[pct-l] Weight

[Oliphant, Matthew]

Dawson,

Ultimately, if you have carried the weight around on test runs and are
happy with it then you have your answer.  I presume you think it is
heavy by the nature of your post.  With that being said, 38lbs is a lot
of weight.  

I hiked the JMT last August with ~28lb base and it was un-necessarly
heavy.  I also had an Arcteryx (Bora 75) and carried a 5lb 4-season
two-person tent.  I felt burdened and ended up malnourished becaused of
the weight and additional food required to move the load.  I lost !20!
Lbs in 17 days (usually 195lbs) and that is not a healthy approach to
hiking. 

I currently have my base down to 14.9lbs and can tell you that the
missing extra weight is extremely noticeable and welcome.  The only
compromise I made on "comfort" is my change from a traditional tent to a
Cuben fiber tarp that I made myself.  This was a large leap for me and
only time will tell how successful it will be.  I am sure though that it
will be sufficient for the majority of the thru.

Ultimately, lightweight equipment costs money so it is likely to be the
limiting factor.  Do what you can to reduce your "big three:"  tent,
sleeping bag, and pack.  Keep an open mind and you will find lighter
weight gear that meets your comfort requirements.

Your cooking gear is also noticeably heavy if not including fuel.


This is a rough approximation of my 14.9lb pack:

Deuter Futura Pro 42		3.00
Paramo jacket/pant		2.50
Marmot Hydrogen			1.50
Alcohol Cook Kit (incl. fuel)	1.25
Cuben Fiber Tarp & accesories	1.00
Olympus Camera (4 AA)		1.00
Prism Snapshot Kite		0.50
Misc					4.15

I am also not including my axe,crampons, or bear can in my base as they
are only periodically carried.  I would obviously be at 13.5lbs if I
left my kite and chose a lighter camera.  For my personal comfort, I
cannot afford for my pack to break during the hike so have chosen a
"heavier", more rugged pack.




Regards,
Matthew

 

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of Andrew Dawson
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 1:29 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Weight


Hey PCTers

I just weighed all the things I'm going to take with me on the trail and
I have come up with 34.88 lbs - that's if I were to hike naked which
isn't going to happen. Here is my run down:

 Tent (MSR Hubba Hubba)                               4.75 lbs
 Therma-rest (Pro-lite 4)                                 1.75 lbs
 Pack (Arc'teryx Naos 70)                                4.75 lbs
 Sleeping Bag (MEC Asgaard)                           3.94 lbs
 Cooking Stuff (MSR Dragonfly & MSR Pots)       2.63 lbs
 Clothing including Gore-tex shells                    8.63 lbs
 Sandals                                                         1.38
lbs
 First Aid/Toiletries                                          1.00 lbs
 Odds & Ends                                                  1.44 lbs
 Luxuries                                                        2.00
lbs
 Water Filter (Katadyn Pocket)                          1.69 lbs 
 Ice Axe                                                          0.94
lbs
------------------------------------------------------------------
Total:                                                             34.88
lbs


I'm curious to how much your packs weigh with everything in it minus
food and water. I have taken a few things out to get the weight down. A
few things I have weigh more than I would like them but its about
comfort. Like my sleeping bag - Its good to -20C but weighs a bit more.
I might get rid of some of my luxuries ... but that includes my camera
and such small electronic things. I don't really wanna give those up.

Dawson

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