No matter what i do i cant seem to cut down pack weight :(

[lostplanet]

Bit of thread resurection, but have you considered Geo-caching some of the heavier items? meaning water, food, maybe even heavy sleeping kit. Plan your route/weekend and go out the day/night before in your vehicle and stash your kit and GPS mark it. Until you can reduce your load to what you are happy carrying it will still be a comfortable and enjoyable experience when you get to your cache, plus it give you a clear goal to aim at.

Also How about going with a friend or relation?, so you will only need one axe, basha and cooking kit etc, then you can share the kit between you both.

 

[locum76]

Maybe you've already bottomed out the weight and you're causing yourself unnecessary grief.

 

[General Lee Speaking]

I used to carry a bottle opener as well as a pen knife. Now I carry a titanium spork. It cuts food, it spears food and I can open a bottle of beer with it.

Obviously 12 bottles of beer falls under the'essential kit' category. lol

 

[clive.s]

Here's a gear list I drew up a while back. It's evolved since, but still a good candid weighing session to generate some discussion.

Worn
1975g      Asolo Boots
89g       Socks
340g      Gaiters
274g      Undies+Macpac Shorts
189g      Fairydown T-Shirt
36g       Watch
(2903g)

Pack
3500g      Fairydown Endeavour & Old Helly Hansen Jacket
242g      Packliner
373g      Brown Havaianas, Size 45-46
(4115g)

-Top Pocket
188g Map Case, 2 Topos, Weather Reference Cards
84g       Hand Sanitiser And Toilet Paper
50g       Notepad & Mech-Pencil
54g       Petzl E+Lite Headlamp & Spare Batteries
148g    Sunscreen & Anti-Bug-Roll-On
(524g)

-Bottom Pocket
1430g      Kathmandu Wayfarer Sleeping Bag In Old Crambag
763g      Homemade Tent Fly, Cordage & Pegs
622g      2/3 Length Sleeping Pad
293g      Groundsheet
(3108g)

-Main Pack
64g       Clothes Dry Bag
298g      Long Macpac Pants
297g      Jumper
177g      Polyprop
104g      Spare Socks
136g       Microfibre Towel
93g       Beanie & Gloves
(1169g)

-Kitchen Bag 45g
278g      Warehouse Pot (Sans Lid And Handle)
9g       Spoon
199g      Burner
97g       Bowl/Lid
222g      3/8 Full Gas Canister
77g       Lighter, Matches, Candle In Edmonds Baking Soda Container
42g       Kitchen Towel/Pot Grabber
(924g)

1177g      1-Liter Water Bottle
1645g      1.5-Liter Water Bottle
131g      Breakfast: Cereal & Dehy Fruit
171g      Dinner: Couscous, Dehy Veggies, Cup Of Soup
288g      Salami & Cheese
84g       Muesli Bars
40g       Olive Oil
208g      Lunches 4 Tortilla
340g      2 Bananas
(4084g)

Misc
197g      iPhone In Special-Wifey-Given-Pouch In Drybag
31g       Compass
82g       Svord Peasant Knife In Home-Made Pouch
241g    First Aid Bag: Tape, Plaster Tape, Telfa Pads, Saline, Betadine, Diastop, Steristrips, Skin-Prep, Crepe Bandage
152g      GPS & Batteries
204g    Odds And Ends: Rubber Bands, Hip-Belt-Buckle, Needle & Thread, Tape, Batteries, Safety Pins, Bootlace, Cord
19g       Diamond Hone
1069g      DSLR & Lens
(1995g)

15.9 kg – and that’s kind of what it is every walk…

 

[philaw]

I think dormouse has got a point with the ultralight hiking website. I got a sore back and knees from carrying too heavy a pack when hiking, and the advice on those websites helped me. They talk about the "big three" of rucksack, sleeping bag, and tent. These are normally the heaviest things, and also where the biggest savings can be made. A normal rucksack weighs about 2.5kg, and all that framing and padding is needed to carry heavy stuff, but if you get a light 1kg sleeping bag, swap the tent for a tarp, and just leave other stuff behind, it's a possibility.

 

[walker]

hi there
i went from aslo a 120 ltr but i went down to a norwegian 35 ltr rucksack made by bergens in norway
i make a bed roll up of alpkit mat ,nanok airlock -5 and a british gortex bivi rolled up put into a dry bag and strapped to the top in the side pockets i have 1 sigg bottle and kfs etc and in the other i have french mess tins with us mug on top this leaves the 35ltr main to fit clothes and optimus hiker stove along with tarp how does that sound
hope this helps

 

[Man of Tanith]

i'd quite like to see a photo of that set up if you dont mind walker?
i've pondered using a bedroll set up but not 100% certain how it would set up
Cheers

 

[Paul_B]

Well it does depend on what you are doing. An overnighter for me in UK means no strove and one of my lightest rucksacks stripped right down with the alloy staves removed. That is about 1kg. I then put in a rab SZ, down quilt (690g for -7C performance), tarp and a head torch. Plus a few cereal bars and 1litre of water. My trekkingpoles too and Ti pegs and dyneem 1.5mm guys with mini lineloks. That was just less than 6kg.

On a 10 day trip with tent before I got my weight down it was 18kg. I can now get to about 8-10kg for that period of time with food for about 5 days like bck then.

Obviously if I had to have a bear can too and more water or food then my weight would go up. Just thought I'd mention that as the OP is from USA I think. Uk is one thing but there are minimum kit, food and water issues in some regions of USA and other areas too. UK is pretty benign really. Plenty of water for example so scoop and go can work in mountain areas that means no carying 6litres of water. Food in dehydrated format is a must really. Also it is possible to go without a stove and eat only cold food. Not talking about wayfarers cold but you can pack food that is high in nutrients and calories but low in weight. Look at kcals per 100g as 400 is the magic number. I find peanuts are a good food, plain of course. Great for eating last thing at night to provide high calories for maintaining warmth.

A lot of sage advice above. Usual 3 main kit to reduce weight in second after the kitchen sink is dropped of course. Then you have to watch out for when you get it successfully down to a light weight then you develop a mentality that you can add those little extras back. That means you end up with a heavier pack again. When I first got down to 7kg I was so pleased that I added enough "extras" that my bag reached 15kg!

I also have to think about money. Now my weight savings have to be cost effective. I hate to spend more than £15 per 100g saved now.

Try the Evernew DX stove instead of the honey as a wood burner. Its lighter than the hex kit in honey.