Hi all,
I've just arrived back from a 5 day trip. It was meant to be a 7 day trip, but we completed the walk faster than planned.
As we weren't sure what the water situation was like in the region we were walking, we had to haul a full days water load (6L) on top of 7 days food (7kg). My pack ended up around the 19kg mark, and my two companions each carried 21kg and 27kg respectively.
About 1/4 of the trip was offtrack/ bushbashing. Anyone who does this sort of walking along a creek knows how tiring it can be. Your speed is slowed down to 1km/hr in places and you have to use hands and feet to steady yourself.
We walked 10hrs most days and 14 hrs the last day. The extra load really showed itself in the last few hours of the day. One companion stepped down from a log onto a rock and his ankle went from under him. It swelled up to a large size but he strapped it up and continued walking. An hr later my other companion carrying the 27kg pack also had his ankle go from under him.
Now both these guys are experienced offtrack walkers with ankles used to the lateral stress of untracked bush. The difference was the extra weight on their backs.
I know ultralight walking isn't in vogue on this forum and I'm certainly not here to preach it. But when walking for 10 hrs a day, the difference 6 or 7 kg on your back makes is noticeable. It's one thing to don a heavy pack and walk for an hr or two. It's another to wear that pack all day offtrack. For numerous days in a row. It really takes its toll.
One of my friends cut his foot open that night while on a pee break. He was walking barefoot and stepped on an animal bone, which sliced open his heel. Strained ankle on one side, sliced heel on the other. He had to walk 30km the next day before we could evac him.
Of the knives we took on the trip, a mora, an opinel and a Breeden bushcraft, all excelled at being light, keeping a sharp edge and cutting well. They were used for food prep, popping blisters, carving an adjustible cooking crane, tent pegs, splitting wood and casting sparks.
It's interesting that when it comes to the crunch, the knives we all chose to pack were not our big heavy expensive ones!
I've just arrived back from a 5 day trip. It was meant to be a 7 day trip, but we completed the walk faster than planned.
As we weren't sure what the water situation was like in the region we were walking, we had to haul a full days water load (6L) on top of 7 days food (7kg). My pack ended up around the 19kg mark, and my two companions each carried 21kg and 27kg respectively.
About 1/4 of the trip was offtrack/ bushbashing. Anyone who does this sort of walking along a creek knows how tiring it can be. Your speed is slowed down to 1km/hr in places and you have to use hands and feet to steady yourself.
We walked 10hrs most days and 14 hrs the last day. The extra load really showed itself in the last few hours of the day. One companion stepped down from a log onto a rock and his ankle went from under him. It swelled up to a large size but he strapped it up and continued walking. An hr later my other companion carrying the 27kg pack also had his ankle go from under him.
Now both these guys are experienced offtrack walkers with ankles used to the lateral stress of untracked bush. The difference was the extra weight on their backs.
I know ultralight walking isn't in vogue on this forum and I'm certainly not here to preach it. But when walking for 10 hrs a day, the difference 6 or 7 kg on your back makes is noticeable. It's one thing to don a heavy pack and walk for an hr or two. It's another to wear that pack all day offtrack. For numerous days in a row. It really takes its toll.
One of my friends cut his foot open that night while on a pee break. He was walking barefoot and stepped on an animal bone, which sliced open his heel. Strained ankle on one side, sliced heel on the other. He had to walk 30km the next day before we could evac him.
Of the knives we took on the trip, a mora, an opinel and a Breeden bushcraft, all excelled at being light, keeping a sharp edge and cutting well. They were used for food prep, popping blisters, carving an adjustible cooking crane, tent pegs, splitting wood and casting sparks.
It's interesting that when it comes to the crunch, the knives we all chose to pack were not our big heavy expensive ones!
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