How much does your day hike kit/pack weigh?

[Shotgun]

I switched to leukotape a couple of years ago over moleskin, sticks better and is thinner- quite a bit cheaper too- comes in a rather large roll, I just pull some off the roll and wrap around a small straw

I'm using duct tape right now and find it works really well. The trick is to throw some tape on the hot spot BEFORE you get a blister. Works okay after the blister is formed but I'd rather keep the blister from forming in the first place.

 

[HikingMano]

On a side note, I just got a GoLite Rush, and wow, it's so light! It'll be an option for short trips or trips when I want to go light but be able to carry a jacket and lunch or something.

I've added a rain jacket to the pack (rain-jacket, insulative jacket, and beanie are all in a small dry sack) and dropped a few things (most notably, the multi-tool, siltarp), but I'm still at 16.6 lbs somehow (belt-kit + pack).

I'm thinking about dropping the belt pouch and adding contents to the pack. Hopefully that'll further eliminate some redundancy and containers, thus shedding a little more weight. That pouch was always geared towards the "what if I lose my pack" scenario, but I'll echo mtwarden: that situation is highly unlikely. Especially with my typical outdoor activities. And even if I do somehow manage to lose it, I'd still have my knife, firestarters, and water container with metal cup - the most important items. Perhaps I could compromise and carry the heatsheet, poncho, and SWAT-T in a pocket.

If I could get it all down to 15 lbs or under and still feel reasonably prepared, I'd be content.

 

[mtwarden]

Just to get an idea, how do you typically do it? How much do you start with depending on distance between sources, how do you treat, etc.

most of hiking is done in the Rockies w/ pretty ample water, so it's certainly no where near as difficult as somewhere like the Mojave or the like.

First I do as much prior planning as possible, locating water sources on the map, checking current conditions w/ the appropriate agency or better yet a local hiking forum where someone has already hiked

Whether I'm leaving the trailhead or camp, I routinely try and drink 1.5- 2 liters of water before hitting the trail- that should put my body in somewhat of a surplus condition. Unless I know my next water source is going to be over 5-6 miles, I typically take a liter with me- this is 95%+ of the time. Mid-morning-ish I'm looking for the next source (this is most likely after going by lots of other sources already) and stop for a short break- snack and water (tanking up again). I'll usually repeat at lunch and mid-afternoon.

I use micorpur tabs which the directions say wait 4 hours, my feeling and many others is that is a very unoptimistic wait- if the water is truly suspect then maybe. Typically 20-30 minutes is what most of my water sees for treatment time. I am a little picky on what water sources I use (if I have a choice)- many times it's little seeps coming right out of the side of the mountain). I'm toying w/ the idea of giving a steri-pen a go, but it's added weight, relies on batteries and is a little spendy. I've got a decade of chlorine dioxide use under my belt and feel it's a very safe (and convenient) form of treatment, so don't know if it's worth changing something that works.

On our New Mexico trip our water needs varied greatly- parts of the trip were along a very well flowing creek- so we typically carried just a liter of water at any given time. Other stretches it was a long way between sources, on those stretches we carried up to 4.5 liters each. I use platy bottles (come in various sizes) as they roll up tightly and are light, thus easy to stash in a pack.

Again- individual needs, location and time of year are all going to play important roles in planning.

 

[HikingMano]

Very thorough, thanks.

I usually pre-load before the hike, but always carry 2-3 liters on all-day hikes, 4 if hiking with the gf (she carries 2L at most). I don't often hike in really arid areas either though, so I've always toyed with the idea of carrying less and treating water. It's just seeemd like so much added work and time for a day hike (filtering, treating with micropur tabs for 4 hours, having separate containers for water being treated). And if I'm going through somewhere where a creek is reclaimed waste water....

But, based on your experience, it seems possible. Proper planning, pre-loading, treating with tabs only (and for, at most, 30 min!) sounds great. Looks like I'll have to revisit the idea, see how well it works for me or how comfortable I'd be with it.

 

[OwenM]

I don't often hike in really arid areas either though, so I've always toyed with the idea of carrying less and treating water. It's just seeemd like so much added work and time for a day hike (filtering, treating with micropur tabs for 4 hours, having separate containers for water being treated).

That's one reason I carry a PUR Hiker. Very quick and easy to use, and weighs less than 1L of water.
I still always tank up beforehand, and carry anywhere from 2-4L depending on availability of water. The Hiker doesn't always get used, and the MicroPur tabs never do, but they're cheap insurance. Water is #1, and something I'll never skimp on.

 

[HikingMano]

Yeah, I have a Hiker too. I got it with backpacking in mind but thought about adding it to the daypack. It does indeed weigh less than 1L of water.

I've always thought I'd filter into a one bottle or platy, then treat with tabs for 4 hours to be completely safe, while drinking out of another container. And that all seemed like too much for a dayhike. So it's interesting to hear how both you and mtwarden do it (filtering, no tabs vs. no-filtering, tabs). Obviously, both of you are still alive and well

So I guess I have to figure out how much risk I'm willing to take, how good are the water sources in areas I typically hike in, how I want my water to taste, and what I'm willing to carry.



Edited to add:

5/8/11 - Got my total kit weight (pack + belt kit) down to 15.6 lbs without the insulating jacket :thumbup: Almost under 15 lbs now