I mentioned this on another thread but it occurred to me this might be a fun thread on it's own. What is the most extreme/interesting/amusing example of "non lightweight" backpacking you've witnessed (or perhaps done yourself)?
My experience is limited almost solely to Scout outings – so as you can imagine there are plenty of 85L packs with stuff hanging off them that perform almost like clown cars – I can't imagine how they fit that much stuff into even that big a pack.
I will say that several guys commitment to food is admirable – and I suppose if you split this 4 ways…. well maybe not. 4 guys packed in a 5 lb bag of Kingsford charcoal; a stansport heavy duty camp grill; 4 frozen NY strips; 4 large baked potatoes; a big tupperware bowl of salad (dressed); and a tupperware full of brownies. These weren't newbies either. It was impressive and the hike in was only about 2.5 miles, but still. The next morning they had a stainless steel 8 cup percolator to make coffee. And a fry pan – like the Coleman 9" fry pan not a top to an anodized pot. And half a dozen eggs which they used to make breakfast burritos. Weight aside I can't figure out how they hauled it all in since at least two of them were hauling in two man tents for themselves plus some troop gear (a couple big tarps, etc…). Like I said their packs were like a clown car – more and more big heavy stuff just kept coming.
At a base pack weight of about 19 pounds I am far and away the lightest person out there – my son is close behind me actually. There are a handful of scouts who lean towards light as well but I have a good bit of evangelizing to do and I'm far from UL and not in the same state as SUL guys here.
