I don't think you're muddying the waters at all. You've said, quite elegantly (and with pictures that are easily worth 1,000 words each) what I believe but often fail to say right out: you take the load that makes you happiest. For some, that is the lightest possible weight; Jimshaw says it often and bluntly: it's the lightest load that lets you safely do what you set out to do.
You're right: there is no magic number. Personally, I tend to prefer comfort and convenience, and am lucky enough to be able to afford gear that is all that, and light, too. I prefer a minimalist style, with some gear doing multiple things (like a sleeping pad that doubles as a chair) and all of it fading into the background of the trip. That usually means 20 - 25 pounds total is right for me; that doesn't mean it's right for you.
I am lucky enough to be able to afford gear that is all that, and light, too. I prefer a minimalist style, with some gear doing multiple things
As do I, I'm as much a gram weanie, toothbrush cutter as any UL'r there is. Tent for 2 in the normal 4 season conditions I encounter is a Hilleberg Nallo 3, WM Verslite bags 2 lbs and good to 10F, I use a BA non insulated airmat with a Gossemer gear 3/8" Evazote pad on top,I use a zipper style LED light for everything. We eat my own dried meals out of our pot so no plates or messy wet freezerbags/ MT House wrappers to carry afterwards. Chair ? What is that ? etc, etc.
I minimize as much as I'm comfortable with just to maximize the amount of food I can carry. 17 days into the alpine zone with my wife is a short trip for me, so that dictates an expedition style pack vs a stuff sack with straps, the single heaviest piece of gear in my entire gearlist.
Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Swims.... first of all, spectacular pictures and I am sure it was an adventure of a life time. The remarkable references to weight that can be carried (given superior physical conditioning) are amazing, and perhaps inspiring. I did assume that most people here subscribe to the light weight philosophy, so I wasn't expecting someone like you, who can and has carried extreme weights over difficult terrain at altitude, to respond. I'm glad you did though. I thoroughly enjoyed you pictures. I assumed that was Colorado? Jim (Pacific Northwest).
Swims The subject was comfortable weight, and for some thats nothing at all. I've traveled in country like that and you need gear, sometimes we would also carry climbing gear into country like that. Beautiful photos BTW.
However people who won't carry the gear, CANNOT go where you did and do what you did. Those who choose to go UL also choose to avoid this kind of adventure. Like woah man my shoulders and feet hurt it was so totally gnarly. Others will say that its impossible to safely get there carrying all that weight. Jim
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.
Well, My week long pack weight is right around 27 lbs, with a litre of water in the pack.
Since about 9 lbs of that is food, *in theory* I could go out to a month with about 53 lbs. - trouble is I wouldn't be carrying 53 lbs in the backpack I carry that 27 lb load in - so add about 6 lbs worth of backpack, and I'm right there in the 60 lb range - and I'm betting I'd take a bit of extra food and be looking into 65-70.
I've never had the chance to go out for that long - longest about 8 days.
So what's my comfortable packweight? nothing
What will I carry? whatever it takes for me to be comfortable and go where I wanna go. I normally go out for a weekend with about 21 lbs, including a litre of water and food on me. I *have* been out for a weekend with a 12 pound pack - (on the blue foam, tarping it under my poncho, in summer). is my 12 pound pack more comfortable? yes. am *I* more comfortable.. nope
I am in awe of you and your wife. I have veiwed your pictorial slide shows. I am amazed. I am in the process of getting back into backpacking. My wife will go as far as the hotel,. She has a spinal condition and will never backpack, She does support me 100 % You keep going and thanks for your pictures and post . Happy Holidays
My pack weight for a 3-5 day trip is 12-18 pounds That includes 2 litres of water at the TH. I generally keep 2 litres of water on me at all times. I try to keep the food down to about 1.5 -1.75 pounds a day, less if it is possible. I hate carrying a ton of weight in food, but by the end of the 2nd or 3rd day its not so bad.
Edited by mugs (12/25/0909:25 PM)
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I miss my 4.8lb base weight as a ground dweller. But I sure don't miss the ground.
It's a little difficult for me to give an easy answer. Let's just say my knees would prefer that they're not loaded with much more than 200 lbs if they're going to be given a lot of work. Unfortunately I'm 215 lbs, so I have to do things differently than when I was younger and lighter.
Anyway, I've always carried a lot of water because I have always sweated a lot no matter what kind of shape I've been in, so I rarely have a pack less than 40 lbs. Even on a day hike my pack can approach 30 lbs.
If muscles are all that mattered, I'd probably be comfortable with as much as 60 lbs....I just need to drop to 140 lbs again so my knees will be comfortable too!
Anything over 35lbs is uncomfortable and needs to be justified, like I'm doing it so my family will come backpacking with me, or unsupported in areas with bad weather and consequent needs for heavier equipment. Anything over 45 I just won't do anymore. It is not worth it to me. Depending on the pack, under 25-28lbs, I stop thinking about having a pack and just hike.
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If I wouldn't eat it at home, why would I want to eat it on the trail?
I'm 5'8" and anywhere from 145 to 165 lbs depending on what activities I'm pursuing at the time. I've carried up to 65 lbs in Montana with a lot of off trail and carrying a ton (at least it felt like a ton) of group gear for new hikers. For some reason I always end up ferrying someone's pack or carrying part of their load to get their sorry butt up the mountain. I'm always trying to get new people into the sport so it seems that I end up being a pack animal.
Last year I took my Dad (65 years old and first trip) and several friends in CO and started with about a 44 lb pack carrying all of my stuff and all the food, tent, and cooking gear for myself and my Dad. He carried just his clothing, sleeping bag and misc. gear. That was by far the most fun I've ever had carrying 44 lbs. It was an honor to get my Dad out in the hills. He had a great time and we are planning another trip into the Wind Rivers for 2010.
In that same trip I ended up carrying a food bag and other gear weighing about 9 lbs for a guy that was uncharacteristically out of shape and suffering from the altitude. I then carried my pack and his pack of 55 lbs for a couple miles over a 12000 ft pass. I was in the best shape of my life as I was ready to do a 100 mile mountain bike race in CO. It was almost surreal as I carried nearly 100 lbs up the pass as I was only weighing 145 lbs. Next time I'll just carry a gun and shoot the guy as the weight of the gun would be way lighter than that misery of a load.
Generally speaking I am looking at ways to lighten my load and have pared down my weight to about 33 lbs with food. This is for my next trip with my Dad. I will be carrying all of our group gear so he won't have to work as hard. I personally want to get my "normal" backpack weight into the lower 20's.
The mid 30's and less feels pretty dang good as far as I'm concerned but the 20's would make me feel like flying. I'm making the switch to a homemade alcohol stove and combo windscreen/potstand and other lighter gear. I've also started to pay more attention to what I really use and what I rarely use and am just getting rid of excess crap.
In that same trip I ended up carrying a food bag and other gear weighing about 9 lbs for a guy that was uncharacteristically out of shape and suffering from the altitude. I then carried my pack and his pack of 55 lbs for a couple miles over a 12000 ft pass. I was in the best shape of my life as I was ready to do a 100 mile mountain bike race in CO. It was almost surreal as I carried nearly 100 lbs up the pass as I was only weighing 145 lbs. Next time I'll just carry a gun and shoot the guy as the weight of the gun would be way lighter than that misery of a load.
Geez man, somehow I knew that was coming and found the perfect takedown gun for you: http://www.pakrifle.com/
My pack weight for a 3-5 day trip is 12-18 pounds That includes 2 litres of water at the TH. I generally keep 2 litres of water on me at all times. I try to keep the food down to about 1.5 -1.75 pounds a day, less if it is possible. I hate carrying a ton of weight in food, but by the end of the 2nd or 3rd day its not so bad.
A six-lb kit for everything sans food/water, nice. What seasonal limits does this kit have?
When I first got into backpacking in 96' all the new gear was enticing and I bought a whole lot of useless junk: hatchet, saw, binoculars, two way radios, full size multi tool, big heavy 3 piece monster cookset, full on D cell mag lite, etc.
It was enough gear to outfit an expedition to the north pole. I slowly started to realize that most of this junk was pointless and you only used it because you had to justify the weight carried. Now I find it more fun to drop the weight and use some learned skills instead of having a backup to the backup gear.
I also am still somewhat of a gearhead and have switched to some homemade gear and to lighter weight alternatives or just don't carry most of the junk I used to. I can't wait to break into the 20lb area but it will require a better sleeping bag etc.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
For three-season backpacking I can go out for 9 days with total pack weight of about 25 lbs. That's with one liter of water to start. Obviously if there aren't frequent water sources, I'll be carrying another liter or two! That includes enough insulation to keep me warm into the upper teens (F)--not needed in Cascades summers but definitely needed in the fall (or summer in the Rockies). I once got my base weight down to 12.5 lbs, but I've added back a few items--ditched the NeoAir in favor of my much comfier and warmer POE Insulmat, a heavier base layer for my legs, a third pair of socks.
I did start with 36 lbs. on one trip, but that was truly horrible. I dutifully carried a relative's ashes with me in an attempt to reach the place he requested, three days' hike from the trailhead. They weighed about 8 lbs. Needless to say, I have since revised my own funeral instructions to designate a spot only 3 miles from the trailhead!
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
I'm 5'8" and anywhere from 145 to 165 lbs depending on what activities I'm pursuing at the time. I've carried up to 65 lbs in Montana with a lot of off trail and carrying a ton (at least it felt like a ton) of group gear for new hikers. For some reason I always end up ferrying someone's pack or carrying part of their load to get their sorry butt up the mountain. .......
......In that same trip I ended up carrying a food bag and other gear weighing about 9 lbs for a guy that was uncharacteristically out of shape and suffering from the altitude. I then carried my pack and his pack of 55 lbs for a couple miles over a 12000 ft pass. I was in the best shape of my life as I was ready to do a 100 mile mountain bike race in CO. It was almost surreal as I carried nearly 100 lbs up the pass as I was only weighing 145 lbs.
That's what always happened to me when I was MUCH younger !
I remember a trip back in '73 to the Smokies in April where I was the "Student" leader my senior yr in HS. I was in charge of 6 students and there was one adult chaperone, the local Army recruiter who volunteered for the duty.
The first day was a 6 mi bushwack through the Rhododendron Hells from Ramsay Cascades straight up to get up to the AT. It poured the entire day. The next day was worse. By the 3rd day one of the girls threw her pack down in the middle of the trail and said she was done. I nonchalantly picked it up, and started hiking down the trail which by now was a festering mud bog.
And I might add, these were standard issue '70s generic gear= very heavy.
Anyway the gal got up and followed us until we were able to beg our way into an already overcrowded shelter where I spent the night flicking mice off me but that's another story.
Once back home, I got non stop calls from the recruiter telling me he'd never seen conditions that bad in 'Nam and wanted to recruit me for officers school.
One liter of water and 9 days worth of food should weigh in around 20 lbs. alone. @ 2 pounds per day of food; a total of 18 lbs. and then a liter of water weighs in at 2 lbs. That gives you a total of 5 lbs. for all the rest of your gear. Man between your bag, your pack and your tent you must have found a really really light weight tent or something. For some reason all these numbers do not add up for me. Did I miss something. I think that I did. I need to figure out what all light weight stuff you guys have and the reason that I say this is there is no way that I can leave out for nine days and my total pack weight come in at 20 lbs. No way !!!!! I will keep trying though....sabre11004...
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The first step that you take will be one of those that get you there 1!!!!!
When I was in my 20's (180lbs), hiking in HI and biking to work every day, taking 50+lb loads up the mountains wasn't a big deal - it was what HAD to be done to take my baby daughter day hiking with me, safely. And I was on the trail almost every other weekend. Transitioning to backpacking wasn't hard, and the pack weights (driven by water needs) were about 70lbs.
I'm older and less fit (200lbs) now - a 50lb packwieght (took some extra gear from somebody) hurt at the end of the day this past summer. 40lbs was comfortable. I'm also not in the mountains, with a pack on, all the time.
I think that fitness made the difference. You'll find me on my bike once the days get longer, getting ready for the trail.
Steadman
Edited by Steadman (12/29/0911:25 PM) Edit Reason: Correction to 3rd paragraph.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I take only a pound of food per day because I just can't eat any more. If I take any more, I end up packing it back out again (and in a rehydrated condition, making it heavier). I do a lot of dehydrating for trips of more than 2-3 nights and I try to concentrate on lots of calorie-dense foods, like nuts. I use freeze-dried fruit instead of the dehydrated stuff for trips of 5 days or more, because the weight savings are significant--half the weight for the same amount of calories. I do not, however, use freeze-dried sawdust dinners. I cook and dehydrate my own dinners, adding freeze-dried vegetables.
14 lbs. base weight plus 1/2 lb. fuel plus 2 lbs. water plus 9 lbs. food for a 9-day trip comes out to 25 1/2 lbs. Actually, 9 days of food comes out a little less than 9 lbs., since for 9 days I need only 8 dinners and 8 breakfasts.
1.5 lbs. per day of food is plenty for men who are not significantly underweight. You have to concentrate on dehydrating and on calorie-dense foods to do it, but most gear lists I've seen for the PCT and CDT involve about 1.5 lbs. of food per day. Here is a list with 9 1/2 lbs. of food for 7 days. For 14 lbs. base weight and 1.5 lbs. of food per day that would be a total pack weight for 9 days of about 30 lbs., or 32 lbs. if water sources are less frequent.
Sabre, if you look at the "27-lb., 7-day gear list" on the home page, you'll get lots of ideas on how to keep that weight under 30 lbs. Interestingly, the list includes a far heavier tent and backpack than what I carry. I make up for part of the difference with my sleeping pad and my Ursack (since I can't hang a food bag).
Edited by OregonMouse (12/30/0901:04 AM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
What you may not be accounting for is the tradeoff you are making for ability to hike as you get older. There is no doubt whatsoever that you are trashing your knees. You may be blissfully unaware of it until the day your cartilage is completely worn through but be assured that that day will arrive much sooner than would have been the case carrying lighter loads.
It may be that have consciously made that judgment and the opportunity to do the fantastic hikes you are doing is worth a shortened span of being able to get on the trail at all. It is, a matter of HYOH, after all.
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Human Resources Memo: Floggings will continue until morale improves.
Registered: 01/26/04
Posts: 269
Loc: SF Bay Area, CA
Depends on the pack. There are some packs I have tried that weren't comfortable carrying even 10lbs. Assuming an adequate suspension system I have two set points:
Comfort = Body doesn't hurt: 30-35lbs
If I keep my days to under 20miles, say 6k ft elevation change, I can make it through the day without an lasting pain and repeat days on end. If I try to push for longer days or carry more weight I end up feeling fatigued and the next day I will often hurt.
Comfort = No impact to my perfomance: 18lbs
I found that if I keep my pack weight below around 10% my lean body weight that carrying the pack doesn't seem to impact how long/far I go. On long summer days this means I can crank out 30-40 mile days with 6k ft elevation changes (or shorter distance with more elevation changes) and have energy at the end of the day, or go 20 miles and be able to spend the late afternoon and evening playing hard. This is basically the same as what I could do if I didn't have to carry a pack.
Years ago I read a study funded by the military looking at the impact of pack weight to soldier performance. I can't find the paper anymore, but my memory is that they found that 10-12% lean body weight was where the pack had a measurable impact on how quickly people got fatigued. Steve Sergeant sent a note to the backpackinglight mailing lists which is very similar to a study I remember seeing. His summary was:
A Swiss military report suggests that everyone has a backpack weight threshold at which they become significantly more encumbered. They determined this weight by measuring how much it takes for a person's balance-time to degrade by 20%. You can determine your balance-time degradation by measuring the time that you can stand on one foot without your pack, and then compare that to the time you can do so with your pack on. Apparently the Swiss military sought to optimize the performance of 'light fast' special-forces types. They found that for their typical soldier, balance degraded by 20% when wearing a pack weight between 8% and 10% of their lean body weight. The degree to which the pack carrier's balance degrades directly relates to the rate at which they'll become fatigued. This study suggests ways to improve your backpacking experience. The traditional guideline of 25% to 40% given by some how-to books on backpacking would seem quite high by these standards, so you should try to go lighter. Experiment with loading your pack to minimize the degradation of your balance time.
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