How much does your day hike kit/pack weigh?

[HikingMano]

Westcoaster's Day Gear thread got me wondering how our Great Outdoors subforum population breaks down in terms of day hike pack or kit weight. I haven't been backpacking yet, so someone else can do that thread

Vote in the poll, and feel free to comment or list what you carry and why in a post :thumbup:

I realize kit weights probably get heavier in winter, so let's go with summer or three season for the poll. You can state added weight for winter in your post. And let's go with base pack/kit weight, don't include consumables (food and water). You can add water weight in your post since this must vary by environment and preference.

 

[mtwarden]

mine weighs right at 5 lbs, w/o water or snacks- as you mention water load is going to vary greatly- if I'm hiking in a water rich environ then I only carry a liter, dry- can be up to 3-4 liters

 

[OwenM]

About 10lb. total, but almost half of that is water. If it goes higher, it usually means I've got some extras..some piece of gear I want to play with before taking it on a longer hike, or extra food for being out from morning 'til dark. The Mountainsmith Day lumbar pack that I use for dayhikes has a capacity of 854ci, and is usually about half full. Mainly first aid kit, rain jacket, water filter, stove and fuel canister.
An overnighter adds a backpack, bivy, sleeping bag, and pad, and is usually25-27lb. Additional nights just mean a change or two of socks and baselayers, and more food.

 

[westcoaster]

Yes, at the time of those pictures my stuff was a bit on the heavy side, I would say 16 to 20 or even more. After reading the reply's to my post I totally re-vamped my gear, removing most of the redundancy but am probably down to the 11-15 range now. I am away all this weekend so won't be out and about, but will try to get some pics out next week.

 

[HikingMano]

My hiking daypack currently weighs in at 13.2 lbs (pack itself weighs 3 lbs), and I'd like to drop weight while adding clothing items that stay in the pack (mtwarden, I'd love to pick up a light and super compressible down jacket). I voted 11-15 based on this.

However, I neglected to include my belt-kit which goes with me on anything from the shortest walk to the long all-day hike. I just weighed it, and it might come in at 5lbs (maybe less, I think I'm at the lowest detection limit on my scale). I'm in the process of refining that and dropping weight there too.

I normally use just the belt kit of it's a short jaunt on an established trail. I'll add the pack if it's an all day hike where I'll be going a good distance from the trailhead or am traveling far enough where an unexpected overnighter is more conceivable. The things in my pack would make my life easier in the event of having to spend a night out due to being over-ambitious, lost, or injured. I'd also take the pack if I want a rain jacket, additional layers, or activity-specific items.

So I guess I should have actually voted in the 16-20 group since I use both the belt kit and the pack for long all-day hikes (18.2 lbs total, in current state). For shorter hikes, it's 5 lbs with the belt kit only.

I'm not dying with the 18lbs, and I still enjoy my hikes while feeling prepared. But I'm sure I could go lighter. This weekend I'm going to try to pare down what I carry.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

I leave everything on base camp, unless I'm going up mountain but then I carry everything with me. My day pack is a knife and a water bottle, or a camelback. I will never understand why people hike with so many stuff, unless they are not camped somewhere...

 

[dd61999]

my camelbak is 4 pounds at the most, if I go mountain biking. Not including food and water

camelbak

ace bandage
energy gels
tire lever
mini ratchet
bit kit
mini Channellock pliers
airpump
mini first aid kit
bandanna
pain reliever
gorilla tape
baby wipes,travel size
fire starter
compass
map
permit
camera
space blanket
paracord
headlamp band
flashlight
fishing hooks
whistle
aluminum foil
wallet
cellphone
tinder quick
knife
3 liter water bladder

Obviously if I am not biking I can go even lighter without some of the above tools

 

[mtwarden]

I think it's definitely worth the effort to try and pare down your kit, but I'd much rather pass someone on the trail w/ too much stuff than the person w/ shorts, t-shirt and a bottle of water in their hand- heading up to a mountain lake, too late in the day; much too common unfortunately

 

[tknife]

Mine is usually around 5lbs, before water. I usually have to lug quite a bit of water with me which adds a lot to the weight. In recent years I have kept my "stuff" pretty simple. Sometimes I may bring an extra knife or some other new thing I've gotten that I want to play with, but the basics stay pretty light.

 

[Shotgun]

I'm at about 7 or so but I need a lighter pack. The pack alone is 2.5 pounds.

Although on really warm summer days I usually drop that weight to a pound or 2 plus water. Nix the pack for a bottle holder.

 

[texas gun person]

All depends on the time of year for me.

Winter it's pretty light as I am not carrying a bunch of water.

Summer is another story. When it's cooking at 100 degrees I am carrying pounds and pounds of water.

 

[mtwarden]

^ just the opposite for me, my water carrying is increased in the winter due to lack of running water (can melt in a pinch, but for day hikes would rather have it ready to go) AND then you add in additional warm clothing, additional shelter bits, googles, the list goes on, bottom line my winter pack for dayhiking is at least double than "summer"

 

[HikingMano]

Here are pics of my belt kit and backpack. I'll update if I'm successful in paring down. I really want to add some light weight but insulative clothing items. All I have in there now is a watch cap and working gloves. If the possibility of rain is forecast, I'll add a rain jacket, but otherwise I only have the layers I'm wearing (usually a polartec vest or a light hoodie, and a light wool beanie). I might drop the heavy duty space blanket, some fire stuff, the heavy duty contractor bags, and some FAK stuff in order to accommodate at least a jacket in the pack. We'll see.

Belt kit and backpack total weight:

Backpack alone is 13.0 lbs (took out a few small things since last post).



Belt Kit (and some pocket stuff):

The knife and canteen/cup kit are the absolute bare minimum for any trip. Those two go with me everywhere, no exception.

Small baggie on the left has a tea packet (Having issues? Stop, make a cup of tea, and enjoy your tea as you take a mental step back). $20 in cash in middle baggie. Baggie on the right has MP1 tabs and a mini-Bic.

Belt pouch contents, from left to right starting on top row:
-Koster W&SS Necker
-Tru-nord button compass (where I am, if I head west, I'm bound to hit a road or the coast), spy capsule with PJCBs, Fox 40 whistle, LMF scout firesteel and striker
-50ml conical tube (waterproof) with full size bic, char cloth, and jute twine
-Tea-light candle (quick heating in conjunction with heatsheet, bic-conserving lasting flame to light difficult tinder)
-iTP A3 EOS upgrade with battery outside and tritium keychain fob attached
-Signaling Mirror
-2x 1qrt heavy duty ziplocs (water storage and wound irrigation)
-1 Aqua Pouch (water storage, can carry with cord too)
-cheap emergency poncho (fits me and backpack easily, holds up well enough), also storing fresnel lens in that package
-AMK 1 or 2 person heatsheet (can't remember and I forgot to write it on there)
-20ft 8-strand paracord
-SWAT-T (tourniquet - can be applied with one hand, can also be used as pressure dressing, as an ace bandage, or in splinting)
-Bandana, Duct tape
-Moleskin (enough for one or two nasty blisters)
-6x600mg ibuprofen, loperamide w/ scanned directions
-Double-sided diamond plate
-80lb Spiderwire fishing line, trip wire, thread (don't remember how much of each fits on a bobbin, but a I know it's a good bit)
-Hooks with attached line, 2 needles with attached thread, couple of small safety pins (probably will never use the stuff in this baggie, but space and weight is negligible).




Backpack in next post



see next post

 

[HikingMano]

Daypack:

I just bought another Falcon II. I sold my first one a while back and have come to regret it. This one hasn't even been on its first hike yet

My daypack is geared towards carrying more water and food, unexpected overnighters, unexpected weather, injury, hiking with others, unexpectedly hiking after dark, etc. To be honest though, I can't say many of my typical activities are high risk, and I try to make sure I don't engage in behavior that would increase the likelihood of an unexpected event.

I strapped my heavy duty space blanket to the bottom. That thing gets a ton of use ranging from a being employed as a simple ground sheet for sitting, to being rigged up to provide shade, to actually using it as a blanket. I just bought a silnylon tarp, so my thought at the moment is to use the space blanket under me with natural insulation and the tarp over me if I ever spend a night out. Haven't really played with it yet.


Patch panel pocket:

Purell, chapstick, $1 in quarters (payphone)


Upper front pouch:

Face wipes (awesome after a long dusty and sweaty hike), Tissues (I hate sniffing when it's cold out).


Lower front pouch:

map bag, Suunto MC-2G, write-in-rain notebook, fisher pen, pencil, lab marker (really permanent), Silky Super Accel 210, DMT diafold, Victorinox Swisstool spirit X, ubiquitous bic, easy access bandaids


Secondary compartment:

Full FAK, CPR shield, Rescue Shears, Tecnu, Toilet Paper (shrug, more chance of me or a companion needing the TP than the FAK....), small strop w/ black and green compound and wet&dry cut to size, long piece of fatwood.

Going clockwise from left:
3x ABD pads (trauma pads)
2x nitrile gloves
2x H&H primed roller gauze
Baggie with razor, Vic classic, large safety pins
Duct tape
Boo-boo baggie (alcohol wipes, bandaids, butterfly closures, antibiotic ointment)
Blistex
6x 600mg ibuprofen
Aspirin
Antihistamine
Loperamide w/ scanned directions
Sting/burn wipes
card for the tick key I carry (I still can't seem to remember how you orient it )
2 or 3 1 quart heavy duty ziplocs (wound irrigation)
Non-stick dressings
ubiquitous bandana
Quikclot (might be removing this, we'll see)


Main compartment:

(lots of room still, but part of that gets eaten up by filled camelbak bladder)

Clockwise from left:
Camelback Impact CT gloves
County Comm beanie (I usually have a Smart Wool beanie on if it's cold, but this one stays in the pack for the times you wish you had a beanie and didn't bring one)
Ubiquitous bandana, moleskin
Otterbox (I changed the contents tonight, more on that below)
8x10 Silnylon tarp
6 aluminum stakes, 100' orange paracord (maybe I can get away with 50'....)
2 contractor trash-bags, two emergency ponchos (often hike with GF), two 1qrt heavy duty ziplocs (for electronics, wallet, etc. when dealing with water/rain unexpectedly)

Changed some of my otterbox conents tonight, this is what's in there now:

Clockwise from left:
Vic Hiker
Ubiquitous Bic
REI stormproof matches
Mini Mag Bar / Doan with hacksaw striker and jute wrapped around
Fatwood
Charcloth
80lb test Spyderwire
Ubiquitous bandana
Quark 2^AA w/ attached tritium fob and batteries on pouch
Quark retention strap
Princeton Tec EOS Headlamp w/ headband and batteries
2 Aqua pouches and MP1 tabs

Aside from the flashlight, headlamp, and matches, this is pretty much all redundant with the stuff in the belt kit. I might just get rid of this big otterbox all together and just use a smaller otterbox for the lights alone. I do like having back-up redundant supplies in my pack though, so we'll see.

 

[mtwarden]

17.4 lbs w/o water or food, there's probably some room to shave a little

insulating layer would be a high priority item (save maybe the warmest climes)

 

[sicily02]

mtwarden, what does your windshirt look like? and what is it?

Also is your neck knife set up like pict, has his set up?

Great looking kit.
Thanks,
Bryan,

 

[HikingMano]

17.4 lbs w/o water or food, there's probably some room to shave a little

insulating layer would be a high priority item (save maybe the warmest climes)

I've never felt it was too much (belt kit and pack, during or after an all day affair), but yes, if I can shave it down, why not.

I've been shopping around for an affordable and lightweight insulating middle layer. After I drop some weight in the pack, I'll be adding that middle layer, my Marmot Precip rain jacket, and maybe a pair of lightweight wool liner gloves. I've also been thinking about adding one of those AMK thermolite 2 bivies. I have a couple in the car kit, and they really are light and relatively compact.

I'm not touching the belt kit. That's constantly being refined, and so far, I like the current contents. If anything, I might drop the weighty leatherman micra and replace it with one of those light folding scissors... scissors always seem to come in handy, especially when hiking with others. I could probably also drop the redundant firesteel in the pouch. Maybe the diamond sharpening plate as well.

But I am considering dropping the following from the pack:
-Heavy duty space blanket. Especially if I add the AMK bivy. I think the bivy, combined with natural insulation, the siltarp, and the heatsheet in my belt pouch should provide a decent emergency shelter that requires no time to set-up and weighs little.
-redundant fire supplies and backup Vic Hiker
-big ole otterbox. Use a smaller box for lights only.
-DMT diafold or the strop block kit...leaning towards dropping the diafold since my knives are usually convexed, but I like that it's compact, waterproof, and won't wear out with proper use.
-contractor bags and redundant emergency ponchos...my GF does carry her own emergency poncho after all.
-50' paracord instead of 100'
-On the fence on the multitool... I like having the pliers, wire cutters, metal saw/file, chisel, and backup small saw/blade/awl. I should definitely drop the weighty Vic hiker since I have the multitool though...
-Cut down on FAK items, keep only stuff for serious bleeding (pads, quikclot, bandages, dressing, duct tape) and a few boo-boo items.
-Face wipes - just use a bandana and water....

 

[mtwarden]

mtwarden, what does your windshirt look like? and what is it?

Also is your neck knife set up like pict, has his set up?

Great looking kit.
Thanks,
Bryan,

Bryan- just a zip jacket w/ a hood, it is lightweight ~ 4 oz and packs small, Patagonia Houdini- it has a good DWR finish so it sheds light rain/snow pretty well (if it's going to be raining not a substitute for a rain jacket)

I've never felt it was too much (belt kit and pack, during or after an all day affair), but yes, if I can shave it down, why not.

indeed all good ideas for shedding some weight

a light (100 weight) fleece would make a good light insulating layer, also syn or down jacket- they start getting a little spendy though

an insulated vest would be a good piece as well (can be layered under the outer shell)- and even lighter yet

Mike

 

[HikingMano]

Yeah, I have an REI giftcard, and I've been looking at their Spruce Run primaloft jacket. It seems to be their most affordable synthetic offering...and you can even convert it to a vest...

ETA: Pack is now down to 10.4 lbs. So total kit is 14.8 lbs.

 

[sicily02]

Thanks, mtwarden, I will look into one.

HikingMano, Great looking kit by the way. I really like your thoughts on the belt kit you have. As to the pack and its contents. again great looking kit and I think you really have a great set up.

Bryan