Comfort vs. Weight: Gear Guidance for Aging Backpackers

Ken, maybe coincidentally, but root source is Petzold.

I used N=2, Jerry assumes N=1 in the Petzold equation.

Study here validates N=2 (no pack) but with a lot of standard deviation largely predicted by total weight: skin out+bodyweight.  The study also investigated subjective perceived effort reported so that can also be mapped in.

So, using this approach, my calorie burn can be can be adjusted for body and pack weight and it gives me an idea of perceived effort.

For long trips I do this and then then convert to a BMR/PAL (which also is dependent on hiking speed) to determine my final predicted calorie burn.  For example, for me:

I always find it’s pretty close because I adjusted my personal “N” after a couple week long trips by counting calories and before/after weighing myself.

Closing in on 68 and refusing to act like it :)

I find little diminishment of my ability to do mileage on flat/gently rolling terrain.  Elevation gain is increasingly a buggar, while elevation loss is somewhat less so.  IOW, my age related restrictions are primarily with up and down.

That’s interesting David, so each 1000 feet elevation gain equals 2 miles of level

Or I think that paper said each 1000 feet = 1.6 miles

That makes sense

I wonder if steepness matters.  If I gain elevation gradually I don’t notice it.

Hi AK Granola– interesting thought to have a forum for backpackers with osteoporosis! Hmm! And yes, would be great to know if a heavier pack is better for this than a lighter one. Definitely would need to be researched….

My doc prescribed a substitute for Boniva, which is “Ibandronate Sodium, 150 mgs,” but I read the reviews of this medication and chickened out. Haven’t taken it yet. I’m trying to change things up naturally first because I don’t want all the apparent side effects that can happen with this particular med. I’ll have to see how it goes over the next year.

Hi Terran — Thanks for the link to the article about the BackTPack! Very interesting…

Hi Stephen B– A spreadsheet… good for you! I think altering mileage and steepness are good ways to stay fresh. A 71-year-old gentleman in my backpacking MeetUp group has said he will stick to lesser-steep trails and lower mileage moving forward now too. Seems to keep him out there.

Wow, I’m impressed! You guys (David, Jerry, Ken) have this down to a science!

Appreciate the great tips!

Hi JCH! Good for you for refusing to act your age! LOL! Love that! I try to adhere to that too. It’s encouraging to me that you are closing in on 68 and still going strong… Thank you!

A young 72 here and I agree with every thing Ronni said. One of the changes she listed but is seldom discussed is change in metabolism.  If I follow guidelines either for pounds per day oy calories per day I always end up with too much food.  Experience has shown me a common recommendation of 1.5 pounds per day is too much, so in my most recent outing I cut back to 1 pound per day,  Closer, but still much.   The expression HYOH should be applied widely to food, pack weight, pace, and just about every other aspect requiring a decision.

I no longer bother to weigh my food. And how much I need/want also seems to be a moving target.  My rule is if I return home with food, I pack less next time. This has worked well over time and I rarely arrive home with anything more than a snack remaining.

Also, experience has taught me what kinds of foods I find appealing during long hikes. Surprise, it’s real food…nuts, dried fruit, meat, cheese, bread, some sweets/candy, and I dehydrate dinners that are the same as what I normally eat at home.  I eschew commercial “backpacking foods” like FD meals and energy/sports bars.

commercial “backpacking foods” like . . . . energy/sports bars.
20 cents for the ingredients (cheapest available), 20 c for the manufacture (possibly done in China), $1.00 for the marketing, 50 c profit for mfr, $1.00 for the supermarket.

Yes to real food.

Cheers

Hi Ron, JCH and Roger!

Thanks for your comments about food. I agree with you! I tend to crave real food out there too, and the things I thought I’d want out there, turns out, not so much! I love beef jerky, but out on trail, it makes me pretty thirsty, so I don’t tend to pack it. And although the flavor of the commercial backpacking food sometimes tastes good to me, they are so salty that they make me feel kind of gross. I am still experimenting with what works and what doesn’t for me out there. I have never hiked long enough to experience true hiker hunger, so I haven’t had to deal with that yet. Hopefully in 2025 that will change!

Thanks again to you all, and I hope you are getting out for some nice hikes this fall!

My best, Ronni

I’ve just been figuring out that I sweat, excrete minerals like sodium and potassium, then my blood pressure drops, then I have to stop and rest.

I thought I was slowing down as I got older, which is fine, but now I think electrolyte loss is the problem.  I took my blood pressure meter on a trip and saw my blood pressure was going down to 90/60.

Now I’m trying to figure out how much extra salt (sodium and potassium) I need.

Maybe salty backpacking food isn’t so bad.  Mainly if it’s warm and/or lots of elevation gain.

“Maybe salty backpacking food isn’t so bad.  Mainly if it’s warm and/or lots of elevation gain.”

that’s always been my experience. those electrolytes are very important! At home I basically never add salt to foods–although I will use soy sauce etc at times, which is the same thing. On the hot sweaty trail, it’s just the opposite: I bring salted nuts for lunch, and yes those freeze dried meals are salty. I sometimes bring electrolyte capsules for potassium and magnesium etc, replacement. Potassium and magnesium are important for heart rhythm function. And becoming de-hydrated can lead to arrhythmias  as well. All that sweating and necessary water intake in the heat leads to electrolyte loss. It’s a balancing act.

I’ve just made 83 (04/04) and after beating kidney cancer this past summer I am rehabbing to do backpacking this summer and hunting this fall.

My backpacking gear has been “curated” over many years, most being UL with one SUL item, my TT Notch Li. So yeah, my gear is both comfortable and light. My Osprey EXOS 58 pack is not the absolute lightest but it’s the most comfortable for me. My REI Flash R 3.5 air mattress is not the lightest at one pound but very comfortable, as is my WM Megalite down mummy.

The last 3 items, pack, tent, sleep system are my 8 HOUR ITEMS. That means I’ll be using them for about 8 hours every day I backpack. They MUST be comfortable as well as light. Most other gear can be as light as possible, comfort not an issue. Warm clothes and rain/wind gear must be both comfortable and light. I am a believer in DWR treated down over synthetic insulation when backpacking.  It has always worked, even in the most miserable conditions.

Cooking/kitchen gear is currently in a bit of flux as I try a new stove. But I do love my Trail Dsigns ti Caldera Cone and ESBIT tablets, fire conditions permitting.

Shoes/boots-> Merrill Moab in both cases. They just always feel good.

Eric you are an inspiration to me and many others!

I am 73.  Three years ago I embarked on a 50 mile 6 day trip, Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows.  After 30 miles and 3 nights called my wife to come and get me.  Lessons learned: Get in better shape, Use better, more comfortable, but lightweight pack, Don’t even try yo keep up with 25 year old ultra fit 6ft tall skinny guys carrying 20 pound packs.

Don’t try to keep up with the skinny guys.