How much should a typical thru hike pack weigh starting out?

[RememberYourZen]

I was looking to get into the 28-35 lb marker? Is that legit?

[SGT Rock]

You will be fine. Others will tell go heavier and others lighter. That ain't a bad zone for a starting pack weight.

[RememberYourZen]

I just weighed in at 34 lbs. and I'd like to eliminate things I know I wont need..but I want most things I have in there.

Heaviest items are food..and well, i can easily get rid of those into my stomach on the hike.

[bigcranky]

If your pack is at 34 pounds *with* food and water, you should be fine. Have a great hike.

[fiddlehead]

Depends if you resupply at neals gap or not.
I always do and start out with 2 days food.
That makes for a much lighter pack and helps get my trail legs in shape without hurting my back.

[RememberYourZen]

If your pack is at 34 pounds *with* food and water, you should be fine. Have a great hike.

It is with food. I'll be bringing along two water bottles. I've got a water bottle holder on my pack so im not too worried about that added weight as im used to hiking with a platypus bladder which is absurdly heavy to me, haha

Depends if you resupply at neals gap or not.
I always do and start out with 2 days food.
That makes for a much lighter pack and helps get my trail legs in shape without hurting my back.

I will resupply at neels gap. I'm bringing about 3-4 days of food. 3 days for sure, I could stretch it to 4.

[SGT Rock]

Half my pack weight was consumables when I left town. For me a good rule of thumb was if my gear weighed more than my food bag - I was carrying too much gear.

You will work some things out on the trail. Some things you are told you need or you feel you cannot live without will somehow seem less important and you will get rid of them. Don't be afraid...

Some things you didn't think of will become apparent. There are lots of places on the trail to get those minor things. Don't try to anticipate every need before you go or you will end up with more stuff falling under the previous paragraph.

[RememberYourZen]

Half my pack weight was consumables when I left town. For me a good rule of thumb was if my gear weighed more than my food bag - I was carrying too much gear.

You will work some things out on the trail. Some things you are told you need or you feel you cannot live without will somehow seem less important and you will get rid of them. Don't be afraid...

Some things you didn't think of will become apparent. There are lots of places on the trail to get those minor things. Don't try to anticipate every need before you go or you will end up with more stuff falling under the previous paragraph.

I'm trying to look at the things ive packed but I essentially WANT all of them. Im interested to see what i choose to get rid of along the way

[SGT Rock]

I'm trying to look at the things ive packed but I essentially WANT all of them. Im interested to see what i choose to get rid of along the way

Wants are sometimes harder to shed than you think.

[RememberYourZen]

Wants are sometimes harder to shed than you think.

truer words were never spoken. It's obvious that im bringing items i could live without (i.e. ipod, book to read, pillow, etc). but i can justify each as much as I can food!

[stranger]

I would say 35 with food and water might be a tad heavy considering you can resupply at mile 30, then 66, then 107, etc... but of course it comes down to mileage, I met people at Neels Gap that had started 3 days before me - everyone does different miles so pack weight will generally vary based on that. I think a base weight of 18-20lbs is something that is both easy to achieve and relatively light if you are only carrying 2-3 days of food.

My pack was alot heavier leaving Hot Springs than leaving Springer, cause I left Springer with 1.5 days of food and Hot Springs with 3.5 days, and I was eating much more at mile 270 than at mile 1.

[hiketech]

truer words were never spoken. It's obvious that im bringing items i could live without (i.e. ipod, book to read, pillow, etc). but i can justify each as much as I can food!

One thing that I do when at the gym, commuting (car and subway/train), even during downtime at work or at home, is to do away with the bulk from my books by purchasing them on CD and ripping them to mp3 format (well I use Linux, so technically I prefer ogg), and then transferring them to my mp3 player.

Now don't get me wrong, there is something both special and uniquely soothing gained from reading a book, but logistically speaking, and if for no other reason than just wanting to knock out a few additional books, especially for scholastic purposes, listening to them on my mp3 player is an acceptable compromise. With high quality earphones and by lowering your player's volume, you can greatly extend battery life as well.

I'm planning a 2010 thruhike with my girlfriend, we're both avid readers, and we'll both be using mp3 players and cell phones for storing music, books, ebooks, maps, trail data, etc.; these will not contain vital information, just supplementary info, and should lighten our load just a bit.

[Kanati]

[quote=SGT Rock;792941]Half my pack weight was consumables when I left town. For me a good rule of thumb was if my gear weighed more than my food bag - I was carrying too much gear.

Try as I might, I just can't get to this level. But, I don't seem to be overburdened at 33 lbs with 3-4 days food and 64 ounces of water. I would anyway like to return to the trail at about 28 pounds total if possible.

When I stop by to pick up my fj liner I would like to spend a few minutes with you on this subject if you've got time. .

[SGT Rock]

[quote=Kanati;792973]

Half my pack weight was consumables when I left town. For me a good rule of thumb was if my gear weighed more than my food bag - I was carrying too much gear.

Try as I might, I just can't get to this level. But, I don't seem to be overburdened at 33 lbs with 3-4 days food and 64 ounces of water. I would anyway like to return to the trail at about 28 pounds total if possible.

When I stop by to pick up my fj liner I would like to spend a few minutes with you on this subject if you've got time. .

Absolutly. I'll bring my pack.

[SGT Rock]

Mail yourself some food to Fontanna from Franklin. Figure out what you need for about 3 days. If you miss anything you can pick it up at Fontanna while you are there. It is easy to get into Fontanna - you walk right up to a heated bathroom with a phone that calls the shuttle.

When you get to Newfound Gap hitch down to Gatvegas. It usually takes about 10 minutes to get a hitch - less if you are hitching with a girl. Resupply there 3 days, maybe get a cheap hotel. Get the outfitter to shuttle you back up if you cannot get a hitch back up.

Hike to Standing Bear and get 2 days food from the resupply room.

[RememberYourZen]

I'm trying not to mail myself any food but if it comes down to that I guess I could. I was trying to just resupply at the towns as I go along

[SGT Rock]

I'm trying not to mail myself any food but if it comes down to that I guess I could. I was trying to just resupply at the towns as I go along

Well if you think about it, this is buying as you go. You are mailing from the last big town what you like to eat and what is available. It isn't like buying now only to find two weeks later you cannot stand oatmeal anymore.

Just buy 8 days of food at Franklin where it is cheap and mail half to yourself in Fontanna. You COULD buy what you need in Fontanna, but it ain't cheap. And their store ain't big, so there is a chance you get what is left over by the 300 guys in front of you.

[RememberYourZen]

hmm..that is an excellent point.

[SGT Rock]

I hiked with 16 pounds in winter for the gear. I added a little since then. My base is about 11.5 pounds in summer. Fall/Spring is somewhere in the middle.

I carried about 2 pounds in bourbon

I carried about 1 pound in water.

I carried about 1 pound in miscellaneous consumables.

And I carried about 10 pounds of food. That is about 4 days food for me - I like to eat.

The most my pack ever weighed was about 35 pounds leaving Damasus. I had 5 days of food (about 12.5 pounds) plus a box of fried chicken and biscuits plus a few cigars with all my winter stuff.

[bigcranky]

I could knock off a pound in shelter weight, but my kid swiped my bivy and tarp for a trip to the Southwest for her spring break. So I'm taking our Double Rainbow. Not sure what I'm going to do with all that space...