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My pack, without food and water, weighs 6.6 pounds or exactly 3.0 kilograms. On average day, with food and water, my pack weighs under 15 pounds. Some backpackers say they couldn't get by with so little weight because "I'm into my comforts." So am I. I don't find carrying more than 30 pounds comfortable. Moreover, I sleep soundly, stay dry, stay warm, stay hydrated and well fed. What more do I need? In short, I'm pretty damn comfortable and have an embarrassing amount of gadgets to entertain me if I ever get bored. Being ultra-light and comfortable are not incompatible; they're complementary! I have strong opinions on how to calculate pack weight. Here's the itemized list for all you gear heads: | Item | Manufacturer | Model | Ounces | | Pack | Gossamer Gear | G5 - Silnylon | 7.9 | | Stow sack | Jacks R Better | | 1.2 | | Sleeping Bag | Jacks R Better | No Sniveller | 21.3 | | Sleeping Pad | Gossamer Gear | 1/8th" ThinLight | 2.9 | | Umbrella | GoLite | Chrome Dome | 7.8 | | Tarp | Mountain Laurel Designs | Grace Solo Spectralite .60 | 6.0 | | Stakes stowbag | Gossamer Gear | | 0.2 | | Stakes (6) | Gossamer Gear | Tite-Lite | 0.8 | | Ground Sheet | Gossamer Gear | Polycro | 1.0 | | Clothes Stow Sack | GoLite | | 0.9 | | Warm Hat | Jacks R Better | Down Hood | 2.1 | | Shirt | GoLite | Drimove | 4.4 | | Gloves: Liners | REI | | 1.1 | | Socks | REI | Liners | 0.9 | | Shell pants | GoLite | Whim | 3.7 | | Towel | MSR | PackTowl | 0.3 | | Water Purifier | Pristine | | 2.0 | | Fire starter | Esbit | | 1.0 | | Shell Jacket | GoLite | Ether | 3.4 | | Water Bag | Platypus | 3L Hoser | 3.5 | | Flashlight | Photon | Freedom | 0.2 | | Swiss Army Knife | Victorinox Classic | | 0.7 | | Ditty bag #1 | Mountain Laurel Designs | Cuben Fiber | 0.2 | | Soap (full) | Dr. Bronners | | 0.6 | | Spoon | Lexan | | 0.3 | | First aid | | | 2.0 | | Toothbrush | | | 0.2 | | Dental floss | | | 0.1 | | Vitamins | | | 0.5 | | Lip balm | | | 0.3 | | Deodorant | | | 0.5 | | Toilet paper | | | 0.6 | | Matches | | | 0.3 | | Valuables | | | 0.5 | | Maps & pencil | | | 1.0 | | Sunscreen | | | 2.0 | | Ditty bag #2 | Waterproof Bag | | 0.4 | | Camera+Charger+Cords | Sony | W50 | 10.4 | | GPS/MP3/Email/Phone/Cam | E-TEN | M700 | 6.0 | | Solar Panel | Brunton | Solar Roll 4.5 | 7.0 | | BASE WEIGHT (oz) | | | 106.2 | | BASE WEIGHT (lbs) | | | 6.64 | | | | | | | Clothing Worn | | | | | Item | Manufacturer | Brand | Ounces | | Shirt | Sugoi | Long sleeve | 7.9 | | Eyeglasses | | | 0.6 | | Watch | Suunto | Advisor | 1.6 | | Shorts | GoLite | Stride | 4.8 | | Socks | REI | Liners | 1.1 | | Shoes | Inov-8 | Mudclaw 270 | 24.0 | | WORN WEIGHT (oz) | | | 40.0 | | WORN WEIGHT (lbs) | | | 2.5 | | | | | | | Dry Weight (Stuff Worn + Stuff Carried) in pounds | | 9.1 | | | | | | | Full Food | 2 pounds x 4 days | | 8.0 | | Full Water | 2 liters | | 4.0 | | | | | | | Max Skin Out Weight (Gear + food + water) in pounds | 21.1 | | Avg Skin Out Weight (Gear + food + water) in pounds | 15.1 |
Thoughts and conclusions: - My base weight, without food and water, will be 6.6 pounds (3kg), including the above mentioned stuff, a camera, PDA, and solar panel.
- If I left my electronic gadgets at home, my pack weight would be under 5 pounds. Post-trip note: This is what I ended up doing. I left the gadgets behind. However, I added a tad more warmth, so my base weight was under 6 pounds. I'll do the accounting someday.
- My dry weight, which includes whatever I'm wearing, is 9 pounds.
- My skin out weight (which includes food and water) will vary between 9 and 21 pounds.
- In desert sections, I might carry up to 30 pounds because of all the water weight.
- On an average day, if you were to pick up my pack, it would weigh about 15 pounds (with food and water).
- In an effort to make their backpacks seem lighter than they are, some backpackers categorize the following under consumables: first aid stuff; soap; fuel; toothpaste; sunscreen; repellent. I don't, even though I understand the logic. I put those items under pack weight. I figure I'll usually have some of that stuff on me, even as I approach a re-supply point. Excluding them underestimates my realistic pack weight. I'd rather overestimate it. I can rant on this kind of stuff for hours.
Below is gear that I will carry during limited periods to deal with extreme snow, bugs, or dryness. | Occasional Gear | | | | | | Item | Manufacturer | Model | Ounces | Notes | | Bug Netting for Tarp | Gossamer Gear | Bug Canopy | 3.0 | Late June-July | | Repellent | | | 2.0 | Late June-July | | Head Net | Cabella | | 0.6 | Late June-July | | Ice Axe | Cassin | Ghost | 8.8 | June | | Trekking Pole | Gossamer Gear | Lightrek | 2.6 | Colorado - maybe | | Water Bag: 6L | Platypus | 6 L Water Tank | 4.0 | Desert Sections | | Stow Bag | GoLite | | 0.8 | | | Down Parka | GoLite | Cummulus | 16.2 | After September | | Crampons | Stubai | Ultra-light | 20.8 | Colorado | | Rain Mitts | Mountain Laurel Designs | eVENT Rain Mitts | 0.9 | May-Late July | | Long underwear | GoLite | DriMove Bottom | 5.5 | May-Late July | | Fleece Hat | REI | | 0.7 | Colorado |
Why give up the umbrella in Colorado? Umbrellas become less effective in snow (due to the sun's reflectivity off the snow) or when the temperature gets near freezing (because you'll want another clothing layer anyway). Both conditions will exist in Colorado, especially in May. Umbrellas excel in most 3-season backpacking when it's not near (or below) freezing. If it's above 5 degrees Celsius, I'll carry an umbrella. Post Trip Report: this worked out perfectly. I did use an umbrella in Colorado in September and was happy I had it
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