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DebW
12-11-2002, 11:08
Assuming your pack weight were to stay the same over the course of a day, when does it FEEL heaviest?

SGT Rock
12-11-2002, 12:24
On the first day :D

Hammock Hanger
12-11-2002, 13:27
but I guess when I was in need of a break (I have a habit of forgetting them). Hammock Hanger

DebW
12-11-2002, 14:04
This poll was inspired by my 2 week hike of Vermont in 2001 with a load that was too heavy and a pack that didn't support it well. I began to think of all the variables that could affect my perceived pack weight (time of day, temperature, trail grade, trail condition, time since rest stop, time since eating, etc. ) and how they were functionally related to it (linear, log, exponential, power law). Then I thought that maybe I could put all of this into mathematics and publish it in the "Journal of Irreproducable Results". I could graph my actual pack weight and apparent pack weight as a function of time over the course of the 2 week hike, correlate this with a set of independent variables (temperature, trail grade, etc.), and develop the functional relations. Actually, I was going to take the backwards approach of making up appropriate functional relationships first, then calculation apparent pack weight from actual pack weight, and adding random "noise" so that my pseudoscience looked more realistic. Now you know what scientists think about while hiking. :D

Anyone want to suggest some functional relationships? I'll make you a co-author of the study. I figure that "time since last rest" should be exponential. "Trail grade" should be a 2nd order quadratic because very steep downhills can be as hard as very steep uphills. Rock, you've given me a new independent variable "time since start of hike" - I think it should be an inverse exponential.

Hammock Hanger
12-11-2002, 14:45
could you repeat that in English!! (Only kidding.) And to think all I did was think of ways to save mankind while I hiked...:D Hammock Hanger

poison_ivy
12-11-2002, 15:48
It's funny... I never really notice my pack weight until I take it off (usually, anyway.) One I drop my pack on the ground, I feel so light and end up thinking it was really heavy at that point. I suppose that probably qualifies as the end of the day category??

-- Ivy

Minerva
12-11-2002, 18:46
Need another category. Mine feels the heaviest when I leave town after resupply. After cruising into town with an empty food bag, and then reloading, I groan and moan and usually eat the heaviest meal first.
Cin

Hammock Hanger
12-11-2002, 18:56
The pack moster did bite me after a re-supply. Especially if I shopped hungry.... HH

gravityman
12-11-2002, 19:09
On the trail it always was too heavy. But especially going up hill. Now as a weekend hiker, I always seem to lift my pack while taking it out of the car and think "wow this is light." Then I lift my wife's out. "WOW! I need to give her more stuff." Usually, it takes about a 1/2 mile up hill before I am thinking about what new gear I HAVE to have in order to get a lighter pack. Hence the new Wanderlust tent!

Gravity Man

Dirtyoldman
12-12-2002, 05:04
My pack always seems heaviest in the morning.
I blame the morning dew for this.

DebW
12-13-2002, 10:43
Anyone remember the article in ATN several months ago about the "mountain growth" theory. Some hikers concluded, based on surveys of people who had all hiked over the same mountain, that the mountain was higher in the afternoon than the morning. Their theoretical explanations were a little shakey, though.

Maybe I'll have to start hiking with a graphing calculator to test my apparent pack weight theories as I go. :D Guess I'll never be an ultra-lighter... I'm always wishing for field guides, too.

Peaks
12-13-2002, 18:03
Well, I never realized that the mountains were higher in the afternoon than morning, but I sure realized that the morning miles are much shorter than the afternoon miles.

SGT Rock
12-13-2002, 18:22
To add to that thought. Louisiana miles are very short compared to North Carolina Miles. Maybe the flat ground plays a part in it. A 20 mile Louisiana day feels like a 16 mile N.C. day.

gforce
12-11-2003, 22:49
I have to agree with DOM . . . it always feels heaviest first thing in the morning. After that I really don't notice it much . . . too busy enjoying the beauty!

Streamweaver
12-11-2003, 23:23
Actually Id have to say my pack is heaviest on a really nice sunny afternoon
right after lunch! Because on a really nice day I tend to sit a bit too long,get a little too comfortable and eat a bit too much,so hauling my body up off the ground can be a chore even without the pack !! LOL Streamweaver

P.S. on days like that I find its best to sit on a log,so it isnt as far to get up!!!

Footslogger
12-12-2003, 14:23
First day out of town. Always uphill and my pack always had more goodies in it.

RagingHampster
12-12-2003, 14:58
Everyone knows that when you differentiate the pack weight equation you always come out having to use the chain rule, which leads to the assumption that the more you dig at the equation, the more steel chains are in your pack, which means your pack becomes heavier. This is the mathematical theorem that attempts to prove the 'ole mountain man's explanation... "The more you think about it, the heavier it gets".

In the morning when I'm fresh and rested, and have already broken myself in from the day before, the pack feels light. When I hit early afternoon (2pm On) I start feeling the weight because I tend to think about it more for some reason.

Maybe I have to stop listening to "Take it to the Limit" :p

Lumberjack
12-12-2003, 19:38
have you tried "he aint heavy"

bluebird
12-28-2003, 23:12
DebW,

My pack feels heaviest when I'm not moving, ie. when chatting with other hikers. Maybe you could add speed to your list of variables. This of course has a cross relationship to energy level and probably all your other variables.

You should add the good ole y=f(x) comparison complete with t-test and correlation. That way you can say which variables are most correlated to perceived pack weight. For all those hikers that complain about pack weight when experiencing the variables that have an r << 1 you can say "Its all in your head" :-)

Bluebird

-careful - there's a whole world of statisticians out here :o)

3oz
01-15-2004, 23:30
When it's 4oz or greater

tribes
01-15-2004, 23:47
Feels heaviest always after resupply in town... :eek:

foodbag
01-20-2004, 00:33
Felt heaviest right after coming from the grocery store after resupplying. Also, first thing in the morning after hoisting it for the day's journey.

fatmatt
08-23-2004, 21:33
When it's 4oz or greaterHAHAHAHAHAHA

Scaper
08-24-2004, 05:35
The only time I noticed a difference in my packweight was hiking out of town after a resupply. After the first month of my thru hike my backpack felt like part of my body and I never noticed any difference in weight except for the climb out of town after resupply. Jim Ga-Me 1990

Jaybird
08-24-2004, 05:45
On the first day :D


Hell, Rock......after carrying those 100+ LB RUCKSACKS for over a year in IRAQ & vicinity a 40lb backpack should feel like a walk in the park to you!
hehehehehehe :D

kentucky
08-24-2004, 16:16
I say my pack feels the heaviest after i have carried a 12pk for few miles:clap

tarbubble
08-24-2004, 17:05
Anyone remember the article in ATN several months ago about the "mountain growth" theory. Some hikers concluded, based on surveys of people who had all hiked over the same mountain, that the mountain was higher in the afternoon than the morning. Their theoretical explanations were a little shakey, though.
oh, i can explain that. it's colder at night, so the mountain contracts. as the day warms up, the molecules of the mountain expand, making it larger and therefore taller. that's why you should always go up a pass in the morning. :rolleyes:

Brushy Sage
08-24-2004, 19:44
Half way up Roan Mtn in a cold rain.

Rain Man
08-25-2004, 09:29
Assuming your pack weight were to stay the same over the course of a day, when does it FEEL heaviest?

Hey Deb, what happened to the BEGINNING of each day in the poll?

Whether I am running or bicycling or hiking or backpacking, the first few minutes are always harder than any other time. Once my body gets warmed up and in the groove, it's much easier.

So, for me, the first part is when my pack feels the heaviest.
:sun

Rain Man

.

sgtjinx
08-25-2004, 10:57
When I have fallen and I can't get up!! Also when I can't reach my end of the day beer!!

Sgt Jinx:banana

hacksaw
11-25-2004, 05:38
Actually, it feels heaviest on the day it IS heaviest, the first day outa' town with three or four days food in it!

Hacksaw

Ridge
11-25-2004, 13:34
But, seriously, always the first few days when starting any hike. The pack has to get conformed to the back, if its a new and unknown trail I might carry a little extra water. If winter hiking with uncertain weather ahead, I will carry extra stuff. All this, of course, adds to the weight.

TDale
11-25-2004, 19:58
I gotta go with: when I first put it on. Hoisting it up and balancing it until I get the belts and straps adjusted, it's heavy. As I walk and adjust it into it's proper place it gets lighter.

swamp dawg
12-09-2004, 23:27
The first day out of town with food for mulitple days on a up hill climb, man it doesn't get any better. Life is good on the trail.

A-Train
12-10-2004, 00:39
When leaving Monson..

5 days (of resupply) was a bit much for this weak leightweighter

zenribbits
12-10-2004, 03:36
I gotta go with: when I first put it on. Hoisting it up and balancing it until I get the belts and straps adjusted, it's heavy. As I walk and adjust it into it's proper place it gets lighter.I am going to have to agree with TDale on this one. I generally don't notice how much my pack weighs until I pick it up. Although I am full of S---, I offer this "scientific" explination.

I really think packs feel heavier during the afternoon, because you generally have more direct sunlight on you while you hike. This added radiation in the form of the warmer afternoon temperatures is supplemented by body heat being trapped by your pack. This added taxation on your body causes you to sweat more. The combination of your body trying to keep itself cool, your increased respirations, lower levels of functional fluid and elevated heart rate contributes to an increased level of fatigue and a build up of lactic acid in your body. Since your fatigue level is increased, your equipment feels heavier.

Perhaps this is why Raging Hampster notices his pack weighs more in the afternoon.

When I hit early afternoon (2pm On) I start feeling the weight because I tend to think about it more for some reason.

Palmer
12-10-2004, 07:49
When I first put it on, but especially when I put it on after a rest stop. That's why I usually don't take it off for short rests. I know that I'll just about pass out when I pick it up again. Once it's on my back for awhile, everything's OK.

Youngblood
12-10-2004, 09:06
When I first put it on, but especially when I put it on after a rest stop. That's why I usually don't take it off for short rests. I know that I'll just about pass out when I pick it up again. Once it's on my back for awhile, everything's OK.
Palmer,

Your pack sounds too darn heavy... ever try to lighten up?

Youngblood

hikerdude
12-10-2004, 09:42
When I put to much stuff in it.:cool:

Palmer
12-10-2004, 10:02
Yeah, I'm in the process of getting lighter gear. The problem is that I usually hike with three other people, and since my pack (Jansport D-3) holds more than anyone else's, I get stuck with most of the kitchen stuff, like stove and food.

Youngblood
12-10-2004, 10:10
Yeah, I'm in the process of getting lighter gear. The problem is that I usually hike with three other people, and since my pack (Jansport D-3) holds more than anyone else's, I get stuck with most of the kitchen stuff, like stove and food.

So, if I hike with you I could lighten my load? :) I've tried that with my hiking partners since I usually have the smallest pack, even given the 'worn out old man' routine to the teenagers but haven't been able to pull it off. Can you give me some pointers on what works? You could probably make some money with a video or book on how to lighten you load and not give up anything. :) Have a great day.

The Solemates
12-10-2004, 10:13
How about "after a resupply!"

minnesotasmith
12-10-2004, 11:06
1) When it's late enough in the afternoon I've been hiking for a number of hours;

2) I'm anticipating eating a meal that as a practical matter I need to wait until the end of the hiking day to prepare;

3) I'm on a sustained at least halfway steep uphill;

4) it's hot;

5) and, when I'm trying to get to a shelter/road crossing before dark.

The more of those, the heavier it seems. A pack being perceived to be unusually heavy would never be due to my putting in too much food or warm clothing; nah, not me.;)

Tractor
02-12-2005, 20:51
...after morning coffee wears off on a day 1 or first day after resupply. Feels lightest just before resupply and just after meeting very pretty ladies on the trail! Makes my day either way!

TJ aka Teej
02-12-2005, 22:42
Congrats to Deb for having the longest running poll on WB :D
When does my pack feel heaviest?
Each spring, kids. Each spring...

celt
10-26-2005, 20:40
Between hikes. When its in storage I always feel this tremendous pull to put it on and hike so it must be astronomically heavy when its in my closet.

HikeLite
10-31-2005, 13:29
When I put it on.

Cookerhiker
01-06-2006, 07:49
How about "after a resupply!"

My sentiments exactly

the goat
01-06-2006, 10:27
....when i've got a 12-pack in it.