I`ve read a number of threads in this section from thru or potential thru hikers which have me wondering some things...While I am not a "thru-hiker" I did do about half the trail in one trip and had 3 other month long hikes as well as many multi-week trips way way way back in the early-late 1970`s...After that my exposure to the trail dropped down to scattered day hikes but I did sell backpacking equipment full time (6 days a week) for 11 years and then health concerns and personal concerns pretty much cut me off from the hiking world for a long time..Now I`m slowly coming back into it and may even consider a thru hike once I retire..Now to my questions...
I`ve seen a lot of threads about very low pack weights (As compared to what we normally carried 30 years ago) and have seen photos of hikers with very small looking packs including thru-hikers..Also talk of 4 days food being carried....My question basically is..Has technology changed that much that people can carry the same amount of equipment we did back then and yet have it be that much lighter and fit in that much smaller of a pack?...Or do people just carry less stuff and live rougher to save weight and increase speed?..I`ve written out a number of equipment check-lists of what I would have normally carried back in say 1975 on a month long trip and looking over various equipment websites I don`t see things being that much lighter or taking up that much less room.
Perhaps some recent thru-hikers can share with me their typical equipment list..Minus food...But at the same time..4 days food supply?