Author Topic: Backpack weight  (Read 17145 times)

sussamb

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #15 on: 19:03:24, 08/02/17 »
Agreed.  Easier to lose a few kgs by dieting rather than shave a few kgs off pack weight  O0
Where there's a will ...

forgotmyoldpassword

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #16 on: 19:04:11, 08/02/17 »
It always amuses me to see the concerns over the weight you carry..
Given that I weigh some 58 Kilos too much before I put a pack on.  :-[


That would equate £14,500 in weight saving expense if my above (napkin) numbers are anything to go by Peter!


Far cheaper to pay a street urchin a few quid and a bag of wotsits to carry your stuff.

Murphy

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #17 on: 19:37:32, 08/02/17 »
I agree 12 to 15 kg sounds about right.  Wouldn't go much more than this though.  Clearly the longer the trip, the more comfort is needed.  18/21 days of ultra ultra lightweight might turn a pleasant trip into a not so pleasant trip.  Also the longer you carry it the easier it becomes.  When I completed a 620 mile backpacking trip not so long ago, it was like carrying a day pack by the end of it and I would have been happy to carry on. I doubt I would have been so willing to do so had I suffered by cutting down too much on comfort for the length of the journey.  Yes of course,you need to look at the weight of food and only carry enough to see you through to the next place to replenish supplies. 

Stube

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #18 on: 22:18:42, 08/02/17 »
For the record my dry pack weight is in the 9-10 kg range. This is everything but food and water, it includes fuel, hiking sticks and a lot of "comfort" items such as vacuum flask, GPS, solar battery and an enhanced first aid / repair kit.

As I walk alone, off the popular tracks for several days at a time, I have to be able to cope with what ever happens - good job since the last time out I had a freak accident which nearly sliced the top of my finger off in an area with no phone signal. It took some some serious bandaging to staunch the flow of blood. It was over a day before I could get any sort of medical attention. I've carried the kit for six years and this was the first time I've had to use it on myself - though repairing my kit is a frequent occurrence!

Anyway back to the OP, charity shops can be a good source of cheap kit. I have two rucksacks of 50-55 litre capacity weighing about 1kg which cost £6 each. One in use, the other as a reserve.

The weight distribution in your rucksack is at least as important as the overall weight. In general the higher you carry a load the less effort involved. I also carry my tent externally strapped in front of the top pocket so that it sits over my shoulders. I've added extra straps to my rucksacks to enable this. Also you can pitch the tent without having to open your pack - good in the pouring rain.
The difference in comfort in carrying the tent in that position rather than in the pack is remarkable.
It's worth experimenting with some cord to find what arrangement suits you best while walking.

One item that it's easy (and cheap) to save weight on is your towel. Microfibre is much lighter than cotton and more efficient at drying so you can go smaller too.

If you're into more serious cooking when hiking, other than just pouring boiling water into a bag, then plates/bowls are useful. The black plastic trays from cook in the oven ready meals are free, adequately robust and much lighter than anything you can buy. 


craven50

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #19 on: 22:40:28, 08/02/17 »


One item that it's easy (and cheap) to save weight on is your towel. Microfibre is much lighter than cotton and more efficient at drying so you can go smaller too.


Towel? :-\ Never bother ;) . Similarly toothpaste. use salt. "owt" to get the weight down O0 . Not achieved the ultra lightweight men yet though ;D
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Peter

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #20 on: 08:50:14, 09/02/17 »

That would equate £14,500 in weight saving expense if my above (napkin) numbers are anything to go by Peter!


Far cheaper to pay a street urchin a few quid and a bag of wotsits to carry your stuff.


Street urchins are in such short supply these days.. I blame the welfare state..  ;D


TBH I have no trouble carrying my day pack, whatever its weight. & on occasion other people's bag when they are struggling. Pack weight becomes irrelevant when you carry my sort of weight. Its the equivalent of carrying a small woman for every step.
Yes, I'm slower and I struggle, but I can usually manage most hills.
My real point being that since many of you are quite athletic in build and strong blokes, does the weight you carry affect you so much?
Peter
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fernman

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #21 on: 11:03:15, 09/02/17 »
since many of you are quite athletic in build and strong blokes, does the weight you carry affect you so much?

Yes, definitely. The OP has admitted his age, and while I'm too shy to reveal mine, I hate to admit that I am getting old and frail. I'm tall and skinny with only my torso approaching normal proportions but it's never been anything to make girls swoon, and furthermore I've never been that physically strong compared with others.
I think I must have been some kind of a masochist in my early backpacking days with the weights I used to carry but it was my stamina and determination that kept me going.
My efforts in the last few years to reduce the weight I carry were motivated with the increasing age in mind, and the improvement is really noticeable. I no longer suffer under a ton on my back, that was a struggle to pick up and put on, whose straps dug into my shoulders while I walked, and that I couldn't wait to take off at any opportunity. What I have now is easy to put on my back and doesn't dig in any more, it is a pleasure (well, almost!) to walk with it.

Slogger

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #22 on: 16:47:40, 09/02/17 »
Simple going lean around 9Kg, more comfortable 13Kg.

Murphy

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #23 on: 16:50:24, 09/02/17 »
Peter,  I think you are making assumptions that we are "blokes"


My real point being that since many of you are quite athletic in build and strong blokes, does the weight you carry affect you so much?  

gunwharfman

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #24 on: 17:01:10, 09/02/17 »
My backpacking weight is a lot less now than when I first started backpacking.

I use a light rucksack, the Osprey Exos 40L, stopped using a sleeping bag in favour of a sleeping quilt, bought a very light Thermarest NeoAir inflatable mattress, stopped carrying waterproof trousers, replaced them with a lightweight rain skirt, cut down on the clothes I take (two of each, wash one and dry daily), use shampoo for everything and got more into lightweight layering to keep dry and/or warm. Accumulatively it made my pack noticeably lighter.

I could save more weight by buying a lighter tent but have not done so yet. I like it so much I'm not that I will?

gunwharfman

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #25 on: 17:06:09, 09/02/17 »
to Murphy. The weight affected me especially on a 14 day plus hike. My previous rucksack hurt my shoulders, made the skin red raw, the muscles up my back ached and it always felt slightly unbalanced. The more I carried the more uncomfortable I felt. My present rucksack has cured all this thank goodness.

Stube

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #26 on: 18:50:30, 09/02/17 »
Quote
Towel? :-\ Never bother ;) . Similarly toothpaste. use salt. "owt" to get the weight down O0 . Not achieved the ultra lightweight men yet though ;D

How about going the full Jane Austen and use frayed birch twigs for your toothbrush? That'll save a few more grams! ::) :)

fernman

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #27 on: 19:00:17, 09/02/17 »
Well I stopped including a nail file with my wash items to save 4.5g (that's 7/44 of an ounce in old money)  :(

Murphy

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #28 on: 19:51:06, 09/02/17 »
Gunwharfman,  Misunderstanding sorry.  My comment was aimed at Peter who made the statement that we are blokes.  He asked whether weight really affected us that much being with the assumption that we are blokes.  I was commenting that he is making assumptions - maybe we are not all blokes! Sorry I wasn't sure how to show a quote....


Anyway, we are all different, carry different weights comfortably or uncomfortably.  Cutting down to the point with no towel, toothpaste etc. is going a bit far in my opinion - maybe ok for a weekend, but 16, 18 days and beyond without a towel?   After all isn't it supposed to be pleasurable but each to their own, just not for me I prefer to carry lightweight gear but with sufficient kit to be comfortable.





gunwharfman

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Re: Backpack weight
« Reply #29 on: 20:18:14, 09/02/17 »
Your right! When I'm hiking I have learned to be fastidious with my hygiene. I shave every morning, I carry a bug comb and check my hair every day and above all I totally look after my feet! Its an obsession I suppose but it works for me. I carry two lightweight towels (alternate and wash them every couple of days) and alternate and wash flannels as well, different colour for different uses! I used to use wipes but I now feel guilty about them. They can also be heavy you know!

 

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