Pack Light, Have more Fun!1

1. A study that indicates the lighter you pack, the further & faster you can hike, & have more time and fun.

What will I need for a 2-3 day hike?• Backpack• Sleeping bag• Tent & groundcloth• Food (dehydrated,~1 lb/day)

• Clothes (extra) & Towel• Water & Purifier• First Aid Kit• Stove & Fuel• Mess Kit, utensils, light • Miscellaneous (toiletries et al)

• Anything else?

What will I probably not need?

• Scout Book• Propane stoves & lanterns (use Iso-propane)• Heavy sleeping bag• Big flashlight• Chair• Heavy clothes

– (windbreaker & lite jacket, “layers” not a heavy coat or pants)

• Complete cooking set• Non-freeze dried food• Lots of extra clothes• Anything that weighs more than 4 lbs• Serious consideration of anything over 3 lbs• Most things not on the previous list

How much weight should I carry?• Pack should be no more than 25%* Body Weight • If you weigh this, your pack should be less than this:

– 80 lbs 20 lbs– 100 lbs 25 lbs– 125 lbs 33 lbs– 150 lbs 38 lbs– 175 lbs 44 lbs– 200 lbs 50 lbs*Lighter = better!Much lighter is much better!20% of body weight is good15% is excellent (but possibly more expensive)

Did you know, for each extra pound you add, you slow you hiking rate down?

• For varied terrain, and a 100 lb hiker, going 10 miles• Each pound you add slows you down by about 1%• Requires more rest stops• Reduces the distance you can hike in a day by ~ 2%• Increases you chance of injury by ½%* plus blisters• At the end of the day, you’re tired!

• * Goes up greatly after 1/3 body weight, assumes you hike into the dark a bear eats you

How much does what I need weigh?(Yes, you need to weigh it)

• Backpack 2 – 7 lbs• Sleeping bag 2 – 7 lbs• Tent & groundcloth 2 –10 lbs• Food (dehydrated,~1 lb/day) 3 – 4 lbs• Clothes (extra) & Towel 1 – 5 lbs• Water & Purifier 4 – 6 lbs• First Aid Kit ½ - 2 lbs• Stove & Fuel 1 – 5 lbs• Mess Kit, utensils, light 1 – 6 lbs• Miscellaneous ½– 5 lbs

• Total 17 (nice) – 57 lbs (heavy)•

Typical Weight

What if… My stuff weighs 35 lbs but I only weigh100 lbs?• Backpack 5 lbs• Sleeping bag 5 lbs• Tent 6 lbs• Food (dehydrated,1 lb/day) 3 lbs• Clothes (extra) & Towel 3 lbs• Water & Purifier 4 lbs• First Aid Kit 1 lbs• Stove & Fuel 2 lbs• Mess Kit, utensils, light 3 lbs• Miscellaneous 3 lbs

• 35 lbs• Bad News: Your pack is too heavy! • Good News: You have several options…

What can I do?• 1) Take less stuff (or less heavy stuff)

• Ask the question, do I really need that?

• Make a list, did you use it on the last campout?

• No heavy lifting

• 2) Share!!! Work with your patrol and others:• Tents, water filters, mess kits, stoves and fuel, etc.

• If you’re just using dehydrated food, you only need to boil water

• One of the best options: You get everything, but don’t have to carry it all!

• 3) Mom could take you on a spending spree at REI– You can spend $1000 and get below 10 lbs, but you don’t need to.

Hey, do you know how much each item weighs?

What can I do? (cont)• 4) Pack Smart (You know better than your Mom what you need)

– Plastic fork & spoon, Tyvek ground cloth, micro-flashlight, cheepie poncho/emergency blanket.

– No Scout book or heavy items.– Count ounces to save pounds!– How about 2-4 scouts sleeping under a lightweight tarp?

• 5) Weigh what you have, Borrow / Replace heaviest item– Replacing a few heavier items can make a BIG difference!

• Smaller, lighter tent, sleeping bag• (Eureka Bivy Tent $50 3 lbs), (Kelty Stratus bag, $60, 2 lbs)• Ask people not going if they can loan you lightweight gear• (make very sure to return it in as good or better condition!)

• 6) Plan resources– Cache water going down, refill & filter @ first stream– Plan what you need, share what you might, leave what you don’t– Weigh your pack and know before you go– Pack your own pack

Example1: Mom takes you to REI

• Was Is• Backpack 5 lbs 2 lb $80 GoLIte pack• Sleeping bag 5 lbs 2 lbs $100 bag• Tent 6 lbs 2 lbs $100 Bivy Tent• Food (dehydrated,1 lb/day) 3 lbs 3 lbs Food’s the same• Clothes (extra) & Towel 3 lbs 1.5 lbs $20 Polyester+ layers!• Water & Purifier 4 lbs 4 lbs Water weighs the

same!• First Aid Kit 1 lbs 0.5 lb $20 lightweight kit• Stove & Fuel 2 lbs 1 lb $60 Titanium• Mess Kit, utensils, light 3 lbs 1 lb $90 Titanium & LEDs• Miscellaneous 3 lbs 2 lbs $30 Ultralight stuff• 35 lbs 19 lbs $500 Thanks Mom

-or- 10 lbs $1000

Example2: Share, plan & pack smart

• Backpack 5 lbs 4 lbs Sharing =smaller pack• Sleeping bag 5 lbs 3 lbs $17 3lb bag @ SA• Tent 6 lbs 3 lbs Sharing saves 3 lbs• Food (dehydrated,1 lb/day) 3 lbs 3 lbs Food’s the same• Clothes (extra) & Towel 3 lbs 2 lbs Light clothes saves 1 lb• Water & Purifier 4 lbs 2 lbs Share&plan saves 2 lbs• First Aid Kit 1 lbs .25 lb Sharing saves .75 lb• Stove & Fuel 2 lbs .25 lb Smart/share saves~2lbs• Mess Kit, utensils, light 3 lbs .5 lb Sharing saves 2+ lbs• Miscellaneous 3 lbs 1 lbs Share&skip saves 2 lbs

• Smart packing light! 35 lbs vs.19 lbs (for $483 less!)

• Rich, or smart & thrifty? Results are the same!

Example 3: Tyler B’s Backpack

=20% Body weight

What’s the bottom line?

• If your pack weighs more than 25% of your body weight, you need to talk to your leader before you backpack!

• Take only items you really need• Share• Pack Smart• Weigh everything• There are alternatives!• Most of all, have fun!

Most of all, Have FUN!!!