View Full Version : Best ways to save weight thru hiking with a partner?
I was wondering if anyone had tips or advice when it comes to saving weight hiking with a partner.
Are there maybe any gear lists of the equipment that two people carried on the AT to use as an example? I've tried searching but come up short.
The obvious things are items you only need one of.. tent, cookset, water filter.. maybe some more I'm missing? I'm sure there are other ways though - just wondering if you all had any advice or experience with this?
Pedaling Fool
09-29-2013, 16:23
It's absolutely not worth it. I've seen long time friends depart bitter enemies during a thru-hike while sharing equipment. It's kind of like moving in with friends; it usually ends bad, but hiking can be worse because you're basically tethered together, you can't even go to your own room (if you're sharing a tent) and get some free time from your other half.
I wouldn't even share a stove.
Mr. Bumpy
09-29-2013, 16:59
It's absolutely not worth it. I've seen long time friends depart bitter enemies during a thru-hike while sharing equipment. It's kind of like moving in with friends; it usually ends bad, but hiking can be worse because you're basically tethered together, you can't even go to your own room (if you're sharing a tent) and get some free time from your other half.
I wouldn't even share a stove.
+1 Tried it on a three week section hike about 15 years ago. It sucks when one person is up and the other is down and you can't even say, "I'll meet you at such and such shelter, gap or town in two days." The person who is up feels pent down and the person who is down feels like crap for holding someone up. I'd never share gear for anything longer that 3 nights.
yellowsirocco
09-29-2013, 17:15
Is your partner your significant other or a relative? Those are the only cases when sharing gear is a good idea.
Basically when two people is doing a long distance hike together, Treat it as if you were solo hiking carry the lightest gear you can afford, but don't share gear, each person needs their own gear, Whats going to happen if the two are seperrated it does and will happen.
With a significant other I'd suggest a quilt. The wife and I tried a 2p quilt last night, and we both loved it! We bought a RAYWAY 2p quilt from a member here, the alpine version. It even zips in half. Which would be good if each got separated for the night. Each would still have a bed roll of sorts.
illabelle
09-29-2013, 17:24
I was wondering if anyone had tips or advice when it comes to saving weight hiking with a partner.
Are there maybe any gear lists of the equipment that two people carried on the AT to use as an example? I've tried searching but come up short.
The obvious things are items you only need one of.. tent, cookset, water filter.. maybe some more I'm missing? I'm sure there are other ways though - just wondering if you all had any advice or experience with this?
Interesting question. Husband and I hike together, but we're section-hikers, not thrus. I think your ability to stick with your partner depends on what your current relationship is like. On our sections, we occasionally have disagreements and trade a few sharp words. I recall one instance where I wondered if we'd ever hike together again... Fortunately our pace and endurance level is similar, and our skills/duties are complementary rather than conflicting. For example, I'm the planner, he's the gear guy. So he doesn't worry about where we're going or even look much at the map, and I don't care what the tent is made out of. For us, for now, it works. Hiking as a couple makes for some great memories and stories, that's for sure!
And maybe that's the point, sharing a tent with someone for a long hike is a bit like marriage. All the power struggles and adjustments to each other's schedules, preferences, habits, and flaws aren't fun. And in a setting such as the woods, with the stresses of being dirty, tired, cold, homesick, or whatever, those adjustments could be more intense.
We carry one tent, one stove/fuel, one filter, one food bag, one first-aid kit, one map, one thin rope. In exchange for those non-duplicated items, we can carry more fun food, or an extra set of socks. On the cold nights, it's nice having somebody to warm up with too! :)
garlic08
09-29-2013, 18:31
Even if you're committed to hiking with, say, a spouse, each should carry a certain amount of survival equipment. Spouses do become separated on hikes (my wife and I have, luckily never overnight) and each needs to be able to camp solo. We carry one tent, one emergency bivy, and food that does not need to be cooked, for instance.
yellowsirocco
09-29-2013, 20:51
Even if you're committed to hiking with, say, a spouse, each should carry a certain amount of survival equipment. Spouses do become separated on hikes (my wife and I have, luckily never overnight) and each needs to be able to camp solo. We carry one tent, one emergency bivy, and food that does not need to be cooked, for instance.
When I hike with my dad we do this kind of thing too. I carry a water filter and stove for us both to use, but my dad carries a titanium bowl, lighters, and chemicals for water. He eats out of his bowl, but if we get separated it can also be used to cook in over a campfire since he has a fire source.
We both use hammocks so shelter is not an issue for us. On your setup why not carry a small tarp instead of the emergency bivy? The tarp could be used for a cooking area on a regular basis whereas the bivy is strictly for emergencies. A tarp to cook/live under is a big bump to the standard of living in my book. Might cost a few ounces more than the bivy, but when I weight the usefulness of an extra tarp vs a bivy it is worth it to me.
Spirit Walker
09-29-2013, 22:54
It really depends on 1) whether or not you two are strongly committed to the partnership (family member or romantic partner) or if it is a more casual relationship, and 2) whether you intend to walk together as you hike. If you are not strongly committed to hiking together, then you need to be totally self-sufficient, in case the partnership breaks up because of injury or a desire to hike separately for whatever reason. I have watched partners who were stuck with a too heavy tent, or no stove, or food boxes intended for two or three people. All are fixable, but they can be a pain (and expensive) to resolve. If you are married or hiking with a close family member (so most likely to stay together for the entire hike) then you have the option of hiking together all day or just meeting up at the end of the day. If you plan to hike separately during the day, then you both need to be carrying an emergency shelter and food and first aid kit. If you're hiking together (similar paces and you really get along well), then you can save weight with one tent, first aid kit, camera, map/guidebook, filter, stove, pot, etc. My husband and I stay together all day, every day, but that is rare, especially on the AT where navigation isn't an issue.
My husband and I usually stay together (at least within a sight of each other) but we still carry the basics (first aid, clothing, water, some food) in our individual packs. We have a 2P Nemo Tent and an ENO hammock that get carried separately, so we both have sleeping apparatus. So far, we aren't thru hikers but have done several day, weekend and section hikes both together and with other people.
FarmerChef
09-30-2013, 13:51
Interesting question. Husband and I hike together, but we're section-hikers, not thrus. I think your ability to stick with your partner depends on what your current relationship is like. On our sections, we occasionally have disagreements and trade a few sharp words. I recall one instance where I wondered if we'd ever hike together again... Fortunately our pace and endurance level is similar, and our skills/duties are complementary rather than conflicting. For example, I'm the planner, he's the gear guy. So he doesn't worry about where we're going or even look much at the map, and I don't care what the tent is made out of. For us, for now, it works. Hiking as a couple makes for some great memories and stories, that's for sure!
And maybe that's the point, sharing a tent with someone for a long hike is a bit like marriage. All the power struggles and adjustments to each other's schedules, preferences, habits, and flaws aren't fun. And in a setting such as the woods, with the stresses of being dirty, tired, cold, homesick, or whatever, those adjustments could be more intense.
We carry one tent, one stove/fuel, one filter, one food bag, one first-aid kit, one map, one thin rope. In exchange for those non-duplicated items, we can carry more fun food, or an extra set of socks. On the cold nights, it's nice having somebody to warm up with too! :)
Ok. Illabelle beat me to the punch. This is most definitely the situation for my wife and I, almost to a "T." Sure we argue and disagree but no more than when at home. And as Illabelle said, our skills are complimentary and we not only share our gear but delegate our duties so we can be more efficient which yields (in theory) more time to do what we want rather than what we have to. Of course, we're section hikers so we'd have to see what happens on a thru but, for what it's worth, we can't wait to do it together.
All that said, personally, I wouldn't do it if we weren't married or related. Without the commitment of a deep and abiding love one of the two can just check out of the hike when it suits them and then both hikes are essentially over or you're now carrying heavier gear. Which I suppose isn't that bad so long as you still have a sleep system, shelter and cook kit if the other is kind enough to leave their half of the essentials with you.
When I hike with my dad we do this kind of thing too. I carry a water filter and stove for us both to use, but my dad carries a titanium bowl, lighters, and chemicals for water. He eats out of his bowl, but if we get separated it can also be used to cook in over a campfire since he has a fire source.
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Yellowsirocco has some good advice here. I've shorter distances (2-3 weeks) with several different people and never had a serious problem. The weight savings are fantastic, as is the company on less-traveled trails. Making sure each person has emergency gear, such as a form of water purification, a lighter, and a couple more energy bars than they would expect to eat during the day. I wouldn't be too concerned about having a "good" shelter in case you're separated (if necessary a trash bag or ground cloth would probably keep you alive if you're a tenter).
The key is maturity- accept that you will have a disagreements and learn to compromise. Be willing to break up nicely if you want to do so, allowing time for extra gear to be shipped to town, etc. It does get old when you have to hike with a person all the time; I remember how good it felt when enough snow melted on the AT that my partner and I were comfortable hiking at our own paces after several days of not being able to do so.
Other items you might be able to share are map and compass, cell phone, toothpaste, food and dishes (I recommend 2 spoons and 2 cups though), dish soap, etc. However, it depends on the trail and how similar you pace is. One time I was ahead of my partner and took a wrong turn. By the time I turned around, she was ahead of me on a trail that had suffered severe storm damage and was officially closed with no warning and no detour, a couple hundred miles from the trailhead. It took quite a while for us to get back together as she was must faster than I was at negotiating the downed trees, and was hurrying in an attempt to catch up with me while getting angry at me leaving her behind in such a difficult place. Needless to say, we laugh about it now.
yellowsirocco
09-30-2013, 19:54
Other items you might be able to share are map and compass
I would make sure both parties have some sort of information. I carry the maps, and my dad carries pages from a guidebook.
squirrely
10-02-2013, 22:24
We shared the tent, cookset, water filter and the first aid kit and camara as well. We also shared food. Neither of us eat much so we would split a packet of ramen or pasta sides or mac and cheese. Pretty much whatever we made for dinner we split. Would have done the same for breakfast but we like to eat different things. Oatmeal vs. pop tarts
squirrely
10-02-2013, 22:25
We also only did a 110 mile section but I don't think we would have had issues on a thru except with the food as the hiker hunger set in
Rolls Kanardly
10-03-2013, 16:54
if you are really close to your partner then a double sleeping bag can shave weight. I just looked at a 20 degree bag at 33.4 ounces for two bags and 26 ounces for a double bag. Shaves 7.4 ounces. Every little bit counts and the benefits can be warming. hmmmmm "Rolls Kanardly"
Even if you're sharing a cook pot, it's a good idea to have a separate bowl so you can split the food evenly. That way it's not like a race where the slower eater gets less food!