[pct-l] Average Pack Weight on PCT

[Braden Snapp]

There are other things to consider regarding weight besides the pack;
namely your body weight and leg strength.  You will lose weight on the
trail, but if you're 20 pounds overweight and can drop 10, awesome.  10
less pounds to haul around on the trail!  And it's free!

As for leg strength - if you work on glutes, hips and hamstrings it will go
a long way to making the pack seem lighter and will diminish strain on the
knees.

If you have these two things well under control then a couple pounds of
pack weight doesn't matter as much...IMHO.

Oh, and also shoe weight.  Light shoes/boots are a big plus.


On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 8:21 AM, giniajim <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:

> I was at a hiking lecture a year or so ago.  The person who was giving the
> talk was a long-time expert backpacker.  She (I think it was a she, might
> have been Susan Alcorn) said that the key for light weight is to start off
> getting your "Big Three" under control.  For her, this mean two pounds each
> for: tent, sleeping bag and pack.
>    And then another key thing is to look at your gear after a trip. What
> did you not use?  Would you be comfortable with taking it off your gear
> list
> for next time?
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Eric Lee" <saintgimp at hotmail.com>
> To: "'james rivet'" <airjay66 at gmail.com>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 2:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Average Pack Weight on PCT
>
>
> >J Rviet wrote:
> >>
> > I'm curious what the average pack weight is for PCT thru-hikers. Base
> > weight
> > mostly.
> >>
> >
> > The hard-core ultralight people tend to run about 6-10 pounds, the
> > lightweight people tend to run 11-16-ish, but there are a whole lot of
> > people who thru-hike with heavier packweights than that.  I'm surprised
> > every year when I meet thru-hikers in Oregon and Washington carrying
> packs
> > that are much heavier than I would ever want to carry, but there they
> are,
> > trucking along and having a good time.
> >
> > As other people have said, you should reduce your packweight as much as
> > reasonably possible but don't go below the limit of safety determined by
> > your current level of skill and experience.  15 pounds base weight is
> > actually a very respectable number and I guess would put you firmly in
> the
> > average category, or probably even better than average.
> >
> > I like to think of it like this: as you reduce your pack weight, the wear
> > and tear on your body is reduced and your likelihood of making it to the
> > other end of the trail goes up. However, as you continue to reduce pack
> > weight, at some point you will pass the magic optimum point and your
> > likelihood of finishing your thru-hike actually starts to go down.  After
> > all, hiking gearless and naked isn't going to get you very far, right?
> > Imagine a bell curve here.
> >
> > But here's the trick - that magic optimum point is *different for
> > everyone*.
> > Mine is pretty much at about 14 pounds.  That allows me to carry
> > everything
> > I need to keep body and soul together in any reasonably-foreseen
> > circumstance without wasting energy on anything I'm not likely to need.
> > Yeah, I could go lighter, but I don't want to.  I like the gear that I've
> > got and I know how to use it to maximum effect.  Peace of mind is another
> > valuable thru-hiking tool.
> >
> > Eric
> >
>
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