RE: [Philmont]: Philmont Training Materials -- Packing Light

> From: kbarley6
> If my failing memory serves me, you are a "go light" aficionado.
> Many of my Crew Advisors want to head in that direction this trip.
> Do you have any resources to share for a training session?
>
I'm not Dr. Bob, but I'll butt in anyway :-)
Some general thoughts:
Down is lighter than synthetic.
Frameless is lighter than frame
External frame is lighter than Internal frame
Sharing gear is the best way to lighten the load
Some solid fuel stoves are lighter (with fuel) than some liquid fuel stoves
(but not for Philmont, you'd have to carry fuel for all ten days without
resupplying)
Some things are considered optional by ultralight enthusiasts that the rest
of us would not consider doing without or using:
        Rainfly (but a waterproof single wall instead
        Tent without poles (use branches/trekking poles, a-frame, I dunno, we
called 'em tube tents when I was a scout :-) and without floors) or no tent,
sleep under the tarp.
        ground cloth
        Underwear
        thermarest (closed cell appears to be acceptable to the ultralightheads)
        ten essentials
        boots (use trail shoes instead - drops a couple pounds)

Now, I use a tent with a rainfly and its own poles. I use a ground cloth,
thermarest and I bring underwear. I use an internal frame backpack and a
white gas stove (unless I'm forced otherwise). If you follow all the above
ultralight stuff, your gear and high tech clothes, minus food and water, can
weigh in at about eight pounds. My gear weighs about 20 pounds (synthetic
bag, too cheap for down)

Ultralight only has a few items where you replace something heavy with
something light (basically pack, tent, bag, pad), otherwise you do without
something.

I just came back from a rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon over
THanksgiving week (two nights). My pack, with winter gear (0 F), food and
water, weighed in at 32 pounds. My son carried the tent and his pack
weighed in at 35 pounds. IT was just the two of us. We are by no means
ultralight weight, but you can keep things down. he hiked in sneakers, I in
boots, so we ended up about the same.

I can't imagine a pack for Philmont weighing more than 40 pounds fully
loaded. Yet I see people on this list claiming 50-55 pounds for their pack.
It comes down to load tolerance. My knees start to hurt when my pack weighs
45 pounds, so I have to keep it below that or I have a miserable week.

Regards
Don Roberts
ASM T1201, CA C1202
Fullerton CA
Powderhorn DPC 2003

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Received on Tue Dec 2 20:08:47 2003