What's your pack weight?

“My knees are toast. I blame it on running. My new nickname should be Porky.”

“OK, porky.”

“Dough!@!@!@”

“Wyrd, yea, thanks for that. When I first began this hobby, I did so with an eye toward size, weight, functionality, and perceived need. I'd done enough "research by that point, that I knew I should be looking for ways to reduce packweight. Still, I was never so motivated to do so until that first JMT hike, when I started with almost a 60 pound pack!

That first re-supply saw me dump (probably) 10 pounds, perhaps less, but psychologically speaking, doing so was a mental, if not physical, relief. Since that time (it was only two years ago), I've worked hard at working this weight aspect a little smarter. I started looking at all the items I WANTED to pack. Before weighing anything, I discarded a few things I decided I really didn't NEED, could duplicate with other gear, or could do with lesser amounts. Over time, and paying close attention to various sites and bulletin boards like this one (I like you guys best!), I've reached the point that I now feel comfortable without additional "gear". These past several days have seen me approach my packweight with a zeal toward the comfort of the hike, and the ability to enjoy it without concern that my packweight is detracting from the experience, mentally and physically. It's an adjustment of sorts, in that, I've gradually changed how I perceive my absolute "needs" for certain items.

Fundamentally, the benefits of carrying a lighter pack are academic... more comfort, less energy required, lighter and more comfortable boots (sturdy enough for the rigors of the terrain, of course), the flexibility to now include those carefully considered luxury items, etc. I DO look at the things I WANT to take and pack (most of) them, it's just that my "wants" are now more in line with my "needs". I can only assume that I will continue to refine my approach.”

“Yeah, but Obi...
Carrying a big pack was the best way to take off the personal pounds!
I used to call it "The John Muir Trail Diet".

The pack was usually pushing 75 pounds.
The final time I hoisted that thing and carried it was last summer, and it was more than 65 pounds then.

This is why God invented llamas.
Now the stuff weighs at least 300 pounds, and that's just the BEER!

(For those of you not acquainted with my perverse sense of humor, it is really only 200 pounds of beer.)”

“Yeabutt...

I don't have ROOM for a Llama here. If I did, I'd prolly have a horse, too. Is my point becoming clear, or is that now 150 pounds of beer?”

“This was a good discussion from a while back, so I thought I'd dredge it up and offer this cool piece of freeware to anybody who 'sweats' the ounces in their pack.

Backpack weight calculator.”

“Handy little app, Kleetn, even just for printing up pack lists, for different trips. Is that yours, or, did you just find it?”

“Phil has one on his photo page in excel format for your downloading pleasure.”

“"If worry were an effective weight-loss program, women would be invisible."

Nancy Drew”

“It's not mine, bc_trailguy, I saw a reference to it on another site and thought it was handy.”

“kleety, is a handyman.”

“Looks interesting. Getting the weights automatically for some gear can be handy. I have been customizing my EXCEL spreadsheet and it has become very handy.

Regarding packweight, I am still carrying too much weight. I know I had more than 50 lbs. going up Mt. Whitney to Trail Crest. I don't want to know how much I really had. Water was really heavy...about a gallon. Didn't have much choice there.

Too much food.
Too much extra clothing.
Toiletries I never use.

I had a very good lightweight 4 season tent I borrowed, but it still added up to 6.5 lbs with groundcloth and rock bags.

I got some ideas from the Nav-i-guesser that will shave off a few lbs.

Under 40 lbs makes hiking more enjoyable...especially when going uphill above 12,000 ft.”

“Phil, I like the spreadsheet you've developed, but I don't have Excel at home, so this little app will work there.

It's a tough call leaving stuff home to save weight--I'm thinking extra clothing especially--when weather could be a factor.”

“I'll have to have a look at yours, Phil

I know what you mean about the 'weather' gear, Kleetn. I usually blame the extra weight, on that, myself. But, it's just plain foolish, to leave home without it, around here. The only thing we can count on, with our weather, is that it's gonna change.”

“[posted by Mary: A woman on our hike last week kicked our butts. She is tiny--maybe 5 ft tall and 100 pounds. Her pack was at least 45 pounds to start. She hiked doubletime the rest of us. Mary ]

You talkin bout me? My pack was 38 lbs/5 days (incl extra wqater) for that trip, it looks bigger than it feels. My old pack weight was 40+ for a weekend. Hoping to carry 28# max for JMT without food/water. Heaviest should be 38# for a 10 day stretch. Always looking for ways to cut weight.”

“Thanks Kleetn, I just finished logging all of my gear. Now I can pick and choose based on the legnth of my trips!”

“Weighing and recording the individual weight of each piece of gear has really helped me cut weight. Phil's spreadsheet also makes a nice checklist and trip planner.”

“hey porky!! where's yer brudda da pillsbury boy, ey?

My pack was 38 until I traded my timberline in for a soloflyte..now's it's under 35 for 3 days with food and water (3 liters +)

If I bring "Bob" it adds about 9 ounces with extra batteries....”

“Yes, Snow--I was talking about you--you are one fantastic hiker woman. Maybe your pack looked heavier because you are short?

I am thinking about tent weight. I leave the stuff sack home and usually the stakes too. I use a big thick rubber band around the tent after I have rolled it up as tight as I can. A thin garbage bag or grocery sack can go over the tent if you think it might get things in your pack wet.This can cut half a pound for no money and no loss of comfort. Rocks can be used two or three ways to hold the tent down. If they are reasonably smooth you can put a 5 pounder inside in each corner--or you can put some on the outside between the poles and the tent. Another way is to use thin cord and tie a small rock to it. Pull the cord out so the tent is taught and put a really big rock on the cord. The little rock keeps the cord from pulling out. Cut off all the warning tags and little inside loops you do not use. You can sometimes take the manufacturer's label off and put a little seam sealer in the holes.

In no bug weather some tents can be set up with just the fly. I have been meaning to try this--I have done it in the living room.”

“I fill the empty space in my pack with helium balloons so it weighs less than nothin'.”

“What's the best type of scale to buy to weigh your backpacking equipment? A food scale? Postal scale? Where do you find these?”

“I got an envelope scale that reads to the 10th of an ounce, and last year went through ALL my gear and weighed it, then put the info in an Excel file.

I now use it to cut and paste a gear list for all my trips, rather than making up a list on paper. However, when I get everything in the pack, and weigh it on my bathroom scale, the pack always seems to weigh a few pounds more.

It's definitly great to make a list, see what the total weight is, then start cutting things off the list and see how much weight you're eliminating.”

“Mr.Kleetn...check Office Max for "inexpensive" scales. Other than them, or other similar stores, you'd have to mail order a scale.”

“What is the capacity of your scale, Buddur? What I'd like to find is one that would weigh up to maybe 10 lbs (or at least 5) so I could figure out what my pack weighs empty and what my various sleeping bags, pads and tents weigh in lbs. and oz.”

“My scale has a 5lb capacity and weight everything at 0.1oz. I weighed all my stuff individually (ie. tent, poles, stakes, rainfly, etc.) to keep things within the max weight range.”

“I'm leaving for a 3 day trip tommorrow. I weighed the pack this morning and it came in at 24# 4 oz. including 2 liters of water.”

“I tried that pack weight calculator, it works good if you don't have a spreadsheet program, but I thought there was too many clicks and choices needed just to add some gear. I greatly prefer the spreadsheet weight calculators. I plan to try Phils. But I updated mine from some of the ideas I got from the BPWeight calculator program. If you want to try mine, it is in a self extracting zip: Here”

“Sgt: Sez Forbidden. Don't have permission.”

“I got the same message, SN2K, but I went to SGT Rock's home page and tried it there and it worked.”

“Depending on the length of the trip, i usually do between 15-40 lbs. I'm hiking the adirondacks for 10 days and my pack is 40 lbs loaded (ugh!).”

“I had 40 for 11 days. I discovered it was to heavy. (See Adventures of adventuregirl thread for the gory details) I want to make it less for huge hikes. I think I ned to to get a lighter tent and sleeping bad to pull it off.”

“adventuregil - you can get a solo tent (Walrus MicroSwift) for $79.00 at campmor right now. The price is great, and the tent is pretty good. Maybe if you listed all the things you took, some of the ultralight TT'rs could help you pare it down some.”

“I just weighed the army surplus wool blanket I took on the Savage Gulf hike, and it's 8.3 pounds! I musta been out of my mind.”

“8.3 pounds! I hope you were warm Steve! lol”

“yeah yeah let us have it we wont hurt your feelings.......no really. I think the first post I ever put on here I mentioned a pair of small vivitar binoculars, man you want to talk about abuse. I don't think I ever took them again. Definitely not when I met up with other TT'ers”

“sirpete, you must have felt like a Gremlin owner at a Corvette rally, LOL.”

“About 27lbs for w/o food or water.

Too much.”

“http://www.backpackinglight.com/

I posted this somewhere else. I have mentioned Ryan... can't remember his last name right now. Anyway, he is smart and he has put together a really good E-zine. I hope y'all (I learned that from bpbaby and barb--they talk so cool) will check it out.”