What does your pack weigh?

[rlown]

I actually added a 2lb tarptent, reduced the weight of my pad and bag, and it doesn't matter. 52 lbs.. Water is only carried when needed. Food is the major variable depending on whether guaranteed to catch fish or not. That may sound funny, but we're not always that good at catching fish when we need them. Even opted for Via instead of a press and a lb of Peets coffee last trip.. still 52lbs. Even in the coldest parts of my Sept trip, I wore all my clothes. If it were any colder, I would get in the tent.

The only blessing is that the food disappears over time and gives you the illusion that you planned well.

[quentinc]

Yeah, I am impressed too by Fishmonger (and now, Russ too). I'm at about 32 pounds before food and water and most people think I'm crazy. But while I'm happy to deal with all sort of mayhem on the trail (or, more likely, off the trail), I like my comforts when I get to camp. A nice thick air mattress and a condominium of a tent are things I just wouldn't want to do without, and it's well worth the weight for me. So is a monster pack, which has the padding I need and I don't have to hook all manner of things on to the outside of it and feel like a traveling salesman plying samples.

[freestone]

Blue water... your kit rocks! I'm not sure if I 'll ever get there, but that's my goal and my pack is much lighter these days as a result. My Sierra base weight is 10 pounds including the bearicaide and I walk out the door at 27 pounds for 5 days. I am the consummate procrastinator, when I leave the car, I add another pound or so because I always throw in last minute items, or swap out gear based on what I am seeing weather-wise at the time. My truck is always full of gear and my packing is never done until I'm actually on the trail. The big weight saver this year was switching from the Exped DAM to their UL airmat. My plans for next year is to go to lighter sleeping bag, a ULA style pack, and silk weight Patagonia underwear. As for tents vs. tarps, I think I will stay with the Akto (less inner tent) for now, but I am looking at the Unna because it's freestanding and I spend most of my time above timberline.

[fishmonger]

But saying that you "need" 40 pounds just to deal with Sierra weather June through Sept, or to be comfortable in foul weather, even when it snows, is what I disagree with.

certainly don't, but you'd have to leave behind those 10 pounds of camera gear for example. Thing is, I've been there so often, there's no way I would not bring the camera gear. It's almost half the reason for going on yet another Sierra trip.

Also, my summer pack usually is heavy because it includes gear shared with my kids who rarely carry more than 15 pounds. I found my 2010 gear list from the last trip with them, and my pack was 33.6 pounds before food and water. I'm sure if I did a solo summer trip planning on speed, I could drop some significant weight, but as of lately I pretty much avoid summer when solo, so my gear usually needs to handle continued cold or lots of spring snow. Either way, it means more weight if you want to be well prepared for such trail conditions.

While discussing heavy packs on the Muir Trail mailing list, I recently thought of doing another JMT in full 1980s style: vintage Lowe pack or a JanSport pack frame, film camera, paper maps and compass, vintage tent, vintage stove, no phone, no Spot, etc - doing an "old school trip" like that to drive home the point that gear doesn't really matter should be a fun experiment, but it'll have to wait until I run out of other plans. I am sure it'll be just as much fun as doing the trip with the latest 2012 gear offerings.

Weight is pretty much irrelevant as long as you don't bring a cast iron pan or a pressure cooker (it has been done...) - it's what you do up there that counts.

[AlmostThere]

Weight isn't irrelevant to everyone. It's broken some of the newbies in the hiking group to the point that they never came hiking with us again.

Of course, despite the warnings they took all that stuff anyway. I've only had to carry people's junk three times, the rest of the time the person has this dogged "I'm gonna carry it" sort of thing going on. Feeling like a success is a big deal to most noobs, and spending a sleepless night in pain ain't success. So they are very likely to move on to other things they can succeed in after failing, which has been the pattern.

I've also hiked with guys who bound up talus fields with 70 lbs on their back. Not everyone can do that! I can't, and don't want to!

[Wandering Daisy]

Weight is also relevent to older folks and small folks. We who collect social security and have our free park pass (lucky us!) probably would not be out there today if our packs weighed what they did in the 1970's. I could no way do the kind of trips I do (see my report on Ionian Basin) if I had to carry a 50 pound pack! If I were to hike in on a trail and base-camp, maybe the 50-60 pounds and all the luxuries would be OK. But if I really want to see a lot of country, be out 10-12 days, and do a lot of off-trail travel, over class 2-3 passes, I have to cut back on the weight. A 60-pound pack is more than half my body weight! Ouch!

[fishmonger]

I have to cut back on the weight. A 60-pound pack is more than half my body weight! Ouch!

I'd have to carry 100 pounds to be at about half body weight.

smaller people carry smaller ground pads, smaller tents, smaller shoes, smaller clothes, smaller food rations, smaller packs, smaller cameras and smaller amounts of sun tan lotion. Smaller pots and less fuel to cook the smaller rations.

so that should be about 20 pounds you save right there

[AlmostThere]

smaller people carry smaller ground pads, smaller tents, smaller shoes, smaller clothes, smaller food rations, smaller packs, smaller cameras and smaller amounts of sun tan lotion. Smaller pots and less fuel to cook the smaller rations.

so that should be about 20 pounds you save right there

Uh huh.



*Informed* smaller people carry less gear. If I were the rude sort I'd have taken pictures of some of the "my pack is bigger than me!" people I've seen. Not climbers, either.

[Wandering Daisy]

Here's the dirty little secret of backpack gear. If you are "average", meaning average size man, say 5' 11'', then the gear fits! If you are x-tall or x-large- guess what? You get to squeeze into stuff. If you are small, guess what? They figure you will fit into it anyway, so just put up with that length you do not need. There is not a tent out there that actually is designed to fit me. My tent is exactly the same as the tent a 6'5" guy would use. No weight savings there. My bear can weighs as much. My stove weighs as much. My sleeping bag still is too big, even if it is a "short". Granted, sleeping bags are getting better at offering many sizes. Trekking poles?- the same as the tall guy. The weight savings I get from my minimal clothing is on the oder of ounces, not pounds. As for food- I have no extra fat to live off! I actually eat way more than my husband, who outweighs me be a lot. Lori has it right- it is not that my clothes are smaller- it is that I bring less.

So fess up. Your pack weighs 50 pounds because you have chosen camp luxuries over comfort and efficiency on the trail. That is always the trade-off. It is your "style" of backpacking, not safety or appropriate comfort or weather conditions, that result in the heavy pack. I am not knocking that style, if that pleases you and if you are young enough, big enough and strong enough to carry it. It is just NOT a necessity. It is good to realize it is not a necessity, because then when you get older, kids grown so you do not have to carry thier stuff, those bad knees come to roost, etc. -- then, you can appropriately cut down on the weight so you can keep on backpacking! By the time I am 80 years old, my pack may just have to weigh no more than 10 pounds!

[quentinc]

I'm happy to fess up, if Fishmonger isn't. But really, for me it's a trade-off of one type of comfort for another. It's worth the extra strain on the trail for me. And I kind of like the idea that I'm still carrying a 45 - 50 pound pack (that's with food, canister and water) in my 50's, and still doing major mileage each day. This way, when I finally see the ultra-light light, just think, backpacking will suddenly seem so easy!