View Full Version : Way too heavy.......leaving in two days...
Alright all you pros, Im Tim and Im leaving in 2 days for Baxter. Without going into an extensive gear list, lets just assume Ive minimized clothes, Im tenting (kelty salida 2), Ive got 8 days worth of food, 4 liters of water, 20 degree bag and thermarest trail pro, and nothing extravagant and no extras. Using a Gregory Baltoro 75 and Im at 56 lbs. Where should I be? Ive been training and on shakedowns with 45 lbs. I keep reading about goal weight being 35-40.....
Some help would be greatly appreciated.
Rocket Jones
06-14-2014, 11:18
Do you really need 4 liters of water?
First place I started for trying to get my weight down was take every item and list it along with what it weights. You might be supprized at the number of items and what some of them end up weighing and it will give you a starting point in trying to figure out what your heaviest items are or in deciding if you really need something
I did mine up in excel as it made it easier to do calculations on total weight when an item was added or removed from the pack
I agree with pyro, if you really want useful advice you have to get into an "extensive gear list." If we don't know exactly what you are bringing, how can we help you? One man's "nothing extravagant" is another man's luxury item. Since you are leaving soon you don't really have time to replace anything major, but you can possibly leave some things at home.
Im on it. Ill take the advice of listing everything and weighing it separately. Ill post back this afternoon with the results. Can any of you give me a good target weight?
Alright all you pros, Im Tim and Im leaving in 2 days for Baxter. Without going into an extensive gear list, lets just assume Ive minimized clothes, Im tenting (kelty salida 2), Ive got 8 days worth of food, 4 liters of water, 20 degree bag and thermarest trail pro, and nothing extravagant and no extras. Using a Gregory Baltoro 75 and Im at 56 lbs. Where should I be? Ive been training and on shakedowns with 45 lbs. I keep reading about goal weight being 35-40.....
Some help would be greatly appreciated.
How many pounds is "8 days of food?" Bear in mind that your appetite won't really kick in for a day or two or three; you're not yet battling chronic calorie deficiency (as you will be by the end of the hike, if you make it.)
4 liters of water is more than you need anywhere in the HMW. The woods should be plenty wet. You're walking along lakes and streams for the first half of the trip (sobo from Abol.) Be careful with water going over the ridges (WhiteCap, Chairback) they're long and dry -- camel up, then carry 2, maybe 3 liters to get you over the ridge.
Your pack load for the HMW will be worse than your pack load anywhere else. For most of the hike you'll only need 3 or 4 days worth of food, max.
I'm pretty sure my pack was 50+ pounds at the start of my first trek through the HMW.
There's a post office and hiker box in Monson, so you can do appropriate downsizing when you arrive. :)
OK great! It's hard to say what you should aim for, because that number will be different for everyone. It takes some experience to figure out what is right for you. That being said, most people are happier with a lower weight. Also it is more useful to compare the weight of only gear, not including food and water because those will change so much from day to day.
PS, if you don't have a scale that measures ounces you can ask the Post Office to weigh things for you. Might get some funny looks though :)
Old Hiker
06-14-2014, 12:10
Looking at TODAY'S predicted temps ( http://www.sophiaknows.com/atdb/weather.php ), the range for the first 300 miles or so is 45*-68*. Haven't looked at elevations, maybe someone else can add on, but is a 20* bag really that necessary? Weight, etc.?
Take that with a grain of salt: I made 500 miles with 45-50 pounds in 2012. I'm still cutting weight for 2016.
So go ahead and do it. You sound like you are young and strong. Learn by trial and error and discard all the things that you did not use at Monson (it should be a lot of stuff from the sound of it).
The problem with the larger packs is that you fill it up. A 65 liter pack is adequate, or better yet measure the volume of minimal gear and let that dictate the pack volume.
I did that stretch twice, with about 35 lbs at the start, maybe 20 lbs at the end after we ate the food.
forrest!
06-14-2014, 12:39
With two days until you leave, it's a little late to make big changes.
But, as other's have mentioned, that's way too much water. You only carry enough water to get you to the next water stop. Carrying that much weight, you'll want to take lots of breaks anyway. After a few days, you'll get the hang of how much water to carry. If you get to the next water stop with full bottles, then you carried all that weight for nothing.
Since you only have a couple of days, go with what you have, and when you get to Monson, spread it all out and think twice before putting it back in your pack. You can also learn a lot by observing what works for other people.
Ricky&Jack
06-14-2014, 12:43
also, can you post a pic of all your food laid out? Chances are you're carrying heavy food, that can be changed (Instead of cans of tuna, take the tuna pouches, etc).
Since food seems to be heavy, that may be the key
Back in the '70's 56 lbs was considered fairly normal… on several occasions I carried a lot more than that, but I was young.
Im on it. Ill take the advice of listing everything and weighing it separately. Ill post back this afternoon with the results. Can any of you give me a good target weight?
Rough ball park for first try: call it 25 lbs. "base weight" excluding food and water. I honestly think you can get by, that first week, on 1.5 lbs. of food per day. If you've hauled that load before, then make adjustments after you get to Monson. If you've never hauled that load before, I'd suggest some lightening up before you go.
You may very well need 8 days worth of food for Baxter to Monson. Your food is not the problem.
Four liters of water seems excessive. Two is more normal. You'll want to take plenty of breaks and you'll be able to replenish your water often.
Your gear is heavier than optimal, but with two days before the start, it's a bit late to be replacing that.
Go ahead and start. Look at what other people are carrying. Look at your gear and clothing every day and tag those things you didn't use.
Once you struggle into Monson you can dump (or mail home) some of your stuff and replace some of the rest. And cut back on your food.
One of the reasons a SOBO hike is more challenging than a NOBO is that you are pretty much obligated to carry your mistakes for a hundred miles instead of only 33, as NOBOs do.
Set an easy pace; take plenty of breaks; take in plenty of water and food; look around and enjoy the beauty of northern Maine.
SOBO pride!
jimmyjam
06-14-2014, 13:26
go to www.geargrams.com (http://www.geargrams.com) and put up your list and then post a link here. Not much time to make gear changes, but time enough for the people here to tell you the things that you can leave behind. Maybe you've got a huge first aid kit in there when you only need one that weighs a few ounces. Maybe you got a full size leatherman or big bear grylis survival knife. You need to give the folkes here more info.
I am not going to tell you what you should be Packing ( HYOH ) but for me my pack weight is 25-30lbs and never heavier than 30lbs, you don't need 4 liters of water trust me their be water every where's in ME, and most beginning hikers tend to make the same mistake of carring too much food 8 days of food is to much you will not eat as much at first and the type of food your carring should be taken into consideration and how it's packaged, what about the clothes your carring if you packing more than, 2 t-shirts, 1 pants, 3 pair of socks, a rain coat, mid-weight fleece, light weight fleece, top and bottom thermals, Gaitors, if your packing more than this consider dropping some of that, and how much does your tent weights, all of this plays a big factor into your over all pack weight, I would advise you to carefully unpack and then repacking and dropping some of that weight, When i did my thru-hikes i lived by one motto if i didn't use it every day i didn't pack it except for tent and first aid kit, i only carried the absolute Necessities, And one more bit of advice Think about having a BOUNCE BOX. GOOD LUCK and ENJOY your AT ADVENTURE.
I am not going to tell you what you should be Packing ( HYOH ) but for me my pack weight is 25-30lbs and never heavier than 30lbs, you don't need 4 liters of water trust me their be water every where's in ME, and most beginning hikers tend to make the same mistake of carring too much food 8 days of food is to much you will not eat as much at first and the type of food your carring should be taken into consideration and how it's packaged, what about the clothes your carring if you packing more than, 2 t-shirts, 1 pants, 3 pair of socks, a rain coat, mid-weight fleece, light weight fleece, top and bottom thermals, Gaitors, if your packing more than this consider dropping some of that, and how much does your tent weights, all of this plays a big factor into your over all pack weight, I would advise you to carefully unpack and then repacking and dropping some of that weight, When i did my thru-hikes i lived by one motto if i didn't use it every day i didn't pack it except for tent and first aid kit, i only carried the absolute Necessities, And one more bit of advice Think about having a BOUNCE BOX. GOOD LUCK and ENJOY your AT ADVENTURE.
I should have added the 1 pair of pants is the pair your hiking in.
Leanthree
06-14-2014, 15:17
Post your list and a budget you have, if any, to upgrade some gear and you will get some good feedback. With 56 lbs now, and I guess 16 of which is food and 8 of which is water you are at a 32lb baseweight, my guess is you can get to a 25 lb baseweight for less than $200 (mostly by leaving stuff home) without compromising performance.
From the gear you listed, I'd say each piece of equipment weighs about 2x as much as a reasonable alternative. My guess is the same can be said of the gear you didn't list.
I'm planning to section the HMW southbound from Baxter in August - my base weight is about 14 lbs and my loaded weight will not more than 25. I've arranged a supply drop at about 1/2 way.
I chose that weight limit to save my back - I'm 48, I've hiked extensively in the Whites and I know what I am comfortable with.
Two years ago I met a south bound hiker on the AT in Mass who had started at Baxter with brand new, conventional stuff he bought at EMS. He said he dumped most of his heavy gear between there and the Whites. His pack was large and mostly empty space.
You will figure out what works and be forced to dump the rest. When I first started, I tried to carry 40 lbs and was miserable.
For my planned northbound thru attempt of the AT next year, I'm going even lighter - 10 lbs base weight, 20 lbs max loaded weight for 4 days. I want to have a shot at finishing - I've made considerable sacrifices to be away for six months in a row and I don't want to carry too much and risk an injury. I also want to enjoy my hike.
Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have a 25 lb. Pack gearlist, totally loaded, if you would like it send me a quick PM.
When I went SOBO there were several men around me who thought there were going to get through in 5 days. They did not. (Some others did, but most hikers starting out do not.) They ran out of food.
Eight days is not too much food for a SOBO starting out.
forrest!
06-15-2014, 05:44
Eight days of food is good, if you are counting from the base of Katahdin to Monson, which adds another 10 miles or so to the 100 mile wilderness. From Abol Bridge it's "only" 100, but Southbounders should start counting from Katahdin Stream Campground.
Heading south, the first fifty miles of the "wilderness" are pretty easy with relatively little vertical gain or loss. The good stuff starts halfway through; first WhiteCap and then the Chairback range. The main hazards in the first half are the roots and bog bridges. Plus the usual annoying insects, fords, and so on. Water should be plentiful down low, most likely scarce on the ridges. In 2010, Chairback Gap Lean-To had no water; water was from a stream crossing the trail 1.7 miles south of the lean-to. Most of the HMW is quite gorgeous. I found the last day (from Long Pond Stream Lean-To to Monson) a bit dreary.
If you run into serious trouble, there are forest road crossings where you can bail. It's not nearly as wild as the good old days, you know, when men were men and sheep were nervous. Shaws runs frequent shuttles out to the Rte. 15 trailhead. Other threads here on WB discuss the bail points and shuttlers.
Five days is not uncommon for northbound thru-hikers. For sobos that's not realistic, unless you're very fit and experienced.