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squeezebox
01-13-2015, 19:49
How does your pack list and how you pack change with multiple people?

theoilman
01-13-2015, 20:51
Water filters are definitely a sharable with a few people.
Stoves are a sharable, but each carry a supply of fuel.

The result is 1 lb savings carry weight per person MAX though.

bigcranky
01-13-2015, 21:01
Depends. With my hiking partner, we each carry all our own gear, as if we were hiking solo. It's much easier that way. With my spouse, we share a tent, kitchen, and water treatment, and usually maps, camera, etc. There is some weight savings.

MuddyWaters
01-13-2015, 21:10
With my son i will share shelter and cooking gear. Thats it.

illabelle
01-13-2015, 21:14
Generally speaking, my husband carries the equipment, I carry the food. So he's got the water filter, the tent, the stove, and the fuel. We each carry our own water, clothes, sleeping bag and pad, and whatever extras we want. I carry the navigational stuff, maps, trail guide pages, shuttle/hostel contact, etc. My husband is a big guy, 6'-4", 235 pounds, but sometimes we start a section with my pack heavier than his! As we eat the food, my pack gets lighter quickly. Our first few meals often include heavy items.
When the food bag is extra full, on long sections, or when our daughter joins us, I happily share that weight.
We pretty much never get separated on the trail, so we don't feel the need to each carry a shelter, or other gear for emergency use.

gsingjane
01-14-2015, 10:39
I pack quite differently with a group than with a partner or by myself.

With a group, I typically bring along at least two Katahdin water filters, whereas I bring the Sawyer Squeeze by myself. With a group, we use 3 person tents and divide up the tent body, poles, ground sheet, etc., whereas by myself I have an UL tent that I carry alone. I give out food to groups as follows, each person gets her own bag of food for the day including snacks, and then two hikers split a dinner. I bring at least one stove per 5 hikers so that includes fuel and pots, hand sanitizer etc.

I bring a much-expanded first aid kit for a group, including materials to take and send out notes. I also bring fun stuff like a hacky sack, Mad Libs, or a travel frisbee for a group.

Because there is not as much concern for "making miles" with a group, but much more concern for people's comfort and safety, I would say that my pack for a group is considerably heavier than it is going solo. Unlike some other hike leaders, I don't believe in checking people's packs before we leave (I think it's overly intrusive) so there have been a few times I have wound up carrying excess gear! Not happily though!

Jane

Rocket Jones
01-14-2015, 12:02
With my hiking buddy, I carry a little extra peanut butter as a treat for his dog. Other than that, no difference.

Alligator
01-14-2015, 12:12
The big pack comes out and Dad becomes a sherpa.

mattman578
01-14-2015, 13:20
In high school I used to go hiking in bib groups and you were assigned a tent partner everybody wanted to be my tent partner I would carry the hole tent a stove fuel and as much food that would fit in my pack. the Leader asked me why I was the always the pack mule. My response if I get lost I am going to pitch the tent and start cooking somebody would show up. After that he would not try to divide the food just hand me the bag he so some very sound logic in my plan

Another Kevin
01-14-2015, 18:51
I have trail food recipes that don't divide gracefully for going solo, so sometimes I pack food to share.

I'll share a tent, a water filter, a cookset with a family member, but not generally not with a random group.

I probably bring more extra first aid stuff with a group.

bigcranky
01-14-2015, 20:31
The big pack comes out and Dad becomes a sherpa.



Oh, I remember that. Fun. (Actually, it was a lot of fun. And I was young enough to carry it, too. :) )