r/CampingandHiking • u/dan_thewoodsman • 20h ago

Gear Questions Help me lighten my pack weight

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On my last 4 day trip my total weight was around 40lbs that’s with water and food included. I used this app to figure out my base weight was around 27lbs, which to me seems ridiculous. Like the title says, what can I swap out or get rid of entirely to get this weight down slightly? (The pack is non negotiable, as comfort is a priority for me on long days on the trail) thanks

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-8

u/shenandoahhunter 19h ago

Drop the sleeping pad. Use your gear or place your tent on something soft.

5

u/goldenboyphoto 19h ago

Sleeping pad isn't for comfort, it's for warmth.

-5

u/shenandoahhunter 19h ago

I find a sleeping bag liner and a little leaves/grass/pinestraw to be more comfortable and warmer than a liner.

To each their own, but I’m surprised about the downvotes. Am I the only one that uses natural materials for insulation?

3

u/like_4-ish_lights 18h ago

Natural materials are unreliable (not going to have much in the desert, on the beach, above the treeline etc) and it's very much against LNT principles to be pulling out living vegetation to sleep on.

2

u/lilgreenfish 17h ago

If the shenandoah part of your username is an indication of where you live, then I highly recommend you try this method out in like Colorado or Utah. Then see why sleeping pads are usually important things to have. Most of where I camp, leaves/grass/pinestraw aren’t available in any meaningful (or any at all) quantity. Even pine needles aren’t a guarantee. Plus if you’re high up, it gets cold at night (I’ve been snowed on in mid-May more than once).

Someone mentioned OP might be in the Canadian Rockies, and as someone from the Colorado Rockies area…sleeping pads are important.

1

u/goldenboyphoto 19h ago

You use the word liner so maybe there's confusion here. A liner and pad are two separate things. Next to the actual backpack a sleeping pad is your most important piece of gear.