45 pounds on my back

[Roee Dotan]

Guys, I will walk the AT with 45 pounds on my back, which is 20kg.
Including food, bag, water, etc..

Consider the fact that I am 1.80 in a good shape.

Will it be alright ? or you think it will be too heavy?

[Footslogger]

Only YOU can be the judge of that. I will tell you though, that I started out on my thru-hike last March with around 43 pounds on my back. As soon as I could I began looking for ways to trim weight without giving up any necessities or safety. By the time I got to Pearisburg it was time to exchange my cold weather clothes/gear. I got my total pack weight down to 30 lbs and was a much happier camper. I'm not sure whether I got smarter or just decided that some things in my pack just weren't all that important ...but by the time I reached Katahdin my total pack weight (with 4 days of food) was around 26 lbs.

Having had that experience, if I had it all to do over again I would definitely have started with a lighter load.

But that's just me. Your experience may be different.

Happy Trails ...

[Doctari]

I started my hike in 1997 with about 55 Lbs. I'm down to 22 Lbs now, with 4 days of food, if I was a thru hiker I would be to Erwin by now. My guess is by the smokies you too will be down a few Lbs. too.

In all fairness, that is a respectable weight. And assuming 1.5 Lbs per day is food, your pack will get lighter as you walk.

As you hike, mentally (or on paper) keep track of the things you don't use. If after a reasonable time you havn't needed it, send it ahead 4 or 5 days to yourself in a "bounce box" If by the time you reach that point & havn't needed it, send it home. not including rain gear & first aid stuff natch.

Have a great hike!!

Doctari.

[smokymtnsteve]

Guys, I will walk the AT with 45 pounds on my back, which is 20kg.
Including food, bag, water, etc..

Consider the fact that I am 1.80 in a good shape.

Will it be alright ? or you think it will be too heavy?

you will be allright....I have packed more weight than that before...

my son RED is walking NOBO right now...he carrying about 38lbs not including water....he is doing fine and having pancakes for breakfast...and has two paperback books with him (he loves to read) he is 5'11" and weighs in around 180 and is in good shape....when he picks up food box at fontana...with food and supplies until davenport gap he will be carrying around 43lbs.

i'm an old man I can carry 45 lbs over the smokies myself...

[max patch]

I started my thru at 50 pounds and over a period of time ended up at 45 pounds with 5 days of food. I made it and so can you.

[icemanat95]

I hit the trail with a 72 pound pack, and while it was heavy, it didn't hurt me and wasn't unmangeable. I gradually took that weight down into the low 50's for a fully stocked up 1 week load including 2 liters of water.

So long as the weight isn't abusive (over say half your body weight) and you don't push your body too hard, you cancarry A LOT more than you think. Your body will grow the muscles it needs to deal with the load. Again, so long as you don't push too hard and injure yourself.

In 1995, when I hiked, a 45 pound load was definitely on the LIGHT side.

The heaviest load I have ever carried in mountainous terrain was around 100 pounds. That was uncomfortable, but manageable on the uphills, downhill it was thoroughly UN-FUN.

Military troops regularly march with weights of up to 120 pounds on their backs once ammunition, food, squad and platoon gear, etc. are factored in. You don't go fast, and distances are limited, not to mention the sort of terrain you can manage, but...

You'll be fine.

[Kerosene]

I used to carry 45-55 pound loads when I was younger, but days started to be a lot easier when I trimmed the weight to the 25-35 pound range. I'm a male weighing 170 pounds (okay, 175), age 47. I've kept in shape with competitive soccer but it gets harder to lug around that much weight as you age.

I'll bet your carrying one of those 7+ pound packs with 5000+ cubic inches of space. Having the space definitely leads you to putting in more stuff "just in case" and "because I have room". If you can't swap our your pack, at least go through an exercise of what you would do if you didn't have one of those big pockets (and then do it again with the other big pocket). Concentrate on how you can shave off 8-12 ounces from each of your sleeping bag/pad, shelter, pack, stove, and water purification system. Figure out what clothing you would need to keep warm at 25-30 degrees, and then remember that your body will quickly acclimate to cooler temperatures when you're outside all day, so you may not need that 1.5 pound parka.

As others have said, you certainly should be able to carry that load, but you will find ways to reduce it as you get experience.

[Blue Jay]

If my pack is under 40 punds I forgot something. I've been known to carry a hard cover book or a few pounds of frozen food or some other thing that makes my hike fun. Ultralight can become a religion that people blindly follow, but I'm sure glad they do. They directly caused my pack weight to go down.

[flyfisher]

Guys, I will walk the AT with 45 pounds on my back, which is 20kg.
Including food, bag, water, etc..

Consider the fact that I am 1.80 in a good shape.

Will it be alright ? or you think it will be too heavy?

Roee,

Just don't quit because your pack is too heavy. There are probably many kgs of weight in your pack that you will be calling "excess" before a few weeks go by. A lighter pack may be *much* more comfortable. As others have said, you will have the opportunity to learn from your fellow hikers if you want to.

I have almost never heard people say the more they learned about long distance hiking, the more weight they carry. (excluding a few people who take ultralight too far into the extreme for a while)

Take a look at the weight of the:
- pack
- tent (or tarp, hammock, etc)
- sleeping bag and mat
- cook kit and stove.

If any of mine topped out over 3 lb (1.4 kg), I would begin to seriously consider a change.

Rick

[smokymtnsteve]

If my pack is under 40 punds I forgot something. I've been known to carry a hard cover book or a few pounds of frozen food or some other thing that makes my hike fun. Ultralight can become a religion that people blindly follow, but I'm sure glad they do. They directly caused my pack weight to go down.

if you can't have a coupleof good books with you and a frying pan to make pancakes and veggie-burgers...it just isn't good living.

plus I can't count the times I have had to help some ultra lighter out of a jam because they did not have what they needed.

[zammy]

All this race towards light packing and me not being able to cut more weight made me feel (allthough I have long distance experience) like I'm not doing it right.
Now I see all of you with me in the same boat and now I know, I'll walk with those 35 lbs, like always, and join Roee above.
The pack is ggod for my body, the bag is warm for my 52 years old bones, the tent is only 2 lbs and as for the rest, I'll manage. LIke all of us.
April 12th and Springer, here I come.

[Big Dawg]

From what I've heard, full pack shld be approx 25% of your body weight for comfortable hiking, & it looks like you're right on track. Of course this is all subjective. Ultimately, you have to be comfortable w/ the weight. Roee, have you hiked before w/ this weight in any fashion--section hike, etc.??? & do you train w/ your pack on----to me, it makes a big difference when I train w/ a pack on because this gives my body a chance to feel the load, at least during short daily training sessions, & helps me determine if I need to shave some pounds off. I hike w/ a 50+ lb pack, but I'm 240lbs/6'5", & because I'm a section hiker, I usually take a few extra goodies for fun (food treats, coffee, etc.!!)Good luck, & enjoy your hike!!

[smokymtnsteve]

hockeyman carried about 60 lbs in 2001...guy had a huge bottle of fuel and french coffee press,,,I camped with him at max patch and the guy could really go ....people tried to tell him him about cutting weight and they come to find out he was professional hockey player and hiked in the off season to stay in shape..he NEEDED the weight.

40-45 lbs is a real doable weight

[oruoja]

Question smokymtnsteve, is "hockeyman" the guy from Pa who also called himself "B-man"? Just curious since I met this guy while doing a Long Trail thru-hike with my sons in '02 and B-man was doing the same after his AT thru-hike in '01. He was carrying a hockey stick on the LT also and did his AT thru for charity. Hiked two days with him, a neat character to spend some time with.

[smokymtnsteve]

Question smokymtnsteve, is "hockeyman" the guy from Pa who also called himself "B-man"? Just curious since I met this guy while doing a Long Trail thru-hike with my sons in '02 and B-man was doing the same after his AT thru-hike in '01. He was carrying a hockey stick on the LT also and did his AT thru for charity. Hiked two days with him, a neat character to spend some time with.

it a small world isn't it...why yes,,,that was his trail name. he ran around with a guy named MAX PATCH who spent two nights camping on Max patch summit.

[screwysquirrel]

No matter what advice you get here, just carry what you think you need and get rid of what you don't need if it's too heavy down the trail, either send it home or drop it in the hiker's box, where it'll be greatly appreciated. I always carry about 45 to 50 lbs but I carry a lot of creature comforts that somebody else would say that I'm crazy to carry. But as they say HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE. After a few days you'll know exactly what you'll be able to tote.

[Ramble~On]

Take a ziplock bag..now cut the tags off your tee shirts, sleeping bag, tent etc and put all the extra stuff you cut off into the ziplock....when you are done you'll have a ziplock full of dead weight. Every ounce adds up. You'll figure out ways to cut weight as you go. After a week or two take a look at the stuff you are carrying and send home anything you don't use everyday. I like a summer pack to weigh about 25 pounds with water.