how would you describe the weight of your gear?

[jacko1956]

I posted "lightweight" but it's a fairly variable thing.
I have light pack (ULA Circuit and Catalyst), Neoair, down bag, titanium alcohol stove and either small titanium stand or titanium caldera cone.
Carry mostly two minute noodles and a couple of dehydrated meals, muesli and sultanas etc.
But then I quit happily throw in whatever I feel suits me for what I'm doing.
e.g. a stainless steel billy, a litre of real milk, apples, oranges, chocolate, sausages, magazines/books, DSLR instead of point and shoot.
So when I try or want to be I can definitely be lightweight but I'm happy to short term throw in several more kilos on a whim or a gastric urge.

[wayno]

I've got a Montbell 0 for winter
<----wuss
I don't want to carry more than 15 kg
Lighter in summer.
Medium?

yeah around medium i'd say. esp if you're lighter in summer maybe medium light depending on how much lighter.
i'm 10 in summer, 13 in winter. and i class my gear as medium light.

[wayno]

lifes to short for a cold sleeping bag....

[Orion]

Pounds and ounces, usually, although I sometimes go with grams and kilos.

I think all of my gear in one big pile would be triple digits in pounds, which is kind of heavy. But if it were spread out over a football field, what I could pick up without walking around would be pretty light, on average. Does that answer the question?

[ILUVSWTAS]

Pounds and ounces, usually, although I sometimes go with grams and kilos.

I think all of my gear in one big pile would be triple digits in pounds, which is kind of heavy. But if it were spread out over a football field, what I could pick up without walking around would be pretty light, on average. Does that answer the question?

about as logically as the posed question.

[Tortoise]

Too darn much. Ask me again in a year or two

Edit: I went for above medium weight, but on this forum i probably should have gone for heavy weight. Hard for me to keep under 20kg for 7 days (Tassie mountains), heaviest I've carried is 23kg - which as people have pointed out, is a little heavy for someone <60kg

Have started counting grams and will trial various things - the body ain't what it used to be.
But i do love my 'supertanker' - never have to hassle re getting everything back in - but I probably should leave the handy extra side pockets at home...

Oh, and I don't often take the tripod, lounge chair etc that i took this time.

Last edited by Tortoise on Thu 31 Jan, 2013 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Moondog55]

OOK and OK I am logging into ebay now and buying some scales, I'm sure my rucksack weighed over a tonne and a half last winter.
I guess the only way to weigh stuff is to use a set of scales that can handle the whole packed bag at once

[Orion]

I guess the only way to weigh stuff is to use a set of scales that can handle the whole packed bag at once

That's just one way. If your stuff isn't too massive you can weigh parts and use a calculator. Best to have an accurate scale for doing it that way and a hanging "fish" type for weighing the whole enchilada.

[quicky]

I've been really enjoying the UL pursuit lately...forcing myself to reconsider everything about the way I hike, and what I hike with.

Operating within a totally different risk paradigm has also forced me to reconsider my own capability and skills....and essentially changes the way I think for the duration of the hike....in a good way.

UL for me...for now...with a 3 season maximum total base weight of around 4.5kg. 4 Season is sitting at around 6kg.

[neilmny]

OOK and OK I am logging into ebay now and buying some scales, I'm sure my rucksack weighed over a tonne and a half last winter.
I guess the only way to weigh stuff is to use a set of scales that can handle the whole packed bag at once

I've got digital bathroom scales, just step on with and step on without, apply a complex mathematical formula (a-b=c) and all is revealed to 0.1 of a Kg.

[sim1oz]

Did I miss something? Where did you define what they are? OK, here's my contribution... According to Mike Clelland, US lighweight guru and author of "Ultralight Backpackin' Tips", you get labelled according to your base weight which is everything in your pack but excludes consumables and worn items. So

Traditional base weight over 20 lbs >9kg
Lightweight (LW) base weight under 20 lbs <9kg
Ultralight (UL) base weight under 10 lbs <4.5kg
Sub-ultralight (SUL) base weight under 5 lbs <2.3kg

For those who like definitions in formulaic form: Skin-Out Weight = Base Weight + Consumables + worn items (Note: Pack Weight = Base Weight + Consumables)

And where do I fit? Well for most walks in non-alpine Victoria, I am at the lower end of LW, hovering just above UL. On an easy summer trip I would become UL. On a winter trip or longer trip where I need to be prepared for a wider range of weather, I would be somewhere in the mid LW range. When I did the Overland Track last March my entire pack weight including food and water was just under 13kg and I took way too much food but had everything I needed to cope with the rain and snow. It does help that I generally walk with my partner so sharing gear means lower weight.

Since the general rule of thumb I keep reading about the place is to carry no more than a third of your body weight, I really wouldn't want to carry more than 15-20kg so I need to keep my base weight low if I want to carry a 7-10 days of food.

[north-north-west]

Now, if you could just define 'Base Weight'?

[quicky]

Now, if you could just define 'Base Weight'?

Base Weight = TSO (total skin-out) - (Consumables + Worn Items)
...essentially, what ever you're carrying that isn't worn or consumed (fuel, food, sunscreen etc.)


@ Sim1oz
That seems pretty close to the mark with how it's all defined. My friend John Abela defines it almost the same:
HH – Heavy Haulers = Anybody with a BPW of over 18 pounds (8.2 kg).
LW – Light Weight = Anybody with a BPW of between 13 pounds (5.9 kg) and 18 pounds (8.2 kg).
UL – Ultra Light = Anybody with a BPW of 12 pounds (5.4 kg) and under.
SUL – Super Ultra Light = Anybody with a BPW of under 5 pounds (2.3 kg).
XUL – eXtreme Ultra Light = Anybody with a BPW of under 3 pounds (1.4 kg).

I've stretched my challenge toward SUL a few times now, which I seem to manage out to about 2-3 nights hiking. It certainly makes for interesting times.

[corvus]

A lot of time spent on weights for what I suspect is just for the occasional walk over for at the most a long weekend or even every weekend
Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ? I suspect that with work commitments not too many so I am interested as to how you can honestly comment on your pack weights good or bad for your experience in long term walks.
No disrespect to those of you who use UL gear ,to each their own I believe just needed to ask
corvus

[quicky]

A lot of time spent on weights for what I suspect is just for the occasional walk over for at the most a long weekend or even every weekend
Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ? I suspect that with work commitments not too many so I am interested as to how you can honestly comment on your pack weights good or bad for your experience in long term walks.
No disrespect to those of you who use UL gear ,to each their own I believe just needed to ask
corvus

You're right, it is a lot of time spent on weights....but the real value comes from not focussing on 'weight' savings, but from the changes and improvements in technique borne from going UL. Sure, there are many ways to improve, it's just that UL is one way that has parallel benefits...going lighter makes for many advantages. Mind you, anyone can buy their way into UL or any other category for that matter, but the real changes come with doing it right, safely and efficiently when out hiking. I guess for some, even if they only get away for the occasional weekend, it allows them to stay engaged in between those distant weekends.

No disrespect taken...they're all solid, and valid questions for sure.

For me, my 'on-trail' regularity looks a little like this:
Overnighters: approx 12 per year (which includes those spent with my 3 year old daughter)
2-4 nights: approx 4-5 per year (this is usually where my ocean kayak/camp trips fit in as well...UL kayaking....lets me paddle faster for longer! )
5-6 days plus: averaging about 2 per year

In all honesty I am constantly reminded of the benefits of going lighter. Plus, it adds an extra 'fun' dimension to hiking.

Now, I'd better go and do some housework before I never get the chance to hike again!!

[corvus]

G'day a gain quicky.
Love to see you are walking with your daughter keep it up as they grow up so fast
corvus

[Mark F]

I described my gear weight as lightweight. My base weights range from 4.5 kg for low altitude summer trips on tracks up to 6 kg for more demanding trips at higher altitude. To me (in my 60's) the weight thing is important as it allows me to keep walking and doing quite challenging walks rather slowly! My aim this year is to be out for at least 50 nights - 10 so far and another 25 planned in July on the HRP + a few conditioning trips in the autumn.

Sleeping - quilt + silk inner + neoair 1kg - add 500g for below freezing trips.
Shelter - solo Zpacks Hexamid+ and home made inner 425g. 850g for 2 persons (SMD cuben Haven + inner)
Pack - short trips with under 10 kg total - home made pack 600g. Over 10kg load Macpac Amp 40 1.1kg (after mods)
Cooking & water + treatment 500-700g
Clothes carried 1-1.5 kg
Sundries (1st aid, navigation, camera etc) 1-1.5 kg

[Moondog55]

It's pretty hard to break into the LW group when your rucksack alone weighs almost 5 kilos but above the snowline I really think I need the big pack. I haven't actually done a summer walk in over a decade but if I do the Macpac external frame is my lightest pack at 1.7 kilos

[Orion]

It's pretty hard to break into the LW group when your rucksack alone weighs almost 5 kilos but above the snowline I really think I need the big pack. I haven't actually done a summer walk in over a decade but if I do the Macpac external frame is my lightest pack at 1.7 kilos

The LW/UL/SUL/XUL is meant for relatively benign conditions. It doesn't apply elsewhere and if you try to apply it you could end up falling into the SL (stupid light) category. I suppose, if we cared, we could create weight cutoffs for different situations. What would be the XUL weight level for a mid-winter antarctic expedition?

[Moondog55]

Orion I actually think I know the answer to that one, but I would have to reread Ranulphs pages to get it right.

[photohiker]

A lot of time spent on weights for what I suspect is just for the occasional walk over for at the most a long weekend or even every weekend
Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ?

[wayno]

yup four.

[Miyata610]

Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ?

Anyway.......

My gear probably qualifies as heavyweight.

However, I could make up a super duper lightweight setup using gear I have......

Shelter, -6° bag, mat, wet weather gear, and assuming I eat cold food.... 1.884kg plus food. If I carry it in a shopping bag it will be about 1.9kg..... You really don't need a pack if its less than a couple of kilos do you?

Just shows how silly you can get I guess.

[Orion]

Orion I actually think I know the answer to that one, but I would have to reread Ranulphs pages to get it right.

I was thinking of him when I posed the question. I read Stroud's book Survival of the Fittest some time back and I recall some discussion about sled weights on his trip with Fiennes, something like 200kg for 100 days, but most of that would have ben food and fuel. I don't recall what the base weight was but I'll bet they went with a thin margin, just like a bushwalker who is SUL/XUL.

Once you include a sled in the mix (or skis, skins, crampons, ice axe, rope, climbing gear) getting the base weight below 5 lbs becomes VERY challenging.

[Moondog55]

On his previous trip he did go stupid light and lost 30% of his body mass and had to use his rescue insurance as he did not have the physical strength left to finish the distance before the ship departed.
I think on the first Antarctic traverse they had a daily ration of only 4500 calories half of which was butter and olive oil and poor attention to utensil hygiene brought about by too little fuel caused food poisoning which was debilitating.
2kg per day consumables is stupid in those conditions, 3kg may be too much but I doubt it; I know on his first traverse he did not even bother with a down suit, I must find the book and see what his base weight was

[Son of a Beach]

Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ?

Before I had kids, I would put my hand up. These days though, it's only about 1 extended walk every 2 years.

But now that the kids are old enough to do some small overnighters with us, I think I'll forgive them. Actually, walking with the kids is really cool. They love it, and get very excited and their excitement is contagious. Will be doing Lees Paddocks with the 4 yo in a few weeks, and then Shadow Lake with the whole family a couple of weeks after that.

In order to make my post more on topic...

I'm not really a weight worrier but I think I'd be medium light. I don't weigh the stuff so don't know for sure. I think that my fully-laden pack (ie, including food and everything) would be about 15 kg for a two or three day walk. It gets up to 25 - 30 kg for a two week walk (again, just guessing).

When I first started doing overnight walks, I used to think 15 kg was very light for a fully-laden pack (including food). But gear has improved a lot in the last three decades and I think that 15 kg is quite normal and easy to achieve these days.

The primary difficulty that I have with lightening the load is that it is difficult to justify spending loads of money replacing heavy old gear with light new gear when the old gear still works perfectly well. The secondary problem is similarly funds-related: I cannot justify the cost of having several versions of each type of item to use in different conditions or for different lengths of walks. So even for short walks, I use my heavy 80 litre pack, because I need it for longer walks and can't afford two packs. Similarly, my sleeping bag is for cold winter conditions and in summer I use the same bag unzipped or as a quilt. Etc, etc.

[Moondog55]

Hands up how many of you do more than one multi day say 6 plus per year ?

Before I had kids, I would put my hand up. These days though, it's only about 1 extended walk every 2 years.

But now that the kids are old enough to do some small overnighters with us, I think I'll forgive them. Actually, walking with the kids is really cool. They love it, and get very excited and their excitement is contagious. Will be doing Lees Paddocks with the 4 yo in a few weeks, and then Shadow Lake with the whole family a couple of weeks after that.

In order to make my post more on topic...

I'm not really a weight worrier but I think I'd be medium light. I don't weigh the stuff so don't know for sure. I think that my fully-laden pack (ie, including food and everything) would be about 15 kg for a two or three day walk. It gets up to 25 - 30 kg for a two week walk (again, just guessing).

When I first started doing overnight walks, I used to think 15 kg was very light for a fully-laden pack (including food). But gear has improved a lot in the last three decades and I think that 15 kg is quite normal and easy to achieve these days.

The primary difficulty that I have with lightening the load is that it is difficult to justify spending loads of money replacing heavy old gear with light new gear when the old gear still works perfectly well. The secondary problem is similarly funds-related: I cannot justify the cost of having several versions of each type of item to use in different conditions or for different lengths of walks. So even for short walks, I use my heavy 80 litre pack, because I need it for longer walks and can't afford two packs. Similarly, my sleeping bag is for cold winter conditions and in summer I use the same bag unzipped or as a quilt. Etc, etc.

There is just so much in this post I agree with I just had to quote the whole thing, especially the part about walking and camping with your kidlings

[Onestepmore]

especially the part about walking and camping with your kidlings

It's like Christmas. It all just becomes so much fun again when you involve kids.

A few unplanned variables get thrown into the mix, like the occasional meltdown, extra things to do if you get stuck in bad weather, the stuffed toy that has to come.
And chocolate (we have 'emergency Freddos')

The extra bits of weight we carry are well worth the memories and experiences

[wayno]

It's like Christmas. It all just becomes so much fun again when you involve kids.

A few unplanned variables get thrown into the mix, like the occasional meltdown, extra things to do if you get stuck in bad weather, the stuffed toy that has to come.
And chocolate (we have 'emergency Freddos')

The extra bits of weight we carry are well worth the memories and experiences

thats very honest of you to admit to having meltdowns... its good you have kids there to sort things out for you....

Last edited by wayno on Sat 02 Feb, 2013 3:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

[wayno]

if you're worried about the cost of gear, you can get great deals buying second hand, and you might get something for your old gear. if you do the math it may work out for some gear at least..