[pct-l] Pack weight

[jason moores]

Adam,

I wouldn't sweat the small stuff. 13# is a reasonable weight. You'll have a chance to send home the items that you realize that you don't need at mile 1.3, 41.7, 66.6... you get the point. Plus, you will pass many garbage cans.

If your main three items, pack/bag/shelter are as light as you can/are willing to go, the rest is irrelevant. Through the course of the summer the contents of your pack may grow or shrink in relation to your most current needs. If you are looking at the contents of your bag and you don't see anything that you feel that you could do without, then I'd say that 13# is what works for you.

When I'm shakin' down my gear and I get down to that last item or two that I can't decide on, I ask myself, "is this a need or a want?" That usually decides it. But if I've stripped every last bit of extraneous gear and all I'm left with is deciding on a small pile of items that weigh an once or two and the net penalty is like 4oz I take a deep breath and return to reality. Lite is alright but if I can't carry an extra 4oz then I don't have a chance in hell in making it to Canada. Do your best to whittle it down and then just realize that nobody says that you have to carry all the gear you show up with to Canada. 

jason



> From: amason.ml at gmail.com
> To: paulbodnar at hotmail.com; pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:19:00 -0700
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Pack weight
> 
> Ya well it seams that a lot of my weight is coming from the clothing.
> I do have a 850 fill down bag, Western Mountaineering ultralite. My  
> sleeping, cooking and shelter are crazy light but I can't seem to  
> shake it down even lower. I just feel like 13lbs is still too heavy.  
> Like I should be at 11lbs.
> 
> Adam
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 18, 2010, at 3:20 PM, Paul Bodnar <paulbodnar at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > Hi Adam,
> >
> > Like others who posted I also recommend having some type of rain  
> > protection at all times.  I'm taking a lightweight nylon poncho that  
> > will do double duty in southern California.  It will act as a  
> > shelter during night and rain protection during the day.  I'm also  
> > using a light weight MSR bivy that will keep my sleeping bag dry in  
> > my pack and a way to keep my sleeping bag clean and dry at night.  I  
> > plan on upgrading to a nicer tarp/shelter system past Tehachapi.
> >
> > I don't think you will have to bring the leatherman, a simple small  
> > knife will work in 99.9% of the situations, for the other 0.1% you  
> > can improvise.  I use to carry a swiss army knife and now I just  
> > carry a small sharp knife, haven't missed the swiss army knife.  The  
> > smallest sharp knife is what I recommend.
> >
> > To reduce your weight more you might want to consider 850 goose down  
> > (I'm assuming by the pack weight you are carrying synthetic or a  
> > lower quality down, but I could be wrong).  I'm buying an 850 fill  
> > weight sleeping bag when the 20% off REI sale starts in a few days  
> > (I think it starts 3/22).  I'm also using a silk liner to keep the  
> > bag clean and add extra warmth.
> >
> > Good luck on your hike and I look forward to seeing you on the trail.
> >
> > Paul
> >
> >
> >
> > > From: amason.ml at gmail.com
> > > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > > Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:16:21 -0700
> > > Subject: [pct-l] Pack weight
> > >
> > > Okay so I'm at about 13 lbs. I'm trying to think of gear that I  
> > don't
> > > need. I have a 13oz rain jacket. Will I need it for so cal?
> > >
> > > Also I was thinking of taking my leatherman. Has anyone else taken  
> > one
> > > and how often did it come into use?
> > >
> > > Adam
> > >
> > >
> > >
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