Ul pack weight and gear

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Ul pack weight and gear

Postby sasfish » Wed 08 May, 2019 8:31 am

Hello crew. I have been working on getting my pack Lite and ready, to do 50 k thru hike. My pack before water is around the 10kg mark and wondering how this compares to what’s out there.. I am wondering what others are carrying and where they are splurging for comfort and skimping to save weight.
Here is the list.
Nemo Hornet 2 p. 1.3 with footprint
Undercling mike -5 wide .800
Nemo insulated 20 pad. .700
Msr reactor and kit 1.3
Rain poncho & jacket .500
Insulation layers and jumpers 1.7
First aid .366
Nav bag .380
Osprey exos 48 1.260
Sea to summit aeros .100
Food .400
Sawyer squeeze .240
Platypus bags.200
Black Dimond flz alpines
Ect .500
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby wildwanderer » Wed 08 May, 2019 9:13 am

Where are you going? What are the conditions/weather expected.

Will update my thoughts after I learn the location of the walk but these intially could be considered

- Insulation layers and jumpers 1.7kg

Depends on where you are going but this seems quite heavy. Unless your walking at 5C or below generally most people will be comfortable in long pants (convertable are nice), long sleeve top and maybe a light thermal. When you move you generate alot of heat. If there is wind put on your rain jacket to block the wind chill. A light weight beanie is also good for walking in cold conditions and at camp. At camp or for extended stops a medium weight down jacket could be sufficent/(or in wet conditions a heavy fleece). Thermal top/bottom(uniglo are very light and good). If your camping out in below zero conditions without a fire then fleece pants could be considered but to save weight you could just prepare dinner early and eat under the warmth of your quilt.

So it could be. 500g for down jacket, 150 grams each for thermal to/bottom, 50 grams (beanie), spare socks(50 grams). Scrub gloves, though if just for warmth you could use your spare socks. (25 grams). All up aprox under 1kg.

- Food .400kg
this doesnt seem enough food for 50km. Depends on what your eating and how many days your going for though.

- Msr reactor and kit 1.3kg
Depends on where you are going but for low land activities or even sub alpine a canister stove and 500ml ti combination mug/pot with lid and a ti spoon should be fine for all your cooking, drinking and plate needs. 500ml works fine for me for multi day trips and weighs about 400 grams total including pot/spoon/lid/100g of gas.(200g total canister weight). (some people prefer a 700ml pot and/or seperate plate).

- First aid .366
Depends if this includes toothbrush, sunscreen, repellent etc as well but if its just first aid only then you should be able to cut it down to 150 grams. (snake bandage, drugs, bandaids, elastoplast tape, emergency fire starters and tweezers)

-Sawyer squeeze .240
Personal preference but i find tablets are less fuss and alot lighter. Although a filter can be good if the water isnt clear as pre filtering through a shirt/bandana doesnt always work

-Nav bag .380
What does this contain? Hopefully a phone. A PLB is nice. Maps/compass or phone nav app or both

Osprey exos 48 1.260
For under 4 days I can usually ditch the bucket lid and use the flap. Save you aprox 150 grams

Platypus bags.200
Consider 2 x 1L PET bottles and put them in the side pockets of your exos. Easy to drink whike walking, cheap and indestructable. I also pack a empty 2L platypus equivilant for camp water.

Sea to summit aeros .100
Could also use your clothes stuff sack with your jacket inside. This with a buff (neck warmer) covering the stuff sack makes a very good pillow.



I assume your wearing a hat?

hygiene kit? eg toilet paper and anti bacterial gel

30g mini swiss army knife? Although ive lost mine and now use my teeth for pre chopping food before cooking :mrgreen:

If your going for multiple days spare socks are nice to put on at night.

Edited a couple of times with additional thoughts
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby sasfish » Wed 08 May, 2019 10:51 am

Very good response, Thank you. Location is southern part of the great northern walk in nsw. Food is 90 grams each back country freeze dried. So your right; I need 320 grams more food plus some snacks. Insulation is ghost whisper, rab helium rain jacket, poncho and icebreaker thermals. One pair of ul all weather pants ( mountain hardware ) and two darn tuff mid socks. northern lights beanie and rab gloves Good call on the lid. I don’t need it.
Nav contains eperb and compass. I could sae haps by changing stoves but the reactor works so well. Thanks
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby slparker » Wed 08 May, 2019 11:26 am

Poncho + helium jacket + rain pants?

Have you thought of just a poncho? Or just the helium and pants?

There seems to be some redundancy there.
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby Eremophila » Wed 08 May, 2019 1:32 pm

I'm hardly an UL walker, but a comment re the pillow: years ago when I was first buying equipment, the lovely folks at Lone Dingo sold me one of these:
https://www.thermarest.com/pillows/stuff-sack-pillow

It's 80g and all I've ever used for a pillow. Your list doesn't include stuff sacks, but if you're using them, this item does dual usage. And no problem if it gets punctured.
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby sasfish » Wed 08 May, 2019 2:55 pm

Cool thanks guys. I guess the point is to find that sweet spot between fast movement, comfort. The challenge it would seem is to find what you really don’t need
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby wildwanderer » Wed 08 May, 2019 2:56 pm

Agree with slparker. thats alot of rain gear. If the forecast is good (or even cloudy) a rain jacket (or poncho) not both will be all you need. I wouldnt bother with the rain pants.

Rain pants are good if significant rain is forecast. but keep in mind your clothes under rain gear will very likely become damp due to sweat. Most of their breathability claims dont stack up to the reality.

Re food. Do you enjoy backcountry? I would recommend sampling the chosen varieties your bringing beforehand. Some people enjoy them.. others would prefer eating cardboard.. There are a number of alternatives, check out the bush tucker section of the forum if you havent already. Food and hot drinks are one of the key enjoyments after a good days walk.
Last edited by wildwanderer on Wed 08 May, 2019 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby ChrisJHC » Wed 08 May, 2019 3:07 pm

The food really stands out.
Most hikers plan on around 600-700g of food per day.

Note that the most calorie-dense foods (e.g. olive oil) are around 800 Calories per 100g so 700g will equal around 5600 Calories.

Assuming you’re not just eating olive oil then you’ll find you need 600-700 g of food to replace the energy you’re expending, particularly on a 50km hike.

And for the sake of those around you, please don’t just eat olive oil!
:)
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby sasfish » Wed 08 May, 2019 6:24 pm

Yep tried the back country tonight spaghetti. Yuck, not nice at all. Now I’m totally going to have a re think the food.
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby Neo » Wed 08 May, 2019 8:26 pm

My base weight is around 10kg with some nice gear and a chair, not the most expensive gear. So 15+ with food and water usually.
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby Neo » Wed 08 May, 2019 8:31 pm

BC is awful.

Tried Campers Patry beef n blackbean. Oh my goodness, if it wasnt labeled I may have picked it as an asian flavour but it was seriously tasteless! Had to add my own rice too..!?

So not worth a coupe of hundred gras weight saving, can do much nicer with supermarket instant carbs and some fresh extras ;)
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby emma_melbourne » Thu 09 May, 2019 11:36 am

I think 10 kg sounds pretty good.

I recently did the Overland Track over Christmas, and a lot of research on equipment and base weight leading up to it. (I couldn't do as much actual trial runs due to having a 2.5 year old at that time - she's since turned 3, and it's the awkward age between being independent and not wanting to be in a baby carrier but also not up to walking far in a straight line without getting distracted and stopping to look at stuff and linger for ages.)

I came to the conclusion for myself that...

IT'S RELATIVELY EASY TO GET TO A COMFORTABLE 7 KG "ish" BASE WEIGHT
I'm a comfort queen and my set-up included a very heavy 1.2 kg sleeping mat which is supremely comfortable, and which I did try and switch out for a Thermarest NeoAir XLite in trial runs but I couldn't sleep with the crinkly noise - I'm just too sensitive. But if I switch to a less heavy mat, that would drop close to 1kg off my set-up, which would then be about 7 kg.
Overland Track hike set-up here:
https://www.lighterpack.com/r/bz0cqf

YOU CAN GET DOWN TO 5 KG BASE WEIGHT... BUT TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, TYPICALLY NEED ULTRALIGHT BACKPACK (400- 700 grams "ish"), ULTRALIGHT SHELTER (400-700 grams "ish"), ULTRALIGHT MAT (200-400 grams "ish"), DOWN QUILT (500-600 grams "ish")
I've drafted myself up a hypothetical sub-5kg base weight set-up, which also includes links in the notes to some other backpackers set-ups which are around that sub-5 kg base weight for inspiration and reference.
https://www.lighterpack.com/r/44oa95

HOWEVER... CONDITIONS (!!!!) & "HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE"
However as noted by others, base weight is not the only focus because far more important than that is:
Q1) What are the conditions you're going out into, and what is the range of what can you expect for that time of the year. Cold? Buggy? Wet? Animals that can eat your food? Safety / Navigation equipment required? How much water storage are you going to need?
There is such as thing as going "stupid light" which is being so overly focused on base weight and cutting gear out of your pack, that you end up dangerously without something you need for the conditions or warmth or rain protection that you need for the conditions, etc. The famous adventurer Andrew Skurka describes himself going out on an adventure where he was trying to do it really light and fast, and going without a sleep quilt to save weight thinking he could sleep in his puffie jacket. He ended up cold, shivering, unable to sleep... perfect example as he says of going stupid light.

Q2) What works for someone else may not work for you. aka "Hike your own hike"
Comfort wise - Some people can sleep on a lightweight CCF (closed cell foam) pad, others can't.
Temperature wise - Some people are small or slim and sleep cold, and need a higher R value (higher insulation) pad to sleep comfortably.
Food wise - Some people are happy to eat functionally going entirely off calories and not taste. Some people happy to take an peanut butter plastic jar and cold soak couscous for example, with a bit of dehydrated vegetables in the mix. And take energy bars and dry snacks. And going entirely stoveless. Others value a hot meal and definitely want to take a stove for a hot meal at the end of the day, and hot drinks and/or porridge.
Money - and how much you want to splurge. One of the easiest ways to get weight down is if you can throw a lot of money at it, you can get a Dyneema composite tent at around 450 grams for a 1 person tent or 560 for a 2 person tent. And a Dyneema or ultralight backpack at around 400-600 grams ish.

Now looking at your set-up, it all looks like good stuff to me, and relatively lightweight.

You could shave weight if you really want to throw money at a lighter tent.
You could shave a bit of weight of your rain set-up.
I don't know the break-down of your insulation layers to comment on that (as in what are the individual pieces making up that weight?) and it's possible that you could save weight but I wouldn't want to say that without seeing what they are exactly.

But basically looks good!
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Re: Ul pack weight and gear

Postby sasfish » Fri 10 May, 2019 4:43 pm

Great replay thank you
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