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  1. #41
    Sunshine Saffirre8's Avatar
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    Do you all have super light stuff or what cause i went as light as i could and my pack was 38 lbs when i weighted it for my trip this weekend. I do carry a 3L Camelbak.
    Please what am i doing wrong, i even took everything out and redid my pack. What am i doing wrong. i dont have 500 to spend on a 1 lb tent or 1 lb sleepin bag. doing the best i can with ultra light but not ultra light enough i guess.
    i wish i could find some help....

  2. #42
    Registered User Doctari's Avatar
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    4 gallons of water is actually 33.5 Lbs I'm sure it was that "extra" 1/2 pound that made a difference
    PLUS the weight of the pack, mine is 21 OZ.

    My base weight, no food / water is 16 Lbs (counting the pack) my base fso is 23 Lbs mostly because: I hike in (48 oz) boots, wear a (15 oz) kilt & use 2 (21 oz) trekking poles. Due to the design of the pack I chose, I can not carry any more than 30 Lbs. That still allows me to carry 1/2 gallon water & 6 days food at 1.5 Lbs / Day, without overloading my pack.
    Curse you Perry the Platypus!

  3. #43
    Not committing until I graduate! Sassafras Lass's Avatar
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    Skidsteer, thank you for pointing out my inadequate math (there's a reason I never passed algebra!) It actually has not occured to me that of course I wouldn't have the same amount of weight every single day.

    mtkngxt, thank you for sharing your story!

    And since we're discussing camels, which variety is your favorite? Bactrian or dromedary?

    This is terrific; I truly appreciate everyone's advice! I think I'll just chill the heck out, focus on gaining strength, and not worry about it until I get my foot on that approach trail next March.
    Formerly 'F-Stop'

    If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.

    ~ Dolly Parton

  4. #44
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saffirre8 View Post
    Do you all have super light stuff or what cause i went as light as i could and my pack was 38 lbs when i weighted it for my trip this weekend. I do carry a 3L Camelbak.
    Please what am i doing wrong, i even took everything out and redid my pack. What am i doing wrong. i dont have 500 to spend on a 1 lb tent or 1 lb sleepin bag. doing the best i can with ultra light but not ultra light enough i guess.
    i wish i could find some help....
    Feel free to start a new thread with your gear list and weights of the items; and I am sure that some of us could certainly point out some issues.

  5. #45
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    Not sure if it's been said yet...but you should get in the habit of spending real quality time planning your food needs BEFORE you get to town. (like the night before...after dinner. Not the day you're walking into town starved and thinking about burgers)

    You can spend hundreds of dollars to drop your base weight by a pound...but then spending a dollar the wrong way can do double the damage every time you're in town. And I'm not talking about the heavy luxury foods (the "strap-ons").

    Simply put, it's backwards to spend $400 on a 2 pound down bag but sill walk into every town with a half-full jar of peanut butter (and assorted other things you haven't eaten).

  6. #46
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    Saffire8
    Yes , post a list of your stuff on a new thread.
    Not everything light is expensive , so maybe someone can offer some help there.
    Also all too often people duplicate or simply take extra gear that gets never used.
    Surgical grade first aid boxes comes to mind...
    Franco

  7. #47
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    Forgot.
    If it isn't a problem, post your size too. There are for example some pretty cheap tents that work well for normal folk (up to 5'7" because that is my size) but are too short for the tall fellows.
    Franco

  8. #48
    Garlic
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saffirre8 View Post
    Do you all have super light stuff or what....
    Yes, we do. This forum is called the "Ultra-Light Hikers Forum" for a reason.

    Quote Originally Posted by Johnny Thunder View Post
    Not sure if it's been said yet...but you should get in the habit of spending real quality time planning your food needs BEFORE you get to town. (like the night before...after dinner. Not the day you're walking into town starved and thinking about burgers)

    You can spend hundreds of dollars to drop your base weight by a pound...but then spending a dollar the wrong way can do double the damage every time you're in town. And I'm not talking about the heavy luxury foods (the "strap-ons").

    Simply put, it's backwards to spend $400 on a 2 pound down bag but sill walk into every town with a half-full jar of peanut butter (and assorted other things you haven't eaten).
    Nicely said! It took me a long time to get away from carrying too much food. Same goes for carrying water.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  9. #49
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saffirre8 View Post
    Do you all have super light stuff or what cause i went as light as i could and my pack was 38 lbs when i weighted it for my trip this weekend. I do carry a 3L Camelbak.
    Please what am i doing wrong, i even took everything out and redid my pack. What am i doing wrong. i dont have 500 to spend on a 1 lb tent or 1 lb sleepin bag. doing the best i can with ultra light but not ultra light enough i guess.
    i wish i could find some help....
    Read this:

    http://www.amazon.com/Lighten-Up-Com...mm_pap_title_0

    And this:

    Quality Gear on the Cheap: If you read those glossy outdoor magazines, you'd think you need a $300 pack, a $300 shell and a $300 fleece. You do not need expensive gear to enjoy backpacking. Often the brand name gear, besides being expensive, is heavy, bulky and overkill for what is supposed to be for the simple joy of walking.

    Though written for the Appalachian Trail, the general concepts apply for quality gear on the cheap:
    http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...678#post206678


    Some additional information I will add is that you should invest in a decent sleeping bag. The Campmor down bag is rated to 20F and is known as a good budget bag.
    http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40065

    Need long underwear, hats, gloves, socks, etc? Check out Warm Stuff Distributing (aka The Underwear Guys) . Run, in part, by the well-know thru-hiker Fiddlehead, it features the basics for very reasonable prices. It is mainly surplus, seconds and irregulars. I find this type of clothing is not functionally different from the Patagucci clothing, is sometimes lighter and it is always less expensive!

    If you are looking for a light, compressible and warm jacket check out an m-65 army liner jacket
    (mentioned in the above article, but deserves to be emphasized)


    If you don't mind a bit of sewing, you can make a Montbell Thermawrap clone for less than $20 with the above liner jacket. A men's large comes in at 12oz!

    Considering a Montbell Thermawrap is $150 and weights 10oz, the cheap way is nice for those on a budget on who need something warm, light and cheap!

    Check it out: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41034


    For high altitude/desert hiking I suggest a long sleeve synthetic shirt for the princely sum of $4 from many thrift stores. (Old uniform shirts, acrylic shirts from Blair, rayon blends, heck,,.even the 65/35 blends are fine!) I've used this type of shirt for literally several thousand miles of backpacking.


    Good luck!
    Paul "Mags" Magnanti
    http://pmags.com
    Twitter: @pmagsco
    Facebook: pmagsblog

    The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau

  10. #50
    Registered User snaplok's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saffirre8 View Post
    Do you all have super light stuff or what cause i went as light as i could and my pack was 38 lbs when i weighted it for my trip this weekend. I do carry a 3L Camelbak.
    Please what am i doing wrong, i even took everything out and redid my pack. What am i doing wrong. i dont have 500 to spend on a 1 lb tent or 1 lb sleepin bag. doing the best i can with ultra light but not ultra light enough i guess.
    i wish i could find some help....
    The first thing I did was, what a few others did, make an excel sheet and weighed each item. Then I took out wasn't needed, found lighter and cheap alternatives, and lastly saved up for some of the big purchases. I was able to get my pack weight down to under 14lbs, minus food, fuel, and water, by using the excel sheet.

    There are other little things like using small dropper bottles for liquids like soap and alcohol, cutting all tags, shortening straps, cutting off handles of tooth brushes, etc. but I didn't get too crazy. As long as you are comfortable and don't make the mistake of trading safety for ultralight you'll see what you can cut from your gear to go lighter and lighter each trip. If you want I can send you the excel sheet I use though I'm sure there should be something like that on the web already.
    The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk. ~Jacqueline Schiff

  11. #51
    Registered User Egads's Avatar
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    This post isn't for thru hikers or for long hikes

    Get yourself a small UL pack like this one http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/...ar/Murmur.html

    It limits you from packing anything you don't really need I can pack a shelter, bedding, water, rain gear, insulation, food for an overnight or weekend hike. I can get the entire load down to about 8 lbs
    The trail was here before we arrived, and it will still be here when we are gone...enjoy it now, and preserve it for others that come after us

  12. #52

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    As above, buy a good digital scale, create a spreadsheet, and plan for a 12# 3 season base weight. 6# big 4, 6# for your other gear. Add 5 days of food and 2L of H2O and you end up at 26# total.

    When you buy gear don't buy anything that does not fit into the 6+6 goal.

    It does not have to be that expensive, but you can blow some big $ if you want to.

    2# tent like a lightheart, or one ot the tarptents, or a silnylon tarp with a bug bivy or bug tent.
    2# bag. Campmor 20dF down bag is $120 and 2#4. A golite ultra 20 (20 oz) is even lighter/better.
    24 oz backpack like a GG Miraposa.
    Prolite 3 short or the like.

    You can do a 6# with a hammock too its just a bit more specialized.
    Even if you cant make that 7# with a Hammock still puts you at 27# total.

    The hard part os getting everything else in 6#. That takes a lot of planning and cutting back especailly on isulated layers and clothing.

  13. #53
    Registered User Ladytrekker's Avatar
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    This past weekend I added up all my weights on a postal scale it came to 26 lbs. Got to Publix weighed it and it was 39lbs cannot figure what I am doing wrong. Went hiking with the 39 lbs and hiked 30 miles in about 70 hours. I am going into the light I will have 10+ lbs off that pack by my section on the AT in May. I cannot believe I carried that much. Not going to do it again. But it was good training I know that I am tough and can do it.

    I have an Osprey Ariel 65 (4/14) going to buy a new pack seriously considering a ULA Conduit and a Golite any recommendations.
    If you can’t fix it with duct tape or a beer; it ain’t worth fixing

  14. #54

    Default Getting weight down

    As a section hiker (10-12 days) Here's my simple pointers for getting weight down. Weigh everything and plan extensively, including menus and food drops.
    I use an excel spreadsheet to keep track of base weight (13 1/4 lbs) and food weight as I do food planning. Last year, my heaviest food bag was just over 6 lbs, I limit my carry to ~ 2 liters of water. Total carry is 23.2 lbs. This includes my trekking poles!

    I use a tarp tent for shelter (22 oz, a REI 40 deg bag (around 17 oz). Dont carry anything that you don't pull out of your ruck sack every night (except 1st aid kit) Don't carry alot of extra clothes - they all smell the same after a day or two.

    Sour

  15. #55

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    My pack weight on the AT is between 11-12 pounds including 5 days/water.

    33 pounds can feel extremely heavy depending on several factors the first being what type of pack you are using. Generally the lighter weight backs will be more uncomfortable with a heavier load. Also how offen you adjust the pack straps can make a huge different. If you just leave your pack sit at one location on your shoulders, all that weight rest on one location. The key is to adjust your pack through out the day so you can spread out your weight.

    Hopes this helps.

    Wolf

  16. #56
    Just Hikin' Along
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    Depending upon where and when I'm sectioning, I add items to my 4 pound base. Usually I end up with a realistic base base between 5 and 6 pounds. At the start, I carry an average 40oz of water, once again depending on conditions and the availability of water. I try to resupply with food/fuel every 4 days. Beginning inclusive weights for a 4 day trek are usually under 14 pounds and decrease over the span.


  17. #57
    Garlic
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quoddy View Post
    Depending upon where and when I'm sectioning, I add items to my 4 pound base. Usually I end up with a realistic base base between 5 and 6 pounds. At the start, I carry an average 40oz of water, once again depending on conditions and the availability of water. I try to resupply with food/fuel every 4 days. Beginning inclusive weights for a 4 day trek are usually under 14 pounds and decrease over the span.
    That's an amazingly light load. I have a question, though--why start with so much water? 40 oz is about half your base weight. If, say, you knew there was a good piped spring within five or six miles, and you just drank your fill at the trailhead or in town, would you start with any water at all? I know you said it depends on conditions, but I'm wondering if you ever start with no water at all?

    I ask because I've just started doing that. In the last few years, as my pack has gotten in the sub-10 pound range, and I've done some desert hiking, I really concentrate on water management. A one-liter bottle of water, at one kilo or 2.2 pounds, is by far the heaviest thing in my pack, including the pack. So I go to great lengths to not carry it, including maybe even going just a little bit thirsty between water sources. (There are a couple of stretches on the Arizona Trail where water sources are 40 miles apart, and it's hard to hike that without going a little thirsty.)

    When I hiked the AT, I was amazed at how much water most hikers carry when there's abundant water. I met one hiker who made a habit of starting every single day with three liters, even when your feet got wet all day from walking in pristine mountain streams.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by garlic08 View Post
    If, say, you knew there was a good piped spring within five or six miles, and you just drank your fill at the trailhead or in town, would you start with any water at all? I know you said it depends on conditions, but I'm wondering if you ever start with no water at all?

    When I hiked the AT, I was amazed at how much water most hikers carry when there's abundant water. I met one hiker who made a habit of starting every single day with three liters, even when your feet got wet all day from walking in pristine mountain streams.
    Just thinking about walking 5 or 6 miles without water is making me thirsty! I usually sip water, I don't know, every 10 or 15 minutes, more if it's hot or if I'm climbing. I am not a fast hiker, max speed is about 2 mph, so 3 hours without water would be pretty miserable for me. Even an hour without it would be miserable.

    I am an AT hiker that would start with about 2 liters every morning. Mostly it had to with with the water source. If it was a spring, I would carry alot because I wouldn't have to treat. If it was a stream, I treated everything the night before and wouldn't want to deal with more treatment at least until lunch, so I would still carry 2 liters. The only exceptions were when I would be camped a few miles out of town, and I would just be hiking downhill to town in an hour or two. Then I would just carry 1 liter.

    Maybe individual physiology differs, or maybe you can train yourself to go longer periods without water. I really don't mind water weight. I'd rather have it than not.

  19. #59
    Just Hikin' Along
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    Quote Originally Posted by garlic08 View Post
    That's an amazingly light load. I have a question, though--why start with so much water? 40 oz is about half your base weight.
    I've found that 32 to 40oz of water allows me to drink 8 to 10oz on each five minute hourly stop I make. That average amount allows for 5 hours of hiking, or halfway, before the needed next fill-up on my usual 10 hour hiking day.

    Having suffered from dehydration twice, I'll never let it happen a third time.


  20. #60
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    I don't consider myself an "ultralighter" but find however my total pack weight including food and water is usually around 22-25lbs for 3 season use.

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