My buddy told me I was carrying way too much weight on backpacking trips

I used to bring everything including the kitchen sink. Had a 55 pound pack for a 3 night trip in the Smokies. My friend just looked at me and said 'you know your tent alone weighs more than my whole setup right?' That stung lol. So I started actually weighing each item and cut down to under 30 pounds. Ditched the heavy camp chair for a sit pad. Left the cast iron skillet at home. Best decision I ever made. Anyone else have a wake up call about pack weight?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret9918d ago

Read somewhere that every pound off your feet feels like five off your back.

brookefox6d ago

That whole "every pound off your feet feels like five off your back" thing gets thrown around a lot, but I'm pretty sure it's not exactly right. From what I've read, the actual ratio is closer to 1:1 for walking on flat ground. It's more like when you're running or hiking uphill that the weight on your feet starts to feel heavier. Your body mechanics just don't multiply the weight like that for normal walking. So lighter shoes definitely help, but probably not by that much.

troy_adams18d ago

Huh I heard that too. Makes sense honestly.