How much dose you pack weigh?

[Harb505]

Well I'm off on a 4-6 day hike around the Peak District next week and have just finished packing my bag (minus food) and weighed it in at 32lbs or about 14kgs.
Anyway I' curious if your not going ultralight how much does you pack weigh in at?

I'm taking with me:
Sleeping bag & silk liner
Sleeping roll & Bivi bag
Cooking pots (stackable)
Micro stove & 2 gas bottles
Grill (300mm x 180mm)
Wash kit
First aid kit
Head torch & 6 spare batteries
Buff, gloves and water proofs
3lts of water
A change of clothes
Sheath knife
Trowel
Pack of cards
Compass and map

 

[Shewie]

I'm currently carrying around 9kg but it'll probably creep up towards 10kg when I add some more insulation.

My current kit list is on my blog

 

[sapper1]

Much the same weight as Shewie.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Initially between 16 & 20kgs....but that includes 6 litres of water & dog food...................& of course around 3 kg of rucksack.

 

[Retired Member southey]

this time of year I hit 14kg with water, food and arctic bag, this is for a week out walking, summer between 10kg or 12gk depending on sleeping bag taken,

 

[Harb505]

I know I could shave off a kg or two here and there but even then I still seem to be carryong a good bit more than my friends. The grill (my little luxury) weighs about 1kg and my sleeping bag probs weighs a bit more than some but the rest light weight and neccessary.
Any suggestions on how to cut it down or is it just a case of getting lighter weight gear?

 

[suburban bushwacker]

7lb 4 oz obviously the stuff inside weighs a bit more

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Any suggestions on how to cut it down or is it just a case of getting lighter weight gear?

If you need & use all the gear you take with you ( & it works for you )then I don't see how you can "lighten your load"...is it too heavy for you or are you just compairing your carried weight to that of others & you'd like to be on a par with them ?...... As for lighter kit,.the light weight path is not one I've ever taken.

 

[Harb505]

It's not to heavy for me and some of the weight will be due to my height 6,2" meaing I need a long sleeping bag bivi and roll. I don't want to be on par with them I was just curios to know what kit people carry so I could compare and see if I could shave off a couple of kilos without going ultra light weight.

 

[Hetzen]

I've been looking at ultralight techniques to lighten my pack, without resorting to sleaping in or under cling film. Those guys sail really close to the wind in terms of safety imo, especially with our sort of weather in the UK, but the theories behind the reasoning to some of their kit choices are quite interesting, and I believe can be applied to some of our choices in bushcraft.

The big three areas to cut weight are pack, bag, shelter. Cooking comes in fourth I reakon, then clothing, then the rest.

My pack weight atm is around 8kg pushing 9kg without food or water. I bought an Exos 46 rucksack recently, which cut 1.5kg off my back imediately. My Synthetic bag is 1.4 kg which is rated down to -5C. I couldn't warrant the expense of halving that weight for a down bag which could esily fail in damp conditions, so I'm quite happy to carry that. My Shelter is a DD 3x3 tarp, which rolls in around 1kg with pegs and guys and ground sheet. This could be an area for me to look at with lighter Silnylon, but then I like the space and durability of the DD. I'm still thinking about this one, but then I'll probably only save a few hundred grams if I changed it.

My cooking kit weighs in at 500g with a Tesco sandwich tin frying pan and wind shield and one nights fuel. I'd like to post up pictures at some time as I'm quite pleased with the system I've come up with.

Clothing, is synthetic atm. I'm still looking into this area. A down jacket is on Santa's list.

All in all it's an interesting thought direction for me. There is no way I can warrant the expense and durability of Cuben fibre, or the look tbh. This is a hobby for me, not a sport.

Well that's where I am. Interested to read/see what others suggest.

Cheers.

 

[Jimmy Bojangles]

D#MN!!!!! I need to loom at cutting the weight of or amount of my kit. Last time I went out, my pack weighed 25kg! That was for a 2 nighter. I'm going to have to reassess what I NEED, as it did nearly kill me! Lol

Cheers

Mat

 

[The Ratcatcher]

OMG! My foraging kit weighs more than some people's entire load!

Alan

 

[Trunks]

I went out last weekend with my "full winter" setup. Including water & food it came to 12.5kg.


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[andybysea]

Probs about 20-25kg's for a two dayer, minimum with that would be at least 8lt's of water.Cant afford all the uber light kit,and i cant think of a way of making water weigh less than it does,have to take it as there's none where i go.

 

[PDA1]

I'm intrigued to know what shelter you will be using at night? As none is specified in your kit list.
You need to weigh each item of kit and decide how you can easily/inexpensively replace those that seem heavy with lighter. For example. if your trowel weighs more than 40 gm then you need to find a lighter digging implement. I replaced a -5 synthetic bag weighing about 2 kilos with a 990 gm down -5 bag spotted 2nd hand at $25. My minimum cook kit for solo trips weighs 55 gm and cost nothing (Super Cat stove and Heineken pot - home made) This limits choice to dehydrated meals, but with the mountains I hike in and the state of my back, knees and probably shoulder (as I just broke my left scapula) , some reduction in weight is more than desirable. I acquired a 65 litre second hand pack for $25 which weighs only 1.45 K. MYOG and thrift stores are the friends of seekers of light (sic.)

 

[Harb505]

Shelter wise I usually just sleep out in the open (use to have survavial bag now have gor-tex bivi bag), If it going to rain my friend keeps a light weight 2 man tent in his pack. But I can carry enough for 4 days and it weigh between 20kg-25kg. Gonna look into some water treatment kit though so I don't have to carry so much. And that 2 man ten will be switched for a DD 3x3 Tarp after christmas.

 

[kizzer35]

I know I could shave off a kg or two here and there but even then I still seem to be carryong a good bit more than my friends. The grill (my little luxury) weighs about 1kg and my sleeping bag probs weighs a bit more than some but the rest light weight and neccessary.
Any suggestions on how to cut it down or is it just a case of getting lighter weight gear?

You did include 3 liters of water in your weight. I think many people often don't include that in their base weight. Once you add 6 days of food this is going to be really heavy, especially if the food isn't dehydrated.

You could get a bottle with a water filter, or some means of purification, and plan your camps near water sources. I see you like the grill but if you're serious about losing weight it should go. What are you grilling? Will you still be grilling on day 4? Pots, why not just one pot and a plastic mug? One pot, one spoon or fork, and a cup. Do you need 2 cans of gas? How about making a cosy for your pot, this will reduce the time you need to have the stove on for. What extra clothes do you have? No point in putting clean clothes on 2 days into a 6 day hike, they're all going to stink. I have some night clothes to wear in the sleeping bag which I keep dry in a dry bag. What's in your wash kit? Do you have a full tube of toothpaste, a whole bar of soap, do you also carry shampoo, what size is your towel? Do you have an LED torch? Batteries last much longer. Do you really need 6 extras? How many does it take? Make camp before it gets dark and be organised with where you put your stuff, always in the same place. I realise this must be difficult in a bivy bag though. Even if there's a bit of moonlight you can still see ok once your eyes adjust.

Without throwing money at a lighter pack, pad, sleeping bag etc, maybe start by looking at the little things. After you make your trip assess what you did and didn't use, and the quantities you needed. Start with the pot cosy, at the very least it keeps your food hot for ages. I hate scraping round a freezing pot and forcing down mouthfuls of cold grub.


All the best.

 

[Harb505]

Cooking utensile wise I know I could shed a 1.5kg at a push (just weighed my grill it's actually about 600g) as for food I usually carry something like, Flat bread of some description, rice/ grits, dried veg, energy/ cereal type bars, a bit of cheese etc... As for water filtration I have thought about it but first need to see what possible damage left over contaminants can do to kidneys (as I only have one), spare clothes - change of shirt, socks and underwear. Wash kit - Small tube of toothpaste, small towle, small amount of face/ hand wash. My head torch is LED or xeon buld depending on what mode, batteris I can cut down on if I buy some more powerful 2500Mah -3000Mah Ni-MH's.
Sleeping - I either put my pack at the bottom of my bivi or under its rain cover any kit I might need in the night torch or a snack etc... stays in a dry bag next to me. In all I probs carry just under 1kg of food for each day.
Thanks for all the replys

 

[Chiseller]

I used to do the lightweight thing. Even though I'm older now an my back n knees aren't what they were , I'd sooner concentrate on getting fitter and carry more weight to ensure comfort. Eating n sleeping better means more daily energy = more enjoyment ?


The Mighty Oak Is Merely A Nut Who Stood His Ground

 

[Sappy]

When i was out last week i probably had 6 kilos but i've lightened that by dropping a blanket and a lighter tarp, so probably 4.5 to 5 kilos now