Backcountry Pack Weights

[luke moffat]

OMG I was laughing my ass off, literally.

You should have seen the 36 snickers tucked into her puffy gear she was wearing during the 75 degree weather.....they didn't look like the originally snicker bars they had started at to say the least.....more like yummy dog turds

And since she got her sheep on day 5 and we flew out on day 8 that meant we had 10 days worth of dog turd snickers to eat on the next couple trips!

 

[stephen b]

im telling ya. my future son in law wrestles for Oregon st on a full ride scholarship. he spent most of the year #1 in the nation at 198 and is talking with the Olympic comity about the next summer games. hes making it on the spread sheet, going to see how much that kid can pack. i may have my pack weight down to just snickers bars

Must be talking about Taylor Meeks. Yes, he would be good to put on a spread sheet for a packer for you- he is a stud.

Hope he wins the NCAA's this year.

 

[Manosteel]

This thread is useless without actual gear lists! Lol

I'm sure if actual gear lists were posted a standard base line would quickly emerge.... And actual packs weights...

 

[Darren Best]

You should have seen the 36 snickers tucked into her puffy gear she was wearing during the 75 degree weather.....they didn't look like the originally snicker bars they had started at to say the least.....more like yummy dog turds

And since she got her sheep on day 5 and we flew out on day 8 that meant we had 10 days worth of dog turd snickers to eat on the next couple trips!

LOL

The kind of deal where you have to close your eyes to eat your food?

 

[5MilesBack]

It would take up too much space on this thread to list 14 different packs weights for every situation, location, time of year, length of hunt, etc, etc......that's why I listed my "baseline" pack weight. Obviously once you add optics, weapons, water, food, the clothes on your back, and the 3 racks of ribs sitting in your gut from the night before.........the weight goes up. However, I still see no need to count everything that is NOT part of my pack system. Next thing I'll have to add in will be hair extensions, tattoo ink weight, and jewelry.

 

[gil_wy]

It would take up too much space on this thread to list 14 different packs weights for every situation, location, time of year, length of hunt, etc, etc......that's why I listed my "baseline" pack weight. Obviously once you add optics, weapons, water, food, the clothes on your back, and the 3 racks of ribs sitting in your gut from the night before.........the weight goes up. However, I still see no need to count everything that is NOT part of my pack system. Next thing I'll have to add in will be hair extensions, tattoo ink weight, and jewelry.

That's why the backpacking community talks in terms of "base pack weight"... It doesn't include water, food, or fuel. It's really the only way to get an apples to apples comparison. Some people take 4L of water some take 2L, some take a lb. of food a day some take 3lbs., some use canister fuel some use wood...

Just an interesting tidbit but in the last Backpacker Magazine they profiled a guy that set a record completing the Appalachian Trail and his base pack weight was sub 8#!!! I know there is a big difference between speed hiking and hunting Dall sheep but still...

 

[5MilesBack]

That's why the backpacking community talks in terms of "base pack weight"... It doesn't include water, food, or fuel. It's really the only way to get an apples to apples comparison.

In the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter what everyone else is carrying or their weights. But it is good for the companies that make this equipment when people start seeing ultralight setups and people start saying "whoa". Then they start researching and find that they can drop 10lbs of weight on their back......for a price. It's kind of like my water filter.......my old Katadyn Pocket weighs something like 26oz but works perfectly fine. Then I saw the Hiker Pro at 10.5oz and went "whoa"......that's a pound saved right there.

 

[Vance in AK]

That's why the backpacking community talks in terms of "base pack weight"... It doesn't include water, food, or fuel. It's really the only way to get an apples to apples comparison. Some people take 4L of water some take 2L, some take a lb. of food a day some take 3lbs., some use canister fuel some use wood...

True, but the OP asked about your pack weight at the trailhead as I understand it. An interesting question that will have very diverse answers.
If it's a "base pack weight with these specific items" it becomes a question of "what do these items weigh in your gear closet". Really less relevant to the OP.

 

[Mike7]

Nah no worries...if it makes ya feel better go for it! Heck don't count the weight of you backpack itself either as its not actually IN your pack so its not legit weight either. Bring on the sub 20 pound weights now

Classic Luke! ...and so true.

 

[littlebuf]

Must be talking about Taylor Meeks. Yes, he would be good to put on a spread sheet for a packer for you- he is a stud.

Hope he wins the NCAA's this year.

you must follow the team. thats pretty cool. yeah hes ahd a couple of tough losses lately and i guess one bad call last match that cost him but hopefully he can make a show at nationals. im thinking he can pack at least 3/4 of a elk for me

 

[tttoadman]

i often daydream of jumping out of a tree onto a bear with no more than a fixed blade between my teeth..... do my eyes count as optics and the blade as my weapon? that would be a pound or less pending on blade size!

Originally Posted by tttoadman
Open sight single shot rifle with "one" bullet in it, and a small monocular. A stick from the forest for an optic support.

I just spit chew on my phone!

Just out of curiosity, how many animals have you killed and packed out?

Don't know if this question was directed at me or Greyghost, but I assure you I have not killed and packed out any animals with a knife or my crazy scenario. It would really make for great campfire stories.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Originally Posted by tttoadman
Open sight single shot rifle with "one" bullet in it, and a small monocular. A stick from the forest for an optic support.



Don't know if this question was directed at me or Greyghost, but I assure you I have not killed and packed out any animals with a knife or my crazy scenario. It would really make for great campfire stories.

Neither.... it was for Dave C.

 

[Jon Boy]

Well by the way this thread is going, I think if we want to get a REALLY accurate total pack weight we need to add your total body weight, so that way all you lard asses can't cheat hahaha
I think Becca might be the only one to beat me at this haha ~145lb body weight + ~55lb pack weight 200-ish lbs

 

[ohhiitznik]

Anywhere from 48-60 lbs for a week long trip. That includes water and bow.

 

[fulldraw1972]

Well by the way this thread is going, I think if we want to get a REALLY accurate total pack weight we need to add your total body weight, so that way all you lard asses can't cheat hahaha
I think Becca might be the only one to beat me at this haha ~145lb body weight + ~55lb pack weight 200-ish lbs

I am out for sure! My 260 lb carcass is way over and I haven't even put the pack on yet. lol
Since this thread has come about I did a list of what I have. I am at 41 lbs for everything except food. If I end up going for 14 days on my elk hunt I will be at 65 lbs. So I am at 325!!

 

[a3dhunter]

I am out for sure! My 260 lb carcass is way over and I haven't even put the pack on yet. lol
Since this thread has come about I did a list of what I have. I am at 41 lbs for everything except food. If I end up going for 14 days on my elk hunt I will be at 65 lbs. So I am at 325!!

I'm in the same boat, at 280 before I put the pack on.

Pack weight is 25 lbs when loaded with gear, add water puts me at 32 lbs plus food. If I figure 5-6 days that puts me at 40 lbs in the pack, for a total weight of 320lbs headed up the mountain.

Just thinking about that I spent an extra 30 minutes on my workout tonight!
I will be losing some more weight, just not out of the pack.

 

[n_watson22]

I would agree with what everyone else is saying, for a 5-6 day trip my pack weight is approximately 45-50 lbs. This is with a mystery ranch crew cab also so I could cut down a few pounds with some of the lighter weight packs in the industry now.

And taylor meeks is a beast! I am originally from western washington and I used to wrestle with him a few years back. Hopefully he is doing well, I havent been keeping up on wrestling

 

[MattB]

You guys are scientific. Buy quality (light) gear, make a thoughful gear list and don't put anything in your pack that isn't on the list. I would guess that my pack for 10-12 days weighs around 35# without food/optics, but really I do not know. I just know that it has everything I think I will need and not much else.

 

[SHTF]

Im by no means stating that this list is accurate today as most of the gear in this list has been switched out but this is what I took on my 7 day backpack hunt last year. This will give folks an idea of what I took and what I used to get ready for the trip. This helped me make sure I didnt take anything extra I wouldnt need. Saying that I could of probably left a few other things at home. I came in at 55# with Food water Bow and archery tackle included in the list.

Everywhere you see a 0 in the weight column that means it wasnt included in the pack next to the item and it didnt go with me. But I weighed any of my potential gear I may take cause I borrowed the scale I used to weigh it all with. As you can see a lot of my gear wasnt that great either which now I have remedied.



If anyone wants the link to the backpack list that I used in that image you can download it from here https://www.dropbox.com/s/iae9e84i3phbowt/HikingChecklist_Public.xlsx

The gear that I have listed worked for me and we got crapped on for most of the 7 days we were out. So where I could of taken out weight on some things I could of reinforced it on other parts.

(Worth noting: I packed 9 days worth of food for the 7day trip. Im pre diabetic so I make sure I have plenty of what I need out there if Im putting out a lot of energy. I also packed 2 days extra as Aron Stated SHTF Pun intended =) )

Im no expert like Aron and Luke and some of the others are here but if your a new backpack hunter Id definitely stay away from the sub 30# backpack setups for 5+ days. It could end your trip fast or put you in a rescue situation. But thats just my not so knowledgeable 2 cents worth.

Great topic though and one that has been discussed many posts on here =)

 

[BackcountryMT]

My base pack weighs in at 23.5# before food and water. I can do approx. 3 days out of my MR Longbow for a grand total of about 30#. Luckily, most spots I hunt have ample water so my Katydyn gets a work out. I can shed some weight, and space, with a new sleeping bag though. I have a junk ass Slumberjack that needs a toss!