Everything is bigger (and heavier) in Texas

um, was this the UL trek?

I think we passed a similar group from Texas on our CT hike this past summer as well.  Something about these texans…..

Me: “Wow, that pack must weigh 75lbs!”

Brother-in-law: “Yes, but it’s all lightweight gear.”

I love the look you get when you tell a group like that that you are staying out longer than them with what they think is a daypack.

seems like it would be better to have more of the load closer to his back and higher up : )

we sat with some folks on the continental divide having lunch and they asked us if they could see what was in our packs – they were just starting to think about UL.  They said they really noticed that there was an inverse relationship with how long you’re out there with how big your backpack is…..

With pad, tent, water, sleeping bag on the outside I always wonder what all is in the 90 liter pack.

I see ‘miles of smiles’

Let them be.

I agree Nick, but when I saw some others like this on the CT this summer as well, I got tired just watching! This picture makes me tired too, but maybe just because it’s late!

My personal rule of thumb: the pack may extend no lower than my waist, no higher than my head, and no wider than my torso :)

Never underestimate the attraction of being comfortably in camp or carrying luxury items. Until a few years ago I routinely carried a nearly 5 lb sleeping pad and travel pillow that was nearly as comfortable as my own bed. The pad was a BA air core mattress with Sleeping Giant memory foam topper and a smooth, cozy cover. No matter how much I toiled carrying the pack each day, the thought of turning in later that night in luxurious sound-sleeping bliss always put a smile on my face.

If base camping somewhere for a week rather than hiking every day, I’d probably still consider carrying that 5 lb pad and pillow.

What luxury item would you carry?

I in no way intend to insult this team of happy campers from Texas.  Just shocking for us to now see.  I too have had loads like that.

My luxury item is my GSI insulated coffee mug at 3.66oz. However, I recently offset a substantial chunk of that with a 2.65oz reduction in sleeping pad weight, so I can enjoy my hot, strong java with a fairly clear conscience. :^)

I in no way intend to insult this team of happy campers from Texas.  Just shocking for us to now see.  I too have had loads like that.

Agree, and with Nick, too… as long as they’re having a good time!

I took my nephew out on his first backpacking trip last fall and was able to kit him out completely UL, including my Arc Blast backpack and Duplex tent, and clothing as well since my stuff fits him. He only had to borrow some boots from his Dad.

We encountered some really heavily laden folks and he was able to appreciate very quickly the advantages of carrying a light load. We also had one guy ask us, after learning we were camping that night, “Are you sure you have enough gear?”

Imagine being equipped like this on your first backpacking trip! Of course, he’s now spoiled for anything else!

Australian joke about Texans – skip if easily offended.

It was a Rotary-type thing, with a Texan rancher visiting an Australian farmer in the Aus outback. The Texan couldn’t help commenting on most everything he saw, and how it was bigger in Texas. Cars, houses, size of paddocks, size of dams … The Australian farmer quielty endured all that, realising that the Texan was ‘just that way’.

They were out driving to a paddock, and the Texan was explaining how their fence posts were bigger in Texas (or something) when a big Grey Kangaroo hopped across the track. (About 6′ high.) The Texan stopped, gobbled a bit, and finally asked “What the hell was that?” After a moment’s thought, the Australian farmer replied, very laconically, “Grass hopper”.

Cheers

I was raised partially in Texas and went to high school and college in Texas and the state motto, or one of them, is “Remember the Alamo!!!”

My Dad was a college professor and we discussed this saying and he told me he invented an Electric Alamo-Rememberer so he won’t have to do it himself anymore.  Funny guy when in a good mood.  Drill sgt otherwise.

The Texas backpackers in this thread look happy and as others have said, that’s all that matters.  I always thought “UL” means UltraLoader of which I am one.

Speaking of Texas, I pulled some wonderful tarantula-infested, mesquite-tree-overgrown, Trips back in the day.  Here’s a pic of me in Wichita Falls TX in 1963 preparing for a trip with my canvas Yucca pack—the one w/o the frame.

They certainly do look happy. If I were a betting man I would guess that pic was taken pretty close to the start of their hike.  I also see only about 12 of the 40 in the picture. Could it be the other 28 or so are stuffed away in those packs? 

Joking aside I hope they had fun.

+1 for the Yucca pack. Fond memories from my scouting days. I carried a G.I. canteen on my hip as well.