[pct-l] A backpack conundrum

[Steel-Eye]

Good afternoon, Joel,

 

To understand my weight perspective you might try this:

 

Since your pack weighs about 7 lbs., put in it 3 lbs. of something.  That would give you a "base weight" of 10 lbs, which is about where mine is, including the bear 'can.

 

Next add 10 lbs. for a food load, i.e. 2.5 lb./day for an average of 4 days.  Leaving resupply the food may be closer to 18-20 lbs. but as you approach another resupply the food will be near-zero, so use an average..

 

Finally, add 2 lbs. for a liter of water.  I usually didn't carry that much in the Sierras but I carried more than that in the desert.

 

The sum of the above is 22 lbs. so put on the pack with the hip belt unfastened, walk around for a while, and see how it feels.  It's interesting to note that the Gregory site shows the "comfort range" of the Whitney to be between 25 and 65 lbs.

 

I used two different packs: The one I preferred was a 13 oz. GoLite Breeze.  I also used a 15 oz. GVP-4 only because the 'can was a better fit in the bottom.

Steel-Eye



^^^^^^^^^^  Serious hikers gather at:  http://www.aldhawest.org/  ^^^^^^^^^^

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Joel Ramey 
  To: pct 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:13 AM
  Subject: [pct-l] A backpack conundrum


  Alright, so something that I've really been kicking around hard lately is whether or not I should replace my pack with something lighter.

  Currently I have a Gregory Whitney, which I love in terms of its suspension. The pack is fairly new, I bought it this summer before I decided to slash weight and rethink my hiking strategy.

  The weight of my sleeping gear and shelter system is ~4 lbs (about 5 in the sierra's, switching to a tarptent)

  I'm trying not to bring much in the way of luxury items. But I will most likely be using a bear cannister in the Sierra's (my family and black bears have a long feuding history), and wasn't sure how this would effect using a lighter pack.

  I'm also not sure if I'm ready to switch to a rucksack, especially since I may not have much time to get out hike enough to learn how to efficiently use it, or if I'll even be comfortable with it.

  Any thoughts?




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