To Go Light or To Go Prepared...That is the question

a 20 or 30 lb pack when you have to carry a gallon or more of water is pretty ultralight considering;):thumbup:

I hate to carry water and a lot of times change my planned route if I know it's going to be really dry.

I remember hiking North Fork Mountain and we had to carry about a gallon and a half of water on each leg of the trip. For me that sort of rules out freeze dried food. I bought some of those "boil in bag" meals, heavier but no water. In the evening we'd boil dinner and then drink the water in tea. In the morning we'd boil coffee water and boil eggs in it too.;)
 
I don't think going light is the opposite of going prepared, at all. Depending on who you ask (ultralighter who shaves half the length off his toothbrushes versus someone who's hauled the ridiculous pounds of gear you get to carry in the military, rifle and all), I go light, and that doesn't mean I'm not prepared. It just means I don't carry stuff that I have no use for. :)
 
Elen said:
I don't think going light is the opposite of going prepared, at all. Depending on who you ask (ultralighter who shaves half the length off his toothbrushes versus someone who's hauled the ridiculous pounds of gear you get to carry in the military, rifle and all), I go light, and that doesn't mean I'm not prepared. It just means I don't carry stuff that I have no use for. :)
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True.

On a trip this summer some friends were with me and they kept needing stuff and I kept saying "I think I have something you can use for that"

Finally my one friend said: "Jim, you just have that little pack but everytime we need something somehow you pull it out of your pack"

I told her that was a great compliment and that was totally what I was aiming for:thumbup:;)
 
Talfuchre said:
Did I miss something - A gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds. What pounds are you talking about Doc?


TF
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LOL! The pounds are the same, only the gallon changes!

An imperial gallon is 10 pounds of water...

8.33 pounds of water is a "US Gallon."



Anyway I try to hit somewhere in the middle myself. I take a few big heavy items, like a self-inflating 4 season mat and, depending on the speed required, possibly a rifle but possibly not.

But then I go high-speed on the siltarp and dehydrated foods to balance it out.
 
hollowdweller said:
Finally my one friend said: "Jim, you just have that little pack but everytime we need something somehow you pull it out of your pack"

I told her that was a great compliment and that was totally what I was aiming for:thumbup:;)
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That is a very nice compliment to hear indeed. :thumbup: I love hearing it, especially from some of my friends that are carrying twice as much gear as I am.
 
i think that i also fall somewhere in the middle.... i try to pack as light/sparingly as possible, but i also like to be prepared... i do tend to pack an extra knife or 2.... which i'm sure most of you do too...:D
 
Go lite and go prepared. My age is starting to dictate needs, so when backpacking, even for an overnighter, I like to be comfortable, but I don't like carrying a lot of weight. With everything, including 80oz water, I'm just 31#.

Hiking, I've cut way down on gear. It fits into a single cargo pocket, but I spread it out into several pockets. Hardly any weight at all, but has all the gear that I need. Maybe a little over a lb., plus water and if I plan on stopping to eat, or have a hot drink, I add a shoulder bag with kitchen, shelter and food.
 
I think your shelter, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag are the big items.

You can really carry a lot of exta stuff if you can get those down to a certain size or weight.

I have a 0, 20, and 40 degree bag depending on how cold it's going to be.

I always bring rain protection but if there is an extremely high probability of rain then I bring more rain gear and maybe a communal tarp to cook under.

I usually use a 2000 cu in pack but since I was going in the cold last fall, and didn't want to bring my 4300 5 lb pack I bought a 3000. I may actually stick with the 3000 even though it has more room than I need for the summer because it was great on my shoulders and is really close to my body.

The only thing I have gone UP in weight on is sleeping pad. I have a Z lite which is what 15oz? but it is bulky. I have really been shooting to have nothing hanging off my pack and now I'm using a Big Agnes which is heavier but rolls up much smaller so it fits in my pack.
 
i'm another in-betweener.

the key to my pack is, like has been mentioned, getting out and trying different stuff, and keeping an idea in my head of things that i didn't use and things i wished i had.

this way i can minimalize extra stuff to cut back weight.

you can be quite comfortable and well prepared with a minimum of weight, it is just a matter of finding what works best for you. of course, things like a first aid kit and some other things need to be carried regardless of frequency of use, but this is another personal decision.

for an overnighter in the winter (besides my clothes) i have my pack down around 10 pounds. that includes a litre of water and food. if i was out all day for both days, i would carry more water and food, probably bringing my weight up to around 20 pounds. still not too heavy though... this assumes i can have an open fire and insulate myself from the ground with leaves and things.
 
Regarding water I recall the time a few years back when I went backpacking through sections of South Dakota's Badlands in the summer. There is nearly zero potable water in the park other than what comes from the taps and spigots people have put in. When hiking away from the road and getting out a ways, you're SOL if you don't bring your own water. We found one bit of water in an old lazy stream bed but it was caked with silt and buffalo dung. No filter made today could touch that funky stuff. Boiling it would be like choking down a gritty milkshake. We each carried a gallon of water per day. I had just over three gallons in my pack (close to 30 lbs.!!) and i drank every last drop and wanted more.

I loved that trip even if I had to lug a lot of water. We saw some amazing sights not available from the road and made it out alive. One rattlesnake and one bison scare kept us on our toes, but danger, other than dehydration or heat stroke, was very manageable. They don't call it the Badlands for nothing though.
 
Well for me it depends on location and season. I prefer to winter hike/camp, in NH/VT the summer time can seem like a cattle drive with all the folks around. But reguardless of season, I carry more then I need to, and I know it. While my kit sheads some weight in the summer, and I dont add extra gear to "fill out" the pack, I still have a number of items I could ditch, but I won't.

My basic rule of thumb for the extras is that I added it for a good reason. So when I head out, I carry a decent FAK (just in case), several ways of firestarting, extra paracord I have never needed, a sleeping bag (hey I like to be comfortable), a couple of emergency blanets (in case).... etc. I can and have done without a lot of things I carry, but I see no reason to get the time to finally get out (doesn't happen as often as I would like) and have the weather change and be miserable, when for 5 or 6 extra pounds I can be warm and content.

The contents of my day/hiking pack do change, items get replaced with new items that do the job better, but for the most part, I rather be over prepared.
 
I'm in the process now of cutting back the extra stuff I don't really use consistently. Aside from a few small items squirreled away in smaller pockets, I always have a ziploc bag with my modified FAK, one of those heavy duty space tarps, and 50 ft of paracord in my pack. I have another ziploc with "the extra's" that's half filled with stuff I'd like to have with me, but isn't really essential. That's the bag I keep trying to knock down. If it's a short hike, I simply leave the entire bag out of my pack. In addition I've been working on cutting down my psk for belt carry (maxpedition M-1, though I recently added an M-2 to slim down the profiles), and usually carry my knife and leatherman on the belt too. I've been trying to figure out the best way to carry a GI canteen or Guyot with cup to boil water in; I want to belt carry it also...but I don't think it's possible without having something bulky or dangling on my belt....

So like you, usually it's the water that's the heaviest thing, as I prefer to carry 3L too even for a short day hike. I usually don't drink all of it, and it's not nearly as dry and hot here as it is where you are, but I like knowing I have extra water if I need it. Furthermore, if I'm with my GF, I usually make sure I carry 3L in case the 1L she carries isn't enough.

So you're not alone! I try to go lighter as well, but it's always a battle telling yourself "No, you really don't need to bring that" :) I think once I start doing overnighters though, the battle will get even harder...
 
For 3 season hiking a 10-15lb pack including a couple quarts of water should be all you need. Any more and you are over packing in my opinion.

The further away from help you plan to travel the heavier the pack.

SOme good suggestions here.

The basics:

Shelter, Fire
Water
Signalling
Injury Treatment

Skam
 
I figured that most would fall somewhere in the middle, but had to ask. Thinking about this some more I suppose that I could sacrifice a few items that I carry in case my trip turns into an overnighter. Then I'd just have to suffer through one uncomfortable night, rather than being slightly uncomfortable all day(carrying extra weight) and be slightly uncomfortable that night(without a proper sleep setup). If I just replace the blanket, pad, and bag with a good thermarest or the like I imagine I'll be fine with just my clothes. So that's about 2 or 3 pounds there.
The wild edibles book will no longer be taking trips with me, since I know this area very well now and all the edible plants where I'll be going. I forgot it was still at the bottom of my bag until I started trying to unpack and figure out this weight issue. That's close to a pound. Dropping the rifle and ammo weight in favor of a pack or two of ramen noodles will shave an unnecessary 3-5lb. It's no quail or rabbit, but much lighter.
A few more ideas in the works and some reorganizing and I think I'll get close to where I want. Then I'll just have to try it next month overnight.


Gautier
 
I start out trying to lite but usually by the time I get ready, I need a train to haul it all.:grumpy:

It started while camping with the whole family. Gone were the days when I would grab a knife and fire starter kit and go. When we went to deer camp, I had the old Wagoneer loaded and a small trailer as well. However that was two of us and we were going for two weeks. I think a mule train would work well for me.:D
 
One more for the in the middle category, I know that I carry too much, but If I'm in the mountains a 20C day can turn to a -20C blizzard for no apparent reason. I also tend to pack assuming that I'll have most of the "survival gear". FAK is a must, Micro-pur tabs will do for water, and a few hi-calorie granola bars will keep the insides warm. I have the R-value of a wet paper bag and the metabolism of a squirrel. that said, a short day hike in known territory drops the gear way down to a 10L butt pack, plus lunch maybe. but since most of my kit gets hauled around every day, the urban to rural switch isn't much.
 
Ming65 said:
Once I started accounting for what I carried I straight away droppped 5kg's (12lb) from my base load. All I did was set up a gear spreadsheet that records what I take and it's weight - at the end of a trip I spend 10 minutes with that spreadsheet and review what I've used. I get lighter and more streamlined year by year.

Water is crucial here in Oz also and I've carried up to 13 litres on some trips. With five days food and a days water my load for a 5 day trip is usually 15-18kg (30-35lb).

I've one question for my American adventure buddies though....you kicked the Poms (English) out 200 years ago - why are you still using their measuring sysem?:D
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We don't like change very much.;)
 
Like others have mentioned, a lot depends on the season. My late Spring to early Fall pack is a lot lighter than my Winter pack. I could likely get by with a light tarp and a ground sheet, along with a space blanket for warmer weather, and probably through Winter too with a good fire and survive, but I'd rather be a little more comfortable so a full shelter and tech blanket get thrown into the mix in the Winter. Yeah, it adds some weight, but it's worth it to me.
 
storl said:
I'm at ~5 lbs for gear, plus food and water, for a day hike. The gear is a tool kit (PSK, I guess) at about 1.5 lb, rain gear at 2 lb, and a few other odds and ends. Add in my camera gear, and that is another 3-5 lbs, depending on lens choices.
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Do you have any pics?

Ming65 said:
Once I started accounting for what I carried I straight away droppped 5kg's (12lb) from my base load. All I did was set up a gear spreadsheet that records what I take and it's weight - at the end of a trip I spend 10 minutes with that spreadsheet and review what I've used. I get lighter and more streamlined year by year.
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Would you be opposed to sharing the list with us? I am always looking to learn from others! :thumbup:

sicily02 said:
What Cpl. said I to carry a first aid kit but do not use it evey day. but i carry one.
I do not use the pot or the cup evey day but I still carry it.
There are some basics to think about.
Bryan
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Bryan, Where did you get those bags?
 
The principle that I've been getting my head around lately is that going light IS going prepared. Lighter pack = less chance of twisted ankle, jump off unstable rock faster, cross stream better, climb with better balance, not to mention less fatigue over time.

To me the key is not bringing two of things (ie skip the backup knife, flashlight, compass, jacket, etc.), and being real over time with what you really use. Also, I agree with folks that bringing food that doesn't have to be cooked can be a blessing both for weight and simplicity of travel.

Just for the sake of conversation there's an interesting debate over on backpackinglight.com about the value of bringing any more knife than a razorblade on a backpacking trip. Some of the guys there are partisans of a small scissors as their only cutting tool. I have to say that while I always bring something Delica-sized at least, I rarely have an essential use for it, in large part because I rarely build fires when backpacking.
 
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