is there anyone out there that doesnt care about super light hiking?

[jeffmeh]

the easiest way to lose weight is to carry just enough food and water, and learn that its okay to be little hungry(youre almost always hungry anyway). it was great the few times i got into town with absolutely no food left.and theres no reason to carry 3L of water when sources are running every few miles in the spring.on shorter section hikes, i always bring extra food "just in case", and always end up carrying it out.

yeah, i'll prolly do it again. its not easy to get it "just right"

　

Muddywaters already said it, but it is worth repeating (paraphrasing). It's all well and good to manage weight by carrying "just enough" food and water, but only do it if you know what you are doing given the terrain, distances, water sources, weather conditions, etc. While one is unlikely to starve, it's a real struggle to ascend rough terrain when the body is depleted of fuel. More importantly, if one reaches true dehydration, he is going to be done until someone brings him water, or until he can very slowly reach some. So the circumstances warrant different approaches when hiking relatively easy terrain with many stream crossings, vs. boulder hopping a long ascent, vs. hiking in the desert, etc.

[Gonecampn]

Those folks that mush all night in the snow, well I guess they have time to wait. I have used alcohol more than anything else, Last March 25,6,7 wind 40 to 50+ temp ~~15 it took an hour in the dark to get dinner warm then ate crunchy noodles. I use 100% pure ethanol well 95% once it sucks the water out of the air! TArp was 10 x 12 granite gear the big blue and white one it is super thin sil nylon weights 1 lb, the single pole pitch worked the best but since it touched my sleeping bag and condensed water made it damp/wet. I expect wet, cold, but I can fix hungry!! Some use this stuff and are satisfied, I just choose to carry a bit more weight.

My Jetboil is one of my trail "must-haves"!! It packs small and doesn't add too much weight. I do not carry the canister that came with it, I just use my titanium cup. On a couple of occasions I've been cold, soaked and hungry. It's nice to fire up the JetBoil and have hot water in 1.5 minutes!

[snail2010]

The AT is all about "hiking your own hike". I keep the weight down because lighter is easier for me. My 2010 thru-hike I started out with 50 lbs..lol way too much for me! By the end I was down to 30, and now I try not to carry more than 35lbs for the sake of my body and comfort level. If you are comfy carrying 35+ then more power to you! Every one of us hikers has an opinion, your own is the one that really matters. Happy hiking!

[hikerboy57]

the easiest way to lose weight is to carry just enough food and water, and learn that its okay to be little hungry(youre almost always hungry anyway). it was great the few times i got into town with absolutely no food left.and theres no reason to carry 3L of water when sources are running every few miles in the spring.on shorter section hikes, i always bring extra food "just in case", and always end up carrying it out.

yeah, i'll prolly do it again. its not easy to get it "just right"

　

Muddywaters already said it, but it is worth repeating (paraphrasing). It's all well and good to manage weight by carrying "just enough" food and water, but only do it if you know what you are doing given the terrain, distances, water sources, weather conditions, etc. While one is unlikely to starve, it's a real struggle to ascend rough terrain when the body is depleted of fuel. More importantly, if one reaches true dehydration, he is going to be done until someone brings him water, or until he can very slowly reach some. So the circumstances warrant different approaches when hiking relatively easy terrain with many stream crossings, vs. boulder hopping a long ascent, vs. hiking in the desert, etc.

agreed .