Bad overpacking habit

[Outdoor_Fool]

 

[LarryBoy]

I occasionally have this overpacking problem, but it's never a problem on the way out...

Rather, the reason why you pack light is to have a little extra room for some, uh, refreshsing beverages. Less gear more beer!

 

[Deleted User]

So... what do you seem to put too much of in your pack?

Presenting the BEER-O-MID! Yeah, beer is heavy, but delicious!

 

[LarryBoy]

Presenting the BEER-O-MID! Yeah, beer is heavy, but delicious!

The latest in lightweight shelters! Is that the Beer-o-Mid Solo, or the Beer-o-Mid Duo?

 

[Deleted User]

The latest in lightweight shelters! Is that the Beer-o-Mid Solo, or the Beer-o-Mid Duo?

That was the solo model on that trip. If its the duo, you can double that and add a flask of whiskey.

 

[Nodust]

I've packed too much food and clothes before.

But never too much beer.

 

[Venchka]

That's what I must be doing wrong. I don't pack alcohol.
Wayne


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[blueeyes]

Food and clothes...maybe first aid kit.

I only ever use band-aids, bandana, neosporin, and pain killers. Not much more than that in my little first aid kit but every time I put it in I think why?

This last trip I didn't need my little chair or water purification system and took them anyways just in case. I did have the correct amount of food and did use all pieces of my clothing so that was good. I think I am finally dialed in.

All of my gear weighs 22 lbs (23.5 lbs if I add tools for bikepacking) then I just have to add the weight of the pack or bike bags I use, food, water and my camera.

Since my first backpacking trip I have come along ways with over packing. Getting set up to bikepack has helped because I don't have as much room in the bike bags I use and I don't want a pack on my back when I ride long distances.

Clothing wise I am pretty good except I take a pair of light weight black diamond ski pants for warmth at night they weigh 1.5lbs kinda bulky for packing. They are made of a stretchy material so I can ride in them with ease. Probably won't use those as weather warms up but they sure have been a life saver the last two trips. I just wish I could find something as warm less bulky.

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[blueeyes]

That's what I must be doing wrong. I don't pack alcohol.
Wayne


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Same here!!

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[SKLund]

So, as I am getting ready for a 4 day trip to The Needles, I starting thinking about my packing habits and wondering if/what I seem to overpack. It got me thinking to ask and see what others seem to find themselves with too much of after a trip. I seem to find myself overpacking in two areas. For one, I seem to sometimes pack too many shirts, a if I really need to change daily, and perhaps twice. Second area seems to be food. No matter how many times I sort it out and lay out the game plan for meals and snacks, I seem to rationalize that extra this or that.
Overall the last few years I have been only doing my trips solo. I think if I did a few more trips with groups I would probably get better in my habits since I could see how others are doing it, and secondly, no doubt I would take some ribbing over my overpacked this or that.

So... what do you seem to put too much of in your pack?

One of each. if they get gamey you can rinse them 300 feet away from water sources.
1 long sleeve short
1 short sleeve t shirt
1 base layer top (optional depending on climate and how warm your bag is.
If you need to skip something, skip the long sleeve shirt
1 pair of pants

Food:
Skip standard breakfast fare and use freeze dried food for 2 of your meals. That's around 2000 calories right there give or take. Use high calorie snack food for lunch. I use extra large PayDay bars (around 450 calories) and sunflower seeds from Trader Joes. 1 cup is a 818 calories. Very efficient and very good for you. Your lunch kit will be heavy but have high value.

My overpacking:
First aid kit. I never use it but always bring it. Toilet kit. Wish I could leave some stuff out but need it all.

Keep in mind that most of the weight is your sleep system (including tent), pack, and above all, your body weight. It's a good idea to weight everything that goes in the pack, then the pack itself when done. If you have to haul water, it's kind of pointless to worry about the rest of the gear because it's 8 lbs and some change per gallon.

The people I see going really light are either very experienced for the conditions they are in, are taking the risk that nothing will go wrong, or have lots of $ to spend on light gear.

 

[LarryBoy]

The people I see going really light are either very experienced for the conditions they are in, are taking the risk that nothing will go wrong, or have lots of $ to spend on light gear.

Pretty much. You don't have to be a total expert in order to go light, but you need to have done your homework - the idea behind lightweight backpacking is that you put more in between your ears so you can put less on your back.

Minor quibble on the "it doesn't matter how much your pack weighs if you have to carry water" bit - if anything, a light pack is more important if you have big food and/or water carries. For example, I left Hanksville last year with 4 liters of water and ~9 days of food on my back*. My pack was probably about ~30 pounds, which was heavy but reasonable. Had I not packed light though, I would have been trying to haul 50 lbs up a 7000-foot climb to the top of the Henry Mountains - no fun.

*that was, in my memory, the only time I actually underpacked food. I was getting prettttty hungry by the end of the trip. Hiker Hunger kicked in after about day 4 on the trail and Hurricane LarryBoy ripped through my food bag. Rationing food when you don't have enough is never fun.

 

[SKLund]

Pretty much. You don't have to be a total expert in order to go light, but you need to have done your homework - the idea behind lightweight backpacking is that you put more in between your ears so you can put less on your back.

Minor quibble on the "it doesn't matter how much your pack weighs if you have to carry water" bit - if anything, a light pack is more important if you have big food and/or water carries. For example, I left Hanksville last year with 4 liters of water and ~9 days of food on my back*. My pack was probably about ~30 pounds, which was heavy but reasonable. Had I not packed light though, I would have been trying to haul 50 lbs up a 7000-foot climb to the top of the Henry Mountains - no fun.

*that was, in my memory, the only time I actually underpacked food. I was getting prettttty hungry by the end of the trip. Hiker Hunger kicked in after about day 4 on the trail and Hurricane LarryBoy ripped through my food bag. Rationing food when you don't have enough is never fun.

This is an interesting perspective on the subject:
http://www.backpacker.com/skills/5-military-rucking-rules-every-backpacker-should-know

 

[r3biker]

This is an interesting perspective on the subject:
http://www.backpacker.com/skills/5-military-rucking-rules-every-backpacker-should-know

The five military rucking rules was a great article to read. I was backpacking through Yosemite in the 80s and my clunky stiff hiking boots were agonizingly painful so after a couple days I experimented and tried hiking in my sneakers. Despite having a 60 lb pack hiking in sneakers didn't bother my ankles and my speed picked up. It makes sense.

Thanks for sharing


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[Deleted User]

The people I see going really light are either very experienced for the conditions they are in, are taking the risk that nothing will go wrong, or have lots of $ to spend on light gear.

Yes ultralight gear is expensive. No question about that. Its taken me a few years to get to the base weight I have because I have had to make purchases far apart to not break the bank. My base weight is 16-18 lbs before food and whiskey. I only count gear weights because food and booze is one way weight.

I think you have to just pull out all your gear, be honest with yourself and say "Do I really need it?" to everything in your pack. Pick the essentials like shelter, sleep, and water purification. The ability to fight hypothermia is critical. But do you really need a hammock and a tent? Do you need two pairs of pants? Do you need six lenses for a weekend backpacking trip? Do you need that much water? From there its simple to narrow it down. Having the Granite Gear Crown VC60 has for sure helped me stop packing everything and the kitchen sink. It has also helped me distribute my load better for less down force trauma on my body carrying a pack.

For me, backpacking has been an experiment in minimalism. From packing to long trips, to camp. Less is more. Except if your are talking beers or whiskey. :twothumbs:

 

[Shirt357]

The replies have been good reading for me. I do feel every time out I get better at my gear list and actually packing it right. Like I just did 3 days in The Needles, and I think my food bag was the lightest it has been on multi-day trips. I've worked hard to come up with better meals that also do not weigh me down. Seems like the lunch/snacks area is toughest for me.

I am sure over time replacing a few things will also take off some pounds. Like I am very sure I could drop a lb or more if I changed tents from the Kelty I have, but I just have not wanted to put my money into that since I have other stuff I prioritized higher.

I do like the idea of weighing everything to get a better idea of what each item "costs" me. What do you all use to weigh your filled pack to see what your total weight is?

 

[slc_dan]

What do you all use to weigh your filled pack to see what your total weight is?

I use the highly scientific approach of stepping on a scale, noting the weight, cringe, step on the scale with my pack, and cringe again. I then add a couple more beers into the pack because after I've weighed my pack, they don't count.

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

I have a version of this that I use for luggage and backpacks, etc. I've had it for 10-15 years and every time I test it with a known weight, it still is within a pound or so.

 

[Upgrayedd]

The replies have been good reading for me. I do feel every time out I get better at my gear list and actually packing it right. Like I just did 3 days in The Needles, and I think my food bag was the lightest it has been on multi-day trips. I've worked hard to come up with better meals that also do not weigh me down. Seems like the lunch/snacks area is toughest for me.

I am sure over time replacing a few things will also take off some pounds. Like I am very sure I could drop a lb or more if I changed tents from the Kelty I have, but I just have not wanted to put my money into that since I have other stuff I prioritized higher.

I do like the idea of weighing everything to get a better idea of what each item "costs" me. What do you all use to weigh your filled pack to see what your total weight is?

I use a kitchen scale to weight everything individually, that gets recorded in geargrams.com. Then once my bag is full and packed I'll weigh myself with and without the pack and the difference is my total pack weight. I'm usually around a pound or so more than what I plan with geargrams but having that detailed list also helps me to have a checklist so I don't forget anything.

 

[blueeyes]

Kitchen scale, like Eric O I track the weights in a spread sheet that is also my checklist. I love checklists.

My new favorite snack 1 3.3 oz bag of peanut M&Ms 470 cal, 1 cup (or more) of Fritos 180 cal, 1.5 oz of Country Archer's Mango Habanero beef jerky 120 cal for a total of 770 yummy spicy sweet n salty chocolatey gorpy stuff. Light weight too.

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[Deleted User]

I have a version of this that I use for luggage and backpacks, etc. I've had it for 10-15 years and every time I test it with a known weight, it still is within a pound or so.

I have a digital version of that. They work pretty good.