So . . . . I've been a bit sick these past few weeks - coughing, no energy - and my husband has been going for proper jaunts in the woods without me. One day he decided to load one of our cheaper packs with 4 gallons of water and walked for an hour or so. He's still complaining about being sore, and I thought, "Sheesh, 33 lbs isn't a whole lot." Well, that's my foot in my mouth, because this morning I picked up the pack to see how it felt . . . . and gosh, 33 lbs is a huge load!
Understandably, 4 gallons of water is not the same as a full pack which will sit nicer and not want to pull you backwards quite so much . . . . but 33 lbs! We guesstimated that we would carry around 30 lbs with food, but even at my healthiest and strongest that still seems like a daunting weight, day in and day out for nearly 6 months.
Sorry for being long-winded, but I guess my point is this: I don't want to set myself up for failure. I want to be reasonable, I want to be safe, and I want to not feel miserable every evening when we set up camp. I have just about a year to get myself ready mentally and physically.
Which leads me to this: I'm not lightweight crazy, but I certainly do take each ounce into consideration (as much as I can with our budget for our hike). So can you folks tell me how much you carry on average? With/without food is fine, whatever advice you have at this point I'm sure to appreciate
Thank you everyone!