Pack Weight?

[Tree Nerd]

So in prep for my Thru I have been fine tuning my gear, I am still waiting for my camp shoes to come in, along with my sleeping bag and sitting pad, roughly 5lbs all together. Yesterday I signed out an electric scale from one of my professors to start weighing out my gear. I compiled a pretty impresses excel spread sheet that included everything from my pack to the earplugs I plan to wear in shelters for noisy sleepers; the list has EVERYTHING I plan to take. Anyway, after weighing everything out I came up with 35lbs, including stove fuel, but not including food or water. On a normal summer day my pack would weigh 30lbs and on a normal winter day my pack would weigh 27lbs.

Now there is room for improvement, but is that a fairly good weight to be at?

The list is as follows:

	SOBO Gear List
	Category	Use	Item Description	Weight
	Grams	Ounces	Pounds
	House	Pack	Mountainsmith Falcon 55L	2067	72.91136	4.55696
	Rain Cover	Mountainsmith Rain Cover - Size M	118	4.162332	0.260146
	Trekking Poles	Generic - 2 poles, both with duct tape on them	614	21.65824	1.35364
	1-Person Tent	Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, w/ storage sack	697	24.58598	1.536624
	Tent Stakes	Generic - 6 stakes	34	1.199316	0.074957
	Sleeping Bag	Marmot Sawtooth 15 Degree Mummy		0	0
	Sleeping Bag Liner	Homemade - 100% polyester, with storage sack	299	10.54693	0.659183
	Sleeping Pad	REI, 3/4 length, 1.75" thick, w/ storage sack	751	26.49077	1.655673
	Head Lamp	Printon Tech Byte, w/ two AAA batteries	61	2.151714	0.134482
	Watch	Casio Module No. 3157	54	1.904796	0.11905
	Kitchen	Water Filter	MSR Sweetwater, w/ storage sack and cleaning tool	412	14.53289	0.908306
	Water Storage	Camelbak - 1.5L bladder, w/ pack	364	12.83974	0.802484
	Nalgene - 1qt., wide mouth	114	4.021236	0.251327
	Alcohol Stove	Homemade - Soda Can	11	0.388014	0.024251
	Wood Stove/wind screen	Vargo SS Hexigonal Stove	230	8.11302	0.507064
	Stove Fuel	Alcon Contact Solution Bottle - 20 fl oz., full w/ grain alcohol	350	12.3459	0.771619
	Cookwear	6" SS pan/plate combo	257	9.065418	0.566589
	Olicamp Space Saver Cup	147	5.185278	0.32408
	Utensil	Plastic Spork	6	0.211644	0.013228
	Spices	Coleman Two-Way Spice Shakers - 3 shakers, full w/ six different spices	136	4.797264	0.299829
	Cleaning	Copper cleaning pad	13	0.458562	0.02866
	Food Bag	Generic	46	1.622604	0.101413
	Bear-Bag Rope	30' of 550 paracord w/ carabiner clip	106	3.739044	0.23369
	Bathroom	All	TP, travel tooth brush, travel tooth paste, travel bottle of Dr. Bronner's in a ziplock bag	158	5.573292	0.348331
	Electonics	Camera	Pentax Optio WG-1, w/ battery and three 1 GB SD cards	172	6.067128	0.379196
	Camera Case	Mountainsmith Cyber 2 - Size M	81	2.857194	0.178575
	Phone	Samsung Rugby 2	135	4.76199	0.297624
	Chargers	Phone Charger and Camera Charger in ziplock bag	235	8.28939	0.518087
	Closet	Footwear	Danner Sobo Mid Hiking Boots - Size 10.5	1109	39.11887	2.444929
	Danner Pronghorn Heavy Weight Dark Brown Crew Socks - 3 pairs	339	11.95789	0.747368
	Chaco Rex Sandles - Size 9		0	0
	Legs	Compression Shorts	239	8.430486	0.526905
	Base layer pants - 100% polyester	147	5.185278	0.32408
	Swish shorts	202	7.125348	0.445334
	North Face Horizon Peak Pants - Size M/M	316	11.14658	0.696662
	Lightweight Cloth Belt	105	3.70377	0.231486
	Red Ledge Rain Pants - Size M, w/ storage sack	221	7.795554	0.487222
	Toros	Base layer long sleeve shirt - 100% polyester	229	8.077746	0.504859
	T-shirt - Size M - 2 shirts	320	11.28768	0.70548
	Columbia Fast Trek 2 Full Zip Fleece - Size M	462	16.29659	1.018537
	Red Ledge Rain Jacket - Size L, w/ storage sack	381	13.43939	0.839962
	Head & Hands	Bandana	30	1.05822	0.066139
	Fleece Hat	56	1.975344	0.123459
	Rothco Mittens	101	3.562674	0.222667
	Perscription Glasses	24	0.846576	0.052911
	Okley Soft Glasses Case	47	1.657878	0.103617
	Other	Fire Starting	Magneisium Stick, Bic Butane Lighter, Dryer Lint, Esbit Fire Starters, Small Candle	131	4.620894	0.288806
	First Aid Kit	Bandages, Medicine, Vaseline, Icy Hot, Needle/Thread, Repair Kit (Tent & Sleeping Pad), earplugs, extra batteries, back-up flashlight, sissors, tweesers, nail clippers	611	21.55241	1.347026
	Multi-Tool	Generic	106	3.739044	0.23369
	Valuables	ID, Insurance card, cash, credit and debit card in ziplock bag	19	0.670206	0.041888
	Guide Book	AWOL's AT Guide, SOBO, Loose-Leaf, in ziplock bag		0	0
	Time Consuming	Deck of Cards, Journal (heavy) and Pencil, in a ziplock bag	432	15.23837	0.952398
	Towel	Small Shamwow	18	0.634932	0.039683
	Sitting Pad	Closed Cell Sleeping Pad, cut to size		0	0
	Total Weight w/o Food or Water:			13313	469.6028	29.35017

[Tree Nerd]

Sorry for the mess ups on the list, the forum shifted some stuff. You should be able to figure it out.

[Tree Nerd]

From left to right the weights go: Grams, Ounces, Pounds

[Tree Nerd]

Here is a better list:
Gear list.jpg

[Tree Nerd]

Can a moderator please delete this post so I can start over? It is way too confusing now....

[Kerosene]

If you don't hear from a moderator then I'd just start another thread.

It appears that you're a male, size medium, which is similar to me (170 lbs). I'd be looking to shave another 5-10 pounds off your weight, so that with 3-4 days of food and water your pack would weigh no more than 35 pounds (mine weighs in at 25 pounds with 3 days of food for spring/fall hikes, but I've been working at it for 10 years). Some of your savings will come by purchasing lighter options, while some with carrying fewer items.

(3 oz) - Get a new pack cover. zPacks.com has them in Cuben fiber for less than an ounce.
+5 oz - Make sure you're using the longer Easton aluminum tent pegs for the Lunar Solo, otherwise you'll limit ventilation. I also carry a single, very strong stake that I use to start holes in rocky ground.
(10 oz) - I'd ditch the sleeping bag liner, or perhaps replace it with a silk liner to save 5 ounces. You should be fine with a 15-degree bag.
(10 oz) - Replace the water filter with Aqua Mira drops and a small flexible cup for dipping in shallow springs. It is extremely difficult to avoid cross-contamination of the hoses, so the only real benefit is pumping from leafy/silty water sources.
(8 oz) - I'd go with either the alcohol stove or the wood stove, but not both.
(9 oz) - That's a huge weight penalty for a pan/plate. I think you will rarely use the pan, and I just eat out of a lightweight titanium cup.
(3 oz) - How often will you really be using that camera case?
(8 oz) - Put your chargers in a bounce box and send it ahead of you.
I'll bet those sandals are pretty heavy. Look at purchasing a lightweight pair of slip-on plastic sandals from Walmart that will weigh about 7 ounces for a men's size 10.
(6 oz) - Replace your fleece with a microfleece 100 (or Patagonia R1-weight) unless you expect temps below 40 degrees during the day or you run very cold
+3 oz - Replace one of your hiking T-shirts with a long-sleeve zip-T to use in camp under your fleece

That's about 4 pounds of savings, and there's probably another pound in your various little stuff. Great job in weighing everything. Now find the bigger stuff and replace with lighter equipment (the Mountainsmith pack is inordinately heavy for only 55L; My 60L Granite Gear pack is half the weight), and get rid of little stuff unless you are highly confident you'll be using it (consider putting in a re-supply box).

[RED-DOG]

Bro 35lbs is pretty heavy with water and food it will be well over 40lbs so i would rethink that list and try and get it down to 30lbs with food and water.

[Stir Fry]

List looks tipical for someone new to backpacking. I would recomend doing some shake down hikes of 4 to 5 days each. Look at what you do not use each day and do not carry it the next time. If you do a good job with your list after about 3 trips you will figure out what you do not need.

IMO the learning curve to long distace backpacking is not in what you need, but what you do not need. In ten years of hiking I can not remember seeing a new hiker that did not have enough. Seen a few day hiker that had the rong stuff, but most over nithers had enough.

[Coosa]

Get ahold of Lynne Whelden's DVD Lightweight Backpacking Secrets Revealed and watch it a couple of times
http://www.lwgear.com/lightweight-backpacking.html

Best advice I ever got.

Coosa

[Datto]

Here's something also to keep in mind:

These three things account for much of the carry-weight of your backpack -- if you can, focus money on these things to make the most positive impact in reducing pack weight since you'll need these three things regardless:

1) Tent/Tarp -- Get this under 3lbs -- under 2lbs would be better -- look at an 8x10 silnylon tarp or a tarptent from Henry Shires
2) Sleeping Bag -- 20*F bag from a known good brand (Marmot, Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends) and get the carry weight as close to 2lbs as possible
3) Backpack -- definitely get the empty weight under 3lbs --closer to 2lbs is more likely for an AT thru-hiker including the weight of any pouches. The best backpack I've ever owned is a Granite Gear Vapor Trail (woman's version is a "Ki")

Also, you may end up just using a Ridgerest as a sleeping pad later on after you get acclimated to being on the Trail.

Many AT thru-hikers start out with a pump-type Pur water filter and soon dump that (due to weight and hassle factor) in favor of Aquamira, Polarpure or Potable Aqua pills (Potable Aqua isn't for people with thyroid problems).

Be sure to bring a water carrier -- something like a 96oz (water amount, not weight -- weight is just a few ounces) Nalgene Canteen -- use this to get water in the evening for the evening meal as well as water for the morning carry back to the Trail -- the places where you get water can be down a considerable hill/cliff so you don't want to have to go down there more than once when you get to the shelter where you'll be staying overnight.

Water bottles -- use Gatorade bottles rather than Nalgene bottles (Nalgene bottles weight too much and you can throw the Gatorade bottles away and buy new when the Dark Green Slime hits them).

Additionally, most people bring too many electronics when they start out on their AT thru-hike (I did too when I started my AT thru-hike). If you can, reduce your electronics to just a smartphone and associated smartphone batteries and use that for music, typing journal entries, trip/schedule planning and telephone. Keep a bounce box and send your chargers ahead on the Trail so you don't have to lug the weight of chargers/ac adapters with you on the Trail.

Make sure you have a piece of Tyvek (kite-weight preferably) to put under your sleeping bag when you sleep in a shelter -- there's barbeque sauce and the like all over the floor of the AT shelters so you'll want to protect your sleeping bag from being stained by floor gak in the shelters.

Make sure you take earplugs -- use the brown Hearos brand earplugs if you have sensitive ear canals.

Consider taking three eyehooks -- use these with some string to allow you to drape your tent/tarp across the front of an AT shelter so you can block the wind if a storm arrives and starts blowing into the shelter.


Datto