Overly Weight Conscious?

[JalapeñoBen]

I wish i could get down to that weight! LOL! I'm a comfort camper and pay the price for a heavier pack. There are a few things that I know i can cut back on but it will either cost me either "more money" or I'll loose some bit of comfort. My average 2-3 day pack is 30 lbs including both food and water.... My backpack is 7 lbs, so I know I can drop that back at least to three plus pounds, my cooking stove and fuel bottle is at least a pound plus, but I'm not crazy about going to an alcohol stove yet for some unknown reason. My air matress is 2.5 lbs I know i can go under 1 lb but the R value of 6.0 is hard to give up and its replacement will be very expensive and not as durable or dependable. So its kind of a balance between weight and comfort. I also gained weight going from an ultralight tent to hammock and tarp.

It's all about what you're comfortable with. If your 7lb backpack is far more comfortable than any other pack, it's worth the weight (then again 7lbs... YIKES!) As for alchy stoves, I'll never go back to butane. All of my cooked food is freezer bag cooking, meaning all I have to do is boil water and let it sit in a pouch for a few minutes. This not only lightens my food, but I need less fuel, less bulk (stove / cookset) and the only utensil I need is a spoon. I can also cook over the campfire too, if I had steaks or something (mmm... steak!). It's more of a change than just switching out a stove, my meal planning is totally different, but I'm comfortable with it. You don't have to spend a fortune to go lighter, either. An alchy stove and foster's can setup is far less expensive then a titanium/aluminum cookset and butane stove (not to mention the fuel cost). The lightest water bottle I know of is a 32oz gatorade bottle. The most comfortable backpack I know of (results vary, it's not the best for everyone, consult your local outfitter!) is competitively priced to other backpacks at retail price, it's also super lightweight... ULA Circuit. If you have a sewing (thread injector) machine, you can make your own TQ's, UQ's, down jackets, down hats, and tarps for huge savings. The Dutch CRL is pretty darn cheap and can save weight, bulk, and time in your setup. Dutch buckles and whoopies are fairly inexpensive and can save you over a quarter pound on your setup. There are tons of little places you can save money and shave weight, it's just how much research and effort you are willing to put into it. My outfitting has changed countless times and cost more money than it should have, but I learn something new everyday. I sold my cinch buckle setup form my stock WBBB to help offset the cost of my new whoopies / dutch buckles.

Overly weight conscious is a byproduct that is created after carrying too much weight for too many miles. If you never hike long distances, it isn't much of an issue for most people. But, once you set out on a hike that involves days, weeks, or even months, pack weight becomes your obsession.

I once thought of the super ultralighters as brain-damaged individuals. I still think they "ain't right", but I get where they are coming from now. I consider myself an ultralighter when I want to be, but a lightweight hiker is probably a better description of myself. I like cookies and to carry extra cookies, that means something else needs to be lightened, or removed from the pack. It keeps my pack weight honest by setting a max weight.

If I had to guess (I stopped using a scale a couple of years ago), I'd say my base weight is usually in the 10-12lb range; goes up a bit during winter hikes. But honestly, I care more about how it feels and carries than I do the actual weight. Now, if I were to go hike the AT again, I would be even lighter.

Less weight means more miles.
More miles means less time between resupplies.
Less time between resupplies means less food to be carried.
Less food carried means even lighter pack weights and even more miles per day with even less food carried!

It's kind of a snowball thing once you get started and isn't without it own sense of personal amusement and accomplishment.

Of course we "ain't right" but that's a whole other story! Cookies are TOTALLY worth the weight. Cannibal is right, even if your pack is 5lbs heavier than the other guy, if it's more comfortable, you won't notice the difference. What matters is having fun.

Happy Hangin'
Ben

[Cannibal]

Sure you cover a lot of ground (or space) but can you see anything?

Just the neon signs of McDonalds, Pizza Hut, any AYC Chinese buffet, and the granddaddies of them all, Golden Coral and Shoneys!

[ShadowAlpha]

Mr. Cannibal - I know I Ain't right - it makes me feel better being light plus less is best for this old memory when it comes to packing up.

I'm 115# and 5'3" 46 yrs old. I'm not getting younger so making my pack lighter makes it more enjoyable. Whether I do 1 mile or 10 miles. I am by no means a speed hiker or distance hiker. But in order for me to do 10 miles I need to keep weight down.

for 2-3 nights out. I'm at about 145ozs base weight for a winter pack
add some extra clothes - it would prob be about 160ozs
working on getting to about 112 - 128ozs in the near future

Items not counted in my base weight is, consumables, items on person or clothing worn.

Spring/fall for me isn't much lower right now due to having to use WBBB (spring/fall/bug season) vs using a traveler hammock in Winter.

having my base weight down will make it easier when I take a longer trip to add necessary clothing needed and the additional food

here's my list - there's a winter & fall tab at the bottom
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...thkey=CNO6h7wF

[southmark]

From Erwin to Hot Springs in June, 15.34 lbs including food and water. My total pack weight leaving Abol Bridge to Monson was 17.55 including food and water. I resupplied some at WHL. My base weight is around 6-7 lbs. I am 5'9" and 175 lbs but more importantly I am 64 yo. Lighter means I can still hike, means knees do not hurt as bad, etc. Like Sgt Rock, a fellow member here once said, "The heavier my pack the more I like to camp, the lighter my pack the more I like to hike". Yes I can cover more ground but I actually see more. I'm not to tired to stop and take the side trails to sites that I would otherwise pass up. Granted it is not for everyone just as hammocks are not for everyone but just like most hammock users that will never go back to ground, I will never go back to a heavy pack weight. It is quite enjoyable planning, scheming ways to lighten my load. Modifying gear, making gear, etc.

[FireInMyBones]

I'm a 5'7" 150lbs 25yo. I carry ~12lbs base (+ ~8lbs for food and water) for 3 season, 3 day and still trying to lighten the load. I want to get down to ~9-10lbs base for 3 season.

It is kind of fun looking at what you need and don't. I like being able to knock out miles and not have to lean on a tree for support when I stop for a break.

I used to carry closer to 50lbs on a 8 day 3 season trip and ~35-40lbs for an over night. I had no concept of what to bring and not to nor did I know I could go lighter. I carried like my dad did. I wanted to be as manly as he was. Now he looks at my pack and after saying a choice word under his breath mentions that we should switch loads or I should remind him to add a few things to his Christmas list. We get older and hopefully grow wiser.

[olzeke]

3 days, 3 season, I carry about 12# base weight, plus food, fuel, and water to bring most loads up around 21#s. I no longer Winter camp, since I crossed about 36. ( I lived in Hawaii from age 37 to 42) When I returned to snow country, I discovered I could afford a room in a lodge, and the wife was so much happier.

I still own a load hauler, which is used on those occasions where I need to carry more than 1 days water + food for a week. My trips into the Grand Canyon mostly fall into that category. Last trip there was 3 gallons of water + 7 days food, carried on day 1.

[exup]

I am overly weight conscious. 3 season, down to 30*, I'm upper 4lb pack weight. BUT, often ill throw in some luxery since I don't get the time to hike a lot of miles, it doesn't matter. Last 3 day hike I did in 3 season I was at 12lbs 12.5oz with food and water. I've lowered my weight a good amount though.

To me going ultralight is just something silly to focus on and continue your hobby while at home when you can't make it out. I'm sure I don't go with much less than most, but the feeling of making it through the trip with "little" is exciting to me.

[redcanvas]

It really is all relative, but it's easy to cut weight by simply being picky and reasonable about what you bring. I started slashing weight just by being smart about what I packed - making sure every item was used/needed, leaving behind those that weren't, making items do double duty, etc. I don't have a tonne (read: really any at all) money to invest in the finest UL gear, but when I need a new piece of kit that's unavoidable, I'll try to really do my research and invest in decent items or else, as the lovely folks here have been doing for years, look into DIY!

I am not nearly as intense as some people about weight, but just by being selective about what makes "the cut" when I'm packing for a trip, I'm able to get my base weight down to something pretty darn reasonable (food out, I think I was around 17 lbs for a 7-day trip and that was with a tent and with virtually no specialized gear).

[ShadowAlpha]

It really is all relative, but it's easy to cut weight by simply being picky and reasonable about what you bring. I started slashing weight just by being smart about what I packed - making sure every item was used/needed, leaving behind those that weren't, making items do double duty, etc..

exactly. well said! leaving items home helped me a lot. (thx to Raul & GLP for much help) plus repacking items/making smaller. foods or personal items. toothpaste, hand creams, bug sprays etc.. i personally made items smaller or repackaged my hygiene, FAK & fire/repair kit which made a big difference.

[Cranky Bear]

I have injured my knees before (still have a partial torn ligament in one knee) and I found that the lighter the weight of my pack got the less pain I felt in my knee's! Which for me didn't translate to more miles covered a day, it meant more day's out on the trail for me, which I love! I still have to cover less miles a day than I used too (before injury), but it's being able to be out for 3 or how ever many days I can get off of work which is the real bonus for me for lightening my pack weight!


FWIW I hover around UL and LW!