Gear: Weight vs. comfort

[Engine]

Yes. That (the part I bolded)...I bought a 0 degree down bag. It weighs 4 lbs and takes up a large percentage of my pack. It is 650 fill - if I had allowed myself to spend $600 or so rather than $300, I could have bought a higher fill bag which would be lighter and smaller. A 0 degree bag can be as light as 2 lbs, I believe, if money is less of a restriction...

+1

The Enlightened Equipment Revelation 0* in size regular/regular with 950 fill comes in at 22.4 ounces and $370.00. For 850 fill the same bag is 1.9 ounces heavier and costs $280.00. You can get amazingly light gear, but there comes a point of diminishing returns financially. I've said this before, the cost of saving weight is lot linear, it's exponential. Buy the best made and lightest gear you can reasonably afford. But those last few ounces of savings could finance the first month of your trip...

[nsherry61]

A couple of thoughts that might be useful . . .

1) Packing comfort that is important (maybe your sleeping pad, and backpack) is important to consider. Also, as noted many times above, less weight is an important aspect of comfort.
2) Packing for the joy of comfort in camp will likely make the other 90% of your time on the trail much less comfortable.
3) Don't confuse comfort and fear. Packing our fears of being uncomfortable adds a great deal more weight than packing for comfort that truly improves our trail experience. A 30 or 40 degree bag that, in combination with your cloths can keep you comfortable 99% of the time and safe 100% of the time might be smarter than fearing being cold and thus carrying an extra pound of sleeping bag that is too hot most of the time only to save you from one cool night out of 100.

Good luck and have fun!

[MtDoraDave]

I wish I had been a member here before buying the Marmot... I still may get that Enlightened Equipment quilt, but I'm going to need another closet to store my surplus of equipment in!

[Malto]

I'm don't agree that you need to be heavy to be comfortable. When there are 12 oz air mats, 1 lb fully enclosed shelters and down quilts at less than 20oz you can be plenty warm and dry without carrying 40 lbs. using gear like this you don't need a substantial pack. Add good technique and experience and water and food weight will also go down. Finally, while weight may appear to add to comfort that only holds true if someone else is carrying your pack. Since most do not have this luxury then which hiker will be more comfortable at the end of the day, one carrying 20 lbs or one carrying 40lbs? Even with the most basic UL pack it will be less wear and tear with 20lbs.

I do agree that money solves the comfort/weight dilemna. A good down quilt or bag and lightweight shelters often cost more. But that is not true with packs. I believe IF you had the experience to know what your hiking style is and how to manage food and water then you could outfit a reasonable lightweight base weight for little or nothing more than a much heavier weight setup.

[jemster]

I tried on a couple ultra light packs and also tried a friend's who swore by her pack. Once loaded with weight it was ackward. When a put on the Gregory with 10 extra pounds loaded in, it felt better for some strange reason. It fits like a glove. So, I have been going on training hikes and it stays the same, the fit and comfort that is. So, I am trying really hard to cut weight everywhere else to compensate on the extra pack weight. I am always open, though, to changing my mind if necessary.

[jemster]

Yes. I went to REI to get fitted for a pack. Then I spent months reading about all the different packs. Here in Florida and over the years, I have always used a smaller pack and didn't fuss over weight, just fit and function. I borrowed a friend's ultra light pack for a hike that her mother made from a kit. With 25 lbs in it I thought I was going to die. I then tried on the couple of light weight packs that REI sells and walked around the store with 35 lbs. Horrible !! Lastly, I tried on all the heavier packs with 45 lbs. and the Gregory just fit so well. I have been planning for many months but just started posting on this site since I started purchasing gear and getting close to my October shake down hike. I am totally open to the reality that I will probably end up changing out gear. Live and learn they say. Thanks for your input !!!

[jemster]

One more thing about REI...when you live in Florida there are no outfitter stores to check out. REI is all we have. And the staff there, well they will sell you whatever you want and can convince you that you made a great choice. Cannot down them too much, but they can easily confuse you. They know what thru hiking means, but give you strange looks when you talk ultra light and weight to them sometimes.

[Another Kevin]

Don't believe everything you hear on WhiteBlaze about what your pack weight has to be. Here's a clueless approach that's worked for me so far. I'm a cheapskate, so I don't have the latest in lightweight stuff, but I've tried to keep an eye on not going too horribly heavy. I'm also a rather large guy, so the lightest everything is likely not to fit me.

I'm also mostly a weekender, so I'm tooled up for shorter distances and shorter stays, but I've done section hikes of up to about 140 miles. In any case, going lighter without losing function is always more fun, so I'm not sure I agree with Elf's assessment that the outfitters are catering to short-distance hikers. I'd sooner believe that there's an outfitter customer born every minute.

My current lightweight Big 4 for warm weather, with only the slightest sacrifice in comfort for weight:

Pack: Granite Gear Crown VC60, size Long = 2 lb 2 oz
My latest gear purchase
Bag: Older model REI Radiant 20, size Long = 2 lb 11 oz
A summer-weight bag is on my wish list, the next time I decide to splurge on a piece of gear. Unless I switch to hammock hanging first.
Sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest Z-lite SOL, size Regular = 14 oz
A popular choice
Tent: TarpTent Notch, half-solid interior = 1 lb 13 oz
Another popular choice. I got the half solid because I use it right into winter.

Total = 7 lb 8 oz.

The pack is bigger than I need in warm weather, but it's a very tight squeeze for winter weekends. (I'm talking about winter Up North, not winter in Georgia.) In winter, I bring BOTH pads, and a (3 lb 1 oz) zero-degree bag. In deep winter, I don't usually go. Wearing fleecies inside the bag, I'm comfortable down to about -10F. In winter, my pack is ridiculously heavy anyway. My traction gear outweighs my summer Big Four, but I can't do without it!

For the short distances that I do, I'm likely to go a little bit farther in the direction of comfort, leave the Z-lite SOL at home, and bring my inflatable pad (1 lb 4 oz?) along instead. I'll also throw in a Tyvek sheet (couple of ounces) that can be used as a tent footprint, door mat, bath mat (or other clean place to sit), or groundsheet so that I'm not laying out my sleeping pads in the mouse dung on a shelter floor, on the rare occasions that I stay in a shelter.

I haven't weighted my complete load-out, because I don't stress over the number. I bring a few luxuries and a few toys. Maybe a 16-18 baseweight or 28-30 for a five night food carry. It's not Malto's sub-20-lb pack but it's not his 40-lb bad example, either. I don't plan big miles because I never get my trail legs, but on the only two-week section that I did in the last few years, I found that I did back-to-back 15-mile days by the end of it. I could easily imagine pulling 20's on an easy section of trail after a month or so.

My stuff is a lot like what I see on the trail, including what I see when the thru hiker bubble hits Harriman. 1azarus and Malto are on the lightweight side of even that spectrum.

I'm pretty confident that in the unlikely event I were to attempt a thru-hike, I wouldn't be in the quarter or third who drop out before Fontana, because I've gone that far, on a trail of comparable difficulty, with the gear I have, and enjoyed it.

[jemster]

Super great advise!! I like the way you think. Since I am starting in March I am very concerned with cold nights.
But fear is a dangerous thing and I certainly appreciate your perspective.
I just bought my ticket for the upcoming TED talks here in Jacksonville ... and the subject is FEAR !!
Fear is the one thing that has kept me from even thinking about thru hiking the AT in the past, and it can easily be an obstacle moving forward.
Thanks again. Keep those thoughts flowing.

[Venchka]

Anything bought from REI less than a year ago can be returned for exchange or refund.
Wayne


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

[MuddyWaters]

Fear is the one thing that has kept me from even thinking about thru hiking the AT in the past, and it can easily be an obstacle moving forward.
Thanks again. Keep those thoughts flowing.

Nothing to fear. It's like having sex for first time.
You will realize you were worried about nothing

Even if you do it sub-optimally, it's still pretty good.

[jemster]

Looks like we will both be starting the trail around the same time. I was shooting for March 1st start date.
I have not used my sleeping bag or pad yet, and am pretty sure I will be returning it for a quilt and lighter weighted pad.
I think my choices were over-kill for staying warm the first few weeks on the trail. Coming from Florida weather, I think I am
looking at 32 degree (F) weather as sub-zero arctic weather !!!

[capehiker]

Jemster- I have a great idea for you. Buy what you think you need, and then take 4 days and go hike the first 30 miles of the trail this year before it gets cold. When you come down Blood Mtn, stop at Mountain Crossings and get a shakedown and take what they have to say at heart. You will get fitted and advised much better than on here. Further, if this hike is the biggest adventure for you, you would be foolish to not do a shakedown hike. Let the first 30 miles be your shakedown. Let the staff at Mountain Crossings guide you.

On my thru I watched a guy your age go for a shakedown and he dropped 25lbs from his pack and spent $900 in doing so but he made it. To him, that was the cost of succeeding. His biggest regret was not doing a shakedown before he started.

I'll throw one more suggestion out there and that is you are not researching enough. You do not have to sacrifice comfort for weight. You're just not look hard enough. You should be shooting for a Big 4 weight of 8lbs.

[egilbe]

Looks like we will both be starting the trail around the same time. I was shooting for March 1st start date.
I have not used my sleeping bag or pad yet, and am pretty sure I will be returning it for a quilt and lighter weighted pad.
I think my choices were over-kill for staying warm the first few weeks on the trail. Coming from Florida weather, I think I am
looking at 32 degree (F) weather as sub-zero arctic weather !!!

In a 40 degree bag, it can feel like the Arctic

[egilbe]

Any reason you picked a men's bag? Bags made for women usually have down distributed differently and the cut is different to fit a woman's curves. They are also typicaly shorter and that saves a bit of weight.

[Greenlight]

The gear you carry, for the most part, serves a handful of purposes that tie directly into basic human needs. You need enough food and water to get you to the next spot where you can get more food and water. That is a lot of weight for food, not so much for water. You'll be getting food in towns and crossings, water on the trail and in towns and crossings. The rest of the stuff you carry is simply to make sure that you stay hygienic, are able to quickly become warm, cool, or dry. The rest of the little bits are vanity. If you have to have your phone or book or e-reader, a harmonica or a deck of cards, whatever. Personality certainly plays a part in each person's hike. Will you relish every town, or try to avoid them except for getting more food? Are you for putting in big miles every single day you can, or are you in it for every little experience and bit of wonder? I love the idea and the reality of being able to carry everything you need to survive right there on your back. When I thru, I plan on conforming my hike so that I pig out in towns, but only spend the night in them once per week, no more. And it'll be a wingding when I get there. I'll enjoy the crap out of it, but then...back on the trail. Oh, and I'm doing Trail Days and doing it right. Good luck and God bless.

[saltysack]

Super great advise!! I like the way you think. Since I am starting in March I am very concerned with cold nights.
But fear is a dangerous thing and I certainly appreciate your perspective.
I just bought my ticket for the upcoming TED talks here in Jacksonville ... and the subject is FEAR !!
Fear is the one thing that has kept me from even thinking about thru hiking the AT in the past, and it can easily be an obstacle moving forward.
Thanks again. Keep those thoughts flowing.

If your in Jax, Fl check out black creek outfitters...think they now sell Hyperlite mountain gear cuben packs and as most mom and pop shops are becoming more knowledgable about lightening up your load...several of their employees have lots of hiking experience and have thru hiked the AT....the Butler family is a great family who gives great support...REI is great but wouldn't rely on them for much gear advice especially in Fl......


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[-Rush-]

I tried on a couple ultra light packs and also tried a friend's who swore by her pack. Once loaded with weight it was ackward. When a put on the Gregory with 10 extra pounds loaded in, it felt better for some strange reason. It fits like a glove. So, I have been going on training hikes and it stays the same, the fit and comfort that is. So, I am trying really hard to cut weight everywhere else to compensate on the extra pack weight. I am always open, though, to changing my mind if necessary.

There's a lot of echoed advice from many of us here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. One thing I should have added to my previous post..

If the backpack fits well keep it. You can make up the 3lb weight difference by making lighter weight (and more expensive) gear choices in other areas. It's more difficult to do which is why the best weight savings is had in your 'Big 3' items. Seriously though.. walking around REI with 45lbs in the pack is about as useful as standing there with 45lbs in the pack. You're never going to know what it's really like until you hike 10 miles up and down a mountain with it. As I stated earlier and many others have echoed here, do yourself a favor and book a pre-hike on the AT with whatever you think you need so you can have a better shot at having a great time when the pedal hits the metal. As retired Navy I'm sure you've heard this.. "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat."

[RockDoc]

You have a good six months before you start your thru, so get out and try out your gear. You will answer most of your own questions.
The reality that I saw going north from Springer a few years ago was that most people use these slightly heavy Gregory type packs for their comfort, and do just fine. A pretty small number are going ultralight, although they are generally able to make bigger miles than most if that's important (I don't think it is, I think enjoyment is important).

[UL_Packer]

Im going to just reiterate what other have already stated. Your hiking for the enjoyment not for a claimed weight cool factor. If you have what you are comfortable with that weight then your set. I think to many people nowadays just get to caught up in the latest and lightest stuff instead of just focusing on the pleasure of being in the outdoors. Just go out and try out your gear and get some experience with your loadout and alter as you see fit.