Pack weight for a thru hiker? [Archive]

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Buckeye Hike

04-14-2009, 22:54

jrnj5k

04-14-2009, 23:18

your gonna get about 2lbs per day for food but you can get that down to 1.5lbs/day. As far as clothes are concerned its gonna vary a bit but around 3lbs sounds about right without shoes.

Reid

04-14-2009, 23:34

How did you weigh it? My sawtooths weight is 2lb 3 oz

JAK

04-15-2009, 07:39

Looking to find out what other thru hikers packs weighed? Also if anyone knows their estimate of much there clothes and food weighed? This would include winter gear and food for 5-7days. Here is what I have so far:

North Face Terra 60 pack = 4lbs. 9oz
North Face Rock 22 tent = 5lbs. 2oz
Marmot Sawtooth Sleeping bag = 3lbs 1oz
Therema Rest prolite = 11oz
Jet Boil = 15oz
MSR water filter = 11oz

My total is 15lbs. 1oz...This could be wrong because I’m bad at math.

Now I would need to account for food, water, and clothes. I know I could save some weight by buying a lighter pack and tent but I already have them and the lighter stuff is more money...ThanksYou can go much lighter but at age 24 you probably don't need to. I use a 20oz Go-lite Jam2 in winter, and I don't use a tent except when hiking with my daughter. Clothing depends on coldest temperatures you might get. I use 1 oz per degF below 85F, plus shoes and wind and rain shells. Food is about 2 pounds per day and if you have weight to lose, which you probably don't, you can reduce that by about 0.5 to 1 pound per day and burn body fat. Have fun hiking. With all that gear and food you will probably still be lighter on your feet than me.

JAK

04-15-2009, 07:48

Make sure your clothing covers you more or less evenly when you wear it all at once in the coldest conditions you might encounter. Most days you can delayer unevenly, which tends to help dry layers out and keep less clothing in your pack if that makes any sense. Its somewhat counter-intuitive, but I don't normally wear base layers. I save those for cold wet days. Normally I hike in a loose wool sweater and hiking shorts. I bring the heaviest wool sweater that is not too warm for warm days. In summer that is just a light merino sweater, but the rest of the year it is medium or heavy. A light loose wool sweater is not as hot as it may sound, and if and when it gets colder you just add some light base layers and light wind shells and hat and mitts and more sock.

Blissful

04-20-2009, 19:58

Too heavy a tent...and Aqua mira worked fine for me as water treatment

Guaranteed you'll wish you didn't have the weight by Neel Gap. :)

Panzer1

04-20-2009, 22:08

Too heavy a tent...

I agree the tent is too heavy. This is the weight I found listed for the tent:
"Avg Weight: [trail] 5 lbs 4 oz (2.37 kg) [total] 6 lbs 11 oz (3.02 kg)"

Actually it looks like its over 6 pounds.

Panzer
ps my pack weight 25 pounds without food or water.

buz

04-21-2009, 09:15

If you change out your tent, pack and jet boil, (cost <$500 even with brand new equipment) you will be saving over 5# easy. I know that is a significant amount of money, but you will have new gear good for a long time, and a lot lighter kit. Hold your tent in your hands and think about losing that much weight. It is significant over the long haul.

SlowLightTrek

04-21-2009, 09:38

When you get all the rest of your stuff you will be 40 lbs. or more. In 2007 I thought I was going to be really light. I left Springer with a 55 lb. pack having base gear similar to what you have. I lightened up by Damascus with summer weight maxing at about 35 with 7 days food. Then back to 45 max with winter gear when I hit the Whites.

My winter gear base weight now is about 12 lbs. That's everything I need to be comfortable at 10 degrees. I spent less for this gear than I did in 2007. I don't regret carrying the weight in 2007. I had a great time. I just don't want to carry that much anymore.

Jaybird

04-21-2009, 09:52

Looking to find out what other thru hikers packs weighed? Also if anyone knows their estimate of much there clothes and food weighed? This would include winter gear and food for 5-7days. Here is what I have so far:....................etcetcetcetc...
Now I would need to account for food, water, and clothes. I know I could save some weight by buying a lighter pack and tent but I already have them and the lighter stuff is more money...Thanks

You could get a lighter pack & save a couple pounds easy.
But besides that...looks good.
Most THRU-HIKERS I've seen so far...have HUGE PACKS....40/50 lb packs....(spotted near Franklin,NC)

Guess they didnt do their HOMEWORK...here on WB.:D

Lone Wolf

04-22-2009, 19:57

i don't worry about no stinkin' pack weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdK2y3lphmE&NR=1

Skidsteer

04-22-2009, 20:22

i don't worry about no stinkin' pack weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdK2y3lphmE&NR=1

Does it come in any other color?

David@whiteblaze

08-04-2009, 19:40

try this link (http://awolonthetrail.com) for one guy's pack weight and other stuff.

David@whiteblaze

08-04-2009, 19:40

Actually, this link (http://awolonthetrail.com/gear_pack.html) is more direct.

David@whiteblaze

08-04-2009, 19:51

i don't worry about no stinkin' pack weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdK2y3lphmE&NR=1
Where do you get one, how much is it, and isn't that sort of like cheating if you are on a thru-hike. I realize thatthere should be no competition, so cheating really doesn't exist, but so far, the AT seems enjoyable with a 30 pound payload.

David@whiteblaze

08-04-2009, 19:52

let me rephrase that, as far as I can see, not so far (as if I'm hiking right now.)

Alli

08-04-2009, 20:57

Where do you get one, how much is it, and isn't that sort of like cheating if you are on a thru-hike. I realize thatthere should be no competition, so cheating really doesn't exist, but so far, the AT seems enjoyable with a 30 pound payload.

I'm fairly certain this product was made by the same people who make the Flextrek 37 trillion.

David@whiteblaze

08-04-2009, 21:18

:DHere's the way that I can look at it, I have no equipment (as of 2 weeks ago) and have around 5 years to get it all. If I were you, I would do some online research, maybe add the equipment that you want on you favorites bar. Then once you know what you want take the equipment that you would like to replace and just:

A: give/lend to wife or friend.

B: Sell on Whiteblaze and make enough money to buy a sandwich or something.
C: Give it to... Me:D.
D: stick it in a closet ("Gear Closet") and forget you even have it until someone drags it out and calls you a packrat for keeping it even though you never use it. In that case, you have the choice of 1: Now that your gear's existence is on the line, Follow step A. B. or C. 2: Repeat this step with the exeption of putting it in the attic instead of forementioned "Gear Closet".

Also, you coud buy that power pack and just haul everyone on the trail's gear for them (That's a great way to make friends fast.:D)

Or, you could disegard this post and move on with your life without bothering to listen to my silly long posts.:rolleyes:

Jim Adams

08-05-2009, 01:50

85lbs. if you want to avoid a $25,000 charge in New Hampshire.

geek

David@whiteblaze

08-05-2009, 12:41

What does that even mean?

Jester2000

08-05-2009, 19:09

Guaranteed you'll wish you didn't have the weight by Neel Gap. :)

If you're guaranteeing that, what do you plan to give him if you're wrong?

I say carry what you can afford to carry. In every sense. Buz thinks if you buy new stuff you'll have good gear that'll last a while, but it's just as likely that all of your gear will have to be replaced after you use it for six months straight. If you can't afford lighter gear money-wise, go with what you've got.

But do be mindful of the fact that 15 lbs. 1 oz. isn't your base weight without clothes, unless you plan to not carry a spoon, toilet paper, maps, guide books, first aid, headlamp, knife, camera, journal, bug dope, a toothbrush, and a couple dozen other things that add up to weight.

Good luck!