View Full Version : Pack weight question.
Upfront new to and knowledge challenged about long distance hiking. Ive read quite a lot about pack weight. Is there some formula to figure roughly what a loaded pack should weigh. I'm 6ft 6in and weigh 230 so I imagine my pack would weigh more than a 5ft 8in 170 lb person. I welcome any info.
Base weight should not differ very much, ie due to a few extra inches of material. However food weight is another animal, your food bag may weigh a bit more than a smaller hiker's bag, unless you starve yourself and lose a bunch of weight. If you try to keep your trail food weight down, just eat up in town.
MuddyWaters
11-24-2014, 20:25
Your pack should weigh as little as possible.
Within the personal constraints of experience, money, safety, and comfort.
Most thruhikers will carry under 35 lbs with food and water. Basically 15-20 lb base gear weight.
Don't let some fixed percentage # goad you into carrying more than needed.
However, what you do carry is personal, and solely up to you.
I like to carry as little weight, as possible, for the items I need.
For me, the goal is to have my head up, looking around, aware of my surroundings, having a good time out there, not having to trudge along like a mule train only existing for hauling gear.
I like the answers to be found in the ultralight gear or gear section.
I manage 4-5 days, 20-30 lbs in a 40-liter backpack. The higher weight is for more "camping" than hiking.
Is your purpose hiking or camping? If you are trying to not spend twice, or more, to get the right gear, you can get advice in the forum. If you can, go with an organization at the community college, or, volunteer perhaps to do trail work. Some organizations lend the gear to volunteers for their work party. If you are near a REI, for example, rent gear. In their store, you can try on backpacks adding weighed bags to see what carry weight seems acceptable, and, discuss that with their staff. Is this comfortable carry weight achieveable? I suppose I could buy the items, I need, one or two at a time. Like that. There is no real pressure in a quality backpacking store: they want satisfied customers.
Old Hiker
11-24-2014, 20:36
Adding on - just be careful with your fears - we pack our fears, which adds up. Sometimes, a lot.
Welcome to WhiteBlaze. Poke around - read, glean for the gold nuggets and enjoy !
The articles on the home page are a GREAT place to start.
I'm 6'3 220. 17lb base. Never over 32 with 3 liters. 50 liter pack.
12trysomething
11-24-2014, 21:58
I will add this to the conversation...I have been as high as 60lbs and as low as 9lbs as far as base weight goes. My 9lbs trip was much more comfortable than my 60 :)
All that said, with a 13.5lbs base weight I can be good from about 25* and up in any conditions. It took some time and money but it is what works for me. Below is a video of a typical load out.
http://youtu.be/L-w4pjjXUnE
Now when it comes to food, I am at about 1.2 a day. Again, after much trial and error, I don't walk out of the woods with any food now (I used to walk out with a bunch) and I am comfortable the whole trip. Here is a sample of a food load out as well.
http://youtu.be/7uRB_J2xc_Y
Good luck!!
bigcranky
11-24-2014, 22:56
Base weight = the pack with clothing and gear, but not food or water. Just FYI. That's because food and water vary over the course of a day or a trip, so it's an easier way of visualizing pack weights.
If you're talking about an AT thru hike, starting in March or so and heading north, it's fairly easy to get a base weight in the twenty pound range. (That's without spending a bunch of money on superlight gear, but one would still have to put some thought and research into it.) So with a couple of liters of water and 4 days of food, the total pack weight runs around 32-35 pounds. That's not a bad starting point.
With some experience, you'll figure out what gear and clothing work for you, and you can get the base weight down a bit. Add some cash to the experience and it can go down even farther :)
Plenty of good resources out there. Good luck.
12trysomething
11-24-2014, 22:58
Add some cash to the experience and it can go down even farther :)
Truer words have never been spoken :))
Im 6'2 240 on a lightday, cookin'in like a para-troop. It's all good, C130 OUT. Blk Hk Daqnger Close...
Traveler
11-25-2014, 07:33
Perhaps the best way to figure out your base weight is the age old approach of use it or pitch it. Weigh your gear, everything you want to have with you that goes into the pack (except water and food weight). Put what you think you would need and/or would like to have in the pack and go off for a weekend.
Even after one night you will probably find there is gear you didn't use, like the spare pants and other items that are ok to carry on a day hike or overnight but likely won't be needed on a long distance romp. Pull that gear out and take another overnight or three. You may find you need things you don't have, but likely will find you don't need some of the gear you took with you. Pull the unused gear out. That approach will be the experiential way to reduce weight to where you are comfortable.
As Big Cranky pointed out, some cash into the equation will further reduce the load with newer technology, fabrics, and systems. Keep in mind cold weather base weight will likely be heavier than warm weather weight as clothing needs change and reduces weight. The trail itself will help to winnow down weight as you look to saving ounces and see what others are doing. It sounds like a lot of work, but truly its great fun and educational as hell.
Just Bill
11-25-2014, 09:02
Upfront new to and knowledge challenged about long distance hiking. Ive read quite a lot about pack weight. Is there some formula to figure roughly what a loaded pack should weigh. I'm 6ft 6in and weigh 230 so I imagine my pack would weigh more than a 5ft 8in 170 lb person. I welcome any info.
The formula you are asking for is -
A hiker should carry 1/4 of their body weight for extended travel and a maximum of 1/3rd for safety.
That formula is a bit outdated for modern backpackers, although you will find some Scout troops and others who still use it.
You are correct though- a tall big fella is going to carry more than a petite gal. But not by much, 10-15% more?
More food may be the biggest difference.
But a 6'6" sleeping bag doesn't weigh twice a 5'0" bag, most of your larger sized items won't weigh dramatically much more if you look.
garlic08
11-25-2014, 09:50
I hike with a very experienced long distance hiker who's 10" taller than me at 6'8" (don't know his weight but he's not fat) and he complains that he needs to carry more weight than I do--the long bag, XXL clothing. But his base weight is within one pound of mine. He's a little more anal with things like the toothbrush handle, but otherwise we carry the same gear. He doesn't eat any more than I do.
I am 6' 1" and 210lbs and my pack is never above 30lbs, I usually will keep my pack within the 25lb range and that's with consumables, my moto is if I don't use it every day I don't carry it "except tent/rain gear", such as the only pants I carry is the ones I hike in, you will learn very quickly what you need and what you don't.
Kerosene
11-25-2014, 12:51
Here is another way of looking at pack weight that seems to pan out. My rule-of-thumb for backpackers at a reasonable level of fitness in temperatures above 20F is a pack with three days of supplies is that shouldn't weigh any more than 16% of your body weight. Now, you can certainly carry more and be just get by, but if you want to be able to walk all day and then get up and do it again the following days then this has proven to be a good target in my experience.
Female, age 22 in 2011, 110 pounds: 17.6 lbs (18 lbs actual; she was carrying my lighter-weight gear plus her food, although I was carrying the 2-person tent)
Female, age 39 in 1976, 125 pounds: 20.0 lbs (24 lbs actual; I ended up carrying a bunch of her things to get her under 20 pounds to slow me down and speed her up)
Male, age 57 in 2014, 170 pounds: 27.2 lbs (I can cruise all day below this weight; when circumstances require me to carry more than 30 lbs (5+ days of food) I start to notice it on steep uphills and at the end of long-mileage days)
Male, age 50 in 2004, 210 pounds (slightly out-of-shape): 33.6 lbs (his starting carry weight was just under 30; he climbed very slowly but he could walk all day)
Male, OP, 230 pounds: 36.8 pounds (as mentioned by an earlier poster, you can probably beat this weight as your base weight should not be that much more than smaller people, but I think you should be very comfortable if you end up carrying 30-35 pounds on your back)
Here is another way of looking at pack weight that seems to pan out. My rule-of-thumb for backpackers at a reasonable level of fitness in temperatures above 20F is a pack with three days of supplies is that shouldn't weigh any more than 16% of your body weight. Now, you can certainly carry more and be just get by, but if you want to be able to walk all day and then get up and do it again the following days then this has proven to be a good target in my experience.
Female, age 22 in 2011, 110 pounds: 17.6 lbs (18 lbs actual; she was carrying my lighter-weight gear plus her food, although I was carrying the 2-person tent)
Female, age 39 in 1976, 125 pounds: 20.0 lbs (24 lbs actual; I ended up carrying a bunch of her things to get her under 20 pounds to slow me down and speed her up)
Male, age 57 in 2014, 170 pounds: 27.2 lbs (I can cruise all day below this weight; when circumstances require me to carry more than 30 lbs (5+ days of food) I start to notice it on steep uphills and at the end of long-mileage days)
Male, age 50 in 2004, 210 pounds (slightly out-of-shape): 33.6 lbs (his starting carry weight was just under 30; he climbed very slowly but he could walk all day)
Male, OP, 230 pounds: 36.8 pounds (as mentioned by an earlier poster, you can probably beat this weight as your base weight should not be that much more than smaller people, but I think you should be very comfortable if you end up carrying 30-35 pounds on your back)
I agree with the last example.
Here it is quite simply.......
The lighter the more comfortable. the heavier, the more the burden. You chose the level.
Farr Away
11-25-2014, 17:25
To paraphrase something I've seen elsewhere-
The more you carry, the more you'll enjoy camping.
The less you carry, the more you'll enjoy hiking.
-FA
Wolf - 23000
11-25-2014, 23:04
I'm 6'2, weight 225 (in fairly good shape). My pack is in the 10 - 15 pounds weight range (total weight of course). Yes you will need to carry more weight than someone who is 5'7 and 170. When it comes to the weight game, smaller people have the advantage. It also about ratio, pack weight compare to how much your body weight - along with what type of body weight. If someone is carrying 15 - 20% of their body weight, they still know they have a pack on. Carrying less than 6% of my body weight, I don't even notice I have a pack on. I often do have check to make sure I have a pack on.
Wolf
MuddyWaters
11-25-2014, 23:23
I'm 6'2, weight 225 (in fairly good shape). My pack is in the 10 - 15 pounds weight range (total weight of course). Yes you will need to carry more weight than someone who is 5'7 and 170. When it comes to the weight game, smaller people have the advantage. It also about ratio, pack weight compare to how much your body weight - along with what type of body weight. If someone is carrying 15 - 20% of their body weight, they still know they have a pack on. Carrying less than 6% of my body weight, I don't even notice I have a pack on. I often do have check to make sure I have a pack on.
Wolf
I could carry much more, but i dont notice 10% with a hipbelt, and i really prefer under 15% at all times if possible. REI and BSA can keep the 25-30%. Sure way to take the fun out of walking, uphill at least.
garlic08
11-26-2014, 09:19
...If someone is carrying 15 - 20% of their body weight, they still know they have a pack on. Carrying less than 6% of my body weight, I don't even notice I have a pack on. I often do have check to make sure I have a pack on.
I knew I reached a good point in my pack weight when I was able to take my rain jacket off and stuff it into my pack--while hiking.
I knew I reached a good point in my pack weight when I was able to take my rain jacket off and stuff it into my pack--while hiking.
If I did not experience this myself personally, I would find it hard to believe: while AThiking in warmer months I will camel up at water sources and carry 1/2 ltr or less. The point is when finishing a 1/2 ltr and carrying an empty water bottle, I can FEEL the lighter weight in my pack...The human body is wondrous.
colorado_rob
11-26-2014, 10:19
I knew I reached a good point in my pack weight when I was able to take my rain jacket off and stuff it into my pack--while hiking.Yep, good measure of comfort. My epiphany in lightweight backpacking came when, on reaching a good campsite and scoping out the perfect tentsite, suddenly I panicked because I didn't see my backpack anywhere and I realized I still had it on my back. And when we take short water/food breaks we don't even feel the need to take off our backpacks. There is NOTHING more pleasurable than doing an open-ended long distance backpack, everything you need to live comfortably right on your back and honestly not even noticing the weight on your back. True "Freedom of the Hills".
Wolf - 23000
11-26-2014, 18:02
I knew I reached a good point in my pack weight when I was able to take my rain jacket off and stuff it into my pack--while hiking.
I can do that too, so I'm a little confuse about your point???
Wolf
His pack is light enough to carry in one hand.
I believe pack weight should be what you are comfortable with carrying.I have had my pack weight as low as 8lbs but found, I like more durable equipment.so I am comfortable carrying 14lbs.
If you have to lean forward, or, if you are out of balance, or, if you cannot look up or look around or see up ahead, your pack is too heavy, for hiking.
In mountains, by that criteria, for me too heavy is 35 lbs.
LongGone2013
12-27-2014, 16:39
Hey man, there's no reason your pack should weigh more than mine did. The AT is a damn long walk, and the lighter your pack, the easier it will be. This isn't the Marine Corps where 60lb packs are essential to move gear and resources: thru hiking is about efficiency of travel.
A pack shouldn't be more than 35lbs loaded with food and water.
There are endless debates with percentages and ratios but once you hit the trail it's pretty much useless. You either will have a heavy pack that sucks to hike with or a light pack that won't bother you.
Godspeed,
LongGone
GA >ME 115 days
To me, 30lbs all in is a good, reachable goal. Takes $$$ for lighter gear. Where I have saved weight? Less clothing, don't carry so much water - come into each water resupply dry, less than 2 lbs per day for food, LIGHT tent.