Help me lighten my pack weight

[u/dan_thewoodsman]

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

[u/MrBoondoggles]

Most people are beating around the bush with the smaller stuff. Cutting to the chase: your pack, tent, and sleep system are nearly 13 lbs alone. I would look at every one of those things (except the quilt - 1.4 lbs for a 30F quilt is ok), including the pack, because once you get your base weight under control, you do NOT need a 5+ lb pack to be comfortable.

A well designed 2-3 lb pack with a good frame and suspension system will be comfortable at that point. Basically a light weight “Big 3” (pack 30 -40 oz, shelter 30-36 oz, sleeping pad 18-22 oz, quilt 23 oz) is going to be around 6.5 - 7.5 lbs. If your total base weight is only around 15 lbs, all that extra backpack padding is overkill. You could put everything in a Durston Kakwa and be perfectly comfortable because everything is so light.

Otherwise:

• Nalgene bottles can be swapped out for store bought smart water style bottles

• 200000 Powerbank for 4 days is kind of overkill if your phone battery is decent

• saw is optional

• 500 ml mug is optional

• thermacell is optional

• a 9 oz headlamp is heavy when a 1.5 oz Nitecore headlamp will do

• the spoon + soap + lighter + scrubber seems oddly heavier than needed at 5.3 oz. If it’s 0.5 oz for the spoon,0.5 pz concentrated soap, .75 oz BIC full size, and maybe 0.3 oz for part of a scrub sponge, that should only be about 2 oz.

• toiletries for what you listed should only be about 4-5 oz (1 oz travel toothpaste. 1 oz toothbrush, .5 oz toilet paper, 1.5 oz for wipes, .25 oz zip top bag)

• a light load hand towel would only be about 0.5 oz vs your 3 oz towel

• med kit seems heavy but don’t know what’s in it

• knife could be something lighter like a mora companion, a folder, or a simple Swiss Army knife.

• It’s hard to say if you need the bear spray/bangers or not. If you’re in the Canadian Rockies, ok. If you’re in a place where you’re only dealing with black bears, all that is getting be overkill. I hike in areas where black bears are a problem. I don’t bring any of that - I just cook and store my food and anything smelly in an odor resistant bag hung away from camp. If you’re in grizzly country, I understand the precautions. If not, the precautions should at least be reconsidered.

[u/I_suck_at_uke → u/MrBoondoggles]

Most people are beating around the bush with the smaller stuff. Cutting to the chase: your pack, tent, and sleep system are nearly 13 lbs alone. I would look at every one of those things (except the quilt - 1.4 lbs for a 30F quilt is ok), including the pack, because once you get your base weight under control, you do NOT need a 5+ lb pack to be comfortable.

This. In a nutshell what everyone should pay attention to first if they wish to hike lighter.

[u/TheDaysComeAndGone → u/I_suck_at_uke]

No, the first question is: Which items do you actually need? Then you start optimizing the stuff that remains.