My Pack Weigh 40 Pounds!

[msheald]

Hello! My Virginia AT hike starts in 5 days. My pack weighs 24#. After adding 10 pounds of food for the first 5 days and 3 liters of water in my reservoir, my pack is 40 pounds. I know I can carry less water, but I thought I'd start with that till I see how water availability are. How much do folks packs weigh fully loaded with food and water? Best regards. Mike

[Heliotrope]

3L is a lot of water. Check your water sources. 2lb food per day sounds right. Your base weight is around 22 lb. anything you can leave behind? With your trip coming up soon probably too late to buy lighter versions of gear.


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[Heliotrope]

For future trips cutting your base weight in half is a reasonable goal. My base weight is 9.5 lbs so I would start a 5 day trip with around 21 lb total weight. That is with about 1 L water


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[Gambit McCrae]

Notch seems about on par with myself as well. Although I end with about 21-24 pounds depending on my shelter selection, I do carry 2L of water and a Gatorade on my shoulder strap just so I don't have to stop as often.

[Coffee]

For five days I would carry close to 10 pounds of food but I would rarely carry more than 1L (2 pounds) of water. My pack would be in the 24-26 pound range depending on season and what extras I'm taking. Plenty of people DO hike with 40 pound packs and survive just fine. If the pack can carry the weight (not a UL pack) and you are in good shape I don't see a reason to panic. Best to go on the trip and fine tune the gear list in the future. Have a great trip!

[Tuckahoe]

Personally for the same 5 day duration my total weight my last hike was 24 lbs.

I work to keep my food weight between 1.25 and 1.5 lbs a day. While for water I have been carrying two 20 fl oz and one 16 fl oz soda bottles.

Aside from choosing lighter weight pieces of gear (such as repurposing soda bottles instead of heavier Nalgene/Kleen Kanteen bottles or switching to a sawyer filter) was to stop carrying the gear I rarely if ever used -- and as others will say, "stop packing your fears." For summer hikes I have cut back on the extra clothes, and on my hike this weekend I will only carry one extra pair of underwear and socks.

Over the last couple years my goal has been to go minimal while maintaining a level comfort that makes hiking enjoyable (such as a hammock set up that is heavier than my last tent).

[msheald]

Hello! Thank you for your replies. If I take out the Dry Toggs rain suit and hiking umbrella and the digital camera/cords, that saves me 5 pounds. I'll get wet anyway, but I was a little concerned about unseasonable cold wather on the AT, and the rain grear would function as an outer layer to prevent hypothermia, but I have a pair of shorts/shirt/socks/underwear in addition to the one I'll be wearing (to heave a clean pair) and a light weight long sleeve/jogging pants. I can cut down on some small miscellaneous stuff like DEET spray and hand sanitizer. That gets me down to 19 pounds pack weight or 35 pounds total with 10 pounds of food and 6 pounds of water - I can lose another 4 pounds if I only carry 1 liter of water. (some concern about dry shelters this time of year in southwest VA?) The major weight items are an Osprey Aether 70, Hennessey Hammock, Warbonnets tarp, Jacks R Better Sierra Sniveler, and Thermarest closed cell sleeping pad. Best regards. Mike

[BirdBrain]

For a 5 day walk, mine weighs about 29 lbs.

Now that I have answered your straight forward question, allow me to advise (I think that is the point of the seeking).

I have seen many weigh ins. I have not seen many of the light packs reported here (quite frankly, I have never seen a sub 10 lb one). I suspect you are more normal than what you might think. Don't let the uber efficient dissuade you from that reality.

Here are some common "mistakes" (they are not mistakes, just choices).

People do not devote enough time in research or money in purchase of the big 3 (or 4 depending on definition). I know I did not. You are carrying that stuff a long way. Divide that cost by miles, multiple the weight savings by miles carried, and see what is worth what.

People carry too much clothing. A general rule of thumb is if you cannot put it on all at once, you are carrying too much. Cull redundancy. There are rare exceptions (socks, underwear, etc).

People carry things not needed. People do not need an altimeter. People do not need a solar anything. People do not need a heavy compass. People do not need that chair. I do not need that 3 lb camera setup I carry. These things are choices. We have heavy packs because of choices. It is our fault.

People carry too much emergency stuff. You are not a paramedic. Well, some are. My general rule is that I carry enough to get myself to safety. If I am in a catastrophic accident, not 1st aid kit will save me.

People do not devote enough thought to calorie densities. My daily food weighs 1.3 lbs (that includes my NUUN and VIA) and provides a over 3000 calories. Oh, and on a related note, they exaggerate calories in their carried food.

People carry too much water. People spend boatloads of money to save 6 ounces, but won't spend 10 minutes looking at a map or guide to determine how much water to carry to the next source. With very rare exceptions, there is never a need to carry 3 liters of water. I, almost never, carry more than 2 lbs.

After that, you enter the realm of the absurd where you peal labels, cut tags, and weigh ziplocks. You enter my world.

[q-tip]

Most lightweight backpacks on the AT weigh in the 13-16 lb range. Add reasonable food and water you are in the 25-30 lb range. I carry enough water to get to the next source, usually l L - 2 lbs. . My pack for summer is 13 lbs. 3-season 15 lbs. . Food is as calculated above about 2,500 calories/day, less than the 3,000-3,500 I typically burn. My first AT pack was 40 lbs. and it killed me. Contrary to many, I invested heavily in the best equipment so my kit ran into $3,500. However, I am set for life with this gear.

Just some thoughts...

[RockDoc]

If you are carrying water uphill to places where you can get water, you need to think about this.

[handlebar]

I have finally got my base weight down to between 16 and 18 pounds and it seems stuck there. I know I can lighten up my first aid kit (and have for hikes on the AT, but not for those on trails where I'm unlikely to meet anyone). I could also buy a shorter pad, but for "advanced middle age" guys like me, a good night's sleep is essential and there's no way I could use my sweat soaked pack for under my legs.

For a VA AT hike starting mid-August, you can likely leave behind the jogging pants as well as the extra shorts and shirt. I would keep the FroggTogs top, but leave the pants behind. I'd also keep a camera of some sort---perhaps a point and shoot. For a 5 day hike this time of year along the VA AT, my clothes bag will contain only 1 pair extra briefs, 2 pair extra socks one of which is reserved for sleeping, and perhaps a light weight long sleeve shirt. I also carry a rain jacket and rain wrap that I can wear on longer trips when everything else is in the laundry or when it rains. I recently added a hiking umbrella to my kit (both for rain and for sun in the desert). Vercroed to my pack strap, it makes walking through an all-day rain much less unpleasant as my rain jacket can be mostly unzipped and the umbrella keeps rain from running down my back and saturating the back of my pack.

I found it was helpful to get an accurate kitchen scale at Walmart and to weigh everything. I was amazed when I did so just how much clothes weigh. You can also trim at least 2-1/4 pounds of water by checking water sources. The remaining 4-1/2 pounds will average about 2-1/4 since you'll be drinking it down between water sources. The same goes for the food weight.

[RangerZ]

If you are carrying water uphill to places where you can get water, you need to think about this.

+1. Hard learned wisdom.

[Venchka]

RE: RAIN GEAR.
Personally, I would never ever venture out without rain gear of some sort. But that is my choice.
In your case, consider keeping the umbrella for protection from the sun AND the rain. YMMV. HYOH.
Have fun!

Wayne

[Tipi Walter]

Any normal human can carry a 40 lb pack for a 5 or 6 day trip. Most responding posts will try to convince you to go lighter as Lightness seems to be the overall goal. Getting outside is in my opinion the overall goal and a 40 lb pack should not present a problem. Heck, go heavier and bring an avocado or a couple books or a little radio or even a watermelon.

[AO2134]

Hello! My Virginia AT hike starts in 5 days. My pack weighs 24#. After adding 10 pounds of food for the first 5 days and 3 liters of water in my reservoir, my pack is 40 pounds. I know I can carry less water, but I thought I'd start with that till I see how water availability are. How much do folks packs weigh fully loaded with food and water? Best regards. Mike

I never weigh my gear, but I if I would have to guess, I'd say for my 5 day smokies trip I had about a 35 lb pack with 3L of water, but I almost never carried that much except for day 1. I usually never carry no more than 2L unless I absolutely have to. For most of this trip, I'd say I carried about a 1L of water.

For an overnight I would say my pack is 25 lbs, more or less.

I have never had a hike where carrying 5 lbs more or less had any significant impact on my hiking or any impact whatsoever for that matter. My heaviest pack (35 lbs) was my smokies pack on what some consider tough terrain and it had no impact on my hiking. Day 1 with a late start, we did 14+ miles. Day 2, we did 16.4 miles. Day 3, we did 23 miles, day 4 we did 14+ miles and day 5 we did 8+ by 11 am. Each day, except perhaps the 23 mile day, we had ample time and energy to do more, but that is how we scheduled the hike. I always heard the smokies were hard so I kept the days a little shorter. We could have finished in 4 days if we wanted to.

I bring this up just to say that people react differently to weight. The general consensus among hikers is lighter is better. I don't argue with that. I think the lighter your pack, the easier the hike will be for you as a general rule. However, that doesn't mean there aren't exceptions. I don't know your hiking history, so this may be too much weight for you. It may not. It may not even be a weight thing for you at all. It may be a terrain thing. For example, on Day 1 of the smokies hike, whether I did it with a 20 lb pack or a 50 lb pack I think would have been irrelevant. The constant climb out of Fontana on day 1 when I was out of shape would have hurt no matter which pack (20 vs 50 lbs) I would have taken. It may be a general conditioning thing. It may be a combination of all of the above.

At the end of the day, it is only weight and only you will have to carry it. Bring what you think you will need. Enjoy the hike. If you find you carried too much weight, replace one or two of your more heavier items and try again. If still to heavy, replace another of your heavier items and try again.

Eventually you will find a weight that works for you.

Oh, also have a contingency plan if you do not make the miles you anticipate. Have bail out points and someone to pick you up just in case.

That is my two cents.

Most importantly, enjoy your hike!

[DLP]

Have you been on other trips? Do you bring back extra food?

Many/most people aren't all that hungry on a 5 day trip and you might be able to get away with 1.5 lbs of food per day (or about 2500ish calories).

Make notes while you are out there of the things that you wish you had left at home and the stuff you wish you had.

I agree with people above that probably most people out for 3-4 days are carrying 40ish lbs. Some people are carrying much more, like 70. I went on a 3 night trip with a woman who brought 3 hardback books and not 1, but TWO bathing suits and a beach towel. I think that her backpack weighed about 70 lbs and we just barely did 1.5 to 4 mile days. (I just swim in my underwear and dry off with the same bandana I use to blow my nose, but I'm gross .)

And I went on an overnight trip and my brother-in-law carried about 60 lbs for just one night. He brought chairs and full cooking sets, etc, etc, etc.

So you are actually doing good!

[DLP]

People carry too much emergency stuff. You are not a paramedic. Well, some are. My general rule is that I carry enough to get myself to safety. If I am in a catastrophic accident, not 1st aid kit will save me.

I was an EMT, and I bring 20ish ibuprofen, a couple of bandaids, some triple antibiotic ointment, (too much) leukotape and the same bandana that I use as a towel and blow my nose on. I've never used the bandaids, but they are good to have to give to day hikers with little kids.

[The Cleaner]

Take out the wet wipes,deodorant and toothpaste.Just use a bandana to wipe off with some spring water.Since it's hot you only need a very lightweight pair of camp pants and extra tee shirt.Brush your teeth with baking soda.A rain jacket will do for cool evenings too.

[BirdBrain]

I was an EMT, and I bring 20ish ibuprofen, a couple of bandaids, some triple antibiotic ointment, (too much) leukotape and the same bandana that I use as a towel and blow my nose on. I've never used the bandaids, but they are good to have to give to day hikers with little kids.

I am no expert and as such do not divulge the exact contents of my 1st aid kit for fear of giving bad advice. I am glad to read that I am not far from your kit. I figure if anything real bad happens, I will be shredding cloths for major bleeding, busting up trekking poles for a splint, and doing what ever it takes to my gear to get out. At that point the walk is over. Getting out and getting help from experts is all that matters at that point. I don't carry extra junk with any thought that I am going to continue my walk.

[msheald]

Hello! Thank you for your replies. I'll be 5 weeks on the Virginia AT - the 10 pounds of food are for the first 5 days before resupply. I've been training without the pack. When I went out for the first time with a full load of 40 pounds, I was pretty beat up by 4 hours and became concerned that I had misjudged what I should bring. I guess I am unsure of how much gear to take in case of emergencies. By that I mean hypothermia and dehydration would be the biggest concerns. Mt. Rogers has reported temps to 30 degrees on the rare occasion and some water sources have been reported as periodically dry. Having said that, it sounds like 3 liters of water is over the top and the rain suit may not add any hypothermia protection over my light weight long sleeve/pants on Mt. Rogers unless a blizzard hits in August! Best regards. Mike