I think I've been hit

[midnight flyer]

While I really appreciate some nice gear, I don't crave buying anything new. My old MSR stove works fine, and it's 20 years old. That suits me fine. My most recent purchases were some hunting day/overnight packs from our local sporting goods chain at the end of the year last year. At 50% off (seasonal item) it is almost embarrassing to admit what I paid for them compared to what I see guys spend here.

Sometimes I take a lot of stuff, but really only if I am going to be in one place for more than a night.

Many years ago when camping on a buddy's ranch, I slept on the hood of my old truck in kind of a hospital bed position when we went out. I didn't take a lot of crap that my buddies did and didn't want much except a large knife, small knife, cup, lighter, shotgun and shells. We ate what we shot. Later, I moved into the bed of the truck from time to time if it got breezy and I felt really civilized.

I grew up camping with second hand and army surplus stuff. When I finally got to the point where I could buy better gear, I bought a lightweight sleeping bag, a lightweight tent, and some other things like that. I appreciate the downsize of the gear weight, but if I were to be out on easy trails for a day or two, not even that would amount to much. I like my better stuff a more, but it isn't essential by any means.

The only advantages I see to my newer gear is it is lighter and more waterproof. My old equipment did the same job, just in a much less elegant and stylish fashion.

As has been discussed in other threads, I is not unusual to run into those folks that have to have everything in the latest model and colors. Not knowing what they will use all that gear for, they still have it with them even on short hikes or just overnighters. Experience would tell them that they could have a great time with half their gear, but let's face it; sometimes the gear makes the trip worthwhile for some folks. One of my old hunting buddies loves to brag on anything he gets new, and he finds something to hunt/camp with every year. At this point, he could fill a sporting goods store. Many times he goes back to what he has been using for so long, but at the moment he buys it, it's the best equipment around.

My other amigo (a fellow BSofA refugee) is completely the opposite. If we camp, he brings water in a quart milk jug. He brings a kitchen knife (rarely sharp) rolled up in several paper towels. He takes an old piece of carpet pad to put under about 1/3 of his sleeping bag if we are on hard ground, and one flashlight (no extra batteries) and a candle. He always borrows a stainless cup from me so we can use it for cooking and drinking. He hikes in the same clothes he works in (high school shop teacher) and if/when sleeping in a tent he has a $39 tent that leaks in one corner he has had for about 20 years. NEVER has his lack of equipment bothered him in the slightest. I daresay he has at least as much fun as I do.

Personally, I think more folks would get out more often if they could just get it into their mind to throw a bottle of water and and energy bar into a small pack and take off for the trail. I doesn't require much.

Robert

 

[Bushman5]

I get out all the time and i have gear.

QOUTE:

I is not unusual to run into those folks that have to have everything in the latest model and colors. Not knowing what they will use all that gear for, they still have it with them even on short hikes or just overnighters. Experience would tell them that they could have a great time with half their gear,

not to sound like a diehard gear goober, but I wouldn't perceive hikers with tons of gear as "inexperienced" or not knowing how to use their gear. Lots of us LOVE to use our gear and we know how to use it. If you saw me on the trails with tons of gear, do i get automatically lumped into the "gear goober noobie hiker, has no experience, etc" category?

I buy gear even though i dont need it. At one point i had 16 brand new stoves in my house, and a hazardous materials fire cabinet to hold all the liquid fuels and fuel canisters. Used each and every single one of those stoves on dayhikes, overnighters, multiday hikes, truck camping, found what i liked and disliked and purged them out to friends for cheap. Same with flashlights, knives, packs, chest rigs, drop leg pouches, axes, clothing, boots, 2 way radios, tents, tarps, sleeping bags, water filters etc.

just my 2 cents, nothing personal

and just to sound like a total hypocrite i have been know to vent about the excesses of gear out there in the woods..........teehee.... :foot:

 

[Mistwalker]

I have never really been what one would call a gear-junkie, but I can remember when I thought that any trip to the woods meant I needed to carry a hatchet or an axe...or some other large chopping implement (often both), more food than I'd need "just in case", a huge flash light and extra batteries, and some sort of shelter material. Now days when I am just hitting the woods for a day hike during fair weather it's seldom more than a medium fixed blade, a couple of means of starting fire, a small first aid kit, a small compass, a headlamp or a couple of light sticks, a tin of smoked oysters, and some granola bars (just in case) and some times a canteen...depending on the area. I do take more in the colder months...we live and learn right?

 

[midnight flyer]

I get out all the time and i have gear.

QOUTE:

I is not unusual to run into those folks that have to have everything in the latest model and colors. Not knowing what they will use all that gear for, they still have it with them even on short hikes or just overnighters. Experience would tell them that they could have a great time with half their gear,

not to sound like a diehard gear goober, but I wouldn't perceive hikers with tons of gear as "inexperienced" or not knowing how to use their gear. Lots of us LOVE to use our gear and we know how to use it. If you saw me on the trails with tons of gear, do i get automatically lumped into the "gear goober noobie hiker, has no experience, etc" category?

Nope... not gonna get me again. Last time you took the opposite tact, I was not judicious in my posting and got a demerit from Joe. I will ask you to read my post carefully, and note that I didn't lump YOU or anyone else into any kind of category. I simply said that "it wasn't unusual for me to run into folks". I never said that all hikers, everywhere, under all circumstances, on every trail were one way or another, or that I perceived all hikers one way or another. Unless you did something to catch my eye, I promise I would not notice or care about you or your gear. It was an observation on my part, and I promise when I go out I don't think of you. I won't lump you in with anyone. Honestly. You are safe; I think of you in the highest regard. Mostly, not at all though.

Besides... I wouldn't EVER run into you with a lot of gear, would I? Remember this post on 9/04?

I'm 37, extremely athletic, 18% body fat, hike, cycle, swim, work hard, lift heavy loads at work, and i pack light. WHY? because I dont like carrying more than i need to. I can hike faster, FURTHER, with less fatigue, less energy expenditure, less food carried, less sweat exuded (less water consumption) . If the SHTF and i need to carry someone, I am able to. I try to keep my load out around 10lbs or less.

But hey, if you want to carry a 30 - 90 lb pack, BE MY GUEST ! you can carry our beer flats!

as for the comment lose the rear weight.......if i lose any more rear weight i anit gonna have an a** to crap out.....

You could hide in plain site with "tons of gear". If I was looking for you, I would never recognize you as I would be looking for a guy with no more than 10 lbs of gear.

Are you sure it isn't a little personal? I mean really, less than a month ago you quoted my post and referenced me as "you" in your vitriolic response. In fact, you chastised me with a pile of your own personalized stereo types pointed directly at me in your own post. I commented on certain snobbish types of hikers that thought they were the only real campers and hikers and hit a nerve. Check out the direct quote with you in red in response to my post:

Yet, they seem to think of themselves of some kind of back to nature, honest campers that understand the wild. Who knows... maybe they do. (yes we do) I still can't stand them.{we cant stand you either, with your garish colors, noisy packs, radios, intrusive tents plopped down everywhere, garbage, noise, screaming and yelling, drunks, bottles everywhere, food left out attracting bears and wildlife and desensitizing them to people....on and on.....)

You think you're confused!! That's not me, even though you said YOU when responding directly to my post.

You have never met me or have ever run into me and yet you can't stand me, my garish colors, noisy packs (??), accusing me of drunkeness, screaming, etc. But you immediately personalized your response to my post.

Now I see this:

I buy gear even though i dont need it. At one point i had 16 brand new stoves in my house, and a hazardous materials fire cabinet to hold all the liquid fuels and fuel canisters. Used each and every single one of those stoves on dayhikes, overnighters, multiday hikes, truck camping, found what i liked and disliked and purged them out to friends for cheap. Same with flashlights, knives, packs, chest rigs, drop leg pouches, axes, clothing, boots, 2 way radios, tents, tarps, sleeping bags, water filters etc.

just my 2 cents, nothing personal

I am astonished. No less than astonished. After my commenting on how I could see how a pack could get to 55 - 60 pounds, you posted this pointed reply on 9/05/09 at 11:02 am poo-pooing gear, telling us to do more with less and set the tone by showing in capital letters all the unnecessary gear you TOSSED! (sic):

There is zero reason to be carrying these kinds of weights nowadays. The advent of modern fibers and technology has resulted in gear/clothes, even food that weighs next to nothing, and many things are significantly smaller in size as a result.

part of the problem is we take everything and the kitchen sink with us, or if in a group hike there are multiples of everything.

its simply not needed. Do more with less.

in 30 years of hiking i have NEVER used or needed a sewing or fishing kit. TOSS! I have never needed nor wanted a tent:. TOSS! i have never needed nor wanted a cookset (most of these 5 to 10 piece cooksets could be used for a scouts Jamboree, simply NOT needed for one person) TOSS! extra clothing - WHY? wear clothes that do multiple duties (like when sleeping) and that dry fast, other than that i have never used nor needed extra clothing. TOSS! sleeping bag, sure maybe in winter. Otherwise i'm happy with nice hot ground heated up from a fire and scraped aside. Sleeping bag TOSS! First aid kit - of course, need that, but we dont need these battlefield sized kits. <TOSS!

mother nature provides us with water, shelter, food, clothing, its up to us to utilize it. By doing so we realize that we dont need all the crap that we lug around with us. If i wanted to lug all that crap around i'd get an RV.

Shelter, warmth, food, clothing, all available at Mother Natures General Store and Drug Emporium:

NICE NATURE PIC HERE ON ORIGINAL POST


water, food, highway, all available from Mother Nature:



ANOTHER ONE


oh i guess i'm softer, wimpier and more emasculated now. I'm a Winner! I feel good about myself!


PICTURE OF SOMEONE'S HOUSECAT HERE

LOL!!

You obviously camp and hike a lot and seem quite knowledgeable on the subject. I can't for the life of me figure which side of the gear conversation you are on, unless like today's politicians you are actually on both.

As you say, nothing personal.

Thanks for withholding the personal pronoun references this time that indicates your comments were pointed at me.

For me, my opinion is that anyone that wants to camp/hike should do it any way they feel best suits their needs. I simply don't care what others do as long as they respect others and their environment, and think that folks should do what they want when out. The point is to have a good time and enjoy your time in nature any way you want as long as it doesn't bother or impinge on those around you.

Learning the value of one's gear, how it works and how much you like it is part of the fun. Some guys love the gear aspect, and some are real minimalists. I do agree with B5's comments on doing more with less, though. I don't need or want a closet full of equipment I don't need, and sometimes won't ever use to its potential.

I like just enough equipment to get the job done.

Robert

 

[Bushman5]

its always a constant conflict MidnightFlyer, some days i shove all the gear into my gear cabinet and take off into the woods with a blade, a cup/canteen and firesteel, other days i drag out the gear and load it up...... some days i get fed up with the gear and i rant about it, other days i rave about gear.

such is the life of being BOTH a gear nut and a minimalist......

 

[Zaner01]

It's true that all the gear in the world won't do anything for you if you lack the skills to use it.

It's equally true that all the skills in the world won't make you comfortable in adversity if you don't have appropriate gear.

There's always lots of gear chatter on these boards, because it's easier to talk about gear. And some of that gear chatter is transformed, as we try to justify the dollars we just dropped on some piece of kit, into "Oh my God, if you're out in the woods and it rains and it's Tuesday and there's a wind from the south and you don't have your handy high-tech widget-whacker then, man, you are going to die."

But there's also lots of chatter about how great-uncle Zeke used to go out in the woods for months at a time with nothing but a pair of running shoes, his boxer shorts and a two-bladed slipjoint knife, and live there for three months at a time. And how he tried wearing clothes, once, to keep the mosquitoes off his bare flesh, but didn't like "them new-fangled gew-gaws" and went back to his old habits.

Perhaps I exaggerate slightly.

The gear you need is pretty minimal. But it's worth bearing in mind, as we talk about how you minimize your gear as you grow in experience, that most of those back-country SAR calls you hear about (over 75%, if I remember correctly) are not for overequipped woods-yuppies with no skills, or for unprepared newbies, but for experienced back-country travellers who ran into trouble.

 

[RoyalM]

I learned on military gear and for the most part haven't moved on much since then.

I'm lucky enough to get a fair amount of time in the woods and there is usually a wide range of experience in the group. There's always someone with a new bit of kit and some of the older guys toughing it out with their tried and tested stuff. I can be a bit of a gear junkie but I find myself leaning toward gear that is flexible and can do multiple tasks adequately rather than one task perfectly. Plenty of times i've bought gear to simply sell it on after a month or so because it just doesn't cut it.

Recently I had to pack for 6 days in the hills and I looked at my 2 day kit list. I'll be honest and say I ditched many of the comforts I normally take. All doubled bits of kit got ditched, big heavy field knife, spare food seasoning, spare food etc. I just didn't want to carry an extra 15lbs of gear for the trip. I still took my emergency kit which never leaves my pack be it for a day or a month. The result was a lighter pack, less fatigue over the trip and not much less enjoyment. Yes there was the occasional time I missed a bit of kit but given the same choice again then I would pack the same way.

I'm currently happy with the gear I have and it performs to the level i'm at. The only real gear area I have problem in is knives and I am currently trying to thin out that pile to.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Why does everything become an either/or?

Seriously, guys, these aren't mutually exclusive.

Yeah, I used to think there was some sort of nobility to going out with stuff that required some ingenuity, or fix-it-up to work. Sure, I used to walk about with a Wal-Mart (K-Mart, actually) cheap "swiss army knife" with the false brown wood scales, and the SortaSteel blade. But really, there's no nobility to it, it's because I was poor.

Now, on the one hand, you don't need "the best" of whatever (usually read: the most expensive) to survive a hike or camping trip. But if you want it, and can afford it, why not???

Likewise, you can't tell the skill level by the gear carried. One guy will say that you can tell by the experience of the person by the size of the knife they carry: the bigger their knife, the less experienced they are. The very next guy you ask, may be very experienced, yet insist that anyone with experience knows that you should carry something big enough to take down a small (<6" diameter) tree in short order.

Seeing a guy walk down a trail with Kifaru gear and Busse knives doesn't make him a yuppy amateur anymore than a guy with a surplus Swiss ruck and a Mora is the next Horace Kephart.

IMO, you need BOTH, not one or the other. Both cost.
How good your gear is, is determined by how much money you spend.
How good you are, is determined by how much time you spend.

 

[Smash05]

Actually, when I see someone with a lot of gear on a trail, I just assume they have money - I assume that because quite frankly I did just fine in the woods with nothing more than a Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman - a cheap Coleman tent, cheap stainless cup, Nalgene bottle, bought on sale sleeping bag, etc from the time I was 7 till I was firmly in my 20's. Now, it seems that I can't go for a short hike without 3 knives and a full pack. I have spent more money than I should on gear, and I am trying to get back to the basics of just enjoying the outdoors.

 

[skammer]

I think there are some real assumptions going on here. Just because you have a decent modern load on doesnt mean you have no clue what you are doing.

Matter of fact I have taught minimalist bushcraft types who "thought" they knew what they were doing but were clueless. Just because you read a book on bushcraft and carry nothing doesnt make you a bushcraft god.

Most high speed pro types I hang with carry the latest stuff but can get by with a rusty tuna can lid only, if need be.

Again bushcraft snobbery rears its head.

Some people crack me up.

Skam

 

[longbow50]

But with me, I started with a small E. German combat pack, so my expectations weren't all that high to begin with.

The first thing that was taught me as a kid who wanted a pocket knife, is that just having a knife in your pocket, isn't knowing how to use it and using it so you don't get hurt, hurt anyone else and can get the job done in an efficient/proficient manner. This all takes instruction of some kind (even for us big kids) and lots of practice, AKA developing skills.

I'm sure that you've given a lot of thought, to what kind of gear you will need to carry in your abundant selection of packs, so when you choose a specific tool, USE IT a lot to make sure that it won't break, is easy to use and gets the job done and do this before you put it in your pack of choice. If it breaks, send it back to the company and get something else. If you have a selection of the same type of tool, pick the one that you prefer, after you have compared them all by using them. Each time you use a tool, you are developing a higher skill set than before you used that tool.

Have fun with it. Read this and other forums that deal with gear and see what the instructors prefer and I guarantee that those same instructors have a backup to that tool and not that I'm an instructor, but my backup is generally a completely different tool that will do the same thing as my primary tool. For instance, I carry a BSA Hotspark as my primary ignition tool for fire, but carry a Spark-lite firestarter with tinder as my backup for fire and I also have a bic hidden in the gear someplace, if not my pocket.

this has been done a lot here and on other sites, but make up a post, asking people for their list of gear that they carry in their hiking pack. It'll get you going in the right direction for sure.

 

[absolutindian]

If you don't have the proper knowledge and experience, the two things that superfluous gear does is weigh you down and gives you a false sense of security. Arm yourself with knowledge first, then experiment with new gear. Without the knowledge, a piece of gear may fail, at which point you are SOL.

When buying new gear, I like to buy the low-end base model first. That way, I can learn to use it and decide for myself if I really need/want the newer and more expensive models with extra-super-duper innovations. More often than not, the innovations are more gimmicky than useful.

 

[Bushman5]

lets not forget too that some of us carry craploads of gear for TESTING purposes. Or base our woods adventures around GEAR to test it out before going on a expedition....or that some of us carry gear because building bushcraft shelters and fires will land you in jail........ETC

 

[Toucan Oasis]

. Five Maxpedition packs for hiking and camping, but no idea what to take in one for an overnight campout IN MY FATHERS FIVE ACRE WOODS!

You already solved your own problem.
Get on Ebay and get rid of that crap and buy a few pieces of "decent" gear. I don't mean an $1100 Noronna rucksack.

1. Something to carry crap in.Yeah. One
2. Something to sleep under. ditto
3.Something to sleep IN.ditto
4.A way to cook food.One simple stove rig.
5. Light. Two or or three Head, Hand,Mini Lantern
6. Fire. More for Tarzan effect than for warmth or light, much less cooking.
7.Water purification and carry.
8. First aid/communication.

Hit the road man. The time it took to post 10,000 posts here you could have hiked the Appalachian Trail !

 

[Bushman5]

You already solved your own problem.
Get on Ebay and get rid of that crap and buy a few pieces of "decent" gear. I don't mean an $1100 Noronna rucksack.

1. Something to carry crap in.Yeah. One
2. Something to sleep under. ditto
3.Something to sleep IN.ditto
4.A way to cook food.One simple stove rig.
5. Light. Two or or three Head, Hand,Mini Lantern
6. Fire. More for Tarzan effect than for warmth or light, much less cooking.
7.Water purification and carry.
8. First aid/communication.

Hit the road man. The time it took to post 10,000 posts here you could have hiked the Appalachian Trail !

I gonna have some fun with this Toucan, bear with me!

1. Something to carry crap in.Yeah. One
depends on the hike....daytrip? fast daytrip, running? over nighter? multi day trip? SAR? I got bags for all possibilities. No need for a multi day big pack on a peak sprint day hike.....
2. Something to sleep under. ditto
same trip question as above - type of hike? if its a day trip i pack a ultrlight tarp, an overnighter a heavier duty tarp, multiday hike maybe a tent, truck camping a full on canvas wall tent
3.Something to sleep IN.ditto
same as above - type of hike? daytrip a emergency heat sheet and tarp is fine for me, overnighter a wool blanket, multiday hike a sleeping bag...etc
4.A way to cook food.One simple stove rig.
cooking for one? just a cup of tea? cooking for two or three? extent of hike? menu? lots of purifying water to be done? altitude vs fuel choice? all things to consider when picking out a stove for the trip...
5. Light. Two or or three Head, Hand,Mini Lantern
Duration of dark hours? brightness of light choice vS battery runtime? low beam high beam searing pain high beam? battery life on all settings VS outside temps?
6. Fire. More for Tarzan effect than for warmth or light, much less cooking.
fires steel PJCB, back up fire steel / PCJB, 2nd backup fire steel / PCJB, Bic or three - all good to have, more the better if you lose one or buddy forgets theirs....
7.Water purification and carry.
going solo? tons of people? duration of trip? filter output vs consumption?, might boiling be faster? (need more fuel)
8. First aid/communication.
single person? hike duration? multi person? special needs? hike type? all critical factors in choosing which FAK to bring. (i have 12 FAKs for different hike durations/numbers of people) radio for each person or one radio for the group?


all things to consider........one set of gear does NOT in way shape or form cover all outings and scenarios. One MUST tailor their gear choices for EACH outing.......

Once you learn the skills and practice them all the time, you have them, thats GOOD. Gear choice is not so easy.....

ok fire the guns at me now.... :foot:

 

[j williams]

For me, I got to the point where I didnt know what to get for what. I had all this gear, but always thought that Id be better off with something differant. It got pretty confusing. I have always been a woods junkie, and read my first military survival manual when I was 9. (my fathers from Nam) I cant say I was better off before bladeforums, b/c of the great friends Ive met here, that I know I will remain friends with for life, and all the skills/ neat shortcuts etc Ive learned, and hopefully been able to share, but gear wise, it was a bit easier before I learned that I needed a bunch of gear.

This summer, I went through a bit of a rough patch, which happens in life sometimes. I minimized every aspect of my life. Sold my big SUV when I realized that I had 3 rows of seats that were empty 98% of the time. I bought an old Nissan hardbody that I love. Not pretty, or high tech, but I love that ugly bastid. I sold most of my blades, keeping only a couple for sentment, and one user. My fiddleback bushcrafter that was a wedding present from my wife. I have one solo tent, one sleeping pad, one cookset. One Guyot, one cup. Sold alot of guns off that I didnt need. Ive got a shotgun, .22, .357, and am in the market for a good bolt action long range weapon. I have only one bike now. My Surly.

The only things I kept an excess of(which I dont consider excess) are my books. I have many many survival manuals, outdoor skills books, military strategey books, biking books, etc. Knowlage is power. Ive read most of em, but at the rate I buy em, its hard to keep up. Its a goal of mine to get the whole bookshelf read this winter.

Through the hikes and past few camping trips, with minimal gear, Ive learned to appriciate what I have, the little things that make a trip more comfortable. A good fire, my pipe and a nice blade sure are sweet.

Im not against gear, I still love lusting over gear pics, etc, and will buy gear still, but its differant now. I buy on an as need basis.

To each his own. My way of enjoying this hobby is in no way right for every man/women. I dont care what you do or carry, as long as your satisfied. REALLY satisfied. Satisfied in your kit, your health, and just being out there.....

 

[TwoDogs]

For me, I got to the point where I didnt know what to get for what. I had all this gear, but always thought that Id be better off with something differant. It got pretty confusing. I have always been a woods junkie, and read my first military survival manual when I was 9. (my fathers from Nam) I cant say I was better off before bladeforums, b/c of the great friends Ive met here, that I know I will remain friends with for life, and all the skills/ neat shortcuts etc Ive learned, and hopefully been able to share, but gear wise, it was a bit easier before I learned that I needed a bunch of gear.

This summer, I went through a bit of a rough patch, which happens in life sometimes. I minimized every aspect of my life. Sold my big SUV when I realized that I had 3 rows of seats that were empty 98% of the time. I bought an old Nissan hardbody that I love. Not pretty, or high tech, but I love that ugly bastid. I sold most of my blades, keeping only a couple for sentment, and one user. My fiddleback bushcrafter that was a wedding present from my wife. I have one solo tent, one sleeping pad, one cookset. One Guyot, one cup. Sold alot of guns off that I didnt need. Ive got a shotgun, .22, .357, and am in the market for a good bolt action long range weapon. I have only one bike now. My Surly.

The only things I kept an excess of(which I dont consider excess) are my books. I have many many survival manuals, outdoor skills books, military strategey books, biking books, etc. Knowlage is power. Ive read most of em, but at the rate I buy em, its hard to keep up. Its a goal of mine to get the whole bookshelf read this winter.

Through the hikes and past few camping trips, with minimal gear, Ive learned to appriciate what I have, the little things that make a trip more comfortable. A good fire, my pipe and a nice blade sure are sweet.

Im not against gear, I still love lusting over gear pics, etc, and will buy gear still, but its differant now. I buy on an as need basis.

To each his own. My way of enjoying this hobby is in no way right for every man/women. I dont care what you do or carry, as long as your satisfied. REALLY satisfied. Satisfied in your kit, your health, and just being out there.....

:thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Toucan Oasis]

Bushman. You're up to 5700.Posts
Take a hike.
I can head up there with the exact same kit I carry here. Toss in 4 pieces of cold weather gear and I'm good to go for most places. Same bag, boots, pack, stove,knives, lights,water purification, cell phone, first aid kit, shell. etc etc

Montana, NDAlaska, Maine and other areas of Hades:thumbdn: would require some SERIOUS modifications.
In that case I'd just drop by your place and load up.:thumbup:

 

[Rick Marchand]

I'll share with you when i got HIT.

I grew up in the woods behind my house. At 9-10 my mother had enough confidence to let me "Over-night" out there on the weekends. My gear consisted of a coffee can, 10ft nylon rope, matches, the sharpened head off a garden hoe and a 2ft sq. piece of plywood..... 10 years later I was toting 50+lbs of "ultralight" gear on canoe trips. (not including the food pack).

When I was 24-25yrs old my younger cousin was able to come out on the family Algonquin trip. He showed up with what looked like an empty pack. Garbage bag raingear, Buck 119, no flashlight, 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, a plate, spoon and his smokes. We teased him the whole trip. Afterwards, the older cousins and I couldn't stop talking about how well he got along without all the stuff. Infact, how much better off he was for not having it!

That was 12+yrs ago... his pack is 50lbs now. lol.


Rick

 

[longbow50]

My pack is about 30# during the summer and 35# during the winter, not counting ammo, weapon or water.