I just gotta say that yesterday and today were some very enlightening days. I have been a car camper 20 years and a whitewater kayaker for 12 years, these two hobbies have made it impossible for me to invest too much into backpacking gear (light gear) When I did go backpacking I was toting a 40+ lb pack with stuff that I might need, would like to have, would be fun, etc. Recently I invested some time and money researching and buying lighter (much lighter) gear. My base weight is still high compared to those with more dust on their boots/trail runners than myself but I have gotten down to 13.8lbs.

The 2 days of hiking were SO much more enjoyable and actually left me sitting at the fire wishing we had put down a few more miles. I got to actually watch birds and enjoy the scenery as opposed to being so exhausted and sweaty that I just wanted to get to camp. I am still a little bit of a camping snob as I have a Hubba instead of a tarp and have a 17.6 oz filter instead of chem. treatment, but I have fallen in love with "light" hiking and don't plan on ever going back.

Oh yeah, the trip was in Frozen Head State Park in Wartburg, TN. Warm day, cool night, high winds. Ran into a pack of boars on the trail and my stepdad earned his new trail name of "Hog Wild" because he started barking and whooping and hollering trying to scare them off....stellar trip!

Sean Beyer

Congrats! nothing wrong with that weight. The main thing is to get out there!

congrats on the new chapter of your journey. It only gets worse from here and before you know it your counting grams and not pounds or ounces. You see no problem hacking away at 3 and 4 hundred dollar items because they have tags, extra material, pockets, cords, netting, etc, etc. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Enjoy the ride, and remmeber its about getting ou there and enjoying. But heaven forbid you get stuck with a few of us fanatical nuts in this forum, you might just tuck your tail and run home after were done raping your gear and food. Because it was too heavy for us to bring food and tp, and we just thought we could survive off of 3 grains of rice a day. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Any desire to post a gear list for that hike? And what it replaced? (If you're not out happily hiking.)

Pack:
Granite Gear Vapor Trail (w/ belt pack) -39

Sleep Gear:

Slumberjack 30 degree Super Guide -44
¾ length ThermaRest Rdge Rest -8.1
MSR Hubba (tags and extra clth trimmed) -55

Water:
MSR waterworks filter and hoses -17.9
(2) Platypus 1 liter -1.7
Nalgene widemouth -6.1

Cook set:
MSR pocket rocket -4
Snow Peak Titan 450 cup -3
lighter w/ med. Tape wrap -0.5
10 matches and striker in Ziploc -0.2
Lexan Spoon -0.3

Clothing in pack:
Old Navy windbreaker(excess trim) -7.6
Polypro underwear top and bottom -13.9
MH neckgaitor -1.1

Light:
Tikka XL w/ extra set of batteries -4.5

Misc.
TP -0.3
First Aid Kit -4.6
(2) trashbags -
(4) Ziplocs -


Consumables:
Mountain Home Dinner -7
Oatmeal mix -3.3
(4) Propel drink mixes - .7
Fuel -8.1
(2) 1 liter platys partially full water approx.- 32

Clothing worn:
Ex Officio Convertible pants
North Face polyester tshirt
Wigwam low cut polyblend running socks
Merrell Radius hiking shoes
Cotton briefs (still havent gotten any poly undies...shame, shame)


This is the best I could do seeing as all the gear has been cleaned and put up. Also the 16 lb 5oz reading was the loaded pack with water weighed on a postal scale.

Peace,
Sean

Your list is looking very good. The two things you could replace to make BIG differences would be to get a good quality down sleeping bag which would cut it down to about 1lb 8oz and saving you about 20oz (1lb 4oz) and either get a lighter filter such as the Katadyn Hiker (which is 13oz for my set) or go chemical and save almost another pound. Also did you really need a Nalgene and Two Platypus? I would forego either the Nalgene or one of the Platypuses

Thanks for the encouragement and you are right about the filter, sbag, and excess bottles. Backpacking has become a hobby even when not on the trail.

I have a list of "want to gets" and on the top is a Alpinlite by WM and MSR hypeflow.

Sean

I'd take lightweight rain gear and an insulation layer of some sort (fleece jacket or at least a vest, or, if you don't mind spending $$, a Montbell UL Thermawrap jacket or vest)--at least I assume it normally rains and occasionally gets cold where you hike. I always take a lightweight warm hat (your head is where your body loses the most heat) (unless your neck gaitor can be used as a hat) and gloves (polypro liner gloves, 1 oz.). For water I'd ditch the MSR stuff and the Nalgene. ULA-Equipment's Amigo Pro water filter ( a gravity filter) weighs only 7.5 oz--it uses the Katadyn Hiker Pro filter. Or you could use one of the chlorine dioxide treatments for even less weight. You've already said you're looking for a lighter sleeping bag. Even the Campmor down bag would be an improvement (less weight and less space in your pack) if you don't have the $$$ for Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends. The savings on the water filter/container and the sleeping bag would offset the weight of the rain gear and the extra insulation layer.

Your Mileage May Vary, of course, but I would never, ever leave home without some kind of rain gear. That may be because I grew up in the Rockies where the weather can go from clear skies to a violent thunderstorm within an hour. I now live in the Pacific Northwest where, although we normally have several months of dry season in the summer, the weather forecast is wrong far more than it's right. The rain gear doesn't have to be heavy, but there are always times when more than a windbreaker (great for drizzle but not for heavy rain) is needed.

Isn't it wonderful to be able to go out with such a light pack? I'm wondering how I ever managed 40-50 lbs.!

It's pretty obvious that Sean has gotten sucked into The Dark Side -- the whirlpool of never-ending quest for ever lighter pack weights. Welcome, Sean. The Dark Force is strong. Escape is impossible -- and resistance futile. Mwahahaha.... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for posting your experience! I've been trying to convince my dad to go backpacking with me, but he is still struggling with his 'heavy pack' post traumatic stress syndrome. I've had much difficulty trying to convince him that, although he's reaching the 70 year mark (he played college football and is still in great shape), he can have a blast doing an overnighter or 3 dayer. His only experience was carrying 65 lbs and there is no way I'm ever going to get him to do that again (I think he still has scars from blisters he got from our past trips). I've even said I would outfit him completely with only the best stuff (I have way too much gear).

We used to go for a week, just him and I. I miss those days. They are some of the best of my youth which is a huge reason why I do what I do today. I still haven't given up hope though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />.

Jason, tell your dad that when I turned 70 years young I became determined to get back into backpacking, which I had to stop doing after a knee injury left me unable to carry heavy packs. I found this site and a few others and (with help from too much of my retirement savings) got my base weight down to 15 lbs. It is so wonderful to be able to get back out there comfortably! In your dad's case, he doesn't even have to spend the money! It's a completely different world out there with a lightweight pack!

jason-

Maybe you could pack his pack in the UL way without him knowing it, surprise him and bring it to him and have him put it on. Then walk around the neighborhood or park. It might help him see UL/LW is not so bad. If you could use a light pack for him, that might be better.

I agree with Leadfoot. Since you have multiple gear pieces, just pack a set for your dad and surprise/impress him. To minimize any reservations on his part, pick a nearby hike and make it short (e.g. an overnighter or something). Hopefully, once he hikes with his 'new' gear, he will be hooked.

Some people learn quicker by actually seeing/touching a ready-made alternative rather than analyzing and coming up with it on their own from scratch...

Excellent suggestion by both leadfoot and ben2world! Thanks guys.

I have been thinking of ways to convince him to get out. He has been busy lately (his father just passed away) and I haven't had a great opportunity. It wasn't until I read this post that I thought I needed to pursue getting him back in a pack.

I have a perfect hike. The Joint Trail to Druid Arch, not far from where he lives in Canyonlands, would be just the ticket. It can be done in a day, but an overnighter would be better. I'm going to make a goal to get him on this by springs end. We have had a tremendous amount of snow near Canyonlands so the springs should be running well.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know how it goes <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.