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Base Weight poll…


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Viewing 11 posts - 51 through 61 (of 61 total)
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  • #1517065
    John Haley
    Member

    @quoddy

    Locale: New York/Vermont Border

    For 3 season hikes of up to 5 days I use a 3 lb base. Once the hike gets into longer range I almost automatically jump close to the 5 lb range with a slightly heavier pack along with some extra options and clothes. I have a month long hike beginning in less than two weeks and have a base of 6.75 pounds (this time am hammocking all the way which added an additional 20 ounces).

    #1517066
    Tom Caldwell
    BPL Member

    @coldspring

    Locale: Ozarks

    "For 3 season hikes of up to 5 days I use a 3 lb base."

    Nice list, Quoddy. What kind of water bottles are you using? Your stove seems kinda heavy though. :)

    #1517084
    Tony Wong
    BPL Member

    @valshar

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    11.5 lbs to 12 lbs for 3 Season, including camera, extra batteries, and 12 oz canister of MSR fuel.

    I count the fuel because what else am I going to use with the pocket rocket? (I know they make 4 oz fuel canisters vs. the 8 oz ones, but I have a stack load of 8 oz from a store going out of business).

    If I ditched the camera (which I would never do) and the fuel, maybe I would have UL 10 lb or lower bragging rights.

    Right now, I am just looking to see what gear works for me vs. just saving weight.

    -Tony

    #1517252
    John Haley
    Member

    @quoddy

    Locale: New York/Vermont Border

    Tom… I figure that you were probably joking about the 2.7oz stove, but I actually do use a very lightweight alcohol stove on hikes of up to 3 days. I just find that the canister begins to have benefits on my normal, longer, hikes. Since I usually carry the TiJet, it was the one I listed with my gear.

    The bottles are two 20oz generic drink bottles that I've had for quite awhile. They are so thin, and the caps are so light, that I have to take extra care with them. I haven't found others that are quite as light or I'd have replaced them by now.

    #1517609
    Brad Groves
    BPL Member

    @4quietwoods

    Locale: Michigan

    The base weights I'm working with are for anticipated lows around freezing with wet weather and for 10 days to 2 weeks without resupply. I'm currently hovering around an actual 10 pound base, with a few projects in the works that should easily get me to about 8 pounds. I tend to emphasize comfort and warmth, so although I could shed at least another 1.5 pounds from that 8 pound base, I probably won't. (Unless it's for an overnight or weekend trip.)

    Specifically, I carry a midweight wool top and a warm but light down jacket… I don't need both for warmth, but like the flexibility afforded me by the system. Likewise, I carry a pair of midweight wool tights that I could easily leave at home, but I absolutely love slipping into them at the end of a long, cool, wet day. I carry two spare pair of underwear and 2 spare socks; for a shorter trip I could easily drop one, if not both, of the spare underwear and a pair of socks. (If I dropped all the things mentioned, it would save 1 pound 15.7 oz, or 31.7 oz.)

    I'm intrigued by what people count as base weight or not; in my mind, it's anything non-consumable in the pack. So it would include fuel container but not fuel, for example. In my case, there are some items that are always on my person–ie, my survival kit and knife–so I don't include them in my base weight. Both are minimalistic but highly functional, combined add 9 ounces to the FSO weight (about 4 oz kit, 3.5 oz knife, 1.5 oz sheath). Since those items are never in my pack, I think it would be absurd to count them as "pack weight."

    Trekking poles could be a different matter; in my case, they've historically spent at least 1/2 the time strapped on the pack, so they should probably count as pack weight. I've switched to LT4s and am going to try using them full time. We'll see…

    #1517622
    Jim MacDiarmid
    BPL Member

    @jrmacd

    I'm intrigued by what people count as base weight or not; in my mind, it's anything non-consumable in the pack. So it would include fuel container but not fuel, for example. In my case, there are some items that are always on my person–ie, my survival kit and knife–so I don't include them in my base weight. Both are minimalistic but highly functional, combined add 9 ounces to the FSO weight (about 4 oz kit, 3.5 oz knife, 1.5 oz sheath). Since those items are never in my pack, I think it would be absurd to count them as "pack weight."

    I'm sure if I looked around enough, there's probably a debate on BPL about base weight vs skin-out weight, so all please forgive me for going over already trod ground. Either one, you still probably don't count food/water, as that varies based on trip.

    Right now, I'd probably be in the camp of skin-out is more accurate measure than pack base weight. I have a 2lb DSLR that never goes in my pack. But what's the difference between in my pack and around my neck? Either way, I'm lugging it along. I also carry the 3.5 oz tripod in my pants pocket, yet I count it in my base weight because it always starts out in my pack. Should/is base weight be anything that is not-worn clothing? (since US and other countries laws generally dictate we have to wear clothes hiking whether we want to or not) – even in the Alps now) Where. as Brad points out, what we carry in our pockets varies from person to person?

    Do we look at pack base weight instead of skin-out because there *is* a difference when you're carrying it on your shoulders vs in your pockets?

    #1517691
    Brad Groves
    BPL Member

    @4quietwoods

    Locale: Michigan

    I think the significant point in semantics here is the differentiation between "base weight" and "base pack weight." Given that our chosen sport is generally referred to as "backpacking," I choose to error toward the side of backpack weight. It's the weight of the pack and stuff in it (that won't change weight, ie food). As I say these things I realize we're headed dangerously close to the precipice of chaff… As James pointed out, his tripod starts out in his pack, therefore he counts it as pack weight. I do believe that there's a difference in the weight of a loaded pack on your shoulders and having some weight displaced elsewhere on your body. The items in my pockets, for example, don't have a direct effect on my shoulders and spine.

    Along with reported pack weight, something I've been thinking about more lately is reported shelter weight. In other words, I've always thought of the weight of my whole shelter… but I generally split the shelter with whoever I'm traveling with. So when you list your base pack weight list, are you reporting the full weight of your shelter, even though you're only carrying half of it?

    #1517693
    CW
    BPL Member

    @simplespirit

    Locale: .

    In regards to shelter, a lot of my trips are duo with my girlfriend so we share a Scarp 2. I carry the pole and stakes and she carries the body/fly. I list the actual weight of items carried for us rather than split it down the middle. I make up for the difference by carrying our quilt, kitchen, water treatment, etc.

    #1517705
    Frank Perkins
    Member

    @fperkins

    Locale: North East

    I agree that your "backpack base weight" should include everything in your backpack plus items your lugging along such as a camera or items in your pocket. The purpose of SUL is to lighten your entire load and you're only cheating yourself if you discount items that you are carrying that are not in your backpack.

    I also don't fault anyone for having heavy equipment because they don't want to invest 100 bucks to make item X 12 ounces to Item Y 4 ounces. However, what you could do is challenge your list and remove unneeded items like camp shoes, spare clothing, etc.

    #1519118
    Michael Neal
    Member

    @michaeltn2

    Locale: Northern Virginia

    13-15lbs, I mostly try to balance weight and convenience of use, plus the law of dimishing returns does not justify paying the money for the "lightest" gear.

    #1519141
    Dan @ Durston Gear
    BPL Member

    @dandydan

    Locale: Canadian Rockies

    My base pack weight is 11-13 lbs depending on the trip and how much stuff I do without. That includes a GoLite Jam2, GoLite Ultra 20, NeoAir and MSR Carbon Reflex 2 tent.

    Two years ago, I was using a North Face Pivotal 75 pack (~7lbs), a Marmot Twilight 3 tent (~ 7lbs), a North Face Kilo Bag (2.2lbs) and old Therm-a-rest (1.5lbs) for a total of over 18lbs for just these 4 items. Now the same 4 items weigh 6.5 lbs and I've still got a double wall tent and my quilt is warmer than my old bag. 2 years ago I was overpacking clothes and a lot of other stuff too, so my normal base weights were around 30lbs.

    Normally I'm not hiking solo though so the CR2 tent gets shared (saving 1.5lbs) and so does some other stuff (pot, stove etc) so that saves about 2lbs total which normally put me sub-10lbs.

    I always aim to keep my total pack weight under 20lbs (including fuel, water and food) so for longer trips I'll cut more stuff. On shorter trips (1-3 days) where I have a lot less food and fuel, I'll add in a few more luxuries.

    All this goes out the window when I hike with my wife though. I want her to have a good time and a heavy pack really wrecks that for her, so I end up taking pretty much all of the food and some of her gear. One a weeklong hike she ends up with 10-13lbs on her back and I wind up with about 30lbs. That drops pretty fast though as we eat the food.

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