Ha ha- you didn't even mention dropping the 2 pounds of beer!
Ha ha- you didn't even mention dropping the 2 pounds of beer!
Great thread! Some of it is indeed "we pack our fears", AKA safety. But some of it is luxury while camping vs the most efficient hiking ability with the least wear and tear on the old body. And some of that is strictly personal pref, what it is we are looking for when we hit the trail.
I could probably drop a few oz by getting rid of my hammock which would allow me to use a smaller tarp on the ground, like I used to do. But that ain't happening, LOL!
35 years ago, my pack was 75 lbs(climbing and cold weather gear), did not come out of the wilderness for 30 days except about every 7 days to go to food caches just outside the wilderness boundary, spot marked on a topo map. I saw toilet paper mentioned earlier. We had it available for emergencies, if some one got ill. We learned to use natural substitutes. Wet evergreens, snow was a favorite. But considering the weight of our packs, I guess that was mostly just to reduce impact on the environment.
During the next decade or 2 for 5-7 day trips to the same or similar mountains( usually sleeping above 10000 ft), I got those loads down to 40-50 lbs(no climbing gear for 1 thing) and that seemed like a vast improvement. These day, closer to 30 lbs, even with hammock gear and one big tarp per person(instead of one big tarp for 2 or 3). So much easier! Without giving up much for luxury, actually increasing it considering the hammocks. For a weekend in not so cold weather, I can get that down to 15-20 lbs. Good enough for me. Seems like paradise compared to the old days. Plus, I am infinitely more comfy than I ever was on the ground even at 35 years old(70 now) or younger. It is luxury!
Camp stools are handy for sitting around the camp fire, but I normally use a sit pad on a rock or log, i.e. when I am not using my hammock as a comfy seat. Since I am always going to have that sit pad with me anyway, I can save a few more oz with a short UQ, and just use the pad for my legs. Works for me.
For clothing and even quilts, I sometimes think I can save weight over all by replacing one layer of Long Johns- especially during cold weather when I might have multiple layers of clothing- with my lined VB clothing. This is a long term experiment not fully completed yet- but I do find a thin layer of VBs adds a whole lot of warmth, plus keeps all my other layers and quilts much drier. Which means I can maybe reduce some weight there. Or, just have extra security and luxurious warmth around camp. But not many folks go that route, and I am still testing.
Luxurious camping vs luxurious( i.e. easier) hiking, sometimes it is hard to decide!
Last edited by BillyBob58; 10-05-2019 at 07:51.
A bit of a thread resurrection! I'm new here and was just wandering around and came across this thread.
Interesting that there's a lot of cross-pollination of kit and techniques between different activities. I started climbing in the early 1980s and when you were hiking up to a crag you tended to want to take as little as possible to save energy for the actual climbing. We'd take our personal kit: harness, helmet, shoes and the like, but we'd split the rest of the kit rather than take a full rack each. We'd agonise (a little) over each piece of kit especially the heavy and bulky cams. Then I moved on to the mountains, in my case the Alps, when you have to carry everything you agonise (a lot) over each piece of kit. All that was with much heavier gear than available today, 60g biners vs 25g today for example.
Move forward forty years and I'm into bikepacking where both weight and bulk are the "enemies" and the same principles apply. I do, or did, the three pile trick after each trip: used it; didn't use it; would be up a certain creek without a means of locomotion if I didn't take it. That last pile is basically first aid kit and repair kit/spares for the bike. Nowadays I pretty much know for a given trip what I need to take, maybe an extra layer if it's going to be colder, etc. The only real variable is food but here in the UK you have to actively aim to avoid towns and villages if you were determined to carry a week's supply.
Repackaging things can save weight and space - freeze dried camp meals are a good example, they are designed for a long shelf life and being handled by shop staff and customers. Since you are going to be using it within a day or two decant the contents into a pour and store ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, seal and you have saved a significant amount of weight and bulk but no functionality. I'll take a single water bottle (750ml) and a water filter (200g) rather than three litres of water - I'm trading one convenience for another. (Might not work so well in the desert!)
Sometimes it's a case of "robbing Peter to pay Paul" so if there's a particular area where I won't compromise even if there's a lighter, but not as effective, alternative then I'll cut the weight elsewhere to make up: I'll always take a set of base layer thermals to change into at camp/bivy for example, they are an instant hit of warmth after sweaty clothes and also protect my quilt from damp and body oils. They don't get used for anything else.
Ultimately it's about balancing weight and bulk vs convenience and comfort or maybe needs vs wants. A lot is down to experience, I know how my body (and mind) react to given conditions so only need to deal with what's predicted plus a little bit for safety.
There's a viking saying: "Better weight than wisdom, a traveller cannot carry". Applies as much today as it did back in the tenth century.
Indeed, I have found that developing skills negates the need for "stuff" in many instances.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
I have to transition my mindset between Glamping with my wife and ultralight which means leaving "all" the "necessities". So far so good
Not exactly free, but I just found titanium pots and bottles on aliexpress for about half of amazon. 50% of free is better than full price!
There are some things I will always carry, regardless of whether I use it or not. My medical kit - ain't gonna change. In fact, it might get bigger. I think I'm at about 5 ounces for medical supplies, but I really want to add something to sew up minor cuts (less than 15 stitches).
When I was about 15 years old, I went on a canoe trip out into the Alabama wilderness. We were miles from nowhere. As soon as we got to the campsite, I slipped on the rocks and cut my knee wide open! You could see ligaments and tendons. The adult leader took a look and said, "I can sew that up good as new." I was not very keen on the idea, but he explained to me that going to the emergency room wasn't really an option since we were 25 miles away from the nearest road. So I had no choice.
But wait a minute, I said: Where's the painkiller? The adult leader had all the right equipment - a suture needle (curved) and catgut thread, but he didn't have a vial of novocaine and a needle. I had never heard of surgery without painkiller, so I wasn't happy with him stitching me back together again. It only took about 10-15 stitches to sew me up. I got mad respect from my fellow campers for quietly suffering through the stitch up.
Spent about 10 days out in the wilderness after the accident and it healed up pretty nice. However, I dread to think what would have happened if that wound hadn't been stitched up.
Like my adult leader, I'd like to be that guy one day who says "I can fix that up good as new."
Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 07-01-2020 at 22:42.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I once ripped open a knee similar to yours in a mountain biking accident. Really nasty with blood, mud and whatnot. I used about 4 or 5 of these butterfly closures and they worked well. Went to the doc a couple days later to see about stitches but he said it was healing up nicely and to just let it be. I still carry these to this day in my medical kit that weighs about an ounce.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
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