[pct-l] Newbie questions from Uncle Billy

[Eric Lee]

Bill wrote:
>Will I be sneered at by the
>ultralight hikers?  And should spend the $$ to shed some weight?  I like my
> tent and I don't like bugs.

Almost 30 lbs is actually pretty good if you're including three liters of 
water, a bear canister, and a week's worth of food in that weight.  (Were 
the water bags full or empty when you weighted it?)  Although, usually 
people discuss base weights (everything other than consumables) because it's 
easier to compare with other people and less dependent on circumstances. 
What's the base weight of your gear?

Actually, I wonder if the numbers you cited are actually correct, or if I'm 
missing something.  If your water bags are full, that's 6.6 pounds.  Food 
for a week is probably at least 10 pounds, or maybe you're not walking very 
far or running a big calorie deficit.  The canister is at least 2 pounds. 
You said your pack is 3 pounds, the tent almost 4, your sleeping bag 2.5. 
That's 28 pounds total right there, not including extra clothing, rain gear, 
filter, cooking gear, sleeping pad, and various other sundries.

For comparison, my pack, tent, and sleeping bag combined weigh 5.1 pounds 
and my total base weight is about 14 pounds.  I have about 9 pounds of other 
stuff outside of "the big three", and I don't usually carry a canister or 
filter.  I'm going to guess that your fully-loaded weight including 
consumables is probably more around 40 pounds than 30 pounds, but obviously 
I'm just guessing.  Feel free to clarify!

Anyway . . . people with lighter packs always sneer at people with heavier 
packs.  It's just the natural order of things.  There's only one person on 
the trail (the guy with the lightest kit) who doesn't get sneered at because 
of his pack weight, but we all sneer at him because he's got no margin of 
safety.  So yeah, everyone sneers at everyone else for something.  The only 
thing you can do is ignore everyone else and pack what's best for your 
comfort level, safety level, and financial level.  If it works for you, do 
it.  (And if it doesn't work, take responsibility for it.  <grin>)

Eric