[pct-l] base pack weight

[Erik The Black]

Hi JB,

My base pack weight is currently right around 10 lbs. You can see my gear
list and exactly what goes inside here:

http://www.blackwoodspress.com/bonuses/gearplanner.htm

At that website you can also download an Excel spreadsheet I designed which
helps you plan out your gear list and see how changing individual gear items
affects your base weight (and budget) in real-time. 

When I first started out backpacking my base weight was around 20 lbs too.
The biggest jump for me was going from 20 lbs down to 15 lbs. That was the
"Ah-Ha!" moment. After that going from 15 lbs down to 10 lbs was nice... but
I did it more to see if I could than out of necessity. I could still carry
that 15lb base-weight pack again and be relatively comfortable. 

Usually your heaviest pieces of gear are: 

- Backpack
- Shelter
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Clothing Packed

If you focus most of your weight reduction efforts on these areas you will
see your pack weight drop dramatically. A good way to start is to make sure
that each of those five items weighs less than 2 lbs each. That equals 10
lbs for the basics... and leaves you another 5 lbs for all your
miscellaneous junk (if you are aiming for a 15lb base-weight). 

Happy trails, 
Erik the Black

http://www.blackwoodspress.com/bonuses/gearplanner.htm


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I am preparing for a long 2010 PCT hike, and am having a hard time getting
my "base pack weight" under 20 pounds. I keep hearing and reading about
hikers with 10 or 12 pound packs. These questions keep coming to mind: (1) I
am assuming base weight is everything you have in the pack, including the
pack, except food, water, and stove fuel. Is this correct? (2) Am I the only
hiker with a 20+ pack, or are there other 20-plussers just (wisely) laying
low? (I know Mtn Ned digs a 60+ pounder, but I suspect he is in a class of
his own, and a lot bigger and stronger than me) (3) Are people accurately
reporting their pack weights or is there some margin of error or BS
involved? (4) I have a lot of backcountry experience, but not multi-month
trips. I suspect I may be taking too much "what if this happens" stuff out
of conscious and subconscious fear.

Any advice is appreciated, I am about to ditch a tiny MP3 player and my 5
ounce digital camera (plus the !%*!#%! chargers).

Jim
(JB)

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