Re: Backpack total weight?

Poll

How much does your backpack typically weigh, including water?

Only registered users are allowed to vote for this poll.
38 votes were received.

Under 20 lbs.	3		8%
20-25 lbs.	6		16%
25-30 lbs.	8		21%
30-35 lbs..	7		18%
35-40 lbs.	7		18%
Over 40 lbs.	6		16%
I don't have a clue.	1		3%

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Given the average foot stride, every extra pound in your backpack multiplied by every lift of a foot = approximately 1 ton/mile! With this rough formula, let's say you are carrying 5 more pounds in your pack than necessary on a 4-day/ 3 night trip averaging a modest 7 miles per day. That equals 140 tons of unnecessary lifting over a 4-day period!

My typical backpack content includes the pack itself, tent & fly, sleeping bag, inflatable pad, inflatable pillow, lightweight camp slippers, minimal under ware & sock changes, small mirror, small super absorbent towel, bear canister, sunscreen, bug juice, foot powder, meds, long sleeved wool under garment, toilet paper, plastic trowel, odor proof bags, food 7 snacks, trail map & permit, 2 full water bottles, minimal 1st aid kit, lightweight rain jacket & pants, whistle, and jackknife. Wallet and camera are carried in my pants pockets. Including water (I hang one of these off a belt loop) my pack weight starts out at a little over 30 lbs. How much does your pack typically weigh, including water?

I almost never carry water--it's abundant in the Sierra. (O.K. this year may be slightly different). AND I'm very cautious about dehydration. So I drink a lot of water while hiking and in camp, but never need to carry. Last week I watched a group of young, fit hikers unload their packs in camp. Two of them were carrying a gallon or so EACH of water--at the end of their hike. And almost every step of their route was along a river. And we were camped by the Merced. Also, one of the guys had a three person tent for himself. Ah, youth!

I've spent way too much money over many years bringing down the weight of my pack to blow it all up by carrying a gallon of water around all of the time. So for me, it's a Steripen and a soft nalgene bottle in a tiny belly pack that weighs less than two ounces--the belly pack, that is. Stop, fill bottle, steripen, drink. Quick, light access to water without having to take off my pack.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2013 05:42PM by hegel.

Nice to hear how others work. I carry 1 litre. It works for me.
The wife always wants to carry 2 litres... and I can't tell you how many times
we get to destination area or sub-destination... there's loads of water everywhere
and she still has 1 litre left. I made** her dump out 1 litre on the last trip
she went on... up the mist trail to start.

I am sold on the Steripen btw... and many thanks to peeps here w/r to that.
That is mainly what I use now.

Pack weight varies quite a bit depending on time of year...

** kindly suggested

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I'm glad someone else made the point that pack weight varies quite a bit by the time of year. The zero degree bag instead of the 30 degree bag and the warmer jacket add a lot of weight in the winter time. Also, you gotta love not having to carry a tent in the summer time. I checked the 20-25 pound weight for my winter gear, but in the summer is be in the sub 20 range.

Quote
chick-on
Nice to hear how others work. I carry 1 litre. It works for me.
The wife always wants to carry 2 litres... and I can't tell you how many times
we get to destination area or sub-destination... there's loads of water everywhere
and she still has 1 litre left. I made** her dump out 1 litre on the last trip
she went on... up the mist trail to start.

I am sold on the Steripen btw... and many thanks to peeps here w/r to that.
That is mainly what I use now.

Pack weight varies quite a bit depending on time of year...

** kindly suggested

For me, this is probably the primary category remaining where I could reduce weight another 2 pounds. I've always carried that second full Naglene bottle as back-up but only really got into it so I would not have to stop and filter as often. It's an absolute necessity if dry camping but otherwise I am questioning its value in view of its weight. The one I use all the time is a Nathan aluminum bottle w/ carbiner type hook which allows me to carry it on a belt loop. This would get me down to 30 pounds or less for good. If I'm going to carry extra weight I would rather it be in the form of food, junk food, or some vague simulation of food. It's about time eeek reposted the Amazon ad he found for dehydrated water tablets!

I just carried a little over 2O lbs for a weekend trip and was thrilled. I have a nasty habit of throwing things together at the last minute--food is a real killer here--which inevitably leads to carrying more weight than necessary. This time I made sure I did not do that and really liked the results. If I pick up a new shelter--solomid or otherwise--things will be even lighter.

I carry a Sawyer inline filter. At first I was not sure about it but it has grown on me. Steripen just isn't my thing. Always be a soft spot in me for my trusty Katadyn though.

We use 2L bladders that we fill about half way. We also use a platypus gravity works filter that fills the bladder easily without removing it from the pack. If we camp away from water, we will usually fill up our bladders all the way at the last water stop so we have plenty of water for cooking/morning coffee.

Oooh. Love to see what others are doing... Not too proud to steal a good idea..

I carry 3 litre Playpus Hoser, filled with minimum1 litre to start up to 3 depending on conditions. Use a side bottle with Frontier Pro filter screwed on. Carry chlorine dioxide tabs to purify lots of water at camp for night/next day. Sometimes use Steripen, but we fell out of the habit with the Frontier Pro. Might try the Sawyer Point One Squeeze system, but haven't bothered yet.

Last trip, 15.4 pounds "base"*. Add 2.5 pounds of food and 2 liters of water, so 22.3 in my pack**. I don't calculate skin-out. But I wear a hat, glacier glasses, sun gloves, long-sleeve shirt, long pants, gaiters and my shoes weigh 1.2 pounds total, including orthotics. Poles are 9.5 ounces/pair. 13% of my body weight in my pack. Basilbop carried 12% of his bodyweight. We try to "even" it out between us when travelling together.

Heaviest I can recall: I weighed my pack at Muir Trail Ranch with water and enough food for 8 days***, 35 pounds. I was solo then so, had everything with me: 3.0 oz stove, Bearikade weekender, MLD DuoMid, etc. Not terribly fun. Especially at end of the first day hauling all that up to Evo Meadow in the hot sun. At Whitney Trailhead I clocked in at 27 pounds. With food left over. Didn't notice it by then.

I'm quite happy in the 20-25 total range.

Notes:
* Everything I carry (not clothes I wear), including pack and all containers to hold consumables, but not the consumables themselves. Lightest base was 8.5 pounds, but not enough warmth and cush, and didn't like all the weight on my shoulders, so that didn't last long and I started going back up.
** Included luxuries: CrazyCreek Hexalite chair, "The Stick" to roll my muscles, iPhone + charger.
***Thanks to a lovely windstorm on Whitney, we exited on day 7. So lots of extra food. I always seem to have extra food. I try to trim on that, but play it conservatively. And not sure how accurate the scales were at either of those locations.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2013 09:02PM by JustKeepWalking.

The rest of you are just a bunch of wimps.

My carrying weight last August for our Silver Divide 9-day trip was 66 pounds and will be about the same this year on our 9-day July trip over Sawtooth Pass. About 8 pounds less than was typical just a few years ago. My camera gear and daypack I dayhike with is often over 30#. Note I currently am 66" 138#.

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http://www.davidsenesac.com



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2013 11:08PM by DavidSenesac.

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DavidSenesac

My carrying weight last August for our Silver Divide 9-day trip was 66 pounds and will be about the same this year on our 9-day July trip over Sawtooth Pass. About 8 pounds less than was typical just a few years ago. My camera gear and daypack I dayhike with is often over 30#. Note I currently am 66" 138#.

Keeping the spirit of Norman Clyde alive!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/2013 11:13PM by plawrence.

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DavidSenesac
The rest of you are just a bunch of wimps.

My carrying weight last August for our Silver Divide 9-day trip was 66 pounds and will be about the same this year on our 9-day July trip over Sawtooth Pass. About 8 pounds less than was typical just a few years ago. My camera gear and daypack I dayhike with is often over 30#. Note I currently am 66" 138#.

And your age? I could easily carry 50 pounds in my 20's but those days are long gone.

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tomdisco
...And your age? I could easily carry 50 pounds in my 20's but those days are long gone.

used to watch The Lone Ranger

2005:



2012:



http://www.davidsenesac.com/MinnowCr/minnowcr_3.html

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http://www.davidsenesac.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 10:00PM by DavidSenesac.

Quote
DavidSenesac

Quote
tomdisco
...And your age? I could easily carry 50 pounds in my 20's but those days are long gone.

used to watch The Lone Ranger

2005:



2012:



http://www.davidsenesac.com/MinnowCr/minnowcr_3.html

Yes, I too remember Tonto and Kimosabee.

pack weight must be 50-55#

20# camera stuff
30# pack stuff

I don't weight it so I don't really know. I base the above #s on the one time I weighed stuff after a Mt Whitney trip on the scale they have at the TH.

Oh! I forgot water, 2 1l bottles

If I were to cut weight it'd be to not bring some of the camera stuff. Depending on what I want to do on a trip that might or might not be possible.

Of course, there's another factor at work here,--our own body weight. I'm carrying an extra 10 lb. I could do without on the trail. I'll skip polling that one to protect the guilty.

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tomdisco
Of course, there's another factor at work here,--our own body weight. .....................I'll skip polling that one to protect the guilty.

(sigh) Guilty. Oh so very guilty!

Last year I made an effort to reduce my pack weight, and I got it below 40lbs finally, from the 45-50 it was before. My wife and I always go together, and she's usually carries the food and bear cannister, so my pack weight consists of:

Pack (obviously) that's around 5.5lbs
REI Half Dome tent that's about 7.5lbs "all in" with ground cloth, stakes, rainfly, etc
NeoAir Trekker (as of last year)
Sleeping Bag
Steripen (as of last year)
Clothes
Camera
Fishing Gear
Bottles
Stove
etc, etc

I have an excel spreadsheet at home that lists all the weights and right now my pack and tent are the heaviest items and would give me the biggest weight reduction if I bought new ones, but...... they're about 15 years old and still in good condition because we don't go as much as we'd like to.

Last year the Steripen and NeoAir helped, as did focusing on items that I don't really use or need.

I just bought a new sleeping bag this year, so that will save a couple pounds.

My wife and I both do carry 2L water each, and it's in the heavy Nalgene bottles so I need to fix that. We even do that on day hikes and yes, we usually get back to the car with some water.

I have a permit for Lyell/Vogelsang/Rafferty this July, so I need to:

1.) Diet
2.) Exercise
3.) Hike more
4.) Work on pack weight.

I've always kind of dismissed my pack weight thinking "An extra 10lbs is nothing compared to what I'm carrying around my mid-section" which is dumb, as a pound is a pound.

Good information on this thread though..... thanks for starting it.

Jason sounds exactly like me - How much additional weight do you think water adds to a pack - litre for litre?

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SoCalCPA
How much additional weight do you think water adds to a pack - litre for litre?

I just took this photo here at work. A 15 year old Nalgene bottle, not 'full' technically, but above the 1 Liter mark:

2lbs 9.6oz.



That's a pretty quick and easy savings of 2.5lbs if you're in an area with plenty of water.

"A pints a pound the world around"

approx 2 pints in a litre...

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chick-on
"A pints a pound the world around"

approx 2 pints in a litre...

Except the U.S. is the only place using these archaic weights and measures. 1 liter = 1 Kg.

1 Kg ≈ 2.2 lbs

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plawrence
1 Kg ≈ 2.2 lbs

The beauty of the metric system is how all the measurements are based off each other -- a kilogram is defined as the weight of a litre of water (pure distilled, at sea level, at a certain temp). And a kilo is 2.2 of our pounds. So yes, every litre is 2.2 lbs. At elevation, though, it may be only 2.1999999....

How many stones dew ewe weigh?

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chick-on
"A pints a pound the world around"

That has to be the most stupid mnemonic ever. A pint is 20 oz in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and likely many other places (20 oz was the standard pint in the UK and Commonwealth from 1824 until metrication). The 20 oz pint is sometimes known as the "imperial pint" to distinguish it from the "US pint". Other countries may have "pints" that are different from both the "US" and the "imperial" versions.

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chick-on
approx 2 pints in a litre

A litre of water weighs very close to 2.2 lb

Last summer, I carried 42lbs up the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. I worked all winter to get my pack weight down to about 28lbs with food and water. Most of the weight savings was from leaving heavy cotton clothes at home, leaving my big camera at home and taking a much smaller camera and getting rid of tons of food packaging. But, I am having a serious issue with coffee! At home, I drink one homemade cappuccino in the morning as I watch the sun rise. It puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. While hiking, I normally do some sort of filter coffee. It is ok, nothing to complain about, just not the same. When I go to Ten Lakes in two weeks (or is that two lakes in ten weeks?) I am going to carry an espresso maker that is almost 1 lb. It seems that I am going backwards. I just want to check out a Sierra sunrise the best I can. Oh well, maybe if I lose a pound of body weight...

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atomicmonkey

But, I am having a serious issue with coffee! At home, I drink one homemade cappuccino in the morning as I watch the sun rise. It puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. While hiking, I normally do some sort of filter coffee. It is ok, nothing to complain about, just not the same. When I go to Ten Lakes in two weeks (or is that two lakes in ten weeks?) I am going to carry an espresso maker that is almost 1 lb. It seems that I am going backwards. I just want to check out a Sierra sunrise the best I can. Oh well, maybe if I lose a pound of body weight...

So what are you going to do bring and use for the steamed milk of your beloved cappuccino? Hope you're not going to try to use that awful powered non-fat milk stuff!

While it's not my favorite coffee by a long shot, Starbucks VIA instant coffee offers excellent weight savings and exceptional convenience, and some of the blends are pretty darn good, IMHO. My favorite being their seasonally available Tribute Blend.

I presume the espresso maker you'll be taking is a moka pot, or is it some other type of espresso maker?

.

I am going to try out this moka thing with that awful powdered milk. If it is not really fantastic, I will leave all that weight behind. I do like the Via packets. I use them when I am on watch, sailing in the middle of the night. Super easy to make.

Chick-0n... I weigh 12.5 stone.

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atomicmonkey

I am going to try out this moka thing with that awful powdered milk.

If you're going to use powdered milk, you might want to give this one a shot. My friends who bring along powdered milk on their camping trips prefer this one (Nestle Nido Instant Dry Whole Milk Powder) to the Carnation Instant Non-fat Milk crap.

I haven't used it often myself because I prefer to bring along powdered heavy cream instead.



Amazon.com: Nestle Nido Instant Dry Whole Milk Powder

(It's also available at many Walmarts: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nido-Instant-Dry-Whole-Milk-3.52-Lb/14869811)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 04:02PM by plawrence.

Thanks! I just ordered it.

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atomicmonkey

I am going to try out this moka thing...

Just to add one thing about using a moka pot if you haven't used one before: use a coarse grind (like the coarse grind one uses when making coffee via a French press) instead of using a super fine grind (like when making an espresso with a regular espresso machine).

.

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atomicmonkey
I am going to try out this moka thing with that awful powdered milk. If it is not really fantastic, I will leave all that weight behind. I do like the Via packets. I use them when I am on watch, sailing in the middle of the night. Super easy to make.

Chick-0n... I weigh 12.5 stone.

I call that awful powdered milk "Death Dust". Only in Mexico have I had a version of powdered milk in the little restaurant packs that actually tasted like the real thing. They could crush the competition if they only knew.

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tomdisco

Only in Mexico have I had a version of powdered milk in the little restaurant packs that actually tasted like the real thing. They could crush the competition if they only knew.

The Nestlé Nido Instant Dry Whole Milk Powder that I wrote about above is produced in Mexico and is the leading powdered milk used in Mexico. There's a good chance that is what that little restaurant served you.

.

For coffee you can't go wrong with the Starbucks VIAs. It's instant coffee, but it's superb.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00438ZXAM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1370101678&sr=8-2&pi=SL75

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JasonS

My wife and I both do carry 2L water each, and it's in the heavy Nalgene bottles so I need to fix that.

I use Schweppes Tonic Water 1 liter bottles. They weigh nothing, are cheap, indistructable, and are fun to make available. The older ones have a large opening and are very easy to drink out of. The newer ones are standard 1 liter bottles.

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Old Dude

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mrcondron

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JasonS

My wife and I both do carry 2L water each, and it's in the heavy Nalgene bottles so I need to fix that.

I use Schweppes Tonic Water 1 liter bottles. They weigh nothing, are cheap, indistructable, and are fun to make available. The older ones have a large opening and are very easy to drink out of. The newer ones are standard 1 liter bottles.

I'll look into it! I need all the help I can get, that's for sure.

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mrcondron
Schweppes Tonic Water ... bottles ... are fun to make available

Doesn't that increase body weight over time (assuming it is taken with gin)? Anyhow, all Right Thinking people prefer Fentiman's tonic.

Over 50 lbs sounds like pure awfulness. Haven't done that in a longtime and don't really want to do it again. I happily started around 40 on 5-6 day trips about 6-7 years ago but settled down between 30-35, which I was thrilled with, for about 5 or so. Perhaps it's having a kid now, age, or both, but the last couple years I've trimmed things down and settled at 30 and below for weekend to week long adventures. Reading about experiences of folks on here has really helped a lot.

There was a bit of talk of pack weight here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,59254,59286#msg-59286

My golden rule is simply:
You can never have enough Twinkies

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I would be in that 25-30# group if it weren't for the BV500 (41 ounces empty)

Normally carry 1.5 liters of water, platypus gravity works filter (so awesome!!)

Too much...I guess that it's hard to break old habits, with 37 years of BP'ing under the hip belt. (sadly no overnights in the past 2 years, though.) I carry two quarts (Nalgene) and one pint of water religiously, even on dayhikes.

Too many cameras, too. But that weight finally was reduced from the SLR and analog digital camera in 2008. The two digital cameras and the videocam, though, doesn't count in the backpack weight anyway as they are in camera bags and a fanny pack.

Over the years, a bear can has added to weight...smaller tent and sleeping bag has reduced weight. Still carry a first need on overnighters.



Ha...plawrence...I have a poster of my husband hiking the John Muir Trail in my booth at the craft shows. The first year that I had it displayed, someone did come in and ask if that was Norman Clyde.

My back country trips are usually 2-3 nighters that include kids. That being said, my pack weights have slowly been going down as my kids get bigger and can carry their own gear. My 14 year old son is now 6' tall, 145 lbs, and can carry like a mule. God I love that kid!

Anyway, this last weekend we spent two nights, 3 days hiking (and playing in the ocean) along the Pt Reyes shoreline starting in Bolinas. I kept things simple and my pack was only 26lbs. My son's was 20 and my daughter's was 12lbs. It sure made for an enjoyable trip!

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"It is all very beautiful and magical here - a quality which cannot be described. You have to live it and breath it., let the sun bake it into you" - Ansel Adams

My gear is about 15 pounds. It goes something like this: pack 3 pounds, solo tent 3 pounds, sleeping bag 2 pounds, sleeping pad 1 pound, cooking gear 1 pound, clothes 2 pounds, misc 1 pound, bear can 2 pounds. The bear can is a weekender and was expensive, the rest is just standard REI gear. So something in this range is very doable without spending big bucks.
I fill up as I go so don't carry much water. With 1.5 pounds of food per day I am safely under 20 pounds for an over-nighter, maybe a tad over for a long weekend and at about 25 for a week.

+1 on the Starbucks Via!

Base pack weight about 18 lbs (sil-nylon tarp, bug net, ground cloth, sleeping bag, shell, fleece, underwear, socks, cook kit, pump water filter, bear canister, 10 essentials).

Most of my trips are with a partner and I usually end up the food sherpa so a 3 night trip for me actually means carrying 6 days of food.

That pushes my pack weight up to about 10-12 lbs plus water.

I start a typical trip in the low mid 30s and end in the low mid 20s.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2013 04:12PM by twarfield.

It's good to know everyone's generally human around here. Sometimes I get amazed reading about people going out for a week with a 10 lb pack and flip flops. Might as well ditch any comforts at all and go with the 'ole skinnin' knife, cigarettes, and loin cloth at that point. That said I'd be thrilled with a 20 pound pack for a weeks excursion.

You may want to poke around at backpackinglight.
It may provide some insight into lightening your load.

Here's a good article:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00034.html#.UaqYctgkzh8

There's a huge amount of info out there. Kinda a bummer Andrew seems to have
left the building. I know he's a big UL backpacker. (well... that's what I get from a PM xchange)

Have fun and be safe

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Was in Montana all week (doing this), so just saw this thread.

For June-September, my base pack weight is usually in the 11-12 lb range with a bear can, before food and water. Typically carry about 1/2 to 1L of water depending on availability, and about 1.5 lbs of food per day. So a typical weekend trip starting at the trailhead my pack is around 17-18 lbs. Wife doesn't have to carry the bear can or shelter so her pack is typically 11-12 lbs fully loaded. Used to do the whole 30+ lbs base weight thing, and it just wasn't fun for me. I have a small digital hanging scale and weigh my pack before every trip, so the numbers are not imaginary. This is with a full inflatable sleeping pad and whatnot, and I am in general perfectly comfortable. It does take discipline in terms of what you bring, but for me it's about being in the backcountry & traveling thru it, not a luxury camp experience.

I usually carry two 1L water bottles since it's nice to have 2L of water for camp chores and drinking overnight, but 1L capacity is fine almost anywhere in the park. For really abundant water (e.g. following a major creek the whole trip) you can just use your pot + steripen and not carry any water at all.

Thx Andrew.

Love this line from your report:
"I've learned that you can enjoy yourself outside 365 days a year, and that there is no such thing as the "off season". "

Darn right

People also need to take a look at their feet. If your pack weight is down... then no need to be wearing
monster boots which weigh you down. Personally I only wear boots when I'm carrying snowshoes.
Or thereabouts.

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Quote
chick-on

People also need to take a look at their feet. If your pack weight is down... then no need to be wearing
monster boots which weigh you down.

What are you saying? That next time, I should leave these boots at home?

You should wear those boot year-round.

If I ever see anyone in those babies... I'll immediately drop my pack and give them a free Twinkie.

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Would have given you credit too for TR's about getting out in the early season if anyone on BPL would know who I was talking about.

Yep. I just wear lightweight (11oz per shoe) Scarpa trail runners. Far more comfortable and easier on your knees than boots. My Gore-tex boots (which are also only like 14oz, from inov-8) only come out in deep snow. Usually even wear the trail runners snowshoeing - gaiters and neoprene socks keep my feet perfectly warm. More reason for everyone to think I am crazy/irresponsible/masochistic/pick your own adjective.

I just can't shake my good 'ole Asolo Fugitive boots. In fact, as I was climbing up the terrible loose rock, steep, screed-up trail on the east side of Signal Peak near Emigrant Gap this weekend, I couldn't help but wonder how people could handle it in anything but boots. You guys ever wish you had boots when on crappy to non-existent trails?

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KC
I just can't shake my good 'ole Asolo Fugitive boots. In fact, as I was climbing up the terrible loose rock, steep, screed-up trail on the east side of Signal Peak near Emigrant Gap this weekend, I couldn't help but wonder how people could handle it in anything but boots. You guys ever wish you had boots when on crappy to non-existent trails?

Can't say that I ever miss boots... I did the whole Sierra High Route in those 11oz trail runners and was totally happy... it's significantly easier walking up hill or over rough terrain since you don't have to lift that 2+ lbs of boot every step. Plenty o traction if you get good shoes that have a lugged outsole & sticky rubber. I get just about zero blisters too since the light shoes are much more breathable (no heavy leather or Gore-Tex lining to trap all that moisture.) But I know lots of people swear by boots and that's OK too.

Amen to that. Never once have said "boy I wish I had boots on".
(as for the snowshoeing... boots 4me b/c a) I really want the extra support in winter ...
and b) shoes are incredibly hard to keep dry in winter) (i.e. ice shoes... not so fun to get into)

And no need to give me any credit. You did the work.

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You guys are influencing me again. May have to give some trail shoes another shot. Way to help me spend some cash!

I guess I'll have to take a look again and see where I can start trimming some OZs off.
It'd be interesting backpacking with 1/4 the weight I have currently!

You guys have some insanely light packs!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2013 08:20PM by qumqats.

It's hard for me to say definitively how much my pack weighs since my gear list varies depending on time of year and location (for example, do I need a bear can or not? Am I bringing a fishing kit?)

But, to narrow it down to summer in the sierra, my base weight hovers around 18 lbs. I consider my baseweight all gear minus consumables (that's fuel, food, water). For a nine day trip, adding food (~1.5 lbs a day), water, and fuel that base suddenly becomes 40 lbs.

For some of us the lateral support of a boot is a necessity if carrying a full pack. I love my trail runners for day hikes but would not care for them on a long backpack trek. My stability would come into question and the bottoms of my feet would take a beating.

Doddering Olde Fart