Woods Pack Liposuction

Status
Not open for further replies.
johnspark

johnspark

Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
611
What have you done to reduce weight in your day hike pack?

I really run pretty lite already, but I'm looking for other ideas.

Example: I have done the following recently.

FAK cordura pack container - replaced with ziplock bag.
Fire Tender reduced to one emergency wet fire tab
Cordage reduced to 50' hank.

I'm thinking of ditching the Ti spatula and spoon combo and just using a knife if necessary. Thoughts?

All of this is due to the fact that I like to carry optics, and camera gear to the trails. I'll eventually get a decent camera and equipment so I've got to narrow things down.
 
I'm always looking for a way to cut a little weight, however, I don't mind taking a few extra things for emergencies, to work on some skills in a safe environment and for fun.

For example, I could leave my Trek Light Hammock home most of the time, but I never know when I'll find a couple trees I just have to span and take a quick snooze! Well worth the 20 oz. :thumbup:
 
sounds like you need cubage - not necessarily to cut down weight.
that said, the ti spork doesn't take up much of either, and comes in handy at mealtime - beats cutting your tongue, anyway.
have you considered vacuum packing the things that don't get used regularly?
I've heard of other folks using a meal saver to make pack contents watertight.
 
1066vik said:
sounds like you need cubage - not necessarily to cut down weight.
that said, the ti spork doesn't take up much of either, and comes in handy at mealtime - beats cutting your tongue, anyway.
have you considered vacuum packing the things that don't get used regularly?
I've heard of other folks using a meal saver to make pack contents watertight.
Click to expand...


I really don't have anything that doesn't get used regularly in my day hike kit.
That's a good idea though.

Joe Fowler said:
For example, I could leave my Trek Light Hammock home most of the time, but I never know when I'll find a couple trees I just have to span and take a quick snooze! Well worth the 20 oz. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. They make great hasty chairs and viewing platforms. I really can't wait to get a good camera so I can post up the pics.
 
Dibley said:
I'm thorruh, wa di uuu thay? I cu my tun tho bad tha way i affe-teh my typih.
Click to expand...

ROFLMAO.... :)

Seriously, I gave up trying to reduce what I take into the woods long ago. I carry what I carry, and take whatever I feel will make the trip more enjoyable. Yeah I carry extra stuff, have pouches to keep everything organized, have doubles of some items. But... well quite frankly I don't care. I use to try and reduce the weight of my gear, and most of the time I found I missed one item or another enough so that I wished I had it with me. And I am not one to take the idea of "unforseen" events lightly. One other thing. I get out to the woods so rarely these days, that I tend to take extra blades and gear that I really don't need, just so I can try them out.
 
johnspark said:
Fire Tender reduced to one emergency wet fire tab.
Click to expand...

Tinder doesn't weigh much and could be lifesaving in an emergency, I wouldn't skimp on this.
There must be other non-essential stuff you could eliminate to reduce weight.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
I dropped 30 pounds off my ass, so I didn't have to worry about my pack weight.

:cool:
Click to expand...

Funny, I was thinking that I need to do the same (well, about double the weight:foot:), instead of buying lighter equipment:thumbup:
 
MrCoffee said:
Well I refering to actual size dude.... I weight 156lbs as of 8 this morning and I am 6ft tall.... there just aint a lot of ass to lose....
Click to expand...

Man, we could make two of you, between me and my husband, and still be here afterwards ...:p
 
Cpl Punishment said:
I dropped 30 pounds off my ass, so I didn't have to worry about my pack weight.

:cool:
Click to expand...

I hear ya. I have hovered around 175 most of my life. Being 6ft tall it was all good. But in the last year I bumped up to 200 and man can I tall the difference in daily activities. I gotta get out and hit the trail more.
 
MrCoffee said:
Well I refering to actual size dude.... I weight 156lbs as of 8 this morning and I am 6ft tall.... there just aint a lot of ass to lose....
Click to expand...

I got you by 2 lbs and an inch. Not sure if I win anything though.



As far as cutting weight, the usual method is laying everything out and seeing if there are multiple items that do the same thing, could be replaced bylighter items or can be lost all together. Your Ti spork is prolly heavier than plasticware from a fastfood joint.

You could try replacing your nalgene type bottle with a regular aquafina/ozark/fiji bottle and lose some weight there. there are some crazy light ones out there but will cost and won't protect any fancy camera gear. With out knowing your loadout it is a stab in the dark though.
 
luckykitty said:
Man, we could make two of you, between me and my husband, and still be here afterwards ...:p
Click to expand...

Just one of those things about me.... When I was younger I struggled to keep weight on, had a really hard time with it. When I went to high school for my first day I was 5'11" and 113lbs. When I joined the Army I was 133lbs. Made it up to 185 at one point, then got married and dropped to 133-135lbs. Now in my late 40's I tend to be around 155-160 most of the time.

One thing I have noticed thou, I can walk for days on end and never seem to really tire out, as long as it isnt really rough ground.
 
GhostWolf said:
I hear ya. I have hovered around 175 most of my life. Being 6ft tall it was all good. But in the last year I bumped up to 200 and man can I tall the difference in daily activities. I gotta get out and hit the trail more.
Click to expand...

last time I dropped below 200 pounds I got deathly ill and almost died, because I was too skinny to have any reserves for my immune system.
currently I could stand to convert some of my "survival storage" to lean(er) mass, but I still don't want to drop below 225.
 
I gave up on reducing weight factor and tried reducing sissy factor. Cool part is it actually worked! That is, until my hips blew out, and now I ruck the same weight with a new friend, osteoarthritis.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top