[pct-l] Body weight vs pack weight

[Michael Belanger]

From a strictly survival sense, more muscles = more calories = more weight. The obvious point to this is lean muscle mass v. bulky muscles. Muscle mass does not always equal endurance (and from my typical experience, quite the opposite). Case in point, how many thick swimmers do you see?

I think the 25% of body weight should be used as a guideline, not a rule. I am still tempted to say, as with all things, it depends. Factor in experience, tolerance and comfort level (both while hiking and at camp), overall fitness, terrain and time of year, etc. etc.

One thing I think we all can agree on is that 170 + 30 =\= 175 + 25 when it comes to backpacking based solely on weights alone.