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.
THE NORTH FACE HEDGEHOG GTX XCR III Recently I switched to a lighter boot / shoe for backpacking since most of my hiking is geared toward ultralight. My first hiking shoe was a Merrill brand. It was light with a Vibram sole with Gore-Tex outer waterproof shell. I liked the shoe. Besides backpacking in it, I wore it daily and went on 4 mile trail runs a few times a week. Eventually, the shoe wore out and I went on the search for a replacement. I basically wanted the same features, but I decided to try another brand so I could compare performance for future purchases. I decided on The North Face Hedgehog GTX XCR III. This shoe is superior to my Merrill in terms of insole padding, aggressive Vibram sole and lacing eyes. It provides better support and the fit size is accurate. I wore it a daily for a few weeks, then went on a vacation and hiked 13 miles in the Smoky Mountains. No blisters, not issues. The Gore-Tex served me well due to the many wet areas I had to cross....
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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