Historical films and backpacking style

[AK Granola]

I’ve been watching older films about trails and backpacking instead of newer YouTube videos lately. The topics are often just the same – what to eat, what to carry, blisters. But jeepers they carried some heavy packs! This is a wonderful film if you have access to it on PBS. Beautiful footage, and great commentary by hikers. But those packs. Check out minute 16 if you don’t want to watch the whole thing. He’s talking about how he has to work hard for every mile, well yeah. Gotta be at least 60 pounds. And what’s in there?!

Anyway it’s fun if you have some down time.

North to Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail

https://www.pbs.org/video/north-to-katahdin-on-the-appalachian-trail-xdrwbu/

[Mark Verber]

Looks like what I was carrying in the 1970s.  In the early 80s my Kelty pack needed to be replace and some gear changed too. My new and “improved”?  gear  pushed my pack weight up a bit.  My guessimation was that when I section hiked the AT and at the start of the PCT I had a base weight around 39lb.  With water and 7 days of food my skin out weight was around 70lb.  My 2004 I was carrtubf a lot lighter load which my knees were extremely grateful for :)

http://verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/backpack-heavy-light.html

[Glen L]

Excellent. We have PBS Passport through AZPM and watch something there a couple times a week so this will actually fit right in later tonight. Nice find.

[Link .]

I have that movie on DVD and a lot of older Appalachian and PCT films that are fun to watch, I think I even have one from the 80’s.

[Bruce Tolley]

The introduction says the film was made in 1992.

In the 1970s, my shelter was a hardware store poly tarp, my pack was an original Kelty sub 4 lbs I think, I got a down bag at the NorthFace store in Berkeley at their seconds sale which weighed under 2 lbs, and my cook kit was a 2 lbs coffee pot.  The manufacturer’s did make the gear heavier but our thinking as maximalist, so we packed too much kit. For example, I had to be convinced to leave my hand axe behind….

[Author]

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