A lot depends on how you feel at the end of the day. I know I could reduce my pack weight, and I'm doing it one piece of equipment at a time, but I carried 36 lbs. on my Linville Gorge trip very comfortably.
A lot depends on how you feel at the end of the day. I know I could reduce my pack weight, and I'm doing it one piece of equipment at a time, but I carried 36 lbs. on my Linville Gorge trip very comfortably.
The first backpacking trip I went on was a 6 day hike in the Ozarks, my brother and my friend were both freaking about the weight of their packs (27 and 28lbs respectively) until I weighed mine in at 46 lol. Granted at the time I had no idea what I was doing compared to now, and in the last couple years I've slimmed my pack down quite a bit by getting lighter equipment and not carrying so many things that fall into the "well, I'm not sure I'll use this, but it doesn't weight THAT much so I'll go ahead and throw it in" category. I haven't weighed my pack for a while now but if I had to guess, for a trip of about the same length I'm definitely down into the mid 20's at the most. and that's with food and water.
Also, since that trip... I've made the epic jump from being a tent camper to a hammock camper which helps A LOT.
I'm comfortable carrying up to 30 lbs with no issues. Much more and it really wears me down. My goal is to get to 25 this summer and 20 by next.
But 30lbs is lighter than most people you see on trails..
his forum is the exception.. A lot of UL people here. 30 is high end here lol.
easiest places to trim pounds are your pack/pack cover,(my new pack is 4 pounds lighter than my old one), tarp, (my new one is over a pound lighter) And sleeping bag. My current one is 2 pounds lighter than my old one. By replacing just those 3 items, I saved almost 8 pounds. After that you are shaving ounces at a time buy going from aluminum to Ti for example.
If your are hiking a river to fish, you don't need to carry a lot of water as you can just filter as needed. I don't take a lot of extra clothes as I can use my rain shirt and pants if need be. I usually just take extra socks. Gorp, cliff bars, jerky and stuff really adds up as well ,so even though it is a hassle, its worth the time to stop and make a quick dehydrated lunch/instant oatmeal/ramen etc. On trips where I go cold camp, my food bad weighs a ton.
Lightweight and cheap raingear like frogtogs can save you a couple pounds as well.
Being an inexperienced hiker myself, I realized the hard way that lightweight to ultra lightweight is the way to go. On my recent trip, my pack weight was around 35lbs. Some of the things I want to improve on is my sleeping bag and my shelter. Which is why I want to invest on a hammock type shelter.
Carrying a 35lb pack on my back traversing technical terrain (i.e. boulders, water crossings, inclines and declines) really did a number on my knees, shoulders, and back. After analyzing our trek, I walked an average 1.2mph which is slow and I attribute that to the weight of my pack.
Based on my research thus far, investing on a lighter down sleeping bag, lightweight tarp, Ripstop hammock, I can easily bring my overall weight down to at least 20lbs.
When taking a bunch of novice Scouts on a hike, even a short one, I have been known to carry close to a 70lb. pack. Mostly food and water, plus extra First Aid and the like. I have begun to lighten my own pack simply out of laziness. When we go on a regular car-camp out with them, my pack is maybe 20-25 pounds tops.
Eventually I want my personal pack into that elusive 10-15 pound range. But that will take time and money. Time I got, money I don't.
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I am a 53 year old 5'2" woman and I consistantly carry 30-35lbs. All of my equipment is state of the art lightweight to ultra lighweight so my weight has nothing to do with outdated gear. I know that my issues are just taking too much stuff. Why? Because I'm not into being "minimally comfortable". Because of that I keep my mileage within my ability to carry that weight combined with the known elevation and descents of the trail.
Maybe when I get old I will rethink how much stuff I need to have with me and begin a new habit of going ultralight.
So, bottomline-no I don't think your pack is too heavy for a multi day trip.
Your pack weight if great for a first time out, I can't get much below that range and I've been doing it for years. I agree that I'm also not one for minimal comfort, and I'm not one for spending the big bucks for shave 4 oz either. The sleeping bag choice will save you the most weight, as will your shelter and the food choices you make. If you have to carry your water, it doesn't matter what else you do, it will make up the most weight. When I go solo I tend to carry more stuff because I can't borrow from anyone, so that increases the weight too. You should be in great shape. Let us know how it went.
For me personally 34lbs isn't that bad. If you want to slim down your weight, definitely check out Backpacking Light, or post a gear list here and a few people around here may have some suggestions for you that could help lighten your load.
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My first time out, my pack weight was almost twice as much as yours. That's because I was stupid. lol.
Step back for a moment and look at the big picture. How did you feel? Did you enjoy the trip, or endure it? Did you wish you had brought your favorite widget?
Why do people go ultralight? For some I suspect it's they're end goal, rather than a means to an end. If you're goal is to set a weight record, fine, but if your goal is to get exercise, you'll get a better workout with MORE weight. If your goal is to enjoy the outdoors, you might better accomplish that by adding more conveniences.
My last big trip was two weeks on Manitou Island. One of my goals was to see if I could still earn a living while vacationing, so I took extra cell phone batteries, solar panel chargers, notepads, etc. I could have gone much lighter, but it wouldn't have been beneficial to my goals. I also wanted comforts so I could enjoy my vacation.
Probably one of the most common rationales for ultralight is so hikers can go farther, faster, for longer, without getting worn out. But many ignore the best improvement they could make towards those goals. They concentrate on pack weight more than personal body weight. I myself am badly out of shape, and I know that I would enjoy my hikes (and life in general) better if I would exercise more. If I were built like superman, maybe I'd pack a small refrigerator and generator, and some beer!
But back to how you did: When we get off the ferry at Manitou Island, we form a line and pass everybody's pack down the line, so I have the "privilege" of lifting fifty backpacks. I'd say most people's packs are probably 40-50 pounds on average, and these are mostly experienced campers, so for your first hike, you're doing great at 35 pounds if you enjoyed it.
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