[pct-l] Pack weight to body weight ratio...

[msaenz at mve-architects.com (Mike Saenz)]

Well, at 6'-1" and 250 pounds, I can stand to loose a few...
I keep telling myself that if I lost 10 pounds, it's be that much less
than I have to carry!
;)

Seriously, though. We ALL know that the ideal pack weight is: zero! So
the bottom line answer would be: go as light as you possibly can!
Anything else is a luxury that will get re-evaluated 100 miles into a
thru-hike...

I loved that scene in "Walk" where that girl (Glory?) talked about
writing her phone card number down so she didn't have to carry it!
That just about sums up the discussion...

Some have told our Boy Scouts that they pack weight should be 1/4 your
body weight...now seriously, we have a few 70 pounders in our
Troop....and NONE have ultra-light gear. Coleman bags, some have
full-sized packs, Boy Scout mess kits...
One kid, I found HUGE carabineers in his pack! Along with 2 gallons of
water....in separate 10 oz. plastic bottles...
They're lucky to be able to go HALF their weight! And then they still
want to bring along the "game boys".


M i c h a e l   S a e n z
McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners, Inc.
A r c h i t e c t u r e    P l a n n i n g    I n t e r i o r s
w  w  w  .  m  v  e  -  a  r  c  h  i  t  e  c  t  s  .  c  o  m


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Sergeant [mailto:stevesgt@effable.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 4:14 PM
To: Mike Saenz
Cc: verber@gmail.com; pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Pack weight to body weight ratio...

Mike Saenz typed:
> I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that if your body weight isn't

> ummm..."ideal", let's say, then the whole pack weight/ body weight 
> formula falls apart.
>
> In other words, if you're 5'-10" tall and weight 300 pounds, then a 75

> pound pack is gonna kill you a couple miles into the trail...

Note that the Swiss study I described was specific about pack weight as
a percentage of "Lean Body Weight".

Lean body weight is the weight of your body, minus fat. Nobody has zero
percent body fat. A very fit male athlete might have 8% body fat, and a
similarly fit female might have 14% body fat. Much below that percentage
is considered dangerous by doctors.

You can find out your lean body weight by getting a "body composition
test."  Here's an article I found in a quick and superficial Google
search about measuring body composition:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/body_comp/a/aa090200a.htm

When I finished my JMT through hike this summer, my lean body weight was
measured at 164 lbs. Since I weighed 182 lbs. at the time, I must have
had slightly less than 10% body fat. Referring to the Swiss study I
mentioned earlier, that would mean that the maximum pack weight I could
carry without degrading my balance significantly would be between 13.1
and 16.4 pounds.