I keep trying to lighten up my backpack. I have an ultra light pack, a super lightweight down sleeping bag, and a one person light weight tent. Even with all that lightweight gear, I still have a full backpack weight, without water, of 33.25 pounds. This includes 6 pounds of food for about 4 days and 2.5 pounds of clothing. I have to add a few extra items due to the potential cold.
I spent a good hour reviewing all my gear to get rid of everything I figure is unneeded. It amazes me when I read of backpackers with 20 pound packs. I guess I could save some weight by not taking any extra clothing, getting an under 2 lb sleeping pad, trimming pack items and removing a few clips, but I don't think I will do that. I will just have to deal with it.
Torreya State Park is located about 60 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida in the “Big Bend”. This park is noted for its varied terrain, ranging from hardwood to swamp wetlands and an area we Floridians could call “canyons” (large washed out clay hills). It’s the closest thing we can find around here that is similar to the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. The park has a nice network of trails to explore. My 13 year old son and I arrived at the park on Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, the first day of spring. We had made reservations ahead to ensure our sites in the primitive camp areas. Because our region had been receiving abundant amounts of rainfall, we knew the mosquitoes would be in full force. We were not disappointed. We came prepared with plenty of bug repellent. This trip could be called an "Introduction to Backpacking" for me and my son. We have done car camping, but yearned for a taste of “true” camping. Having enjoyed accumulating our assortment
Some ideas: Ditch the tent and just take a tarp or bivy sack. Or have a sleeping bag that has a weather proof shell and sleep under the stars. A ridgerest foam pad is fine unless you sleep on a wood/concrete surface and they don't weigh much. For 4 days you should be able to get the pack around 30 pounds with water. Carry only 1-2 liters of water if you can filter along the way. A gallon of water is about 8 pounds. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips Haliku, but I am not a tarp person and by body requires the extra comfort of a therm-a-rest pad. The days of sleeping on thin Ensolite passed my by about 35 years ago. :) I need that extra air under me. My next post will have a link to all my current equipment. There are a few things I could still trim for a 4 day trip.
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