Pack weight blues

[RED-DOG]

Don't worry about it you will lose weight ( pack/body ) as you go along you will learn what you need and don't need very quickly, but Stop at Mountains Crossing ( Neels gap ) and get their shack down treatment it helps out a lot, they are very knowlegable.

[Nuggz]

I've been moving toward an Ultra light setup for about a year. I'm at about 15 lbs right now for my winter weight and I couldn't imagine going any lighter. There is a sweet spot between weight and comfort. For everyone it's different. If I shed anymore weight, I lose comfort. In fact, I'm probably going to swap out a few pieces of my UL gear for my tried and tried stuff I've used for the past 5 years.

[max patch]

Back in the day I left Springer with 50 pounds and got it down to 45 by Damascus. You'll be fine don't sweat it. You'll reach a point when you are resupplying and see a 5 pound rotisserie chicken and won't think twice about throwing it in your pack for supper than first nite outta town.

[bamboo bob]

When you get the idea of what you need down in terms of gear most reductions require spending a lot of money per ounce to make a difference. You can get a two pound back down to one pound with money. My base weigh is 19 pounds. I dosn't feel much different if I add 11 pound of food and water. If I hike out with 30 pounds on my 240 pound body I can only be impressed with the 110 pound women I meet with the same pack weight.

[evyck da fleet]

Don't worry about the weight as long as it's not uncomfortable. My base was 25 lbs and I usually left town near 40 lbs after 5 days of food and water. You'll meet a lot of people that get to their lower base weight by not bringing winter or spare clothes, by sending their tent home, who'll ask to see your map/guide book or if you've got any extra food etc because they wanted to get to a specific weight. But every once in a while you will actually meet experienced hikers in that weight range who know what they're doing and have their gear dialed in.

[Dogwood]

Don't worry about it you will lose weight ( pack/body ) as you go along you will learn what you need and don't need very quickly, but Stop at Mountains Crossing ( Neels gap ) and get their shack down treatment it helps out a lot, they are very knowlegable.

Pilgrim, at the Saint's Dahonega Hikers Hostel in 2006 gave all of us who wanted him to good gear shake downs as well.

[Malto]

You will be an outcast! There was only one hiker that had a base weight higher than ten pounds. And none of the other hikers would let him play their hiker games. Actually, I would be surprised if you meet more than a couple AT thrus that had UL base weights.

[Russ979]

When you get the idea of what you need down in terms of gear most reductions require spending a lot of money per ounce to make a difference. You can get a two pound back down to one pound with money. My base weigh is 19 pounds. I dosn't feel much different if I add 11 pound of food and water. If I hike out with 30 pounds on my 240 pound body I can only be impressed with the 110 pound women I meet with the same pack weight.

I do figure at a certain point adding another 5 pounds won't make much of a difference in how it feels, I mean you're still carrying a small child on your back either way. I did assume I would rather have a heavier pack and be comfortable sleeping/cooking/etc than be super light and freeze at night or go hungry.

[GoodGerman]

The season is important too.

If you cherry pick your time frame you can save a lot of weight.
That is probably the reason why you won't find a lot of ultra lighters in deep winter.

[jtap0204]

I can't help but notice everyones pack is around 10-15 pounds base weight yet here I sit with both my pack and my girlfriends pack weighing around 20 each for our 2014 NOBO thru hike. After reviewing other peoples pack list it seems as though there is no one single item that is putting us so far over weight, just a lot of little items that are a couple of oz heavier. Only solution would be to buy almost entirely new gear for untold amounts of money which we don't have. I know things will change once we start and hopefully the packs shed a few pounds but I'm hoping there are more people out there than just the girlfriend and I with 20-25 pound base weight packs.

Man, My GF and I are both sitting at about 20lbs too. Not too worry my friend.

[Migrating Bird]

Just long shot, but maybe it will help. As two of you are hiking together, really look for any redundancies which may be eliminated by sharing.

[Drybones]

Glad we're not the only ones but week after week of people bragging about 10 pound ultra light packs makes you think you're the dunce in the corner or that you are that person who will have a story about them passing from hiker to hiker "O man, we saw this one couple.... I don't know what the hell they were thinking" type thing. Also, I don't know what everyones career is but on an EMT and teacher salary there is no chance of buying 600$ 1lbs sleeping bags, just ain't happeneing.

It's a shame about the friends MuddyWaters

You only see those with 10 lb base weight on this web site, not on the trail. At 20 lb base weight you'll be lighter than 70% of those you meet on the trail. For me, water planning was a key to keeping weight down. I carried a 24 oz Smartwater bottle and a 1-liter Platypus to use if needed, which is rarely, if ever, needed for long dry sections. Drink as much as possible at every water source, fill the 24 oz bottle, know where the next source is and have all the water drank before you reach the next source.

[mountain squid]

Also, I don't know what everyones career is but on an EMT and teacher salary there is no chance of buying 600$ 1lbs sleeping bags, just ain't happeneing.

You say that now, but if your first 3-4 days are unbearable, you might change your tune upon arrival to Mountain Crossings. Maybe . . . maybe not. Fact is many hikers, spend alot of money to continue their hike.

I would suggest scrutinizing each piece of gear to determine if you really need it. As you have already noted, alot of little items add up quickly. Some of which might be redundant or unnecessary. You might also post your gear list for others to scrutinize. If it is possible to shed a pound or two beforehand, why not?

With food and water it sounds like you will be close to 40 pounds. I would guesstimate that 40 pounds is probably about average for starting out. I've seen much heavier and much lighter, as well.

Good Luck and Have Fun!


See you on the trail,
mt squid

read some observations thread for additional observations

[faxanadu]

A buddy and i did a 27 mile slack pack from Hump Mountain back to Greasy Creek with slack packs. I had recently bought one of those silnylon sea to summit day packs that fold up into themselves smaller than a fist. Honestly, after that day ... i was convinced lighter is better. We crushed those miles in about 11 hours and felt like a million bucks doing it.

If i did it over again, i would seriously buy one of those camelbaks thats about the size of a school backpack and use that. I wouldn't even bring a stove ... since warm food really wasn't all that to me. I would definitely just keep two days of food on me... getting a little hungry isn't that big of a deal... i mean if i really wanted I could be eating a burger within half a day if a tried.

[gunner76]

Losing pounds is easy

Losing ounces is harder

Losing grams is expensive

Problem is when people talk about their base weight, they are never comparing apples to apples
What packs are we comparing, shelters, clothing, cook gear, conditions we are using the gear in ect ect

Just go with what you have and when you get back you will know what can leave behind next time.

And most important...have fun

[robin31]

I'm around 20 lbs myself but it will drop significant lyrics after after Mt. Rogers. Don't sweat it. :-) and if anyone says anything about your pack being too "heavy" tell them to kiss your ass. It's usually the ones who have the 8 lb base weight and try to yogi everyone else's supplies. Have fun!! Maybe I'll see u out there.

[Malto]

I'm around 20 lbs myself but it will drop significant lyrics after after Mt. Rogers. Don't sweat it. :-) and if anyone says anything about your pack being too "heavy" tell them to kiss your ass. It's usually the ones who have the 8 lb base weight and try to yogi everyone else's supplies. Have fun!! Maybe I'll see u out there.

can I borrow your stove?

[robin31]

Exactly ;-)

[Valley Girl]

My base weight is well over a hundred pounds....oh opps you all are speaking of pack weight not packed on weight!

If I can keep my base weight under 25lbs. I will be happy.

[Wolf - 23000]

Russ979,

I would not worry about it. Many hikers often talk about their great plans and how light they are going, only to find themselves freezing to death down in Georgia. Don't worry about what others are carrying. After a few weeks, most hikers change out their gear. Besides if your hiking as a couple, couples always carry more than single hikers. In 25,000 miles of backpacking, I have never met a couple that I consider as hiking lightweight.

Wolf