Survey of pack weights?

As a long time fisherman, I have always had some kind of fish weighing scale that I can toss into the trunk of my car if I'm backpacking with a group of friends (in the old days it was a spring scale and I now have a digital scale which seems pretty accurate).

I love to pull out the scale as the packs are unloaded from the vehicles and dare everybody to weigh their packs. I don't hike with light weight backpackers, so most of them have no idea what their final pack weight is (although I suspect some might do the bathroom scale weigh-in). Most people are very curious and want to know their starting pack weight but the odd guy will refuse. The scale is good to 50 lbs so anything over that is… well… just embarrassing for somebody! Most seem to keep it under 50 lbs for a week long trip.

My favorite thing is watching them struggle with the scale… it's really hard to hold a fish scale out in front of you with a 45+ pound pack on the hook!

"What in the hell are in these packs. They all are supposed hardcore skilled outdoorsmen but they are cooking in insanely huge heavy frying pans."
I think that "frying pan" is actually a gold panning pan. Those guys do have huge packs. They are supposedly going from one adventure to the next with the same gear (except for special gear like packrafts one episode), so there's a lot of gear that's packed for niche uses and doesn't come out most episodes (ie. climbing ropes). But still, the packs do seem huge.

A long time ago (eg. 4 years ago), I cared about my pack weight. My pack was oh-so-tiny. I wore my UL Wanker Crown proudly.

Then Triple B (Bowling Ball Buns) came along. Then Lord Chubbington, The First, of Backbreakingshire arrived.

See that photo above from 2 weekends ago? LC weighs in at 29 lbs naked, at 17 months. Add in a 8 lbs of pack, plus water and gear for him and I? We are talking between 45 and 50 lbs. (He has to have that pack as well – the Deuters are the only ones tall enough for him – he is also nearly 3 feet high…..)

It’s a good thing I took up weight training. Seriously.

Went backpacking 3 weekends ago and while I had a daypack on, I truly didn’t care what went in. A solo overnight pack is a dream weight compared to hauling Lord Chubbington.

Anyhow…I have come to the realization that weight doesn’t truly matter much anymore, for a few more years. Well it does, in a way…at the gym. Lol…..

"…with a huge backpack, but attached to either side of this huge backpacks were harnesses, and in each harness hung a 3-4 year old child."

I actually considered taking one of those framed backpack kid carriers (whatever they are called) and attaching my gear (using stuff sacks, etc) to it so I could take my daughter. When I started adding up the weight I changed my mind! I have to give it to that Dad! :)