last minute preparation questions

[suman]

Hi,

I am going to start my trip this saturday. The backpacking trip is going to last from sunday morning to the following sunday evening. I have my backpack ready to go. The problem is that its 46 lbs including 10.5 lbs of water. Other than water, i have about 18 lbs of food including the canister weight. I've walked around with the pack and it feels kinda heavy, but doable. I am a regular hiker and biker in a decent shape but first time backpacker.

My questions are subjective, but please let me know what you would do.

1. Is 46lbs just too much for a week long trip? (starting at HI and going up to merced and possibly to TM)

2. Should i drop stove and hot food options which will save me about 3 lbs. (most of my food doesnt need cooking) ?

3. I am carrying about 30K Cal worth of food. this is twice as much as i eat on a daily basis, but i ended up with that number after doing some online research. Is that way too much?

thanks

[KC]

Sounds slightly heavy, but not overly bad. Definitely seen people with heavier loads on the trail. Myself, I am not an ultralight person but more of a "medium" weight backpacker. I am down to about 35 lbs for a six day trip currently, but have been anywhere between 35-40 lbs in the past. Usually, I have some food left (granola bars, etc.) when I am done.

If you want to eat hot food, I would not jettison the stove or my food. Rather, I would take a better look at what I have and whether or not I could go lighter. Maybe buying a lighter stove and focusing on freeze dried food would lighten things up?

Also, think about how far you plan to go when you hike and where you plan to camp. If you're a strong hiker, but are only planning to do 5 miles a day, you may not need three power bars and a pound of trailmix for each day. You may also not need ten pounds of water. There is a backpackers camp at Merced Lake with a store; you could always take some cash and buy lunch there one or two days. Ten pounds of water is not needed if you bring a water filter or tablets and follow an accessible river or stream (like the Merced).

Also, look at your equipment and clothing. You may not need heavy snow pants if you're going in the summer. You also might want to jettison that 3-person tent you may be carrying. Or, if you want reading material, perhaps a cheap paperback is better than the hardbound copy of War and Peace you like to travel with. There are always ways to reduce weight. Sometimes you just have to be creative. And remember: just because an item can fit in your pack, does not mean it's worth taking. That's a lesson I've learned from experience.

[TigerFan]

So, pack weight without consumables (food, water, fuel) is well below 20lb -- I think that's a respectable weight.

But why are you carrying 10.5 lb of water?? That's well over a gallon...

[tblock1]

On my trip I just got back from to Northern Yosemite I was carrying 47.5 with water, and my buddy 38 without water. Anything under 50 is fine in my opinion. My trip at the start of the summer we were carrying 50 pounds each for 3 days

[KC]

Man, 50 lbs for three days? Were you guys just going a few miles each day or something? That seems pretty heavy for a weekender in the summer, assuming a weekender was all you were doing.

[bill-e-g]

Dang. Lose the water. Carry 1 litre.
Sooooo much water right now....
heck.. I only carry 1 liter ALL the time, anytime of the year.

General rule of thumb is about 2lbs of food/day.
Don't get hung up on the calories. Take what you will eat.
You're not going for a PCT thru hike. So what if you lose
some weight.
What we always do is simply put out bkfast/lunch/dinn per day
and then add a few snacks per day. Done.
Not having a hot meal for that many days is just stupid IMO.

Good luck

[bbmq]

I also would never carry that amount of water, why would you when you can filter it out of a river/stream/creek/lake at any time? Start your day with a litre and fill up if/when you need to.

A big reason I would recommend you cut down on weight it that it's your first time and you're gaining a lot of elevation. You say you're in decent shape but regardless, backpacking is a far different challenge. So gaining significant altitude, with a heavy load on your first trip with be pushing the envelope a bit too far.

And I agree with bill-e-g (as usual), a hot meal now or then will be necessary. I don't do lunch. I have a decent breakfast, a significant dinner and just munch on snacks on the trail.

[holz]

Ditch the water. That alone will make a huge difference. At about 2lb/liter, you are at 5liters of water.

I'd suggest you drink one liter each time you take a break near a stream and carry just one liter. That saves you 8 pounds.

It is much easier to carry water in your stomach than on your back. Like Bill, I never carry more than 1 liter on the trail unless I know that it will be a long time before water will be close again.

Still, all in all, your weight for a week trip doesn't seem unreasonable. If you are a first timer, it is almost certain you will carry stuff "just in case".

Another piece of free advice. . . AS SOON AS you get back, unpack your pack and note everything you used and did not. Now, obviously, compass is likely not to be used, but has to be carried, but carefully consider each item you didn't use that isn't mandatory. Did you really need 3 pairs of socks or would 2 or 1 do? Did you come out with enough food for 2 or even 3 more days? Did you need that much cord? Was your sleeping bag too warm for the conditions? Anything else you didn't use that can be left behind next time?

Anyway, do an honest inventory after you get back and your pack will get lighter and lighter.

Oh, and the pack may feel heavy now, but one tends to get used to it over time on the trail. That doesn't mean one loves it. . . .

[suman]

Thank you guys very much!

I removed the big platypus, some trailmix, some chocolate and other minor packaging material and the pack weight is down to 39 lbs with 1 liter water. It felt a lot lighter on my test hike. i am tempted to put the chocolate back.

I will analyse and post a follow up with some lessons learned when i come back.

I have some bear questions, which i will ask in a new post.

thanks

[sierranomad]

I removed the chocolate

BP Rule #1: TAKE THE CHOCOLATE!

[LVRAY]

Personally, I feel anything over 30 pounds for total carried weight is high. For a 5 day non-winter trip, I can usually get my total carried weight down to under 25 lbs, often closer to 20 lbs. For 3 day weekend summer trips in areas that do not require a bear can, I am at 15 lbs.

A few years ago I carried a lot more weight, probably twice what we do now. Then I really started getting into the ultralight literature. While I am not a full convert in terms of some their philosophy, I am close (I no longer use hiking boots and I do know the weight of every item I carry down to the ounce and I am always looking to cut more - lol). And I will say the difference in weight makes a HUGE difference in my enjoyment level. The lighter the weight - the better you will feel and the more fun you will have. The same is true for my wife, whose biggest gripe with backpacking when we first started long ago was the weight. Even with our advancing years, we now go farther, do more and see more than we did when we were younger.

If backpack often and really want to cut down your weight, you might to start by looking at the Ultralight Backpacking Forum:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... index.html

They have a section for gear lists where you can get some very good ideas on what to eliminate and lighter suggestions for the stuff you do carry.

[suman]

thanks guys. I just got back with 65% of the food i took I know better for next time. I was averaging about 10 miles a day. On some days, there were strenuous hikes like half dome and clouds rest and on those days, i ate extra. But usually, i ate my usual meal + on the trail snack now and then.

I was carrying 1 liter platypus. There was water *almost* everywhere. But i ran out of it during clouds rest hike. From next time, i think i will take my gallon camelbak bladder, but fill it wisely.