View Full Version : Maximum Pack Weight Recommended
Encompassing all gear, food, and the pack itself....what would you recommend for the maximum weight to take on? I've heard 25-30 lbs. is usually the norm? Thanks so much!
HooKooDooKu
02-26-2014, 14:43
The main number I've heard is that you don't want a pack to be more than 20% of your body weight (that includes gear, water, and food).
Of course since the average hiker is between 150 to 200 lbs, you can understand where a number like 30 lbs comes from.
So for those hiking with kids, you'll need to pay more attention to 20% rather than any fixed number.
Drybones
02-26-2014, 14:54
Encompassing all gear, food, and the pack itself....what would you recommend for the maximum weight to take on? I've heard 25-30 lbs. is usually the norm? Thanks so much!
Mine runs 20-30 lbs depending on the number of days supplies, but, one shoe size doesn't fit all, what others do may not be the best for, only experience will answer your question, and I'm guessing there are hikers here that have been at it for many years and they're still modifying thier gear.
There's base weight, and there's total weight. Base weight doesn't vary. But total does, mostly on account of the food and water you may need to carry. No need for base weight to ever exceed 20-25 lbs. on the AT, unless you're hiking in the dead of winter. However: you might end up carrying 10 lbs. for 4 or 5 days' food, and another 3 quarts (6 lbs.) of water on a hot day over a long ridge... it all adds up. So keep the base weight low!!!
The good news is that the food/water weight drops off. So you see a typical pattern of hikers leaving town going real slow, overloaded with food... and then speeding up as their packs lighten up over the next several days. It's not always necessary to carry 3 quarts of water. But if it's a hot day and I'm heading up to a long ridge, I do just that.
Encompassing all gear, food, and the pack itself....what would you recommend for the maximum weight to take on? I've heard 25-30 lbs. is usually the norm? Thanks so much!
What others tell you will be far less important than what your back and knees say. Try some things out. Generally the lighter you go, the happier your body will be.
Slo-go'en
02-26-2014, 17:12
What others tell you will be far less important than what your back and knees say. Try some things out. Generally the lighter you go, the happier your body will be.
Of course, the lighter you go the lighter your wallet also becomes. It is amazing how much so little costs. So, it ends up as something of a compermise between weight and cost. Thankfully, you can pretty much go "middle of the road" on weight and price and still end up with a base weight under 20 pounds, so your fully loaded pack with food and water will stay under 30. Get much over 30 pounds and walking up and down hills all day gets to be really exausting.
FarmerChef
02-26-2014, 17:15
What others tell you will be far less important than what your back and knees say. Try some things out. Generally the lighter you go, the happier your body will be.
+1 to this. If I wasn't packing food for my kids, my weight would be in the mid to upper teens depending on resupply. With the kids, my pack weight is around 30-35 pounds right after resupply. It is much more enjoyable for me at 15-20 than 30-35. But that's what fits my frame. If you're 6'3" and 200 pounds of lean muscle you might be perfectly comfy at that weight. Your pack will make a big, big difference in what is comfortable.
It All Depends :)
Takes a lot of knowledge and experience to get below 10 lbs comfortably. Carrying 30 lbs base pack weight is no fun for most people over the long haul.
For many people ~15 lbs+ BPW is an easy to achieve with no effect on comfort and functionality. ULA, Gossamer, Tarp Tent et al make some really good gear that is light and not functionally different from traditional gear..but a heck of a lot lighter! A light famed pack, a tarp tent of some sort, a lightweight pad, a down bag and a canister or alcohol stove and you are off to the races.
Ultimately, though, you have to get out there and use the gear to see what works for you.
MuddyWaters
02-26-2014, 17:38
Ive carried 25 lbs of food and water before, so I have to agree, it depends.
On the AT, that kind of thing is unlikely
For most AT hikers , 8 lbs food for 4 days, and 2L water= 4.4 lbs = 12.4 lbs. With a comfortable 15lb base wt they would be 27.4 lbs. You can easily stay under 30 most all the time, which is what I would suggest. I would really, really suggest changes is you top 35 lbs with 12lbs food and water. But it does depend on weather, trip, and goals.
Teacher & Snacktime
02-26-2014, 17:42
Five pounds lighter than the minimum anyone tells you.
It All Depends :)
Takes a lot of knowledge and experience to get below 10 lbs comfortably. Carrying 30 lbs base pack weight is no fun for most people over the long haul.
For many people ~15 lbs+ BPW is an easy to achieve with no effect on comfort and functionality. ULA, Gossamer, Tarp Tent et al make some really good gear that is light and not functionally different from traditional gear..but a heck of a lot lighter! A light famed pack, a tarp tent of some sort, a lightweight pad, a down bag and a canister or alcohol stove and you are off to the races.
Ultimately, though, you have to get out there and use the gear to see what works for you.
I agree. 15# base pack weight is not that hard to achieve. You can be very comfortable with that.
I have a number of gear lists with weights and cost for U/L, Summer lightweight and 3-season lightweight. Base between 12.5 lbs and 15 lbs. If you would like to see them, please send a PM and I will forward. The lists also have the costs.....
Feral Bill
02-27-2014, 11:32
In summer, for a week, without trying hard to go light, I end up at 35 lbs. I could go lighter by going no- cook on the food and not bringing a camera.
My current load with 4 days food and 40oz's water is 33 lbs.
Kerosene
02-27-2014, 12:01
It also depends on fitness level, muscle mass, cardio capacity, and of course knowledge. What's interesting is that a 200-lb, athletic guy who grew up in the flatlands may still not enjoy lugging a 40-lb pack, even though that is 20% of his bodyweight. Whereas a moderately fit 130-lb woman who grew up in the mountains and doesn't mind sweating a bit can be just fine with a 30-lb pack (23%).
Of course, the first requirement is that you have the equipment -- and the knowledge to use it -- to keep you sufficiently safe and reasonably comfortable so you enjoy your outing. Most newbies significantly overestimate what they need, or don't know how to cut the ounces that add up to pounds. This is why a full gear review by an experienced backpacker can be so effective at reducing weight...not just by replacing everything with pricey Cuben Fiber products.
I was able to help my 107-lb newbie daughter -- who frankly doesn't bother to workout much at all but has a great attitude and doesn't mind putting in a bit of effort -- to put together a 19-pound pack (18%) with a 15-degree bag. Yes, she has a lighter pack (REI Flash 50) and one of my old silnyl tents, and she doesn't eat as much as a big guy, but she also learned to do without some gear that she might have thought she really needed. That pack was so darn light I could pick it up with one finger, and in fact I had to carry it for a few miles after she wrenched her knee scampering up a mountain. Her pack was only 14 pounds (13%) on her first backpacking trip, but I was carrying some of her weight to keep her light (pushing my packweight all the way up to 31 pounds (18%) from my typical 25-26 (15%).
Sure, you can carry a lot more weight (I recall carrying 50-60 pound packs (30-40%) on my section hikes as a teenager, but you would feel it towards the end of the day and I had to cut two hikes short because of injury. I don't miss the extra equipment.
Drybones
02-27-2014, 12:14
Ive carried 25 lbs of food and water before, so I have to agree, it depends.
On the AT, that kind of thing is unlikely
For most AT hikers , 8 lbs food for 4 days, and 2L water= 4.4 lbs = 12.4 lbs. With a comfortable 15lb base wt they would be 27.4 lbs. You can easily stay under 30 most all the time, which is what I would suggest. I would really, really suggest changes is you top 35 lbs with 12lbs food and water. But it does depend on weather, trip, and goals.
I never have understood why some folks carry so much water, I can normally get by with a 24 oz water bottle, drink all you can at each water source, know where the next one is and drink the 24 oz early on and have the bottle empty when you reach the next source...there's a big difference in 4.4 lbs and 24 oz.
MDSection12
02-27-2014, 12:44
I never have understood why some folks carry so much water, I can normally get by with a 24 oz water bottle, drink all you can at each water source, know where the next one is and drink the 24 oz early on and have the bottle empty when you reach the next source...there's a big difference in 4.4 lbs and 24 oz.
I prefer to keep my bones at least a little moist. :)
Lone Wolf
02-27-2014, 13:19
Encompassing all gear, food, and the pack itself....what would you recommend for the maximum weight to take on? I've heard 25-30 lbs. is usually the norm? Thanks so much!
35 lbs. is my norm
I never have understood why some folks carry so much water, I can normally get by with a 24 oz water bottle, drink all you can at each water source, know where the next one is and drink the 24 oz early on and have the bottle empty when you reach the next source...there's a big difference in 4.4 lbs and 24 oz.
'Cuz being out of water is the worst thing in the world, and can kill you. I don't like carry extra weight either, but dehydration sucks and is really bad for you.
Just Bill
02-27-2014, 13:28
I never have understood why some folks carry so much water, I can normally get by with a 24 oz water bottle, drink all you can at each water source, know where the next one is and drink the 24 oz early on and have the bottle empty when you reach the next source...there's a big difference in 4.4 lbs and 24 oz.
One quart of water weighs 2.2 pounds. 24 ounces of water is 3/4 of a quart. 3/4 of a liter weighs 1.65 pounds, which is 26.4 ounces.
This zinger of the day was sponsered by Odd Man Out. (which of course sets me up for him to correct my math and zing me right back)
Sorry Drybones- nothing personal.;)
Just Bill
02-27-2014, 13:38
sorry- double post
Sierra2015
02-27-2014, 13:41
What's FSO?
Just Bill
02-27-2014, 13:54
An application of the 80% rule-
Carry 80% of 20% of your HEALTHY body weight and make that your FSO goal. If you are overweight don't use that number.
150 pound hiker- 20% equals 30 pounds. 80% of that is 24 pounds. An easy to accomplish goal.
20% of your body is a good "all day" number (comfortable maximum). Pick up a paper clip a thousand times and even that gets heavy, walking is little different.
A typical resupply is 5 days. Two pounds of food a day adds 10. A pound of consumables and a quart of water bring you more or less to 15 pounds.
FSO+resupply puts this hiker at 39 pounds lumbering out of town but at an averaging closer to thier ideal weight of 30 pounds.
A better FSO goal is 15 pounds, a pretty standard UL benchmark. Why?
That puts our UL hiker at 30 pounds leaving town and carrying 22.5 pounds on average, just below thier 80% of 20% goal and just kissing thier max weight for the first day.
FSO is from skin out for those not familiar with the term- a better way to prevent yourself from lying to yourself about what you carry. Wear it, stuff it in your pocket- or count it in your pack- It all goes on your back.
It's not UL- its ultra easy.
UL is only 20% more expensive after you've bought 80% of your gear.
Otherwise it's 80% of the cost of traditional gear if you don't go off the SUL deep end.
Sierra2015
02-27-2014, 13:58
The letters FSO mean "from skin out"?
fredmugs
02-27-2014, 14:41
I find it a whole lot harder to carry a 25 lb pack when I weigh 215 than a 35 lb pack when I weigh 195. I concentrate more on my body weight than I do on my pack weight.
Chair-man
02-27-2014, 14:49
Encompassing all gear, food, and the pack itself....what would you recommend for the maximum weight to take on?
For me it's 25 lbs. Even at 60 years old I have no problem carrying 25 lbs total weight but for some reason 30 lbs is just too heavy so I really try to keep my total weight no more than 25 lbs.
Just Bill
02-27-2014, 14:50
The letters FSO mean "from skin out"?
Yar-
Everything you got- from your undies to your trekking poles gets counted.
It's a bit anal, pun intended.
Some folks think it's silly and I tell them this (which you may be too young for)-
Remember the ankle weight craze in the 80's? Lot's of folks getting in really good shape just from walking around with 1lb weights on thier ankles and wrists?
Those folks walked for 2 hours a day and got in great shape with just four pounds, we walk for 8 hours or more.
From Skin Out helps you remember to pay attention to shoes, poles, pocket knife, lighter and the pile of little odds and ends you toss in your bag at the last minute. People agonize over saving 8 ounces in a sleeping bag or if they should bring an extra 2 ounce pair of socks. Then those same people buy three pound shoes and stick a 6 ounce knife in thier pocket.
It's not saying you should DO anything in particular, just reminding you to pay attention to what you choose to do.
garlic08
02-27-2014, 18:26
Wise water management can be an effective part of reducing pack weight. On my AT hike, I met hikers who would fill up a 3 liter camelback in the morning, every day, even if they were literally walking in fresh spring water all day. On days like that, I often carried no water at all. That's over six pounds of extra weight, carried out of habit or fear. On some stiff climbs where there was a guaranteed water source on the other side, I often dumped what water I had after drinking my fill, sometimes saving a pound or two on the ascent.
A one-liter bottle of water is the heaviest single item I carry in my pack, including the pack. It makes a difference if I can jettison that load, and I do so as often as I wisely can. It's a strategy that works well for me, on foot or bicycle.
Likewise, food management is important. So many hikers finish a section with three or four pounds of extra food. While water is immediately necessary, food is not. Hikers do not die of hunger after a day or two of light rations. I feel a successful hike is reaching town having eaten my last nut a few hours earlier. That usually saves me a couple extra pounds leaving town.
Contrary to legend, I've found that reducing load is actually cheaper, with the exception of down insulation. My entire AT kit, including an excellent Marmot Helium bag, weighed right around ten pounds and cost $850. Most heavier tents, packs, sleeping pads and clothing cost much more than what I carried.
AT hikers' packs seem to usually be at least 20 pounds base weight, and that's a good number to shoot for if you don't have a lot of packing experience. What you carry and wear really makes little difference if you don't know how to keep things dry while climbing in the rain, for instance. It makes sense to carry extra clothing if you can't keep what you're wearing dry. If you gain the experience on keeping stuff dry in all conditions, you can start carrying less, and eventually migrate to lighter shelter, pack, etc.
Drybones
02-27-2014, 18:47
Pack weight is important, but the more important thing for me is a comfortable pack. After a few weeks on the trail I notice very little difference in carrying 5 days of supplies vs 1 day.
Personally I'm finding... the older I get the less I'm willing to carry. I moved a lot faster at age 55 than I did at age 37, and it was mostly due to a lighter load on my back. Lighter footwear and poles helped, too. Maybe I got smarter about movin' my feets.
When I was a yout, my chums and I had good times hauling 50 pound packs all through the Whites and even up to Chimney Pond in Baxter SP a couple of times. We hardly ever went more than 5 or 8 miles a day but we had a luxurious camp.
I suppose one can't get older, faster and lighter forever. Something's gonna give.
Kerosene
02-27-2014, 19:38
Wise water management can be an effective part of reducing pack weight.So true. I know that I've become overly cautious since I became very dehydrated over a dry section in north Jersey almost 40 years ago. Sometimes I can convince myself to cut back on the water weight, but I always seem to carry more than I need. Encountering a lot of dried up springs on my Fall hikes, including a dry night between back-to-back 13-mile days, makes it harder for me to be aggressive in this area, even when I camel-up at a spring.
Seatbelt
02-27-2014, 19:59
Wise water management can be an effective part of reducing pack weight. On my AT hike, I met hikers who would fill up a 3 liter camelback in the morning, every day, even if they were literally walking in fresh spring water all day. On days like that, I often carried no water at all. That's over six pounds of extra weight, carried out of habit or fear. On some stiff climbs where there was a guaranteed water source on the other side, I often dumped what water I had after drinking my fill, sometimes saving a pound or two on the ascent.
While I agree with the points you have made about carrying as little water as absolutely necessary, I fail to see the wisdom in purposely dumping ALL one's water with more trail to walk. There are too many unforeseen possible scenarios where one might wish they had saved that last few ounces of water before they get to the next watering hole. JMO
I will admit that I carry less water than I used too and travel faster as well, thereby needing to carry less.
I've had a bout with kidney stones a few years back... docs say poor hydration habits can cause it. Hiking the mid-Atlantic portion of the AT in a seriously dry year caused me to carry more water than I'd have liked to. Many times when I tried to skimp, I regretted it. Experience tells me to err on the side of too much water vs. too little.
Besides, if you've got enough water in your platy, you can make camp almost anywhere. Gives you freedom.
earlyriser26
02-27-2014, 22:10
with food for 3 days and water, 25 - 35 lbs.
Just Bill
02-28-2014, 01:47
Wise water management can be an effective part of reducing pack weight. On my AT hike, I met hikers who would fill up a 3 liter camelback in the morning, every day, even if they were literally walking in fresh spring water all day. On days like that, I often carried no water at all. That's over six pounds of extra weight, carried out of habit or fear. On some stiff climbs where there was a guaranteed water source on the other side, I often dumped what water I had after drinking my fill, sometimes saving a pound or two on the ascent.
A one-liter bottle of water is the heaviest single item I carry in my pack, including the pack. It makes a difference if I can jettison that load, and I do so as often as I wisely can. It's a strategy that works well for me, on foot or bicycle.
Likewise, food management is important. So many hikers finish a section with three or four pounds of extra food. While water is immediately necessary, food is not. Hikers do not die of hunger after a day or two of light rations. I feel a successful hike is reaching town having eaten my last nut a few hours earlier. That usually saves me a couple extra pounds leaving town.
Contrary to legend, I've found that reducing load is actually cheaper, with the exception of down insulation. My entire AT kit, including an excellent Marmot Helium bag, weighed right around ten pounds and cost $850. Most heavier tents, packs, sleeping pads and clothing cost much more than what I carried.
AT hikers' packs seem to usually be at least 20 pounds base weight, and that's a good number to shoot for if you don't have a lot of packing experience. What you carry and wear really makes little difference if you don't know how to keep things dry while climbing in the rain, for instance. It makes sense to carry extra clothing if you can't keep what you're wearing dry. If you gain the experience on keeping stuff dry in all conditions, you can start carrying less, and eventually migrate to lighter shelter, pack, etc.
Can't say I've mastered the food and water- but with you 100%.
I still talk myself into that extra quart and justify it by recalling all the other weight I've saved. Tough habit to crack. Maybe by the time I'm 50 I'll have it nailed.
takethisbread
02-28-2014, 06:53
I never let my pack weight exceed 3.87lbs including food and water.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
English Stu
02-28-2014, 07:56
+1 for Drybones comment. Water and food management is one of the skills the AT teaches you.
Keep abreast of the water situation ahead by a careful eye on the maps for water sources. Ask folks coming in the opposite direction about the condition of the sources and drink as you go along. Only once out of necessity did I carry 3ltr and I didn't like it, I carry one litre most of the time and find I drink more a the sources because I do not think about rationing the water I have. Weather conditions/exertion can have a bearing on consumption so needs thinking about.
Capt Nat
02-28-2014, 09:03
Guilty on the water mismanagement. I routinely arrive at a water source with plenty of water then, run out and arrive at the next source parched. I really admire you folks that have that skill mastered...
Seatbelt
02-28-2014, 09:23
Guilty on the water mismanagement. I routinely arrive at a water source with plenty of water then, run out and arrive at the next source parched. I really admire you folks that have that skill mastered...
I was not insinuating that I have this skilled mastered either--still learning--right there with you.:)
Just Bill
02-28-2014, 11:03
A curious question.
I never thought of water bottle choice in terms of water management. Besides old habit I carry a 3L platy and 1L bottle at a minimum to be able to carry a gallon.
Now for me this has always been a no-brainer- a 3L platy weighs grams more than a 1L- meaning- You can always carry less in a 3L, but you can't carry more in a 1L so take the extra room for the few gram penalty.
So the curious question- Do some of INTENTIONALLY carry smaller bladders to prevent you from carrying too much water?
Lone Wolf
02-28-2014, 11:27
i carry a quart nalgene and a gatorade bottle. no bladder. most leak plus i like stopping and taking my pack off to get water at springs
bamboo bob
02-28-2014, 14:31
My base weight is 15 pounds with no camera. I usually have 1.5 pounds of food per day. I know people say 2 pounds but that is always two much for me. I too have had a kidney stone so I try to err on the high side for water but on the AT carrying one liter is plenty except for a very few low water stretches like around Catawba. Some small bodys out there carry a lot more weight than I do as a percent of body weight.
Basically we all need the same stuff, so 110 pound woman is doing a lot more lugging than a 240 pound man.
On the PCT in Socal I carried seven liters and in NM CDT I carried 6 sometimes. Some wells were dry.
As a section hiker, food weight is something I often overestimate. Appetite doesn't kick in for the first couple of days. Too much adrenaline. Almost always end up with leftover stuff, which makes me feel stupid.
Kerosene
02-28-2014, 18:09
As a section hiker, food weight is something I often overestimate. Appetite doesn't kick in for the first couple of days. Too much adrenaline. Almost always end up with leftover stuff, which makes me feel stupid.This didn't make me feel stupid at the end of a hike, but it did take me 8 years/hikes to tune it to where I'm ending with next to nothing in my food bag. I'm just a little slow to get it, is all.
My appetite doesn't kick in until around Day 10, plus I don't need as much to eat as I get older.
garlic08
02-28-2014, 18:50
A curious question.
I never thought of water bottle choice in terms of water management. Besides old habit I carry a 3L platy and 1L bottle at a minimum to be able to carry a gallon.
Now for me this has always been a no-brainer- a 3L platy weighs grams more than a 1L- meaning- You can always carry less in a 3L, but you can't carry more in a 1L so take the extra room for the few gram penalty.
So the curious question- Do some of INTENTIONALLY carry smaller bladders to prevent you from carrying too much water?
I do. In non-desert areas, I carry one 1-L soda bottle (about an ounce) and one 2-L Platy (about an ounce) buried in the pack. I seldom use the platy (once or twice on the AT), so I'm psychologically self-limited to 1 liter of water most of the time. I make it work.
On desert hikes, I add one or two more 2-L platys and sometimes carry seven liters. That's rough. But after a few of those 40-mile water carries, like on the AZT, you might carry less on the AT than others do. If it's only five miles to the next spring and your pack is around ten pounds, why bother carrying any?
lonehiker
02-28-2014, 18:55
I have 100oz bladder and routinely start with it full regardless of availability of water.
Sandy of PA
02-28-2014, 21:58
I carry 2 one liter bladders and 1 two liter bladder to allow me to balance the weight in my pack. One liter each side with the big guy across the top if needed. Alternate drinks from each side.
MuddyWaters
02-28-2014, 22:13
I never have understood why some folks carry so much water, I can normally get by with a 24 oz water bottle, drink all you can at each water source, know where the next one is and drink the 24 oz early on and have the bottle empty when you reach the next source...there's a big difference in 4.4 lbs and 24 oz.
Everyones different. The person thats 50lbs overweight and out of shape, and only hiking 8 miles per day , will need to carry more water on that 95F afternoon than someone else will.
I routinely go 10 miles without taking a sip in cool weather , even though Im carrying 1L. Im not stupid enough to pour it out though.
garlic08
03-01-2014, 11:54
...Im not stupid enough to pour it out though.
Hey...who you calling stupid? Just kidding--I don't expect, nor would want, everyone to
hike like I do.
I remember dumping some water on the AT in front of another hiker (after offering it around), and from his reaction you'd have thought I was throwing away money. That wasn't you, was it?
Pedaling Fool
03-01-2014, 12:07
I remember dumping some water on the AT in front of another hiker (after offering it around), and from his reaction you'd have thought I was throwing away money. That wasn't you, was it?No, that was probably me. All the microbes and other soil organisms in the leaf litter needs that water more than a hard-packed path. Always thinking of the little guys:D
My total for winter gear is 39 lbs including food and water for 5 days, that also includes what I am wearing. I have to work on the summer gear list to see the difference in the weight. I am thinking I will be around 30 lbs.