Base weight

[Bubblehead]

I have a couple of questions on determining base weight...1. Do you apply trekking poles towards base weight? 2. Do you apply the hiking clothes that you are wearing while hiking?
Also, I have Black Diamond flick lock aluminum trekking poles. First time I've had poles with flick locks...Is WD-40 good to spray on the flick locks?; if not, what's the best way to keep them in good shape? Thanks...

[Recalc]

I have a couple of questions on determining base weight...1. Do you apply trekking poles towards base weight? 2. Do you apply the hiking clothes that you are wearing while hiking?

Trekking poles and clothes you are wearing are not a part of base weight.

[Slo-go'en]

The flip locks will work just fine. Do not put DW-40 on it as it will also get all over the tubes and you'll lose the friction grip.

[russb]

I would only count trekking poles if they will spend a significant amount of time in your pack. If most of the time they are being used, then no.

[Traveler]

Agreed with the above regarding base weight. Unless poles spend a significant time in the pack, they are not typically considered part of the base weight. Clothing that is worn generally is not considered part of base weight.

Don't use oil lubrication on flick-locks as oil can migrate onto the poles and prevent the friction lock mechanism from working properly. This may not be noticeable until sudden heavy downward pressure on the poles is exerted and failure of the friction lock can cause the pole to collapse suddenly at the worst possible time. Manually exercising the flick locks periodically and extending the pole sections to clean them off with a damp cloth is really all they need.

[Coffee]

Base weight is usually defined as whatever goes into the pack other than consumables. Things you wear or carry on your hands, like poles, are not part of base weight. They are part of what’s sometimes called “skin out” weight … that is, all items you are transporting on your body or in your hands.

[garlic08]

Your pole locks may need a little more maintenance if you submerge them, especially in mud. But I agree, never oil or solvents, both of which WD-40 has.

Poles are included in FSO (from skin out) weight, not base pack weight. Welcome to the esoterica of long distance hiking.

[Shade22]

I would only count trekking poles if they will spend a significant amount of time in your pack. If most of the time they are being used, then no.

Poles are worn weight. I literally never have them in my pack, because I'm either hiking with them, holding them because I'm not going to stop and put them up for a half mile of rock scrambling, or using them to hold up my tent.

[cmoulder]

Clothing is a bit of a grey area when it comes to base weight, but generally I count anything that I won't be wearing once I warm up as part of base weight because it'll be spending most of its time in the pack.

That said, an experienced UL'er with a well-honed kit will at some point stop keeping close track of base weight and will select items that are *needed* for a particular hike. By that stage of the game all the items in the kit are as light as desired for individual preferences, so the attitude evolves to "this is what I need, and it weighs what it weighs." It doesn't mean that this person has ditched UL, but understands that it doesn't matter if the base weight is 8.5lbs or 12.5lbs... s/he is simply carrying what is necessary for the journey. The "official" 10lbs-or-less is a guide, not a rule.

The hard part is developing a deep and true understanding what is actually needed, and deciding which luxuries to permit yourself... realizing that at times you will curse them and want to fling them off the side of a mountain.

[Coffee]

A huge part of the focus on base weight involves what I know I’ll be carrying in food or water (consumables) for the hike. For a long thru hike, of course base weight is super important because there will always be some longer food and water carries. But when I go overnight or for a few days, I don’t even think about base weight because I’m only carrying 4-6 pounds of food for a typical two or three day hike. So then I don’t care so much about adding an additional luxury item and sometimes I purposely have added luxury items because I wanted to simulate what my pack would feel like on a long Sierra Nevada hike (and train for it).

[Venchka]

Looking at the Phsysics definition of Work, everything from the ground up on a Backpacker determines the work done on the trail.
Starting with the hiker’s weight and everything added to the hiker.
What good is a 15 pound base weight as discussed here if the hiker is 20-30 pounds overweight?
I absolutely feel 100% better and cover more miles with ease at 130 pounds than I did at 160 pounds.
Wayne

[Odd Man Out]

Looking at the Phsysics definition of Work, everything from the ground up on a Backpacker determines the work done on the trail.
Starting with the hiker’s weight and everything added to the hiker.
What good is a 15 pound base weight as discussed here if the hiker is 20-30 pounds overweight?
I absolutely feel 100% better and cover more miles with ease at 130 pounds than I did at 160 pounds.
Wayne

I've lost 20 lbs since new years in preparation for my April Grand Canyon hike . That makes my base weight negative five lbs.

[Durwood]

130 lbs, Wayne? Forget the poles...you can just run up the mountain!

[One Half]

Looking at the Phsysics definition of Work, everything from the ground up on a Backpacker determines the work done on the trail.
Starting with the hiker’s weight and everything added to the hiker.
What good is a 15 pound base weight as discussed here if the hiker is 20-30 pounds overweight?
I absolutely feel 100% better and cover more miles with ease at 130 pounds than I did at 160 pounds.
Wayne

That's awesome! The weight loss. I am amazed at people looking at their backpack weight and ignoring their own weight. Although, it may seem easier to purchase less weight and assume you will "lean out" when hiking.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[cmoulder]

Looking at the Phsysics definition of Work, everything from the ground up on a Backpacker determines the work done on the trail.
Starting with the hiker’s weight and everything added to the hiker.
What good is a 15 pound base weight as discussed here if the hiker is 20-30 pounds overweight?
I absolutely feel 100% better and cover more miles with ease at 130 pounds than I did at 160 pounds.
Wayne

I've been in that situation, having lost 37lbs at one point, right about the time I also started practicing UL. Right now I'm about 12-15lbs overweight but am working on getting back to 'fighting weight.'

In fact, there's usually a trifecta of positivity: 1) Losing weight is also often associated with exercise and therefore improved muscle strength and aerobic capacity, 2) the actual weight reduction itself, and 3) a much lighter pack, which is the icing on the cake.

[Coffee]

Dropping bodyweight is huge. I've never been anywhere near overweight but I dropped about 7 pounds over the first couple months of the year because I wanted to improve my blood sugar (A1C) score. Suddenly, I am running eight miles in just under an hour, down from 1:04 last year, and my A1C is down from 5.5 to 5.2.

[Venchka]

130 lbs, Wayne? Forget the poles...you can just run up the mountain!

Thanks!
I will try restarting my jogging routine.
But if My weight drops to 120 I will buy the Hilleberg tent of my dreams!
Cheers y’all!
Wayne

[Bubblehead]

226 lbs in November, 196 right now. Getting ready to hike the Ga. Loop this coming week in preps for finishing the trail starting late June, Crawford Notch to Katahdin.

[QiWiz]

Trekking poles and clothes you are wearing are not a part of base weight.

Agree. Somethings like a hat or sunglasses or wallet that you wear/carry often, but not all the time, are debatable.

[Wolf - 23000]

Speaking as someone who has been an SUL backpacker for over 30 years now, the whole concept of base weight and UL backpacking has changed. In 1989, when I first went under the 5-pound base weight while southbound on the Appalachian Trail, my reasoning was simple, I did not want to feel the weight of having a backpack on my back. I was a skinny 6'2 man who weighed around 150 pounds. Backpacks weights back then included everything you had in your backpack - different from what it is now. With five days of food and water, I was carrying about 10% of my body weight when leaving town. The longer I was out, the less I could feel on my back.
Getting backpack to Bubblehead question about what determines base weight. I was often asked how much I was carrying? On a thru-hike, the only way I knew for sure was to ask the Post Office the weight of my backpack. I did not include the clothes I was wearing when telling other hikers my pack weight. I also did not use trekking poles. It would be difficult to accurately weigh everything a hiker was carrying on a long-distance trip.
Cmoulder pointed out, "The 'official' 10lbs-or-less is a guide not a rule.". I agree with him simply because someone carrying a 10-pounds base-weight on their back may still feel their backpack on their back depending on their body size when adding in their food, water, consumables, etc. A hiker whose healthy body weight is 100 pounds, is going to feel their backpack weight more than a hiker who is 200 pounds even when carrying the same amount of weight. The simple question to ask is, can you feel your backpack on your back? If you can feel it, you are not UL.