[at-l] Pack weights of yesteryear

[Ron Moak]

Rafe,

>> The burden is on you to show that pack *base weights* in 1990 or earlier
were anywhere near current "ultralight" targets.

You can't because it just wasn't so. Not when pack *total* weights were
averaging 50 lbs. <<

I don't know when the pack weights started to creep up but in '77 when I
thru-hiked most people weren't carrying packs that heavy. Mine was never
more than 35 pounds. Base weight was approximately 16 to 22 pounds depending
upon the season. 

>> I am *not* debating the wisdom of ultralight. I am talking about the
timing of it -- its general acceptance among long-distance hikers.

And I'm saying, in 1990, it had not yet arrived. It hadn't even been
considered, except maybe by Ward Leonard and a handful of others.

When was Jardine's book *first* published? I'm asking honestly.  All I know
is that I wasn't aware of Jardine until after '90. <<

Jardine didn't invent ultralight though he did popularize it. Techniques for
lightweight hiking have been discussed in publications dating back over a
100 years. Grandma Gatewood did the most notable ultralight thru-hikes in
the 60's. But even she wasn't the only one. 

>> I can assure you, Colin Fletcher was no ultralighter.  For crying out
loud -- those were the days of custom-made Peter Limmer boots.  Or am I
talking pre-history now? <<

If you analyze Colin Fletchers gear he carried on his long distance hikes
you'd be surprised how light much of it was. On his 1000 mile summer his
tent and pack were 3# each and much of his other gear wasn't that heavy. He
certainly carried nothing like a 50 pound pack.

My own feeling is that the arrival of heavier packs tracks with the arrival
of local backpacking stores. One used to have to purchase the bulk of their
gear via catalogs as backpacking stores were few and their selection
limited. 

This forced people to do more of their own research plus it eliminated the
pressure of the salesman toward larger, heavier or more gear than needed.
Backpacking stores are orientated toward people who backpack not to
thru-hikers, whose needs are often quite different. 

Fallingwater