Pack Weight...

[lyagooshka]

35362
Greetings all.

Question about ideal pack weight.

All this is for a week hike.

I have an army rucksack.
Not sure how big, but I am guessing 50L-70L (adding picture, if anyone has an idea).
It might weigh a bit more than one from LL Bean, but a) I'm section hiking, so a week at most and b) IT WAS FREE.
You get what you pay for, I know, but still...

In it, I have an LL Bean tent (Microlight UL 2-Person which fits perfectly in one of the outside pockets) and tent pad.
I also have an Esbit 5 piece stove, with 8 oz fuel.
Also, a netted hammock.

So, I am looking at about 6# for the sack, 2# for the tent, 2 for the stove and 2 for the hammock.
12# so far.

I plan to have a week's worth of freeze dried food, so 16 X 5 oz = 80 oz or 5# (carry 2 extra).

Now at 17#.

I'll have 2 1-qt canteens (on sack), a water filter, spare clothing, rain cover, TP / toiletries, rain gear and miscellaneous odds and ends.
? another 13#?

So, I am GUESSING about 30#.

What weight should I be shooing for and what should I look at adding / taking away?

I hope to get thorough MD in October, NJ and / or CT in spring, and MAYBE the 100 mile wilderness in August-September.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Alex

[scrabbler]

A lot of this depends on your physical condition and how far you plan to travel each day. For example, it's entirely possible to easily carry that gear with no training, for a half mile per day. It's unrealistic for someone out of shape and never hiked to think that they can haul all that 20+ miles per day.

[lyagooshka]

A lot of this depends on your physical condition and how far you plan to travel each day. For example, it's entirely possible to easily carry that gear with no training, for a half mile per day. It's unrealistic for someone out of shape and never hiked to think that they can haul all that 20+ miles per day.

Well, I would have to admit being closer to the latter than the former.
But I plan to spend the summer getting ready (gym and hitting the AT for a few miles at a clip, or even overnight), and following up in winter.
In terms of hiking, I am fairly new, but I know I can still hump a ruck for at least 10 miles.
I just have to make sure I can do that over a 4 day period (a pace that should at least get me through MD in October).

Thanks for the reply

Alex

[iio]

Right off, I'm left wondering why you are carrying a tent and a hammock? You could knock a couple of pounds off your load by choosing one or the other.

[lyagooshka]

Right off, I'm left wondering why you are carrying a tent and a hammock? You could knock a couple of pounds off your load by choosing one or the other.

Basically, options.

I agree with you 100%, but I figured if a 1.5# hammock is what breaks me, I went wrong somewhere else.

Thanks

Alex

[egilbe]

You lighten your pack load the most by leaving something home. Pick one and commit to either tenting, or hammocking, but not both.

do you realize how much money someone would need to spend to lighten their packs by 1.5 pounds?

[egilbe]

What is a tent pad? Sleep pad? Or ground cloth?

[lyagooshka]

What is a tent pad? Sleep pad? Or ground cloth?

Actually both.
Ground cloth for the tent and a PT mat for sleeping on.

[MuddyWaters]

It really doesnt matter. Are you happy? Can you hike the miles you want? Thats all that matters

Anything under 40 is OK really. Anything under 50 is rough, but do-able.

[Feral Bill]

Not enough food, unless you are an extremely light eater. Think twice as much, at least.

[kayak karl]

are you sure 7 days of food 5 lbs ? no snacks and stuff?

[OldNorth]

If you're planning to be in Maine in September you're going to need a good sleeping bag. I didn't see one mentioned.

[lyagooshka]

Sorry for the confusion.
Under "miscellaneous" I put sleeping bag, snacks, first aid kit, etc.
The food was one pack lunch and one dinner, or 2 for dinner and jerky and trail mix for lunch.
My breakfast is usually instant coffee and maybe a power bar.

For sleeping, I have the 'army sleep system' of which I was planning to just bring the warm-weather sack.
It's good to 40 degrees (I believe).
Quite a bit of that will depend on the weather.
I'm not a big rain or hot weather person, so if I can have 60s in the day and 40s at night, I will LOVE it.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Alex

[AfterParty]

My packs at 29 with 6# of food 4 liters of water a tent and a hammock. Its very doable

[saltysack]

I tend to eat 2-2.5lbs per day...I also like Gatorade which is heavy but Wirth it too me...ditch hammock or tent...less is better..


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[JumpMaster Blaster]

For a week hike you're looking at around 12 pounds of food if you can get enough calorie dense meals. Trust me, after day 3 your body is going to want sustenance. I'm a section hiker and day two or three is when the hunger hits me. If you're relying solely on freeze dried meals, better to bring some olive oil in a small bottle to supplement.

Speaking of, only relying on freeze dried meals is CRAZY expensive. You need snacks, like GORP, Snickers bars, dried fruit, honeybuns, Kashi bars, honey, packages of sliced pepperoni, etc. That's not even considering the FUEL it's going to take to boil water for all those meals.

Tent & hammock? Choose one or the other. Do a few shakedown hikes with each to see how you like them, then pick ONE.

Also, categorizing a sleeping bag as "miscellaneous" is a crime worthy of being tarred and feathered here. As 1/3 of your "Big Three", next to the pack and shelter system, it's a major piece of equipment.

I have the lightweight patrol bag as well. It's rated to 40 degrees if you're wearing the Polartec Baselayers. Heavy, but a decent bag if you already have it.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

You lighten your pack load the most by leaving something home. Pick one and commit to either tenting, or hammocking, but not both.

do you realize how much money someone would need to spend to lighten their packs by 1.5 pounds?

At least $600.

[daveiniowa]

Far ahead to get on the trail for a night or two with what you have and see what works for you. It is such a personal preference! I average about 35-40 pounds for my week long section hikes and I'm OK with that, for now. I like to have certain things, personal preference. And it is different for different times of the year. After 20 + years hiking I am still figuring out what works best, what to leave home, and what to take. I have 4 packs, 2 stoves, and a lot of other gear I am constantly trying. My point is it will take some miles to figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Every hike I do I change it up and make it better. Have a great hike!

[Venchka]

At least $600.

Good for me. I managed to do it for $425 including NC sales tax and my granddaughter is using the sleeping bag that I replaced. We both win!
Wayne


Old. Slow. "Smarter than the average bear."

[RockDoc]

Don't go out for a whole week without doing a good shakedown hike, overnight. Then correct based on your experience.

[cmoulder]

My packs at 29 with 6# of food 4 liters of water a tent and a hammock. Its very doable

Let's see, 6# food, 9# water, 6# pack (http://www.mysteryranch.com/glacier-pack-ex) (per your previous post (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/119692-Pack-size?p=2077947&viewfull=1#post2077947)), which adds up to 21 lbs, which means you've managed a 14 lb base weight (6 lbs of which is your pack!) while carrying 2 shelter systems! WOW, I'm super impressed — I'd love to see that gear list!

[saltysack]

Every hike is a "shake down". Constantly evolving and changing.....don't get the term shake down as as its different from any other trip...my $.02.....


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[cmoulder]

Every hike is a "shake down". Constantly evolving and changing.....don't get the term shake down as as its different from any other trip...my $.02.....


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I get what you mean, but for me it's a 'shakedown' if I'm testing a new piece of gear I haven't used before. I did this a few times this Spring with rain gear, intentionally going out (not too far!) when rain was in the forecast. Nowadays (and always have, really...) I look at the location, weather, season and pretty much know what gear I will need. And over time I've accumulated the gear needed for quite a wide range of environments.

As I'm sure you do, it makes me cringe when somebody's post starts with "What's the best xxxx?", to which the only answer is "Depends upon....".

[DuneElliot]

Don't go out for a whole week without doing a good shakedown hike, overnight. Then correct based on your experience.

Agreed. I did my first solo overnight and learned very quickly what did and didn't work for me. I really was glad that I wasn't out for longer with more gear than I needed and other things I didn't like. Next week is my first 5-day hike and I'm glad I got my gear dialed in before that...I'm still taking a risk on my sleeping pad but I don't like the current one I have been using.

[swjohnsey]

Let's see, 6# food, 9# water, 6# pack (http://www.mysteryranch.com/glacier-pack-ex) (per your previous post (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/119692-Pack-size?p=2077947&viewfull=1#post2077947)), which adds up to 21 lbs, which means you've managed a 14 lb base weight (6 lbs of which is your pack!) while carrying 2 shelter systems! WOW, I'm super impressed — I'd love to see that gear list!

It makes absolutely no sense to carry water from waterhole to waterhole.

[cmoulder]

It makes absolutely no sense to carry water from waterhole to waterhole.

LOL, well that's a big clue when somebody carries 4 liters of water (maybe in the desert?)... but I'm just working off the 'facts' proffered...... :rolleyes::-?

The most I've ever carried is 2 gallons, down the Tanner Trail in the Grand Canyon, for a dry camp the first night about 2/3 of the way down. So carrying that much water isn't necessarily excessive.

[Greenlight]

Go with what you've got, but take more food. You learn by experience, and this is going to be "school" for you. Have fun. Learn. Walk.

[bigcranky]

The pack is fine. Free is good. :) Try to keep the total weight to 30 pounds or so, but you'll need way more than 5 pounds of food for a week. I average 2 pounds of consumables per day, and I'm still really hungry when I get to town. Freeze dried meals are ok but maybe one per day, bring real food for the rest of it.

Bring just one shelter, no need to carry a second one for "options". You're not carrying a second pack or a second cook kit or whatever, right?

Once you've done a week on the trail you'll know what you want to do differently next time.

[CoolBobby]

Bring it all. Or none... It's up to you. With that said, I would personally ditch the tent (I have the same one) and stick with the hammock. Its a fine tent, but man the hammock... I hiked with the same backpack for years, with Uncle Sam and with out him. There are better ones out there, but even my ultralites don't come with the street creds or general badassery...

[MtDoraDave]

The misc stuff adds up. Clothing, first aid, hygiene, headlight, batteries, pocket knife, cordage, water filter, cell phone, rain gear, etc.
And as was mentioned, 2 lbs of food per day is more realistic.
Fill your pack with everything it will have for your trip, then weigh it - then you'll know. Without TRYING to go UL, it quickly reaches 40+ lbs for a week long trip. Ask me how I know!

[kayak karl]

Without TRYING to go UL, it quickly reaches 40+ lbs for a week long trip. Ask me how I know!

You're right there. My first trip on the AT I ended up being 42# (5 day food, no water in weight) On a trip 5 months later i did the 100 mile wilderness with a 30# pack (9 days food, no water in weight)

It was all the things that in my head I would just say "It's just a few ounces" that drove the weight up the first time.

[Connie]

The misc stuff adds up: I have removed weight one item at a time, making comparisons, and looking for dual purpose or multipurpose.

I have eliminated items I believed were important: no knife, then small folding scissors, then "milk bag" opener (razor blade in a compact protective plastic holder. That little cutter opens pesky packaging.

I had never once used or needed a knife.

Hank of paracord? No. I like bank line and I might like ZPacks 1.5 cord much better.

Like that.

[MtDoraDave]

My first pack was a USMC ILBE surplus pack. Huge, comfortable to me, but 9 lbs empty. I saw a 60 L Jansport on sale on Campmor.com, weighs 4 lbs, for $60 - and bought it on impulse. 5 lb savings for $60!!! While it isn't ideally set up, to me, it works... and forced me to bring less "stuff". First week -long trip out with it, it weighed 38 lbs, including food and 2 liters of water - though I rarely keep 2 full liters when hiking. I wanted to know max ACTUAL weight.

[CamelMan]

Experience will help you lighten your pack weight. If it's not beneath your dignity, you can always start with a car camping trip to get a good feel for what you need, and how much you'll eat, while keeping some extra food and stuff in the car in case you need it.

Personally I'm surprised at how well I estimate my food, since I don't camp out enough to justify it. But I would pack my calories by the mile, not by the day, though that's better than nothing for starters. You'll need maybe 1000 calories more food hiking 20 mile days versus 12 mile days.

[cmoulder]

I wanted to know max ACTUAL weight.

I realize this isn't the UL forum, but whether UL or not there are a lot of folks who just make WAGs about the weights of individual bits of gear and don't really know how much stuff actually weighs.

The first steps toward 'getting a handle' on pack weight are to get a kg scale accurate to at least 1g and a digital fish scale to weigh larger items, then use an online app like geargrams or lighterpack and make a brutally honest gear list that includes every little smidgen of gear you'll carry on the trail.

I use geargrams, and HERE (https://www.geargrams.com/list?id=33664) is a list from a recent quick overnight trip. Zero rain gear because there was Zero chance of rain.

[Connie]

+1

This is what I do.

I have an everything list, then, make comparisons and put items in separate lists: UL, LW, 3-day, 4-5 days, car camping..

I even have a list for every tent stake, of interest, I find online: type description, plus length, weight, price.

I take their weights listed, or I use a grams-ounces flat digital kitchen scale I found at a good price online.

It really makes a difference to weight and compare the "small stuff" ..then, you will see it really adds up.

My UL list is in my "signature".

[cmoulder]

Connie, yours is a solid list that just about anybody would do well to emulate for 3-season.

And hey, you caught me on something because I forgot to put my watch on my list, lol!:eek:

[Connie]

I never really got my gear "dialed in" until I got that weight scale.

I like this. I'll take that this trip. Throw more in.. bad, unless it is something that really adds to my enjoyment of the hike or in the campsite.

For enroute highway Rest Stops, I love my JetBoil so it rides in my vehicle.

I have never really abandoned gear. I repurpose it, for car camping or an enroute highway Rest Stop.

[Del Q]

My 10+ year experience and I am on the older side, this hobby to me is about simplicity. The less I bring the lighter my pack and happier that I am. Its more about what NOT to take than what we must have. OLD WHITE BLAZE TIP - every time when you come home put on a table what you did not use.

With some money spent 30 lbs with food and water to me is the target.

EASY to throw figures, miles, pack weight, etc around verbally, the AT IS HARD AND RUGGED in a lot of spots. Georgia as an example, good foot tread, tough ups and downs just as reported. Every extra pound adds to the difficulty.

I just got back from a shortened hike in the White Mountains, got my butt kicked! Hard is not the word for it from Franconia North. My pack weight was great, should have tried harder to lose 10lbs on my belly which is often not talked about.

[lyagooshka]

Great tip.
Thanks all.

Del Q, I know what you mean.
I was [jokingly] going to set a goal for myself and limit my pack weight to whatever I take off the 'front' up until my hike.

Anyway, lots to think about.

Thanks again to everyone.

Alex