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  1. #1
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    Default Base Weight

    I am researching and putting together my gear list and am coming up with weights that may be problematic. I'm looking at a base weight of 23.4 LBS (medicine included). I add water, food, and gas in the canister and I'm just a few ounces south of 40 LBS. I'm an older guy (62), diabetic (insulin dependent), plus all the other meds for heart, cholesterol, Neuropathy, and so on. I figured I'd leave with 90 days worth of pills and resupply my meds in PA (very near my home). Well, as it turns out, my meds are going to be the heaviest item I carry - weighing in at 3 LBS. I want to leave Springer on April 9th of '18. I'd like to limit my into-town-resupplies to 5-8 days apart (seems to me you could add hundreds of miles to your hike just going back and forth from the trail to the grocery store if you are not careful - and most of my hitchhiking days are behind me). I'm hiking on a budget - $3,500. Maybe a little more. Allowed $2,000 for gear, clothing, and such. I guess my question is this. What is a realistic base weight for a hiker on a budget? I'm not looking to do ultra light or anything like that, as my budget doesn't permit it. But then again, I'm not a mule. My career was in the construction trades so I'm not adverse to hard work. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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    Yoy can send your meds and heavier items to the post office, either in a bounce box, or plan on going to town occasionally to pick up pre-mailed packages.

    2 pound tent, 2 pound pack, 2 pounds sleeping bag, 1 pound of cook kit. 8 pounds of food. 4 pounds of water. That leaves 20 pounds of meds.

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    Quote Originally Posted by egilbe View Post
    Yoy can send your meds and heavier items to the post office, either in a bounce box, or plan on going to town occasionally to pick up pre-mailed packages.

    2 pound tent, 2 pound pack, 2 pounds sleeping bag, 1 pound of cook kit. 8 pounds of food. 4 pounds of water. That leaves 20 pounds of meds.
    It's more like 2-1/2 lb tent, 3 lb pack, and 2-1/2 lb sleeping bag. Then there's the down jacket, clothes, socks, shoes, poles, sleeping pad, food bag, rain gear, water filtration, and so on. I may break my meds down to a 30 day supply only, but then postage starts adding up. However, in all, I believe that would be my best bet. It would certainly knock a couple pounds off of my carry weight.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull View Post
    It's more like 2-1/2 lb tent, 3 lb pack, and 2-1/2 lb sleeping bag. Then there's the down jacket, clothes, socks, shoes, poles, sleeping pad, food bag, rain gear, water filtration, and so on. I may break my meds down to a 30 day supply only, but then postage starts adding up. However, in all, I believe that would be my best bet. It would certainly knock a couple pounds off of my carry weight.
    You already have tent, sleeping bag, and your pack purchased?

  5. #5

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    I had three weeks of meds sent to me as I went along. I tried to use hostels for the maildrops as their hours of service are usually wider than the post office, but I did use some post offices up north without issue. Nothing magical about three weeks, but the weight of my meds was never a problem.

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    Is it not possible to repackage your medicine from its boxes, plastic containers and foil?

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    Quote Originally Posted by TTT View Post
    Is it not possible to repackage your medicine from its boxes, plastic containers and foil?
    I weighed every pill and did the math. Plan on using a ziplock bag system. However there isn't much I can do about the weight of the insulin pens that I use. They are heavy.
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    With 2k you should easily be able to get under 15 pound base weight. On the AT you can resupply every 3-5 days. Ya, you may have to hitch a time or two but once you are out there and see how easy that is, you won't have as much trepidation about it.
    Lonehiker (MRT '22)

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    Quote Originally Posted by lonehiker View Post
    With 2k you should easily be able to get under 15 pound base weight. On the AT you can resupply every 3-5 days. Ya, you may have to hitch a time or two but once you are out there and see how easy that is, you won't have as much trepidation about it.
    Maybe I am counting too many things in my "base weight". I've counted my shoes, which will be on my feet, not in my pack - still something to carry, so to speak. Counted my hiking poles. Regardless, once loaded up (including a max of 8 days food, I'm nearing 40 lbs. Maybe shave 2 lbs off of that if I break my meds down to a 30-day plan (which makes good sense). And it's not so much trepidation about hitching into town, it's more about - as one poster said - you can't spend money in the woods. I don't want to get in the habit of running up a $20-$30 luxury tab every 3-4 days. I know me. The less time I spend in town, the less money I spend. $3K is a tight budget to begin with.
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    About the only item you pay a lot more for going lighter is goose down insulation. It's pretty easy to drop over $400 on a nice three season sleeping bag. Otherwise, $250 gets you a nice Tarptent, and $150 gets a decent pack from some of the UL cottage folks. Once in a while you see a sale or a used deal. Pad, cook kit, and clothing you can piece together cheaply at thrift stores and sales. My AT kit weighs under ten pounds, costs about $800, and is good for 15 degrees F in blowing snow. I got my Marmot Helium bag on sale for $250.

    For many, it's difficult to manage weight of consumables. Many carry way too much food and water for the AT. Springtime in the Southern Appalachians means lots of water nearly everywhere, so you can start out carrying very little. Food resupplies are easy, too, every 40 miles or so if you want. Mail drops are another helpful tool if you want. By the time you get to the longer food and water carries farther north, you'll gain some experience and fitness.

    Best of luck.

  11. #11

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    The meds aren't the problem. You still have at least 5-7 pounds of excess weight. You can still successfully hike a lot of miles with a 40 pound pack. I hiked with a 70 year old friend who made it all the way from Springer to Franklin, TN with a heavier pack. Most of his gear was old, and he was kind of in love with it. Had the pack forever, but it was comfortable. He nearly swung himself off the trail once due to the heavy pack, another time he ended up bumping that wide pack against a rock and nearly fell down a rock formation. After that he was less in love with his old gear.

    He had a lot of clothing duplicates, and he mailed about seven pounds of extra clothes home from Neel's Gap. Then he started getting gear envy, when I was setting my tent up in under two minutes and he was taking closer to eight minutes... in the rain. He stopped at various outfitters along the way, but couldn't find a pack that he liked, until we got to Franklin. He replaced the pack, sleeping bag and tent in Franklin and shed another 9 pounds. He was absolutely thrilled, and you could see the spring in his step afterwards instead of the trudge.

    I was overly concerned about food at the start of my hike. I started out with what turned out to be an extra two days of food. You'll find it's rare to need to need to go a full five days between resupply stops. There are enough places near the trail that you won't need to walk far, or you'll easily find transportation. I used AWOLs Guide as my main source of resupply planning. It become second nature to just scroll ahead to an easily reachable food source, and decide yes, I need X number of days days of food based on my expected mileage based on the difficulty of the elevation and terrain. It's not something you can easily plan ahead, but you will get a feel for it fairly quickly. Same deal with water, you'll quickly learn to carry only as much water as you'll need. You quickly get out of the habit of carrying 4 liters of water all the time, when, with a glance at the mileage and elevation, you realize you can get away with only two or three liters.

    Removing duplicate gear is easy. Affording lighter, more expensive gear is expensive. Planning food and water weight becomes second nature with a good guide and a bit of practice.

    Lighterpack.com is a handy resource to track how much weight you'll be carrying. This is my gear, which is hardly optimized, as I have a goofy sleep system, and some luxury items like my Kindle included. If you post your gear list, along your intended starting date, and starting location, there will be a lot of us only too happy to chime in with friendly and occasionally conflicting advice.

    Whatever you decide, you'll do fine. Pack weight is only part of enjoying your hike.
    Last edited by Puddlefish; 07-30-2017 at 09:59.

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    Default Gear List

    This is my tentative shopping list for my thru-hike next April.

    REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack - 2lb14oz; Marmot Eos 1P Tent - 2lb7oz; Marmot Sawtooth 15* Sleeping Bag - 2lb7.5oz; NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad - 1lb; Rab Silk Bag Liner - 4.5oz; Cooking Setup - 1lb; 3 pr Darn Tough Socks - 1.6lbs; 1ea Under Armor Base Layer Shirt and pants - No clue as to weight; Brooks Ghost 9 Shoes - 10.6 oz; Thermarest MiniPump - 2.3oz; MEDS - 1lb; Black Diamond ProShock Poles - 1lb4oz; Headlamp 3oz; Sawyer Squeeze - 3oz; Tyvek 36x87 Footprint - No clue as to weight; Dry Sack for clothes - 2oz; FroggTogg Ultra Lite Poncho - 8.8oz; Zpacks 14L Bear Bagging Kit - 3.4oz; Z-Seat - 2 oz; NiteCore LA10 Lantern (for inside tent) - 2.3oz; Buff - No clue as to weight; Montbell Down Jacket - 6.2oz; Misc (incl portable phone charger) - 3lb. Plus food for 5-8 days and water. That took a fair amount of research to put this list together and it comes in every bit of $2,000.

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
    Last edited by zig-zag man; 07-30-2017 at 11:08.
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    I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.
    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull View Post
    This is my tentative shopping list for my thru-hike next April.

    REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack - 2lb14oz;
    Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    Rab Silk Bag Liner - 4.5oz;
    $69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    3 pr Darn Tough Socks - 1.6lbs;
    You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    1ea Under Armor Base Layer Shirt and pants - No clue as to weight;
    I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    Black Diamond ProShock Poles - 1lb4oz;
    I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    Zpacks 14L Bear Bagging Kit
    I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull
    That took a fair amount of research to put this list together and it comes in every bit of $2,000.
    I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DownEaster View Post
    I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.
    Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

    $69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

    You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

    I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

    I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

    I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

    I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.
    Thanks for the advice. What pack do you have?
    zig-zag man

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    Quote Originally Posted by DownEaster View Post
    I got my Granite Gear Crown 2 pack a couple months ago for $159.49 total cost (no tax, free delivery). It's 37 oz. including the removable lid, and I could pare it down to 34 oz.
    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull View Post
    Thanks for the advice. What pack do you have?
    Buried in quite a lot of text there, so here's the excerpt for you. Amazon says I placed the order on June 9. It's back up to full list price ($199.95) everywhere now, but there are bound to be sales again. (There have already been two sales on the Crown V.C. 60 this year, each time for $50 off.) Just search Google for the item you're interested in ("Granite Gear Crown 2" in this case) and the first (sponsored) result will be "Shop for Granite Gear Crown 2 on Google". That's how I stumbled on the first Crown 2 sale. Searching once a week is probably enough, but I search twice a week just so I can be sure to jump on a sale before the inventory runs out.

    Here are pictures:
    Crown2FrontORIG.jpg Crown2BackORIG.jpg

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    Quote Originally Posted by DownEaster View Post
    I'm glad you labeled this as tentative, because I think there's room for improvement on both budget and weight. Budget is important because you're going to need to reserve money for replacements due to wear (3 more pairs of trail shoes, for example), breakage, and things that just don't work out for you.
    Note that my pack is the same price, more capacity (which I put to use for my not-so-compressible synthetic insulation), and 12 oz. lighter.

    $69.95 for the mummy version at backcountry.com, but you can find a no-name equivalent here for $28.99.

    You can probably do with 2 pair of these (I got my 2 from Massdrop) and a cheaper pair of ragg wool socks for sleeping.

    I went with random sales finds: Duofold Thermamatrix shirt for which I paid $6.75, and Weatherproof Thermafleece pants costing $12.74. You're going to sleep in these, so the name brand isn't going to matter.

    I bought Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles for $20.50 including tax. Each pole is 8.5 oz., so 3 oz. lighter and much cheaper than your tentative name brand choice. I wrote a short review here.

    I got an 8L dry bag for $2.63 (shipped from China) on eBay; you could buy two. The mesh bag to put a rock in came free with some California mandarin oranges. Reflective guy line (Coghlan's) was $3.99. Mini carabiner was $.17 (got a 10-pack for $1.68).

    I'm afraid your research (if you're serious about gearing up on a budget) is just beginning.
    You really hooked me up. Knocked $300+ off my gear budget, and I think I have my base weight down to just a hair over 20 lbs. I'm going to watch for sales, including that Granite Gear Crown 60. Nice looking pack. I truly appreciate your help. I could trim a little more weight if I go with that BRS 3000T rather than the Pocket Rocket, but I like the stability of the Pocket Rocket over the little China job. I watched one review and the guy said he has had his mug fall off the 3000T more than once. Thoughts? Again, many thanks for your help.
    zig-zag man

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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fullabull View Post
    This is my tentative shopping list for my thru-hike next April.

    REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack - 2lb14oz; Marmot Eos 1P Tent - 2lb7oz; Marmot Sawtooth 15* Sleeping Bag - 2lb7.5oz; NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad - 1lb; Rab Silk Bag Liner - 4.5oz; Cooking Setup - 1lb; 3 pr Darn Tough Socks - 1.6lbs; 1ea Under Armor Base Layer Shirt and pants - No clue as to weight; Brooks Ghost 9 Shoes - 10.6 oz; Thermarest MiniPump - 2.3oz; MEDS - 1lb; Black Diamond ProShock Poles - 1lb4oz; Headlamp 3oz; Sawyer Squeeze - 3oz; Tyvek 36x87 Footprint - No clue as to weight; Dry Sack for clothes - 2oz; FroggTogg Ultra Lite Poncho - 8.8oz; Zpacks 14L Bear Bagging Kit - 3.4oz; Z-Seat - 2 oz; NiteCore LA10 Lantern (for inside tent) - 2.3oz; Buff - No clue as to weight; Montbell Down Jacket - 6.2oz; Misc (incl portable phone charger) - 3lb. Plus food for 5-8 days and water. That took a fair amount of research to put this list together and it comes in every bit of $2,000.

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
    So you have answered your own questions. Your refusal to take advice reference how many days of food to carry is noteworthy. That attitude will probably change after your first resupply which is fine as a long hike is all about adaptability.
    Lonehiker (MRT '22)

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    Quote Originally Posted by lonehiker View Post
    So you have answered your own questions. Your refusal to take advice reference how many days of food to carry is noteworthy. That attitude will probably change after your first resupply which is fine as a long hike is all about adaptability.
    I haven't refused anything. And yes, maybe I am initially planning to stay out of town as much as possible. It certainly isn't because I don't value your, or anyone else's opinion, but rather because I know me. If I'm in town and smell a steakhouse, I may go into dog mode and have to have some. Can't spend money in the woods. Furthermore, I am not a spring chicken. The 2,189 miles is going to be tough enough. At this point I am not particularly keen on hitching into town every 72 hours to resupply. That just eats up time and, in the long run, excess money that I don't have. You're right. That may all change once I get started. I learned long ago that if I let someone else set my goals for me I will never be satisfied. I figure if others much older than me have done it. Why can't I? And like you said, it's all about adaptability. Thanks for your advice.
    zig-zag man

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  19. #19

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    I haven't read the whole thread but looking at the gear list a few things jump out at me price wise. The z seat can be found all day long for around a buck if you look at aliexpress.com for the knockoff. The neo air pump can be replaced with a plastic trash bag. See YouTube for the how. And arrowhead equipment sells a bear bagging kit too might be cheaper not real sure. But you could always get some zing-it or lash-it from dutchwaregear.com and use a bag you make/already have.

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    Oh, and having a light for inside the tent when you already have a headlight... not necessary. If you insist on having a second light source, bring a spare headlight. There are some very light (petzl) headlights that I personally wouldn't use to night hike (not bright enough, in my opinion), but would be fine around camp or in a tent.

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