OF WEIGHTIER MATTERS

SCALES TELL NO LIES

For over a year I have been doing a balancing act between having “needed gear” in my ruck and keeping it light enough to make a multi-day 50 miler in the fastest time I can.

I’ve gone up and down from in weight from 40lb-65lbs depending on expected temperatures (Summer / Winter) as well as perceived gear needs and SOP changes.

My recent SOP change to walking at night under NODs and sleeping in the day has allowed me to lighten the load somewhat, but even so, day temps can start below freezing.

In the Winter it’s dark until the coldest part of the day and I would be making camp at that low temp period, so being able to weather freezing temps in my sleep setup is still needed, even though I can expect it to only get warmer as the day ticks on.

My goal is to have one setup that is as light as possible and able to handle the worst temps I might encounter and the worst SHTF scenario I might encounter.

Without paying for lighter gear and using what I have on hand, it’s a constant search for a setup that has the lowest possible weight while maintaining the mission scope of traveling multiple nights under NODs along the 50 mile route down an Interstate from work to home.

WEIGHT MATTERS

It drives me nuts when I hear people in the community say “I don’t think about weight, I just carry what I need.” Really? A 100lb ruck doesn’t matter if that’s what it takes to bring your mission specific items?

Even if you can hump that ruck, the ability to move long distances without getting gassed when you get there is slim. A 50lb ruck would get you twice as far or more and leave some gas in the tank when you get there.

Don’t focus on the 100/50lb weight examples above, but the ratio and increased effectiveness of a lighter ruck. There is no denying that a lighter ruck wins in every scenario, why would you not consider every piece of gear and the affects it has on the total ruck weight?

Studies show that rucking more than 30% of your body weight lessons you efficiency.

“For most people, carrying a backpack that weighs between 10% and 30% of their body weight is considered safe and efficient.”

For me 30% of 210lbs = 63lbs which is the max I have found myself able to carry for even short 2-4 mile rucks, there is NO WAY I want to be humping that kind of weight for 10 miles a day for 5 days in a row to get home. The lowest number is always the best number!

Now at worst I would want to make 10 miles per day on my 50 miler, and at best 15-17 miles. Rucking 63lbs is not going to do it, rucking 55lbs is not going to do it, 40lbs would, but I’d have to leave out “critical” gear to get there.

Something else to keep in mind is that the likelihood of an injury also increases exponentially with the heavier rucks.

Bottom line… How much a ruck weighs… Matters!

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COUNTING OUNCES

To get to that minimal ruck weight, I had to really pay attention to where the weight was coming from and determine the value of each item to manage the overall weight.

Ounces really do = pounds and pounds do = pain!

So how do we get to a lighter overall ruck weight while keeping all the gear we consider essential?

We take the path of the backpacking community, opting for the lightest gear we can and try to use as many multi-use items as possible to reduce the number of items carried and thus overall weight.

ADDING IT ALL UP

The first consideration is to get all the available gear you have and weigh it out so you can make decisions based on facts. Build a spreadsheet and see where you can save weight and by how much, by selecting the gear to pack for the conditions that you will face.

Below is a picture of my current pack load-out and below it, the spreadsheet I made to get to my current 48lb ruck weight. Feel free to download it and edit it to your liking.

GHB_GEAR LIST.ods

By using a weight calculating spreadsheet, I was able to decide if the combination that might be lighter was worth the sacrifices it would require in comfort or ability.

Being able to know the weight penalty for a more comfortable / able setup allowes informed decisions on the gear to pack for me. Instead of switching gear out and weighing on the scale, this system allows you to see if the end result is even close to what is acceptable without packing, unpacking, and repacking.

It does take a while to weigh everything but you only need do it initially and then add gear and weights as you acquire it. Or add the gear you are thinking of buying to see how much that extra light item is going to cost in $/oz and maybe reconsider that expenditure.

DO YOU REALLY NEED THAT?

One of the most obvious savings for me was in the ruck itself.

While not MILSPEC, the old North Face pack I got 28 years ago is 3lbs lighter than my other larger packs but while this seems like a no-brainer, the pack is STUFFED SOLID with the gear list I consider minimal and the larger, heavier ILBE is worth the 3lb penalty to me. Mostly because I have room in it still to pack and go in a hurry.

There is a big disconnect between a nicely packed ruck and grabbing and stuffing everything in a hurry and getting on the road. Long story short, leave space in your pack.

Sleeping on the ground verses a hammock drops a lot of weight (no 10x10 tarp and hammock) and I should be able to drop another 3 lbs in the future with the purchase of a custom “over quilt” to replace my old 0F mummy bag (6lbs) that I’m using as one now. For now the extra weight of the heavy bag ensures a comfortable sleep down to 32F, my self appointed cutoff for comfort verses survival.

Dropping 3lbs in a bag for a top quilt that is warmer for a $200.00 investment is something I see as a good investment all around, and will be pursuing in the near future.

COMFORT OR NECESSITY?

On longer trips there can be a blurred line between a comfort item and a necessity. Some would argue that a set of clean clothes could be dropped and that you should just sleep in your hiking clothes.

Let’s say we drop all “sleep clothes” from the pack and just have two pairs of socks to change into. That’s a 3.22lb savings, but what is the cost?

Colder sleep in damp clothes and NEGATIVE MORAL! One day of that is fine, 3-5 and it becomes a no-brainer that the 3lbs penalty for dry warm clothes is worth it.

How about switching out the ridiculous heavy (6.5lb) 0F sleeping bag for the Swagman Roll and an E-Bivy and sleeping in a vapor barrier in 32F conditions?

That’s a 4.83lb savings, but is it worth it?

Have you slept in an E-bivy in the rain on a 40F night? I have. It’s an”E” plan, not a “P” plan by any means.

“PACE” = Primary, Alternate, Contingent, Emergency”

You get the idea, when you put a value on it (exact weight) it makes it easier to make a decision where you are willing to trade off. You can’t have it all and you want to have some things no matter what.

Getting out into your gear (you can do it in your yard any day or night) and seeing what works and what doesn’t is the key! That ~5lb savings with a Swagman instead of a 0F sleeping bag looks tempting until you actually try it.

You don’t need to try it for several days to know it won’t fly. It will keep you alive, but you will have no rest and on a multi-day trek in a stressful environment, rest is a much needed thing.

I think people underestimate the importance of sleep in SHTF scenarios, thinking “I’ll just push through” or “I can eat when I get home”, not considering the affects it will have on your abilities.

Anyways, I thought I would share my method for finding that balance of weight / ability for my multi-day ruck in hopes that someone out there might need a dose of reality.

Weigh all things, keep that which is good and especially that which is light.

POST SCRIPT

I want to add this link to a great resource I just found also.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums

You can search for free, no need to pay for a membership and they have lots of good info with experienced backpackers to learn from.