I'm cutting back weight in my pack. for example: my cooking pot is 6 oz. could get a 4 oz for $50 or so. sleeping bag is 3 lb. could buy a lighter one:-?. i've drilled holes in everything (not the pot), but it looks like any more weight cut will cost $$$.
What is a few ounces of weight cut worth to you? How much more will you carry to save a buck?
im re-reading colin fletcher's "the complete walker"...the original one. im amazed at how much he carried. but his philosophy then was what it probably should be now. if you need it take it. as for cost, its money. will spending it now on a lighter version of what you already have, be money missed farther down the trail?
I carry no less than 50 lbs, good for the body.
I drive the Outfitter nuts. He says that I am constantly weighing, but I don't want to spend the money. It can be done.
i agree, with 4 liters and 7 days food i'm around 45-50 lb.
example: spend 200 bucks on a new pack to save 4 lbs? defintively.
spend an extra 75-100$ to choose a higher loft bag that will save you 25 oz? sure.
i think this question really only applies to the big four and clothing though, once you get into the grams game it seems that DIY really excels and offers more customizable lightweight stuff.
i'm still new at this and this is my guess... i'll be interested in seeing what others think/price oz to be worth.
ps karl, do you kayak or backpack?
my old man built his own woody (17 footer with front and rear bulkheads) and does week long trips, gear weight is around 80 lbs!!!
I buy what I can afford and pray my back doesn't give out when I need it most. As a Tuba player, 50 lbs really ain't that bad.
Im doing the AT SOBO in june. done some kayak camping. weight is not AS big of an issue. i do the delaware south of wilmington, del.
Ah, the cost per ounce issue. It's a good one.
The number depends on the size of the hiker, their experience, their health and fitness, their wealth or lack of that, and to some extent, their age.
I'm sure that a person in their 60s, newly retired, with some money would gladly pay more per ounce to save weight than a person taking a semester off from a high-priced college, for example.
Imagine someone with no money, who's big and fit. They'd pay little to save weight. Someone in their late 60s, smallish, starting to feel the aches of age, who has stashed away a few million might pay a considerable amount.
Heck, some people would probably pay to have someone else carry their gear!
I have gotten into going light since returning to backpacking about 2 years ago. Used to go with about 30-40 pounds. Now I am down to as little as [stopping to check spreadsheet] 11 pounds for a summer 2-nighter, or up to 20 lbs. for a winter 2 nighter. That includes a GPS, a camera, and a little bit of Bourbon to toast the end of a day on the trail. These are, needless to say, weighty encumbrances for the simple pleasure of hiking, but they bring me satisfaction on the trail.
I choose my rig based upon the total load, where I am going and what the camping conditions will be like, and what I want to accomplish. Distance? Just "getting away?" Photography? For instance, I have 4 sleeping-comfort levels to choose from (1) a blue foam pad for the lightest load, (2) a Prolite self-inflating mattress, (3) an air mattress, and (4) a hammock. I will tent, tarp, cowboy, or tree-hang, depending on anticipated conditions. This sometimes causes problems when I have to pack to leave, as I have options to choose from.
But since I have got a basically light rig, I am thinking about packing based on what gear will give me satisfaction. In the end, I am fond of Sgt Rock's aphorism: The more I carry, the more in enjoy camping. The less I carry, the more I enjoy hiking.
Forgot to mention that last year I got my eyes "lasiked." Cost me $2500. Saved me about 0.5 ounces. I no longer have to carry contact lens kit (container, solution, extra lenses if lose one, hand-claening solution, etc.) plus glasses for nightime when lenses are out.
Now I have to carry "reading glasses" because I can't see well when things like a map are up close.
But that $2500 has been the best money I ever spent in my life (on myself).
I have no idea,but when I bought the carbon fiber tent stakes to replace the titanium ones my wife said ENOUGH.
When I replace a old piece of gear with a lighter piece I'm more concerned with what to do with the old piece than the cost of the new piece. I feel a certain amouny of loyality to my old gear and I don't like to see it go to waste.
Depends upon how far you're carrying it.
If you're going to carry it 2,000 miles, ask yourself you much you would be willing to pay not to carry a pound that far. Would you pay $10 an ounce or $160 a pound not to carry it? More or less? If you're only going 100 miles, it wouldn't be worth as much.
My pack weight is about 45 lb with 4 weeks of food and 2 liter of water. I dont like town stops. With out food and water it is 17 to 18 lb. I have never ate much when i hike and do suffer a weight lose problem while out on the trail.
When I hiked the AT in 2000 my pack weighed 40 LB. Now I try to keep it to about 20 LB. I camel up and carry 1 liter of water. I try to resupply every three days to keep the pack weight down. You can hike well or camp well...you just have decide which you want to do. Bounce boxes work. I've carried heavy packs and light packs...I prefer light. Many of the changes I made didn't cost much. I went from a $300 dollar slick rock to a $70 tarp. Down sleeping bag, G4 pack, minimum alcohol stove all work fine for me.
carrying 1 pound 2000 miles is like carrying 1 ton 1 mile.
Anyone know how much it cost's to rent a Sherpa for 5 months?
Between "good hiking" and "good camping", I use to be good at hiking. Now that I'm a bit older, my preference leans more to good camping. I don't mind carrying a bit more wieght (still under 40#) if my off-trail time is more pleasent. Heck, it's not important for me anymore to make the BIG miles since I'm not as fast at hiking as I use to be. It is more important to me to just enjoy the trip (including the camping) even if it's at a slower pace. I would not spend huge amounts of money to go a few ounces less. Much rather have that money for use on the trail.
:eek:That is a ridiculously expensive pot. Check these pots (http://www.antigravitygear.com/products.php?cat=11) out.
our packs - his was a tiny bit heavier (but larger and external frame to carry more) and mine is much smaller / lighter as I have a weight limit these days.
We switched from a Whisperlite International stove to a larger alcohol stove - and lost about 1.5 lbs including the fuel bottle.
We switched to titanium cookware and went back to aluminum because titanium doesn't work for the way we cook.
We had to switch to heavier mats from our ridgerest - old, banged up bodies need more padding. To compensate for this, we switched to a double quilt from two sleeping bags - a move that saved some serious weight - and overall our sleep system lost about 9 ozs.
We have switched to silnylon ponchos from coated and lost about 2 poundsAs to cost - the stove was $20, but those can be made pretty easily (He-Dino wanted one in Ti). The tent was not much (under $40) and the tarp was about $90. The new packs were about $220. Don't remember what the cookware cost. The new mats were about $90 and the material to make the quilt was about $120. The silnylon ponchos were about $100.
If anyone's still carrying water in Nalgene bottles... that's a really good place to start... Platy bag or even Gatorade bottles will save lots of oz. for very little $$.
It most definitely depends on the item. The best cost to weight saved ratio are the things left behind - $0 to save an ounce.
Doesn't work for things like sleeping bags. There, I guess I've paid close to $300 to save a pound when I bought my Nunatak Quilt. (Because I already had a sleeping bag suitable for similar temperatures). But I am supremely happy with it. I could have wasted that much money on a few nights in a motel, or 20 or so trips to the movies (factoring in the high cost of popcorn/drinks). Instead, I can enjoy the wilderness even more!
This is one reason why I'm really happy that I started out with very cheap gear. I'm starting to buy gear for my thruhike in 09 and am willing to pay almost anything for good/reliably/lightweight gear. For ex, if there was a 3lb tent for $300. I wouldnt have a problem spending $450 for a tent thats 2lb 8oz. If you do the math its a little less than $20 an ounce. This usually applies to everything.
When I started out I had some heavy cheap gear. 9lbs tent, 4lbs stove, etc, pack rarely weighed under 50lbs. After a few years of that, you're legs are like iron, you go thru boots like crazy and you're dying to cut some weight.
Went the ultra-lite minimalist route for a few years and quickly got tired of being uncomfortable, wet and generally annoyed with less durable, expensive gear.
Finally got my pack to 25-40lbs and moderately priced, but well made gear and it's a nice middle ground for long periods out on the trail. Can't go as far or as fast as with the lighter stuff, but it makes the camping part more enjoyable.
Yes, I have pondered the thought once or twice and still pondering. I want to replace the 16.1 oz. Featherlite DAC poles for my Hubba Hubba with the Fibraplex Carbon Fiber ones. With shipping it's $180. I will save about 6.3 oz.
The "old" translucent (32 oz. volume) Nalgenes weighed 4 oz. The shiny, multi-colored new Lexan ones weigh 6 oz.
Don't forget the easiest way to lighten your pack 10lbs (for me anyway) is to lose weight. You can buy lighter gear but you can't buy fitness. I did get a steripen. 4 ounces compared to 14 ounces for my filter.
That's one place where you can save weight AND money. Get some Gatorade, Aquafina, or quinine water bottles, any bottle with a wide mouth. You could save ten ounces and they would only cost $3.00 compared to whatever the Nalgenes cost.
I read this somewhere "The less I carry, the more I like hiking. The more I carry, the more I like camping."
For me, packweight is inversely proportional to my age. In my 20's I carried 50+ pound packs ...in my 50's I carry 20+ pound packs. Only time will tell what happens when I cross the big SIX-O.
There is no way you carry enough food.
Same story here pretty much. My pals and I carried insanely heavy packs as young 'uns. I wouldn't get very far these days with that kind of weight on my back.
It depends on what your getting out of it.
My current, personally altered Big Agnes Air core weighe 130z - after cutting it up.
So for $60.00 I saved 4oz, have more pack space and the pad looks to be more comfy then my Big Agnes - the air cores are placed across, instead of up and down. Will have to wait till Thursday night to see if it was a good decision.
How did you alter your BA AirCore?
I was thinking the exact same thing. What style air core do you have?
My 66" rectangular air core with carrying sack weighs like 1lb 7oz or something like that. (I weighed it a few days ago and forgot). I love the air core but the weight is an obvious downfall. I would love to shed a few OZ's off of it.
If you are not serious, sorry for hijacking the thread.
luckily, hiking gear is still cheaper.
Except for the sleeping bag, the rest of your gear doesn't have to cost much to lighten your load.
You can make your own pack out of almost anything, same with a tarp.
You can keep your eyes open and hit thrift stores to find so many items: microfleece tops and bottoms, aluminum pots, aluminum spoons (i used to give these away to friends and customers).
Just simply keep your eyes open and look for anything that is lighter than what you already carry. You'll be surprised and after a few years, will replace all of your gear.
By the way, a hummingbird (feathered friends 20 deg. bag) is only 1 lb 10 oz (in the lightest weight material) and mine has been on 4 thru's now.
I wouldn't spend much to solely save on weight, but I have no problem spending heaps if I get a great piece of gear. And that doesn't mean the new piece of gear is lighter per say either.
Personally, I think pack weight is very overrated. I don't believe I am slowed down when I carry 2 liters of water instead of 1, or when I leave town with 4 days food instead of 3. When I look at my watch and see I've been walking 2hours I know I've done a certain distance, and this never varies more than about 2-3 tenths of a mile or so, and it's the same now as it was when I was 17. I guess you might be a little more tired at the end of the day but I have never noticed that.
Of course, if you are carrying 50lbs that is different, that's alot of weight for me, almost 1/3 my body weight. But the difference between carrying a 24lb pack and 27lb pack to me means nothing...if it did I could lighten my pack 3lbs tomorrow, no thanks. And I've always felt you don't carry less weight by lightening everything in your pack...but by simply taking less with you.
But I've seen people pay $300 at a outfitter on the AT to lighten their pack by about 14ounces...to each their own.
After reading this entire article to this point I have a few answers and statements and propositions or maybe just one of each.
If your wondering what to do with your gear after you've upgraded you can send it to me just pm me and I will give you my address so you can be assured that it will go to a good home, I'll except everything but clothing.
If $20 and ounce is a good deal I have a 1 ounce cook pot I'll sell you for 60 bucks to replace your 4 plus ounce titanium one. Just Pm me with your shipping information and I'll send you a paypal invoice for it.
After 60 the way you get under 20 lbs is to just bring your clothes and a credit card that should put you at about 4 -5 lbs, lol!
got alot of ideas from this thread, thanks. i have a REI internal frame pack @4lb-7oz. carries great, doesn't hurt shoulders or hips if i adjust it right. i have tried frameless but they tend to hurt my back.
has anyone else with back and shoulder problems and around 50yrs young have trouble with light packs. its the last thing i can cut substantial weight on.
I pack it, I lift it, if it feels a little too heavy I take some of the redundant stuff out. I buy very good quality gear but not anything advertised as ultra-light just because it weighs less.
Just for the record after years of buying everything on the market, I haven't bought anything but canisters, socks, and batteries in the past year. I'm pretty well stocked up on everything including trail food so I hope '08 will be a 0 $ gear year.
I tried for years to find a replacement for my Camp Trails external-frame pack. From recommendations on another list (AT-L), I bought a Granite Gear Vapor Trail. It looked like the trick but wasn't. Then I bought a GG Nimbus Ozone -- and that was the one! FWIW, I'm 55. I've owned that Camp Trails pack since 1989 and covered about 1/2 or 2/3 the length of the AT with it, usually carrying 30-35 lbs. or so.
The Nimbus Ozone has a frame sheet made of some composite material that's fairly stiff. The Vapor Trail has a fairly flimsy frame sheet made of very flexible plastic. Both packs are popular on the AT. I'd recommend the Vapor Trail for those who can keep their total pack weight to 25 lbs or less. Or those with young, strong backs. This 55 year-old found the Nimbus Ozone a pleasure to wear, with a total pack weight in the 25-30 lb range.
Upgrade as budget allows! Start off heavy end up light!
Getting down to 12-14 lbs without food or water doesn't have to be that expensive. Those last few ounces can be $$$$$$ though. A few ounces one way or the other isn't worth it to me unless I can buy/make the gear for cheap.
I backpack well under 12-14 lbs without food. It doesn't have to be that expensive. If you add up all my gear including clothes, I spent about $200 total. Think about it. You can buy a 9 oz REI backpack for example for $25. If your not doing anything to extreme it would work find. After doing a little cutting off the extra, your 9 oz pack can be down to around 6 oz. The REI flash UL I know is not really design for long distance backpacking but considering I've used mine for around 700 miles now with it still going strong, I consider it a good investment.
Just leave the stuff behind that you don't need on the trail. It will cost you nothing :-?
Thats obvious. After that you still need to cut oz's.
Here is the thread explaining it. its down a few post from the start of the thread. My original thread had photos but for some reason, that thread no longer shows how I did it.