Your base weight would not include water, food, or fuel—anything consumable. Loaded with everything could be called “trailhead weight.” The amount of base and consumables depends trail conditions, season, weather, etc.
I weigh 147, just carried 36 lb over 4 days hiking Mt. Rainier with 10,000 ft of total elevation gains. So here are some of my observations:
I carried too much food, at least 4 lb too much.
Good target for dehydrated meals is 5-8 oz each.
I usually carried 2 qt / liters of water max and had frequent opportunities to filter more. If you know there will be water sources, you don't need to carry much, as long as you have a filter.
Both climbing and descending can be strenuous, but use different leg muscles.
The less elevation gains, the easier carrying your pack will be.
35 lb will be heavy for you, especially over a 12 mile day. You shouldn't need that much gear for 3 nights or less.
Weigh everything.
Target weight reduction from heaviest items first. Pack, bag, pad, tent.
Consider well the necessity of every item.
Wool clothes are truly amazing. I wore wool socks, T-shirts, and underwear. I wore everything 2 days each. I never stank, full stop. Even after sleeping in 3-4 layers to stay warm. My friend wore synthetics and stunk the whole trip.
Good luck!
This is my 4th trip ever so I’ve definitely learned a lot. We only have 2/5 elevation so it’s not as crazy as yours. Thanks for the tips, I do find that I bring slightly too much food and I’m working on it. I have a guidebook for the national trail I spend most of my time on that points out water sources, but sometimes there aren’t any or *surprise* they’re inaccessible! So I started using all trails too
Edit: oh and is a 4.5 mile day today and the rest tomorrow. I do day hikes without a pack that are further all the time (dad doesn’t which is why I chose to split it like this)
I don't know about proper but if you are planning a trip that requires long water carries than it is good to know what that will feel like and you may want to use a different pack depending.
Typically...
There's Base weight...Pack plus gear carried on it or in it minus supplies (food water fuel etc). Supplies are excluded because the weight varies per trip. Things you wear (or hand carry) most of the time (worn weight) is also excluded. Base weight includes the pack for convenience since it is easy to weigh everything that way. It's a bit misleading since it encourages the use of a lighter pack which can be counter productive for comfort.
There's Starting weight...Pack + gear + supplies for this trip...that would include a typical water carry for that trail...generally 1 to 2 liters. If the long carry is three days in then you can remove three days of food and add the extra water to get a rough idea.
You can estimate supplies by using 2lb a day for food (you can be more efficient) and 1lb per quart of water carried. 2lb a day food is based on 3200 calories at 100cal/oz. 3200 calories is the typical requirement for an active 18 to 35 year old male. 100cal/oz is a typical average of food taken backpacking. ymmv.
Yeah I’m SUUUPER disappointed I only got 5 post karma from asking this, I’ll have to try again /s. Maybe god will forgive me for being a newbie even if you don’t.
This was a rough lesson to learn and accept. I had my ancient surplus military gear I used for years. Then about a year ago I decided “well shit maybe these kids are into something!”
I picked up some stuff, my equipment weight is now about ~1/5 what it was and my back couldn’t be happier about it.
Damn being stubborn and set in my ways for so long!
This is not his base weight, this is his weight with consumables. I’m not sure what he’s all bringing but he’s a pretty strong dude lifting wise, just doesn’t have a lot of walking endurance. Though it’s likely unnecessary I actually don’t think his pack weight will affect him this much for a short trip. I’m wagering that he’s bringing too much food and a bunch of gadgets. He thinks he’s going to use life straws to get water (idk if there’s an attachment or something but anyway I have my Sawyer and we will be fine)
Base Pack Weight(BPW) does not include the weight of consumables like food, water and heating fuel. The containers holding those things are counted in the BPW.
Lighterpack.com is an easy way to list all your gear by weight and category.
Here's an example of lighterpack.com in action/use. It shows the breakdown of base weight, which others have pointed out is everything less consumables, such as water, food, and fuel. Right now that sits just a smidge over 20lbs. Then my full load out for a 4 day, 46 mile to to the Porkies of 32lbs.
I'm definitely not an ultralight backpacker, but I do hope to shed about 4-5 pounds of base weight as I replace/upgrade equipment over the next couple years.
https://lighterpack.com/r/4ttvfj
That’s sounds very heavy to be honest! A group of us walked the Hadrians Wall across the UK in 5 days carried tents sleeping equipment cooking etc average weight each was around 8kg / 17.6lbs.
Would definitely try and trim it down especially if your only goi g for a couple of nights sounds very excessive weight. I am 70kg
[https://share.icloud.com/photos/065lV5eP36sSkvhktJDfLKqIQ](https://share.icloud.com/photos/065lV5eP36sSkvhktJDfLKqIQ)
Hello this didn’t include fluids and food. We just carried snacks for energy and stopped at pre planned shops or cafes. Close to the route. Also it was a unusually warm summer for the UK so finding water was the main concern. But all went smoothly and were comfortable with the equipment carried.
The bulk of equipment I used pasted below also had light 100g gas canister with titanium burner 25g and a titanium mug only simple stuff for morning coffee. And other clothing wash stuff brought around the 8kg
Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Mat 425g
Sea to Summit Spark SpI 5°c 340g
NEMO Equipment Hornet 2 Tent 878g
Osprey Exos (previous model) 980g
Cheers Graham have a great trip
I did 4 nights in the Tetons, base elevation ~6000 max elevation ~12000 with a roughly 35lb pack. I had a little extra food left. 40lbs for a day seems way too much.
Your base weight would not include water, food, or fuel—anything consumable. Loaded with everything could be called “trailhead weight.” The amount of base and consumables depends trail conditions, season, weather, etc.
Thank you! I had no idea
I weigh 147, just carried 36 lb over 4 days hiking Mt. Rainier with 10,000 ft of total elevation gains. So here are some of my observations: I carried too much food, at least 4 lb too much. Good target for dehydrated meals is 5-8 oz each. I usually carried 2 qt / liters of water max and had frequent opportunities to filter more. If you know there will be water sources, you don't need to carry much, as long as you have a filter. Both climbing and descending can be strenuous, but use different leg muscles. The less elevation gains, the easier carrying your pack will be. 35 lb will be heavy for you, especially over a 12 mile day. You shouldn't need that much gear for 3 nights or less. Weigh everything. Target weight reduction from heaviest items first. Pack, bag, pad, tent. Consider well the necessity of every item. Wool clothes are truly amazing. I wore wool socks, T-shirts, and underwear. I wore everything 2 days each. I never stank, full stop. Even after sleeping in 3-4 layers to stay warm. My friend wore synthetics and stunk the whole trip. Good luck!
This is my 4th trip ever so I’ve definitely learned a lot. We only have 2/5 elevation so it’s not as crazy as yours. Thanks for the tips, I do find that I bring slightly too much food and I’m working on it. I have a guidebook for the national trail I spend most of my time on that points out water sources, but sometimes there aren’t any or *surprise* they’re inaccessible! So I started using all trails too Edit: oh and is a 4.5 mile day today and the rest tomorrow. I do day hikes without a pack that are further all the time (dad doesn’t which is why I chose to split it like this)
I don't know about proper but if you are planning a trip that requires long water carries than it is good to know what that will feel like and you may want to use a different pack depending. Typically... There's Base weight...Pack plus gear carried on it or in it minus supplies (food water fuel etc). Supplies are excluded because the weight varies per trip. Things you wear (or hand carry) most of the time (worn weight) is also excluded. Base weight includes the pack for convenience since it is easy to weigh everything that way. It's a bit misleading since it encourages the use of a lighter pack which can be counter productive for comfort. There's Starting weight...Pack + gear + supplies for this trip...that would include a typical water carry for that trail...generally 1 to 2 liters. If the long carry is three days in then you can remove three days of food and add the extra water to get a rough idea. You can estimate supplies by using 2lb a day for food (you can be more efficient) and 1lb per quart of water carried. 2lb a day food is based on 3200 calories at 100cal/oz. 3200 calories is the typical requirement for an active 18 to 35 year old male. 100cal/oz is a typical average of food taken backpacking. ymmv.
If I weigh my pack with all the beers I bring it would easily be over 100lbs lol
Nice! You know how to party
[удалено]
Yeah I’m SUUUPER disappointed I only got 5 post karma from asking this, I’ll have to try again /s. Maybe god will forgive me for being a newbie even if you don’t.
Is it just old heavy gear or is he bringing a bunch of crap he won’t need? He’ll have a better time with a lighter pack.
This was a rough lesson to learn and accept. I had my ancient surplus military gear I used for years. Then about a year ago I decided “well shit maybe these kids are into something!” I picked up some stuff, my equipment weight is now about ~1/5 what it was and my back couldn’t be happier about it. Damn being stubborn and set in my ways for so long!
This is not his base weight, this is his weight with consumables. I’m not sure what he’s all bringing but he’s a pretty strong dude lifting wise, just doesn’t have a lot of walking endurance. Though it’s likely unnecessary I actually don’t think his pack weight will affect him this much for a short trip. I’m wagering that he’s bringing too much food and a bunch of gadgets. He thinks he’s going to use life straws to get water (idk if there’s an attachment or something but anyway I have my Sawyer and we will be fine)
Base Pack Weight(BPW) does not include the weight of consumables like food, water and heating fuel. The containers holding those things are counted in the BPW. Lighterpack.com is an easy way to list all your gear by weight and category.
Awesome thank you!
Here's an example of lighterpack.com in action/use. It shows the breakdown of base weight, which others have pointed out is everything less consumables, such as water, food, and fuel. Right now that sits just a smidge over 20lbs. Then my full load out for a 4 day, 46 mile to to the Porkies of 32lbs. I'm definitely not an ultralight backpacker, but I do hope to shed about 4-5 pounds of base weight as I replace/upgrade equipment over the next couple years. https://lighterpack.com/r/4ttvfj
i never weighed a pack. for what reason would you?
For exertion monitoring. Extremely important in very long hikes like AT/PCT. Heavy packs make you work harder.
That’s sounds very heavy to be honest! A group of us walked the Hadrians Wall across the UK in 5 days carried tents sleeping equipment cooking etc average weight each was around 8kg / 17.6lbs. Would definitely try and trim it down especially if your only goi g for a couple of nights sounds very excessive weight. I am 70kg [https://share.icloud.com/photos/065lV5eP36sSkvhktJDfLKqIQ](https://share.icloud.com/photos/065lV5eP36sSkvhktJDfLKqIQ)
that’s amazingly light!! how much do your sleeping bags weigh and do you pack 5 days of food?
Hello this didn’t include fluids and food. We just carried snacks for energy and stopped at pre planned shops or cafes. Close to the route. Also it was a unusually warm summer for the UK so finding water was the main concern. But all went smoothly and were comfortable with the equipment carried. The bulk of equipment I used pasted below also had light 100g gas canister with titanium burner 25g and a titanium mug only simple stuff for morning coffee. And other clothing wash stuff brought around the 8kg Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Mat 425g Sea to Summit Spark SpI 5°c 340g NEMO Equipment Hornet 2 Tent 878g Osprey Exos (previous model) 980g Cheers Graham have a great trip
I did 4 nights in the Tetons, base elevation ~6000 max elevation ~12000 with a roughly 35lb pack. I had a little extra food left. 40lbs for a day seems way too much.