[pct-l] my first post: a test. *GEAR*

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Paul,

There’s no “official” definition of base weight but many long-distance
hikers – including me – use this criteria:



Items worn includes whatever you wear during most of the day’s hiking, i.e.
shoes, shocks, insoles, pants/shorts, underwear, shirt, hat, banana, etc.  I
included my eyeglasses, dog-tags, and hiking poles.  This list may vary
somewhat throughout the hike, but will probably remain constant within a
resupply segment.



Consumables includes the stuff that will vary in total within a resupply
segment.  Food and fuel will be expended at an approximate uniform rate,
being the greatest weight just after leaving town and diminishing to
near-zero approaching the next resupply point.  Consumable water varies
greatly throughout a section depending upon the location of sources
available.  Small items such as ChapStick, lotion, T-P, are also consumables
but are not often worth the bother to account.



All the remainder of the stuff is base weight, including shelter, sleeping
gear, cooking/eating gear, first aid, and clothing that is not normally worn
most of the time while hiking.  I have no pockets in my shorts so I wear a
little butt-pack in front around my waist to carry my camera, etc.  I
include this as base weight.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=263803



 There’s another category – “skin-out “ – weight, that includes literally
everything that goes up the trail except for you completely buff.

* *

Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 7:26 AM, Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Thank you so much for the input !
>
> i work for Indiana Underground so as my job i walk 12 miles a day right
> now.  at
> work i wear a 22 lb pack (i run a RADAR).  i basically planned on just
> going
> slow and getting used to the trail from mexico to big bear, and then
> pushing
> miles from there.  not going to be one of those 'oh i have to get my 20's
> in' in
> the very beginning.  my wife doesn't work but she's been 'training' on a
> treadmill... We're just planning on finding a naural pace and letting our
> conditioning adjust, then pushing hard out of wrightwod depending on how
> early
> we are set to get at KM.  we started a 2010 thru hike but we had an
> attrocious
> amount of gear  (think survival camping load out)... and then we got into a
> little bit of legal trouble which ate up 3 weeks of our time and 5,000$ in
> lawyers fees;  so we decided just to put the wholething off until 2011 and
> approach the trail more educated and financially ready.
>
> please note i'm hiking with my Wife;  so 2X neo-airs is one for me and one
> for
> her.  my wife's rainjacket is the arcteryx paclite and it's significantly
> lighter, but i do love my MHW Typhoon.  i used to use the MHW Phantom 32
> sleeping bag but i've been making Quilts since i was 11;  so i ended up
> sewing a
> high tech one, and we just used it at 22 F and we were plenty warm under it
> together.  that's 2lb 2 oz to share, so we save a LOT of baseweight on the
> MYOG
> top quilt.
>
> the neo air and the Z lite weigh the same... and i tried a montbell
> ultrathin
> foam mat and that thing was impossible to sleep on.  i have a few foam
> rolls
> like the ridge rest, but they actuall weigh more than the neo air.  BTW,
>  our
> are the thigh length version.  Actually i saw shroomer useing the neo air
> and i
> bougth one later this year for smaller excursions but after feeling how
> nice it
> was i couldn't resist buying a second for my girl.
>
> i dont have a lot of expirience with the Meta 2P yet... i've used it for a
> 4 day
> trip on the AT and a 5 day trip in michigan and just a few overnighters...
> but
> it's held up to so pretty good storms.  and stays DRY. what i love more
> about it
> is the ENOURMOUS vestibules and the peak height is on either side of the
> tent
> instead of in the middle.  obviously a small tarp would be better, and
> maybe is
> the right choice until idyllwild etc.  but based on how cold the beginning
> of
> 2010 was;  i'd like the protection of the tent.  and past there,  it's bug
> proof
> which is kind of nice.
>
> ahh the canister stove issue.  honestly, i've never tried alcohol.  i do
> like
> the idea of it because i realize my kitchen is the last place i have that i
> can
> really shave some weight  (that and my trekking poles; but the mont bell
> ultralight poles i keep hearing about snapped poles and with them being my
> tent
> poles i wanted some heft.)  my worry is with cooking for two,  the added
> fuel
> needed for the alcohol almost offsets the weight of the cannister.  that
> and
> 'ease of use' of the alcy stove,  it's familiar and comfortable.  i suppose
> around the new year i should make an alcohol stove and play with it then
> decide
> closer to april which to take.
>
> How do you guy measure your baseweight?  does it include all your worn
> clothing?  if it does not include your shoes or the clothes you wear i can
> see
> us being under ten pounds each as possible,  if we can do that we'll be
> laughin'.
>
> thanks again for the reply and advice,
>
> ~Paul
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Austin Williams <austinwilliams123 at gmail.com>
> To: Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com>; pct-l at backcountry.net
> Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 2:49:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] my first post: a test.
>
>
> How many miles per day do you pan to hike (roughly)?  Are you thinking
> 10-15, or
> (more commonly) 19-21 , or (faster) 25+?
>
> Or (same question, phrased a different way) how long do you plan to take
> (roughly) to complete your hike?
>
> The answers to these questions might help me be able to make better gear
> recommendations.
>
> By the way, your gear list looks pretty awesome so far!
>
> I would recommend leaving the canister stove at home and going with either
> and
> esbit or (more commonly) an alcohol stove.  That'll save you some weight if
> you
> choose to do that.
>
> BTW, the MHW typhoon jacket is freaking awesome.  Good choice.  There are
> much
> lighter ones out there, but that jacket is rad.
>
> 2 X neo air.... you do like your good sleep don't you!  I (as f you
> couldn't
> tell already) am a UL gram weenie.... and I think my knees might buckle
> under
> the wieght of this thing!  LOL.  I recommend trading it in.  But then
> again, I'm
> one of the guys that use a half-length closed cell foam pad (4oz).  Just a
> thought.  Don't ditch anything you can't enjoy your hike without.
>
> And the tent is awesome... I love it.  But for a thruhike I'd bring a tarp
> instead... you'd  cut about 2 lbs off your shelter weight.  Then again...
> it
> *is* an awesome tent and frankly 26 pound split between 2 people is only a
> 13
> pound base pack wieght for each of you.  You're already starting off on the
> right foot.
>
> I usually hike with an 8-9lbs base packwieght.... but if you pictured me
> basically sleeping with just a little piece of plastic between me and the
> ground, beating the midnight rain rain with a little squar of Tyvek, and
> cooking
> over a burning match - you wouldn't be far off from the reality of the
> situation.  :)
> But I'm comfortable that way.  Your comfort zones (and your girlfriends)
> may be
> different.
>
> Good list so far.
>
> Man you are in for an awesome 2011!--
> Austin Williams
>
> www.PlanYourHike.com
> Info on PCT gear, resupply points, maps, movies, etc.
>
> "Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway."
> -John Wayne
>
>
>
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