's High Route IV (see trip report). 10-days.

Total starting weight - 37.6 pounds
Worn or carried (ie trekking poles, clothing) - 5.4 pounds
Starting weight on back - 32 pounds (includes half liter of water - all I carried any day)
Food weight - 11.6 pounds (2380 calories per day)

I had a bit under one pound food left over - mostly sauces and soups and hot drinks. I went light on clothing so did not have enough to stay out in evenings - forced into my sleeping bag many times - but it was unusually cold (froze nearly every night). I took the large cannister of gas, and ended up with about 3 days left over. The medium cannister is just a bit short and by the time you add a small cannister, the big cannister is about the same weight. Given that I had hot drinks left over I should have simply had more hot drinks at night! I took Crocks for stream crossings and never used them for that purpose and my shoes were quite comfortable, so I really should have left them behind. Otherwise I used everything I brought. There were times I had on all my clothing! So, I went light but not ultra-light and had to tolerate some inconvience (like condensation in my single wall tent and a few boring nights with no book and the extra-small sleeping pad). But I do not mind a few discomforts for the lighter pack while hiking. There were lots of good clean water sources, thus rarely carried more water than half a liter. A few days I carried no extra water.

Because I am a relatively small person, my clothing is a bit lighter than a big guys would be and I probably can do with a bit less food. The starting weight (on my back) was about 30% my body weight. This is pretty average for all my trips of this duration for a late August trip in the Sierra. This time I took a one-man tent; usually I just use a bivy sack. And the medium gas cannister works OK if I can spend a few more nights below 10,000 and build a fire. Ropers High Route has very few places where it is below 10,000 feet.
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