Pack Weight?

[Winds]

Indeed. I like busting this list out to show my own evolution. Took a while!

http://www.pmags.com/the-evolving-ge...%E2%80%93-2006

Great list Mags.
I am then firmly positioned in 1994 then.
Whooosh!

[flemdawg1]

Ditch the plate, keep the cup only if you are making coffee everyday,
ditch 1 ss tshirt, look into a lighter weight charger (are both micro usb connectors? might get by with just 1),
don't need a tent/gear repair kit (that's what duct tape is for),
cut out most of your 1st aid kit (you only need something for blisters, somethig for cuts/scrapes, soemthing to diarrhea (Imodium), pain (ibu) and colds (cold tablets/sudafed),
do really, actually use all those spices now? (S&P,+ small tabasco & maybe some Evoo is all you need),
1/2 lb is alot for a windscreen, get a lighter one (Al foil or a $1 store roaster pan folded and cut down work well)
ditch either the extra batteries or the backup flashlight

[MuddyWaters]

You are on the right track.
You can carry 20 lbs with food and water, or you can carry 60 lbs with food and water.
Either will work
One will be easier
Lighter is easier, and lessens chance of injury
You hike easier, farther, faster
Less time between resupplies = less food carried, less water carried = less weight still

When you get back from your test trip empty your pack out.
Put gear into 3 piles

1 things you used, and your first aid kit, and rain gear
2 things you didnt use but want to keep
3 things you didnt use but are OK getting rid of

then get rid of piles 2 and 3

[Tree Nerd]

Alright, well I had to cut my hike short by 2 days due to a knee injury, but in the 50 hours i spent on the trail I found a lot out about my gear and what I need to change and/or get rid of. Overall, my weight wasnt bad, but carying some of my dogs stuff weighed me down some more, about 5 more pounds.

Change/get rid of:
-food bag/bear bag......so right now I am using a mesh food bag, I like it because its lite and see through, but its already falling apart and its too big.....any suggestions on a food bag?
-Sleeping bag.......my new marmot sawtooth is amazing, but its a little warm once it gets past the 30's at night.....any recomendations on summer sleeping bags? Also, i need to find a stuff bag or something that it water proof to put my sleeping bag in.
-First Aid Kit......too heavy, I can make this a lot lighter.
-Stove......my alcohol stove was burning through fuel like it was nobodies business....I feel like the flames are too big and there is a lot of waisted head escaping. Is there any way to conserve fuel and make the flames smaller on a alcohol stove? Smaller holes, more holes, different fuel?
-Cloths......my cloths were great but I need to figure out something to put them in. I was using two garbage bags, one for clean/sleeping cloths and one for dirty cloths. This worked fine but the bags are way bigger than they need to be. Maybe just use one gallon ziplock bags?
-Fire stuff.....def can bring down a notch


Besides that everything worked great:
-Sleeping setup: loved it! My 3/4 length self inflating was super comfortable. When combined with my ridgerest sitting pad as a soft/warmer spot for my feet it was great. The second night I used my pack to elevate my feet which worked even better.
-Sitting pad: This was recommended by a friend and I was qestioning the use and versitility of this, but this thing was amazing. It provided a place to sit while making food and sitting around a fire, a bed for my dog at night, a pad for my feet while sleeping, a dry/clean place to put my dogs food, a soft place to knee on.
-Tent: New tent, first time out with it. The first night I obviously didnt set it up right because the sides were coming in on me and I had a lot of condensation. I figured it out the second night. Need different tent stakes.
-Cloths slection: great! I was warm when I needed to be cool when I needed to be. I could regulate my body temp well. One thing I did pick up on was putting my morning cloths in my sleeping bag at night or under my head a pillow so they are warm when i wake up.
-Journal, head lamp, first aid kit, bathroom bag, fire bag: used all of them. but def going to make some changes to a few.
-Cooking stuff: worked okay, the only problem I had was my pan tipped off my vargo twice which resulted in some major cugar screams, but both times were my fault.
-camp shoes: Loved them, favorite part of the day was putting on my new chacos.

Stuff I didn't get to use:
-Rain gear: it never rained (while I was on the trail), but I assume I will leave my rain pants at home in the summer months because I can see how they would make my legs super hot.
-Deck of cards: I was by myself
-chargers/phone: My phone was off and I left the chargers in my car since I would only be gone a couple days.

[Tree Nerd]

Also,

I needed to pack more food per day, not much more, just a little something to add to dinner. I was fine while was out there, and quite full, but any longer than a week and I know I would be more hungry. Also, I need to do something different for breakfast besides oatmeal. I have to have my coffee; the coffee and oatmeal killed my fuel and I would get sick of oatmeal after awhile.

[swjohnsey]

"-Stove......my alcohol stove was burning through fuel like it was nobodies business....I feel like the flames are too big and there is a lot of waisted head escaping. Is there any way to conserve fuel and make the flames smaller on a alcohol stove? Smaller holes, more holes, different fuel?"

I used one of Zelph's Super Venom, very efficient as alcohol stoves go. Make a cozy for your pot. Bring the stuff up to boil and place in cozy to finish cooking.

[MuddyWaters]

Zpack Blast for foodbag. 0.85 oz.

A stuff sack for a sleeping bag just adds weight if you dont NEED it to fit gear in your pack.

You really shouldnt need more than 3 oz first aid.

You need a smaller stove or a wider pot with a tight fitting windscreen.

You shouldnt have extra dirty clothes. Clothing is a system of layers that work together for hiking, with possibly ONE set of sleeping/camp clothes maximum. All your clothes will be dirty, there is no need to segregate, unless somethings wet, then it goes outside the pack usually.


Cooking breakfast in morning really sucks when its cold. Its best just to pack up and start moving, and stop and eat later after you have warmed up. Most common breakfast item is pop-tarts. No, not delicious or nutritious, just dense calories. By the end of a thru, many hikers swear off poptarts for the rest of their life.

A good quick breakfast option is your favorite cereal. Put milk powder in a ziplock with the cereal. Just add water, eat.
Actually raisin bran is pretty good just dry to me too.

[2014hopeful]

Why are you taking a sleeping pad to sleep on and an extra one to sit on? One can do both.

[Tree Nerd]

Why are you taking a sleeping pad to sleep on and an extra one to sit on? One can do both.

The sleeping pad is a 3/4th length self inflating pad, just for sleeping. The sitting pad is a very small section cut from a ridgerest that I use for sitting in rain (nice dry spot), making food, a place to kneel when making a fire, a place for my dogs food and a place to sleep (if she comes along), and a place for my feet when i sleep (if my dog isnt there). This was a suggestion from a previous thru hiker and so far it has been one of my favorite things to have with me.

[RodentWhisperer]

The sitting pad is a very small section cut from a ridgerest....

I've not been part of this thread, so this might have already come up-- but you can also use such a pad as a decent frame for an ultralight pack.

[Tree Nerd]

I've not been part of this thread, so this might have already come up-- but you can also use such a pad as a decent frame for an ultralight pack.

^^^^interesting, never thought of that.....

[cave man]

Not sure who brought it up but the idea of the Needed vs the wanted items but it is essentially a hiker characteristic that grows as you spend more time on the trail.. You have already trimmed your weight after a few days, imagine how much will be gone after a month! You start to careless about certain things, as others mentioned clean/wet clothes. Camp shoes imo are also one of the best feelings at the end of a hard day. I think you will learn alot about alcohol stoves from other hikers and pick up a few pointers and ideas.

Im not sure about down south but up north water was pretty abundant in most places and i learned not to carry as much. Also I drink alot more water through my camelback than i do out of a water bottle. Usually its because i dont want to stop and take my pack off to get it. I only fill up a platypus for cooking and drink as much as possible while im at the water compared to planning to drink it within the next few hours of hiking.


No need for 1st aid or tent repairs. Ducttape it for a few days untill you get into town and get it fixed.

[Coosa]

Off the top of my head ... too many clothes, and no bug dope.

[richmondhokie]

Can you PM me a link to your file - I like your spreadsheet - or PM me your email address - I am a techno geek and I use a spreadsheet too and I like yours better than mine - it would be easier to put my data in a copy of yours than rebuild it from the image.

Thanks

[jdc5294]

I can't speak for everyone else but during my 2012 thru-hike without food and water my pack hovered around 12-14 pounds, with everything it never went above 28ish. I was a hungry boy.