Comfort vs. Weight: Gear Guidance for Aging Backpackers

[David D]

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.

[JCH]

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.

[Jerry Adams]

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.

[Ronni L Wilde]

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.

[Ronni L Wilde]

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

[Ronni L Wilde]

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.

[Ronni L Wilde]

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

Appreciate the great tips!

[Ronni L Wilde]

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!

[Ron F]

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.

[JCH]

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.

[Roger Caffin]

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

[Author]

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