Not So Random Thoughts on Pack Weight

[aroth87]

For me, I started out with traditional backpacking in Scouts. My load had to be over 40 lbs and I weighed about 140 lbs at the time. By the end of the day my hips were so sore from where the pach rode that even my 26 oz Thermarest wasn't enough padding for me to sleep comfortably. After the first few trips I told myself I didn't need to carry so much weight because others were carrying the same stuff I was so if I needed extra they would have it.
I searched the internet and found the list for the 3 day, 18 lbs pack. That sounded great! With that I purchased a 3.5 lbs sleeping bag, 4 lbs tent, and 3 lbs pack. What a difference that made! My lightweight style was the envy of the scout troop.
When I left for college I got a lot more free time to spend on the internet. I read about people that were carrying less than 12 lbs 'base weights.' That sounded even better! I saw that people were using tarps instead of big, heavy tents and though to myself "Hey, slept under tarps a few times in scouts and it wasn't so bad." I bought a tarp (well, two to be more specific ), and it was good. I found cottage gear makers and saw a way to save money and carry even less weight.
By this point I was hooked, I wanted to have the lightest base weight I could and still be relatively comfortable. I started loading my day pack up with about 10 lbs of gear total and going out. I felt so free carrying so little weight. Before I felt like I was just trudging to the camp site so I could get the pack off and rest. Sometimes stopping to force a smile for a group photo. Even with my lightweight pack I was still worn out after long, steep hills. With an ultralight kit I felt like I could take anything the trail threw at me. I could see more of the trail because I wasn't staring at my feet to make sure I didn't trip under my load. And when I got to camp, GASP, I didn't have to lay down for half an hour to rest (unless I wanted to ).From there SUL was a natural progression for my engineering-minded self. Tweaking gear lists is just way too much fun and then to go out and use all those cool, techy fabrics and gear! I can't get enough of it!
For me, carrying a light pack isn't about being able to show off (though it is fun ) its about what makes me feel good at the end of the day. Knowing that I covered more mileage and saw more than I ever did and not being dog-tired when I am done really gets me going.
I know SUL/UL isn't for everyone but its so much fun for me that I can't imagine why someone else wouldn't like it! Unless they're the slightest bit sane that is...
Maybe that's why I like it so much.

Adam

[Wayback]

Light IS better than heavy. BUT, lighter IS NOT necessarily better than light enough. In days gone by I spent many nights in the woods in a "superultralight" mode before that term was even invented. I obviously made it through the experience. Sure, I could do it again, but I choose not to.

The fact that some hikers choose to go ultralight, or even superultralight, does not, in and of itself necessarily mean that they have some esoteric knowledge, special skills, and superior judgment compared to those who choose otherwise. While it does take some skill and experience to do more with less, it does not mean that those who make different choices are necessarily making poor choices based on inferior knowledge and judgment.

I think we can all agree that when it comes to choosing between two items that are roughly equal in durability, functionality, dependability, and cost, there is not much to dispute that the lighter item is the better choice. Otherwise, choices have to be made considering the needs, capabilities, and desires of the user. For me, my gear does not need to be able to survive a thermonuclear blast, but I don't want to have to worry about babying it when on the trail and in camp. (Paying to feed, clothe, educate, and entertain four girls means I need to get the most bang for my buck.) I want and need to get several years of use out of my gear. I choose not to spend hundreds of dollars on superultralight shelters, packs, and clothing made of exotic fabrics that are even advertised (!) to lack durability and are almost designed and intended to be disposable. I choose to be comfortable. I have learned there is no virtue and little joy sleeping on the hard ground or on a pad the size and thickness of an index card.

I choose not to spend money on several different packs or sets of gear. What I have will work for different length trips and for different conditions depending on what I bring and how I use it. My weekend pack is my weeklong pack, even if it weighs a bit more than a plastic grocery bag. It may not be superultralight, but it was chosen to meet a variety of needs, including carrying a lot of crew gear when I hike with a bunch of kids.

I generally hike solo in areas where other hikers can be scarce. I do not count on having help when something goes wrong, so I plan and pack accordingly. For example, If I blowout a knee, I have a SAK with a saw that I know I can use to make a crutch so I can hobble out and I have a fairly well-stocked FAK. While I certainly do not have or need complete redundancy in my gear, I do try to have something I can use if one item fails, or is lost.

I must admit to a certain skepticism when I review some gear lists. I do not want to shake the hand of the man who went two weeks on one ounce of toilet paper.

FWIW, my normal base weight lets me barely squeeze into the arbitrarily-defined lightweight category. That does not necessarily mean that I am more knowledgeable, virtuous, or better looking than someone whose needs and well-considered choices put them in the traditional category. By the same measure, I do not necessarily have greater or lesser skills or judgment than backpackers who choose to go ultralight or even superultralight.

I will continue to read what the UL and SUL backpackers have to say and I hope to extract useful information that I can apply to my situation. But, please do not talk down to me because I have not made a fetish of a 4.9 pound pack.

Let's all lighten up!

[CoyoteWhips]

Originally Posted by brobin

They bragged and loved to point out their titanium mods like some proud parent showing off their new born baby. I just laughed. He was 20 lbs over weight.....

This is part of the joy of being fat and losing. Every month, I get five pounds of my skin-in weight.

[mugs]

Originally Posted by aroth87

For me, carrying a light pack isn't about being able to show off (though it is fun ) its about what makes me feel good at the end of the day. Knowing that I covered more mileage and saw more than I ever did and not being dog-tired when I am done really gets me going.
I know SUL/UL isn't for everyone but its so much fun for me that I can't imagine why someone else wouldn't like it! Unless they're the slightest bit sane that is...
Maybe that's why I like it so much.
Adam

EXACKERY, That is my point and why I do it. But I have an inerhant tendancy to come off snobby in some way or another. Unless you reeally get to know me. The one thing I like about having my pack weight down though , is I get to choose, I can choose a tarp, or I can choose my Lunar solo, I can take an alcy, esbit, or canister, stove, a ti cup or a heiny pot, etc, etc. and still have my weight down to a comfy weight, of course sometimes it is SUL and other times it is LW/UL it just depends on the trip, weather, days of trip, and what type of mood I am in. But I like the freedom of having the choice to do what I want with it. Unlike "back in the day" it was only one choice, HEAVY and that was no fun at all. I found my way into LW/UL/SUL just about the same way Aroth did, but aproach it much the way Wayback does, because of the mere fact that I am putting kids through school and myself as well, so I may not have th latest great thing, and most of my gear is home made, or bought used off of the gear forums here and other places, and of course from cottage industry so my dollar can go a lot further that way. But It alls boils down to what a persoon enjoys and what they want to get out of BPing (IMO) Sometime just a lame ol' (as some may view it) overnighter of like 5 miles or less and a lazy morning the next day where I don't even walk out untll noonish is enough to give that fix, other times it will be a 60mile weekender that does it, it all just depends. But either way it is my vise. I always tell people I'm still an addict, I just happened to switch my addiction to something good for me this time.

[Mike_in_FHAZ]

interesting observations from both camps, no doubt. I have to add that I only carry a light load because a) Im quite lazy and b) I just found some tricks along the way that happened to lighten my pack weight. Its mostly the multiple use items that I have where I lose pack weight, even if that was not my direct intention. However I have noticed the great freedom of being able to scramble about and not really notice that I have a pack on. Although some UL hikers might fuss over grams or whatever... I refuse to use a torso pad and I happen to like my BA aircore very much. Its (for me) closer to the philosophy of one great PBF member who speaks of "comfort weight" over incessant worry of grams or even ounces. Still my base weight is about 7 pounds comfortably, but who cares!

[brobin]

Originally Posted by CoyoteWhips

This is part of the joy of being fat and losing. Every month, I get five pounds of my skin-in weight.

ROFL.. yeah, I find that carrying less food on a hike lowers my weight twice.

Originally Posted by Wayback

Light IS better than heavy. BUT, lighter IS NOT necessarily better than light enough. In days gone by I spent many nights in the woods in a "superultralight" mode before that term was even invented. I obviously made it through the experience. Sure, I could do it again, but I choose not to.

[...]

Excellent post. I am in pretty much the same situation (although my wife doesn't believe I am using budget as a criteria...).

[Pika]

Wayback. Great post! I think you speak for a lot of us who carry a pack in the lightweight range, rather than UL or SUL, out of choice instead of ignorance. I, too, get put off by someone telling me (or implying) that if I really knew what I was doing, I would be carrying a lot less weight. I have noticed that a lot of the more arrogant proponents of the extreme categories are relatively young, gung-ho and are probably a lot more resilient than the older (and possibly more experienced?) among us.

[Wayback]

Thanks, Pika and brobin. I have seen SUL arrogance in other places, but I think most of what I have seen on this site is the exuberance of the new convert sometimes leading to over-the-top statements that were probably not meant to be unkind. I appreciate the enthusiasm that some of the SUL/UL crowd have for backpacking (but not for gram counting) and I am learning things from them, even if I do not accept everything. Likewise, I hope that my comments prove useful for others either in their application or by providing mental fodder, if not accepted.

[Franco]

Wayback
Me too..
On a different forum someone posted this question " is carrying a 1 pound base weight considered backpacking ?" this from a poster that wanted to do (for the third or fourth time) the JMT in 12 days this time with that base weight, without re-supplies or any other backup. My straight answer was " no, it's survival" Somehow the tread morphed into a philosophical discussion about ultra lightweight backpacking and I was accused of "selling gear" and basically not grasping the ultralight concept.
Franco

[Benwaller]

great comments all.

there is another incentive for lightening up, however. age. having been hiking for nearly fifty years now, starting out with surplus military gear and canadian bacon and so forth, I have fairly recently discovered that the physical capacities I once enjoyed and took for granted in my youth are somewhat diminished. along with this I have accepted that creature comfort has become more of a priority.

I find the new lighter gear necessary to the preservation of the enjoyable wilderness experience.

my all up weight for a week is right at 32-35 pounds. this of course includes 4 liters of water and food, fly fishing stuff and small camera, but no bear cannister (I don't use them as I typically spend my time in the coastal ranges of California and in Lassen NP). I could get this down some but I am not willing to forgo the pleasures of camp; I am not out in the boonies to break records, I am out there to re-create myself.

so I guess my comment is that eventually time and wear pushes everybody toward the Light as a purely practical strategy for managing physical limits.

backpacking is a uniquely rewarding experience, which should not be drudgery, it should be fun.

technology helps keep it fun.

ben

[PBF Support]