Backpack weight

[Mentalfloss1]

Once as we were going into the Canadian Rockies a young guy flew buy us and teased us about our heavy packs. He was an ultralight guy and a nice person.
We ended up camping near him when the weather turned bad. We had three days of rain, sleet, snow, high wind, and not much visibility. On the second morning he came to our camp and was obviously in trouble. He was wet, having trouble talking, and asked for help.
We sat him in a tent, gave him hot drinks and oatmeal. I offered to go get his dry clothes but he had none. His ultralight sleeping bag had become soaked under his ultralight tarp and his no stove, no spare anything approach had failed him.
We packed up his stuff and walked with him for a mile or so back toward the trailhead. He was ok once he was walking. Besides thanking us he repeatedly said that he'd carry more gear in the future.
There's a happy medium and we all have our own preferences.

[jake_6_6]

Originally Posted by outdoormarc

Fitness to pack weight ratio has nothing to do with each other. The more weight the worse off you are! You can carry 40-50lbs all day for 3-5 days, not me!

So true! The more weight you can shave, the better off you are, no matter what. I do agree with others here tho who have mentioned the pack may not be adjusted to fit you correctly.

[jake_6_6]

Originally Posted by Mentalfloss1

Once as we were going into the Canadian Rockies a young guy flew buy us and teased us about our heavy packs. He was an ultralight guy and a nice person.
We ended up camping near him when the weather turned bad. We had three days of rain, sleet, snow, high wind, and not much visibility. On the second morning he came to our camp and was obviously in trouble. He was wet, having trouble talking, and asked for help.
We sat him in a tent, gave him hot drinks and oatmeal. I offered to go get his dry clothes but he had none. His ultralight sleeping bag had become soaked under his ultralight tarp and his no stove, no spare anything approach had failed him.
We packed up his stuff and walked with him for a mile or so back toward the trailhead. He was ok once he was walking. Besides thanking us he repeatedly said that he'd carry more gear in the future.
There's a happy medium and we all have our own preferences.

referring to my previous statement, of course you have to be smart about WHAT you shave the weight off of. haha sounds like the guy in your story may have skimped on his essentials.

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

For a 3-4 day trip I shoot for 20 lbs and end up between 20-40 lbs.

[Grandpa]

For a base weight, my dry pack is 15 lbs. (Hiking mostly in the Northern Rockies, this prepares me for sub freezing temps and possible snow at any time.)Start adding food at about 1 1/2 lbs a day, and extra clothes (mainly socks, gotta have clean socks here) and for a 10 day trek, prepared for snow, I will weigh in dry at 32-34 lbs.

I adhere to the 30 % rule in good physical condition that Indiana mentioned. That means if I weigh (which I should) 180 lbs, I can carry 54 lbs without significant loss of efficiency. However, I don't weigh 180 lbs any more. Grandma fed me too good and I now weigh 200 lbs so that extra 20 lbs I am packing has to be included in my 54 lb limit. And my observation is a 34 lb pack makes it a struggle to keep up with the crowd. And a struggle does not make a trip very fun. I can still manage an 8 mile day, but unless I lose some fat weight, the 14 mile days are now behind me carrying a full pack. And my age has nothing to do with it. It is that extra 20 lbs of fat that has to go.

[Lamebeaver]

Originally Posted by paloma

How much is too heavy?

You're asking the wrong question.

The correct question is, "What is the minimum I need to bring and still be safe and comfortable."

People tend to overpack "just in case." Examine every single item you bring. Other than a small first aid kit, if you don't think you will use it, then don;t bring it.

Multi-use items get put high on the list. Heavy items get thrown in the corner.

[ppine]

Michael,

How come you get bored when you are backpacking? Would it help to go see some place new and different? Maybe some new companions would help. It helps to be very selective in chosing outdoor partners.

edit-I don't see the point in having someone else decide what we should carry on a backpacking trip. It is one of the most personal decisions to make in the outdoors. Les Stroud can get by with a 5 pound back. I like the story
of the ultralight guy and his difficulties. The toughter the conditions the more margin for error needs to be considered, and that usually means more weight. I have backpacked for over 50 years, and do not carry as much as I used to, but am very happy under 40 pounds.

[ppine]

Mentalfloss1,

Thanks for sharing a great story. A lot people only backpack in mild weather with lots of help around. Canada, Alaska and the nothern Rockies are a different story that require a larger margin of error. The same can be said of really remote trips.

[dinosaur]

All true. I always feel comfortable in a temperate climate. This, however, includes temps that range from around 100 degrees to -20 degrees which pretty much covers you for most of the planet. It does not cover the little and big nasties that inhabit the area.

A bushmaster is deadly but quite tasty. A grizzly is huge but makes a nice rug and a lot of smoked meat. A rhino or a hippo are things you should stay the hell away from but they are pretty good eating. Mountain lion is delicious but I wouldn't reccomend it as game.

Having the right stuff with you is a question of forethought and willingness.

[Gunny Webb]

How much is too much?
If you swear a lot after 1 mile and your shoulders are in pain after 4 miles.

There is so much lightweight stuff out there, some pricey, some not. Average person can loose 5 lbs by just getting some cheaap light stuff and removing uneeded stuff.
The old saying goes "Take a sharpie and mark everything you use. If you go out three times and come back and it's not marked, toss it. Except for the first aid kit."

I went out on a NC mountain hike with 34 lbs and decided it was time to lose weight. After $280 I was down to 27 lbs with food and 2 liters of water. Another $600 and say hello to 19. See a pattern here? To get down to 12 lbs it might cost in excess of $2000. Think I'll stop where I'm at. Mrs Gunny says I have too much now.