Pack weight

[allwen]

I have spent countless hours reading AT hikers journals, and I am really concerned at how everyone seems to obsess over the weight of their packs. I am a 59 year old female, very experienced hiker, and carry 15-17kg when my pack is fullyloaded with tent, 6 days food and 2 litres of water. I cannot imagine leaving anything out that I currently carry. My luxury is that I carry an Exped mat and an inflatable pillow. Do people think this is too heavy for the AT.
ALLWEN

[4eyedbuzzard]

Given 6 days of food at 4kg (or so) + 2kg of water that's a 9 to 11 kg pack with everything else. Let's see, roughly 19 to 23 lbs base weight in English units. A bit heavy for summer on the AT by many people's thoughts, but without knowing what temperatures / weather conditions you're packing for it's impossible to say. Temp and weather will dictate tent, sleeping bag, clothing, fuel, and even food. Beyond that it's your choice as to how much in the way of "luxury" you're willing to carry or not carry, or how much very lightweight (high $) gear you can or will acquire. I try to stay under 15 lbs without food/water and I could go a bit lower but can't justify the cost of ultra light, very expensive new gear, or leaving some things behind, especially here in NH where you really do need to be prepared for some cold weather even in the summer. Hey, you're carrying it all up and down those mountains, not me - who am I to judge?

[allwen]

Thanks for that. I am talking of a winter pack weight. that is with merino thermals, fleece, down jacket, raingear and extra socks included. My sleeping bag is a North Face 15deg bag (weight under a kg).

[DavidNH]

I have spent countless hours reading AT hikers journals, and I am really concerned at how everyone seems to obsess over the weight of their packs. I am a 59 year old female, very experienced hiker, and carry 15-17kg when my pack is fullyloaded with tent, 6 days food and 2 litres of water. I cannot imagine leaving anything out that I currently carry. My luxury is that I carry an Exped mat and an inflatable pillow. Do people think this is too heavy for the AT.
ALLWEN

Don't worry about it. All these folks obsess about weight cause it is the in thing to do. If you are as you say a very experienced hiker, then you know what you are doing. 17 kg total weight is not bad. I don't see why you would be concerned. Also, why not afford your self some luxuries like a nice thick exped mat. I carried close to 40 pounds most of the time while thru hiking the AT.

All that really matters is that the load is comfortable for you. If some one else gives you a hard time for carrying more than 10 pounds or not being an ultra lighter that's his/her problem. to heck with 'em!

[Wolf - 23000]

Allwen,

If your happy with what you are carrying then go with it. Who cares what others carry - I don't. Never did, never will. What kills me is when hikers add a bunch of extra stuff to their packs then bug other hikers on what they should leave out.

Wolf

[Moose2001]

Allwen,

If your happy with what you are carrying then go with it. Who cares what others carry - I don't. Never did, never will. What kills me is when hikers add a bunch of extra stuff to their packs then bug other hikers on what they should leave out.

Wolf

Amen! I get so tired of hearing people brag about what their pack weighs or trying to prove how good they are by carrying so little. Carry what works for you and what you're happy with. As the hike progressess, you may find you want to change a few things.

[northernstorm]

Just pack what you can carry and still enjoy yourself at the same time.

[IronGutsTommy]

yeah as long as the load feels good on your back and legs, youre golden. youre the only one that can decifer that. I think pack weight discussions do have their merits for helping newbies by giving them a reference point, gear lists do this even better. but when weights and lists become concrete ideas somethings wrong. Ive seen posts where people say dont bother carrying a nailclipper, get a swiss army knife with a clipper.. um, no. nail clippers weigh virtually nothing and im not dealing with torn nails from using a jack of all trades, master of none to shave .05 ounces off my weight. the only weights ill worry about while doing a thru is the weight of "billy bobs 2 lb burger challenge"

[jesse]

Allwen,

If your happy with what you are carrying then go with it. Who cares what others carry ...

Wolf

Could not agree more. As for me, 37lbs is way more than I will ever carry.

[allwen]

THANKYOU so much, I feel heaps better now, knowing that weight isn't such a major issue. Over the years I have dropped my packweight from 22kg down to 15-17kg and to lose anymore I feel like I would be on either starvation rations, naked (God forbid) or in for an uncomfortable hike. In Australia hardly anyone worries too much about their pack weight - but then again we don't have mountains!!!!

[gipcgirl]

I have spent countless hours reading AT hikers journals, and I am really concerned at how everyone seems to obsess over the weight of their packs. I am a 59 year old female, very experienced hiker, and carry 15-17kg when my pack is fullyloaded with tent, 6 days food and 2 litres of water. I cannot imagine leaving anything out that I currently carry. My luxury is that I carry an Exped mat and an inflatable pillow. Do people think this is too heavy for the AT.
ALLWEN

Hi ALLWEN
I have just completed 1860 miles of the AT I used a ULA pack (ultra light weight) and carried 25lbs which included 5 days food 2 litres of water a msr tent and my rain gear etc. i.e everything I needed for my hike. I hiked the whole way in Keen sandals they also doubled up as my camp shoes. I am 61 years old extremely fit and an experienced hiker. I found this to be an ideal weight for me to carry and had no problems. Most women I have met hiking generally carry to many clothes. I would rather carry more food than extra clothing that I don't really use every day.
The only reason I did not finish is that I ran out of visa time. Doing it again in 2011. I am also from West Australia.
gipcgirl

[Don H]

Post a complete gear list with weights (ounces and pounds not stones and kilograms please) and let everyone review it. Also let us know when and where you're hiking since that will determine what types of clothes you'll need.

[4eyedbuzzard]

. . . but then again we don't have mountains!!!!

You will find that this plays significantly into wieght decisions / weight consciousness. I can walk on reasonably level terrain all day with 40 - 50 lbs in a pack with good suspension with no problems. Start going up and down 500, 1000, or (gasp) 3000 feet at a clip (yeah, my home state of NH has some pretty tough ups and down) and you'll likely start paying a lot more attention to weight. The AT has an estimated cumulative elevation gain and loss of some 600,000 feet over it's length - it isn't all ridge walking. And a lot of those tough ups and downs occur at both ends of the trail GA - VA, and NH - ME, so there are some really tough sections where a heavy pack will make you pay.

[Lone Wolf]

I have spent countless hours reading AT hikers journals, and I am really concerned at how everyone seems to obsess over the weight of their packs. I am a 59 year old female, very experienced hiker, and carry 15-17kg when my pack is fullyloaded with tent, 6 days food and 2 litres of water. I cannot imagine leaving anything out that I currently carry. My luxury is that I carry an Exped mat and an inflatable pillow. Do people think this is too heavy for the AT.
ALLWEN

start with what you got. add or subtract as you go. don't post a gear and clothing list.

[Don H]

LW, why not post a gear list and let those that want to weigh in (no pun intended) do so?

[Lone Wolf]

LW, why not post a gear list and let those that want to weigh in (no pun intended) do so?

she already stated she doesn't want to leave out anything she already has

[Suttree]

To repeat the enduring refrains: HYOH - hike with what makes you comfortable - it's just walking.

BUT

I suspect that some thru-hikers obsess over pack-weight because

1. Preferences change over a 2100 mile hike - a thru-hike takes a long time; many (most?) hikers find they hike longer and farther as their hike progresses. More time on the trail vs. time in camp means greater emphasis on packing light.

2. Stress accumulates - hiking and climbing for months on end takes a toll on your body. Walking heavy can make injury more likely and irritates existing aches and pains. While it is always possible to take a zero day to recover, it may be easier/cheaper to travel light(er).

My point is - a long trip is very different from a short trip and you may find that your hiking style changes - be ready to mix up your gear choices and be aware of lighter gear options. I believe this applies even to very experienced hikers.

Staff at Neels Gap and ADZPCTKO might back me up.

-ed

[garlic08]

Weight matters tremendously to me. I'm one of those who is very excited about my light weight pack, but only because it got me back out on the trail. At age 40, I gave up backpacking with inflamed knees and ankles. It would take three months to recover completely from a 100 mile hike (in mountains), carrying my 45 pound pack. Injuries and weaknesses got the best of me.

Now I'm in my mid-fifties and don't consider a hike long unless it's 1000 miles, and I have hiked over 3000 miles some years recently. My current pack is less than 10 pounds base weight. Getting to that weight was a wonderful journey of self-discovery in itself. I addressed many fears I didn't even know I had.

There is absolutely no way I'd be hiking these trails with a heavier pack. Lightening the load is not a matter of preference or a hobby for me, it's a necessity.

Suttree above is right on as far as I'm concerned. Stress accumulates--some can handle it, some can't. Some adjust and stay on trail, while many don't and go home.

Please indulge (or ignore) some of us who are excited (and yes, sometimes obsessed) about our lightweight style of hiking. Sometimes we tend to tell others about it. (Notice I say "style", not gear. It's not all about the gear. Often it's about not even having the gear to begin with.) It was because some other hikers (like Lynne Whelden and Ray Jardine) talked and wrote about their styles of hiking that I was able to learn about other possibilities, and I hope others will do the same if they want to. If they don't want or need to learn and adjust, that's OK too.

[sparky2000]

The thought that fear is the primary reason that one carries "more" weight might be sound - then again, clothes are often useless. Food every third day is enough. Water at the 'well' is often enough, ect.

[Tipi Walter]

Could not agree more. As for me, 37lbs is way more than I will ever carry.

So, would you carry more if you wanted to do a 15 day trip without resupply? Of course you would. AT backpackers are a specialized group of hikers since they only have to carry around 4-5 days worth of food, and not 15 to 20 days, so there's a near-obsession with light pack weights. "How low can you go?" doesn't really apply when carrying 40lbs of just food for a 20 day trip.