I have to throw in the ditto to weighing everything, putting items on a spread sheet, and then attacking the heavies/working with the lighties.
Our son (in scouts) went on his first camp last summer using a Navy sea bag I've had as a backpack and a Wal-mart blue pad for interior support. The equipment he had in the bag including tent, sleeping bag, and stuff yet no water nor food was around 25# for just him. Most of the other boys and the scoutmaster had 50+ pound packs they could not lift.
Right after camp I used a scale and weighed EVERYTHING; heres some of my revealations:
>A good 30deg sleeping bag at 34oz hung up when not in use keeps the kid warmer than a 60oz one left packed.
>A good down coat costs less than a good down sleeping bag (and keeps you warmer in the middle of the night when taking a whee)
>Those walmart $5 blue pads are the insulation / weight / money deal of the century.
>The 16oz first aid kit got replaced with a home-made 4oz.
>10# of tent/stakes/ground cloth/fly became a 22oz trek light double and 18oz Tyvek tarp and 3oz of straps.
>Last fall we hit walmarts 1/2 off summer clothes sale and lightened his load with wicking/UV golf shirts for $3 each and pants for about the same.
>We also got him a $20 Remington 3000ci hunting backpack from walmart (glenn canyon I think) with a modified empty weight of 20oz. We did splurge on a bladder but I still like 2L pop bottles.
>The heavy mess kit became a heiny pot kit with spork saving around 16oz.
>His 10 essentials and survival kit weigh less than 16oz
Now his base pack weight (no food/water) is around 13lbs and he has useful equipment that can be shared with another. We went scout camping in November last year with this setup, he was warm and comfortable.
Just last Monday, he brought in his pack to scouts for inspection and was the only one that didn't need help getting it through the door and blew away the camping merit badge instructor with the size and weights. He was the only one that had everything required in his pack, knew where it all was and could repack it.
I figure adding 2 to 4 pounds of water and I'll carry the food and water filter(he carries mess kit and shelter) his pack for up to a 5 day hike will still be around 16 to 17 pounds and for a kid at about 110lbs, that works for me.
We didn't break the bank either. $20 pack, $10 bladder, $5 walmart blu pad, $20 & $30 sleeping bags (75% off last seasons model, 1 summer and 1 winter), $5 heiny pot, $7 tyvek tarp, $65 hammock, $2 in straps, $5 survival kit, $8 badger bug balm, $10 for 3 dry stuff sacks, $3 multi-tool with flashlight (cabellas) and nickels and dimes for the rest. Grand total about $200. Just keep a printed copy of the spread sheet with you when shopping, I was supprised when an opportunity to lighten up on the cheap would present itself for example; one Sunday evening on my way out of town last fall I saw a local sporting goods store having an 'event' so I stopped in. They were promoting skiing and hunting but they had a store wide sale happening and their camping equipment was already marked down. I purchased the gerber knife, brunton fire striker and compus kit for $12 (yes the regular price of the compus) and some other misc items. I've hit REI and the 20% off a few times as well as the Thanksgiving day $20 gift card (sawyer water filter, balaclava, and other items.)
I couldn't have done this without the spreadsheet; thank you Bill Gates!
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