Does Mountain Crossings charge for their gear reduction service?
They do not charge for this service. One of the best things is that they not only evaluate WHAT you have packed, but HOW you have packed. The placement of items in your pack can make all the difference in the world.
What I really appreciate is that so much of what they sell seems to be hiking gear that is tested and true. Items that really work on the AT. Yes, they are in business, but you get a sense that it is so much bigger than that. In other words, they are not going to be selling you things that you don't need. If anything, they let you know what items you really don't need.
The Mountain Crossing gear list is a good place to start.
http://www.backpacker.com/november_0...s/12659?page=4
"Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011
Pretty much the same for me, and then lightened up from there in Pearisburg to maybe 14 (?) pounds baseweight."My pack weight was about 17 pounds not including water or food. I left Springer on March 14th, 2011 so I had cold weather gear. "
I don't think you're going to get an "average", unless just an eyeball estimate. And I really don't know what that is. Perhaps best would be if they put a scale at Harper's Ferry so that along with photos they recorded pack weight in some way --- though direct record of baseweight would be a modest PITA to ask folks to do. But with a handy (and on occasion calibrated) spring scale, just then ask the thru's to write in their estimated base weight at that point.
Otherwise, it's just guesses I think.
Note that of long hikes that I've done, the AT (apart from early starters) should see a relatively low baseweight, and a low overall pack weight. It's one of the benefits/advantages of walking that trail. It's pretty warm, pretty low elevation, you don't need that much gear, and resupply of both food and water is pretty frequent and easy. The fact (and in my mind at least it's virtually a fact) that base weights aren't that low is because there are so many first-time long distance hikers on the trail, so that even of the "survivors", it's difficult, time consuming, and/or expensive to make all of the gear changes that many likely would make based on what they learn in the first month or two on trail.
I suggest that any first-time thru-hiker on the AT (a) not go for a particularly early (wintery) start, and (b) aim for a base weight that's in the teens.
Gadget
PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016
thanks guys,,,all pertinent advise as always...wow...am i willing to eliminate stuff...sure thing...it will make things easier and result in a much more enjoyable hike...
gregory pack weight about 6lbs 6 ozs...cant not change out this
north face tuntra sleeping bag..4 lbs 5 oz
my plan is to leave this home...replace it with Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Thermolite Sleeping Bag Liner 14 ozs
then will see what neels gap outfitters can do for dropping weight.
thanks again , with much appreciation henry
Are you thru-hiking and starting May 20? If so, you'll need to set a good pace. I second the suggestion to post your gear list here. You should definitely be able to knock off at LEAST 10 pounds and you might as well start now, and not haul it all the way to Neel's Gap where you'll have to pay to ship it home. I suspect you have too much extra clothing. I would be reluctant to take a sleeping bag liner as my only sleeping bag unless you are planning to replace it later in the hike. Personally I would spend the money and get a pack that weighs a fraction as much.
The average pack base weight of thru-hikers must decrease by 10 pounds or more from Day 1 to the end of the hike.
It's your gear and your hike, so take what you want. That said, a 6 pound plus pack is quite heavy for long distance hiking, and that liner will not be adequate by itself if the temperature drops. The greatest opportunity for weight reduction tends to be pack, shelter, and sleep system.Originally Posted by henry g wilgo
We need more input.
I won't mention your pack. Mine weighs more & I won't change it. I do have another pack that weighs less than half as much as yours. I would consider using it if I can afford a sub-2 pound sleeping bag and sub-1 pound sleeping pad thingie.
Describe your your sleeping bag. It is WAY too heavy even for a synthetic fill bag. What is the insulation? Temperature rating?
Shelter? Type? Weight?
Give us the whole list. Or as much of it as you can. With details.
I thought that my antique, cast iron, lead lined gear was heavy. My stuff is UL compared to yours. Off the top of my head, I came up with 45 pounds INCLUDING food & fuel for 10 days. If I bought a new sleeping bag & sleeping pad and used my frameless pack I could drop about 10 pounds off of that 45 pound figure. If I traded my tent for my MSR Heptawing tarp I could loose another 3 pounds.
"Just say NO!" to some of your stuff.
You live close to several decent outfitters with a better selection instead of waiting until next week to swap out heavy stuff.
Good luck!
Wayne
Eddie Valiant: "That lame-brain freeway idea could only be cooked up by a toon."
https://wayne-ayearwithbigfootandbubba.blogspot.com
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i dunno. with my winter bag i was at 22 lbs w/o food,water. 19 w/summer bag. most i saw on the trail this spring were 5-10lbs heavier.i didnt bring spare clothes or rainpants, not sure where i would find another 5 lbs. first aid kit is minimal, tiny swiss army knife, sawyer squeeze.used an osprey atmos50, ba fly creek ul2, neo air pad.
17 lbs is a bit light for anyone without ld hiking experience.
My pack never weighed more than 20 lbs including full food and water. I never met anyone on the trail that said their pack was too light. You can easily get down to 25 lbs, 15 lbs of gear 8 lbs food and 2 lbs water. If your out of town weight is 25 lbs your average weight will be 20.
I'm not a UL fanatic, and not afraid of carrying some weight, but I could do a winter setup for the Southern Appalachians for 35 lbs. including 2l of water, 5 days of food and fuel, lots of warm gear, and microspikes. That would take some cash, but it is certainly possible to go at least that light without a lot of cash with a later start.
At Springer Mt. on 4-1-2011, my pack weighed in at just under 24 pounds. That included 3 days of food, 1 liter of water and my cold weather clothing. I'd worked real hard to minimize my pack weight and in the process, had replaced almost all of my gear prior to my thru-hike. At age 62 I felt my chances for success where very much dependent on a light load.
While I'm fairly inexperienced compared to most people on this site, I've still managed to shave a bunch of weight since I started backpacking. About a year and a half ago my pack was 41 lbs for a 3-day trip, with food and water. Since then I wised up and got a smaller, lighter, and warmer sleeping bag, ditched the footprint on my tent and used a sheet of polycryo instead, changed my stock stainless steel tentpegs for alloy, changed my Sea-to-Summit utensil set for a titanium spork, ditched half of my cookset (don't need that huge pot anyways), went with the smaller fuel canisters, changed my pad from a Thermarest trail light to a Neo air (over a lb of weight right there!), got rid of my camp pillow and use a fleece lined stuff sack turned inside out and full of clothes, got rid of a Nalgene bottle and use a regular Gatorade bottle, and the list goes on.
After a very strenuous weekend navigating about a million blowdowns a few weeks ago, I'm ditching the retro-cool external pack that I had and I'm getting an Osprey Atmos 65 on Tuesday. It holds just as much, it's almost a pound lighter, and it's waaaaaaay more comfortable. (Seriously, take the time to get measured for a backpack, if you're even considering changing out, and you'll see what a difference it makes!).
Anyhow, I'm no ultra-light gram weenie, but humping my fat ass up and down the hills is tough enough anyways, so I'm slowly figuring out what works for me. Yeah, is the polycryo a pain in the ass on a windy day? Yep, but it's a half-lb lighter than the footprint on my tent. Would I rather eat with a fork and knife? Sure, but it's definitely not a deal-breaker to use a spork. I really really like the Nalgene bottles, but anything that holds water will do.
Not to say I'm depriving myself. I have a small eggcrate sit-pad from Gossamer gear that weighs nothing, but it's a nice luxury for sitting on the ground in camp and it's also a 'welcome mat' for my tent, keeping the leaves and mud off my knees when I get in and out. Is it a few minutes of hassle to turn my clothes bag inside out every night and re-stuff it? Absolutely, but it's worth having a pillow instead of just a wadded up fleece jacket. And I still carry a small pouch of pipe tobacco, a briarwood pipe, and sometimes even a small plastic flask of whiskey along too.
Now I'm down to about 31 lbs with food for 3 days and a liter and a half of water. I can manage that (and I still probably have too many clothes, too, but hey, it's a work in progress!)
I don't know if there's a magic number you should be aiming for, but whatever it is, you'll know it when you get it--it's where you find that sweet spot between luxury, necessity, and comfort on the trail.
Double Wide is now BLUEBERRY
Northbound (2nd Attempt) March 2017
My first AT pack was 40 lbs. I suffered....My base wt. is between 15-16 lbs-total max 25 lbs with food & water. If you would like to see my gear lists, please send a PM---good luck
Doublewide - One of the best answers yet. Helped me!
People have hiked the whole thing with 50+ lbs, and < 15 lbs.
If it works for you , and you can handle it, and your enjoying yourself, thats all that matters.
Heavier is typically slower however, with lower mileage per day.
That may not matter for everyone. If you have a timetable that must be met, it just might.
I think insurance covers it...might could leave a co-pay/donation though
Wow
I can't belive people still backpack with base weights heavier than 15 lbs in this day and age and with the knowlege and gear thats out there.
It just doesn't make sense to me, unless you are getting your gear advise from the salespeople at outitters.
The heavier your gear, the heavier the backpack you need to haul to cary it. Also the more food and water you have to carry because of all the extra calories your burning.
If you get rid of the junk, hiking is a lot more pleasant.
Some people start out with heavy packs, but learn quick, some people learn slower and some people never learn or they enjoy the pain or challenge.
Study the writings of long distance hikers and learn from them. Ryan Jordan seems to be one of the most expert on this stuff. Check out http://backpackinglight.com.
"If we had to pay to walk... we'd all be crazy about it."
--Edward Payson Weston
You'll be fine with 45 pounds. As your hike progresses take some time every week to dump out everything in your pack and go through it all. I developed a personal rule that if I hadn't used an item in the last week I got rid of it. It will take some time but eventually you will figure out what you really need and what you don't.
met a guy last month in tenn started from katahdin last september 21 with a 117 lb pack, when i saw him near va, he was carrying 70 lbs.with some 450 miles to go, i guess he was doing it wrong?
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