Lightening the load

[jacko1066]

Hi guys,
Got back from my first meet Sunday and realised quite quickly that if I ever want to fulfill my ambitions of getting out there in the mountains I really need to figure a way of lightening my pack weight!!
My original plan at the meet was to pack everything I thought I needed and then stuff I didn't use discard it, cause if you don't need it car camping your never gonna use in backpacking!!!
This was a sound idea in theory, problem is I used pretty much everything I took!! Whether it was because psychologically I wanted to keep it therefore used it so it wouldn't be off my list I don't no!!
Thing is where do you start? I get the whole pack, shelter and sleep system to start with, so that's not too much of a problem, it's stuff like clothes im struggling with, for the meet I took clean socks and undies for every day and a spare of each, 4 total, same for t shirts, 2 trousers plus what I wore, 2 fleeces
And a wind proof army smock to wear!!
I no this is over kill but after a long day round the fire and stuff thought of putting back on smelly clothes doesn't appeal!!
So what do you guys pack for a weekend in the hills or mountain's??
Sorry if this has been covered before but I couldn't find it using tim search engine!!

Cheers
Steve

 

[Shewie]

Clothes is one of the biggies for folk over loading, four days in the Lakes last week and my spare clothes bag consisted of two pairs of socks.

I had an insulating layer (down smock) and my waterproofs but apart from that I was wearing everything I took. You just need to get over the stinky thing, try merino wool for base layers and just live with a bit of mud and smoke on your outers. Still get a wash every morning and give yourself a chance of staying semi fresh.

Clothes I wore:

Icebreaker merino leggings
Montane Terra pants

Icebreaker merino top
Montane Fury fleece

Alpkit Trekker merino socks


Spare clothes packed:

2 x Alpkit Trekker merino socks


Insulating layer:

Outdoor Research Transcendent down hoody


Waterproofs:

Rab Demand smock
Berghaus Paclite trews


The trip was more about hillwalking than bushcraft so no need for heavy cottons etc

 

[Bushwhacker]

I no this is over kill but after a long day round the fire and stuff thought of putting back on smelly clothes doesn't appeal!!

There's your problem right there.

 

[Sappy]

Living in braemar which is supposedly one of the coldest places in britain with some of the best hills in the country. i prefer putting my sleeping bag in.the bivi.bag, putting cord around it and lashing my billy can onto it which is filled with my food, water bottle on belt( old500ml coke bottle is as good as nalgene) knife round the kneck matches in your pocket your then good for a few days dependingn how much food you have.(theres water everywhere up here) thats my loadd for a few days, but i head down to the woods for cooking, sleeping and water purification.

if your not near wood make an alchohol stove( you dont need to buy one if out for less than a few weeks as a homemade one will suffice.

If i go out for a week or more I add a torch and tarp.

Advertising if you pay heed will make you spend more money.

50 pound and ten hours practice is enough for great comfort up my way

 

[Sappy]

As for clothes,waterproof jacket over the bivi roll,spare 2 pairs clean socks for this time of year is good.

WeR cotton and wool it doesnt stink or suck

 

[Shewie]

WeR cotton and wool it doesnt stink or suck

Cotton stinks in my experience, and it's slow to dry and heavy whilst wet.

 

[gabrielsdad]

Cotton stinks in my experience, and it's slow to dry and heavy whilst wet.

I agree there mate.

 

[decorum]

... it's stuff like clothes im struggling with, for the meet I took clean socks and undies for every day and a spare of each, 4 total, same for t shirts, 2 trousers plus what I wore, 2 fleeces
And a wind proof army smock to wear!!

For the Meet my clothes consisted of:

1 pair smartwool socks
1 pair underwear
1 pair boots
1 pair trousers
1 pair boots
1 tee shirt
1 swannie ranger (which doubled up as my pillow)
1 poncho (In 'honour' of Twang Twang ~ and it doubles up as kneeling pad )


If travelling by public transport I'd carry a basic spare set for 'politeness'.


As Shewie said, nothing stopping a quick daily rinse around ~ and there's nothing stopping you washing clothes as you go either

 

[woof]

As Rich says, a wool "T" shirt is great, as it does'nt smell when it gets sweaty, take some baby wipes for hygiene. Try a night out with just the bare esentials & if you need more pack it next time, but if you don't.. then you've cracked it.

Or, pack everything & aim to cover 50miles in 2 days, & you'll soon start ditching stuff.

Rob

 

[jacko1066]

Perhaps im just being a wuss, but certainly there is no way I could wear the same underwear for more than a day!! Obviously a wash is the least I would do!!
I have not red much about the benefits of wool other than the normal insulation property's, I didn't realise that it also hides the smell well lol
So if your going for more than just a couple of days, do you guys take the same amount of clothes and just wash them??
I can see this being a long road to having a lightweight pack for me lol
Cheers
Steve

 

[Bushwhacker]

So if your going for more than just a couple of days, do you guys take the same amount of clothes and just wash them??

One set of clothes to wear and another dry set of the same in a waterproof bag.
Seriously, you have to get over the whole concept of not getting a little bit dirty, it won't kill you.

 

[gabrielsdad]

Perhaps im just being a wuss, but certainly there is no way I could wear the same underwear for more than a day!! Obviously a wash is the least I would do!!
I have not red much about the benefits of wool other than the normal insulation property's, I didn't realise that it also hides the smell well lol
So if your going for more than just a couple of days, do you guys take the same amount of clothes and just wash them??
I can see this being a long road to having a lightweight pack for me lol
Cheers
Steve

I think you might have to change your mindset a little mate. Get dirty and revel in the adventure.

 

[Teepee]

I'll echo whats been said above.

My biggest sinners are spare clothes-socks, pants and microfleeces are great for packing on excessive weight in the warmer months. It amazing just how much they can add up to in weight and volume.

Wool won't smell like synthetics, it takes much longer to feel rank in it too. The wool fibres are self cleaning to a degree and absorb sweat and oils, synthetics actually promote bacterial growth and smell very quickly.

FWIW, I love the smell of smoky clothes-it smells like camping

My usual clothes loadout for summer;

Paramo Quito jacket( Swapped for Montane H20 jacket if the weather looks good)
Klattermusen Gere climbing trousers ( These don't get taken off for the duration and never feel dirty)
Go-lite Reed waterproof trousers if prolonged rain is on the cards
Lands end 600 fill down gilet
1 Cashmere sweaters
Aldi wool boxers
3 pairs tactel lined socks
Tilley Nylon hat
Spare synth boxers

 

[jacko1066]

Hmmm, Im starting to think I may be going a bit ott on this whole clean business lol!!
The thing I will need to get out of is the mindset of 'well its only a pair of boxers and a t shirt, it dont weigh much, I will stick it in' lol, I guess thats exactly the way the weight starts going up and up!!
These wool base layers, in my head when you think of wool its the old massive jumpers your nan would knit, but the base layers and stuff, do they work well in the summer?
To a complete noob like myself the idea of wearing anything woolen in the summer doesnt make a lot of sense, if you no what I mean?
So I think I may be starting to get it a little now, so a 3 day trip, 1 trouser, 1 wool base layer, 1 fleece,1 pants,1 socks!!
then have a complete change in the evening minus the pants and have a spare set of socks pants for the bag!!
Then obviously the various water proofs etc on top of that?
Sorry for sounding like a complete idiot, as poor old Teepee found out I am VERY wet around the gills lmao!!
Cheers
Steve

 

[jacko1066]

I think you might have to change your mindset a little mate. Get dirty and revel in the adventure.

I think you may be onto summit there fella.....

 

[Shewie]

These wool base layers, in my head when you think of wool its the old massive jumpers your nan would knit, but the base layers and stuff, do they work well in the summer?
To a complete noob like myself the idea of wearing anything woolen in the summer doesnt make a lot of sense, if you no what I mean?

If you look at somebody like Icebreaker you'll see they have different weights to their clothing, their lightest/coolest is the 150 then it steps up to 200 and then 260 for the warmest. You're looking for the grams per square metre, the lower the number the cooler the top.
You can layer up too, I wear Ullfrotte merino tops in the cooler months, an Icebreaker 200 crew neck shirt as a base then an Ullfrotte 200 on top, I've also got 400 and 600 weight tops for the really cold trips.

I've found that with the lighter weights tops in summer the wicking action actually cools me down when I'm moving.

 

[oldtimer]

On my two night three day low-level jaunt last weekend i wore Berghaus shirt, craghopper kiwis, Polatec 100 sweater,Tilley hat, wool socks and Patra silk knickers.
In my pack and unworn was a Paramo jacket, warerproof OTs, one spare pair of wool sock, silk knickers and a down waistcoat that doubles as a pillow.

Personally, I think young folk like Jacko1066 are responsible for the empty reservoirs. I've heard some young folk even have a shower every day- cant imagine what they do to get so dirty. I have one every year on my bithday whether I need or not and bath whenever I fall in a river.

Seriously I've travelled for weeks at a time with no more than one change of clothing. The trick is to have easy wash and dry stuff, hence the silk knicker which dry over night.

 

[SpareX]

Look at the weight of your gear you need to carry light weight gear to have a light load

dont not take things because its to heavy look for lighter replacements

awesome site is http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html

great forums for information on going lighter mate

 

[jacko1066]

If you look at somebody like Icebreaker you'll see they have different weights to their clothing, their lightest/coolest is the 150 then it steps up to 200 and then 260 for the warmest. You're looking for the grams per square metre, the lower the number the cooler the top.
You can layer up too, I wear Ullfrotte merino tops in the cooler months, an Icebreaker 200 crew neck shirt as a base then an Ullfrotte 200 on top, I've also got 400 and 600 weight tops for the really cold trips.

I've found that with the lighter weights tops in summer the wicking action actually cools me down when I'm moving.

Cool, so if I got a small enough GSM merino top it can be used on its own summer months and keep me cool, and then used in conjunction with other layers in the colder months?
All without getting smelly lol
Cheers for the advice
Steve

 

[jacko1066]

On my two night three day low-level jaunt last weekend i wore Berghaus shirt, craghopper kiwis, Polatec 100 sweater,Tilley hat, wool socks and Patra silk knickers.
In my pack and unworn was a Paramo jacket, warerproof OTs, one spare pair of wool sock, silk knickers and a down waistcoat that doubles as a pillow.

Personally, I think young folk like Jacko1066 are responsible for the empty reservoirs. I've heard some young folk even have a shower every day- cant imagine what they do to get so dirty. I have one every year on my bithday whether I need or not and bath whenever I fall in a river.

Seriously I've travelled for weeks at a time with no more than one change of clothing. The trick is to have easy wash and dry stuff, hence the silk knicker which dry over night.

Lmao!!!!!
I no what you mean, I am a bit obsessed with showering tbh!!
It just kind of goes against everything you have ever been taught from when you were a kid!!!
But I cant lug that sort of weight around so Im gonna have to try it!!!
I guess its 1 of them things you just get used to!!
STeve