Backpack, itself, too heavy?

[00kissmarrykick00]

Hey community,

I have set up I have set out on my journey with my 1st stop being Colorado Springs to chill with a friend. I'm realizing that my gear isn't necessarily as heavy as the backpack, itself, is. I have a 70 l Gregory Gregory that fits all my stuff, but I'm just now noticing the weight of the backpack.

I will point out that when I got my backpack I wasn't planning on walking and hitchhiking. I wasn't planning on walking and hitchhiking. I was planning on bike touring and getting a trailer for the stuff that I need, and the backpack was going to go in the trailer. But I didn't consider the weight and letting a perfectly good backpack go to waste, so now I'm stuck with it. Doesn't it does anyone have any suggestions on how to pack light for a heavy backpack? Kind of nothing I can do about it, you know, but I can definitely get rid of some equipment.

 

[Bibs]

My rule of thumb is if I don't use it everyday I don't need it. That logic took me from a 60l pack down to a 30l with no real change in how I go about day to day stuff. That being said, even a light pack feels heavy after lugging it around all day.

 

[ali]

I'm not sure there's much you can do to make your pack itself lighter other than get a lighter pack. Any "serious" pack is going to be some degree of heavy just because of the internal frame. If you really get down to counting grams i think some people go really nuts and cut the straps down to the exact length they need, but more likely there are things you can do on the inside before you get to that.

My top recommendation is to cut down on all your clothes except for two of everything (one you're wearing, the other you're hauling). Personally i carry more than two of some things (underwear, socks, tank top) but only one of others (pants, shorts, longsleeve, shoes). Clothes are bulky, especially anything winter-y or heavy duty. Hoodies and jeans in particular take up a ton of space and make for poor travel clothes because they're cotton, so when they get wet they just get cold and even heavier.

If you are carrying tools, personally i'd just pare back to one spoon, one mug and one knife. You don't need other cutlery and you don't need anything to heat food if weight is your primary concern. Multitools are a waste of time imo unless you are also carrying a bunch of other stuff you regularly need to tinker with.

Food, always buy your stuff from the bulk section at supermarkets so you can get exactly as much as you need. If you can't find a bulk section, set a specific weight limit (e.g. 500g of peanuts) and buy the cheapest container as close to that size as you can find. Ignore the fact that buying 2kg is cheaper per gram, because carrying around that extra 1.5kg might not actually be worth the few cents of savings if you end up injuring yourself and requiring medical attention. Also carrying less weight burns less calories so you need less food anyway. Once you bought your container, immediately open it up and empty the contents into a ziplock and throw the container away. Toiletries are easier - just buy the containers designed for air travel, or swipe the little shampoos etc from motels. Water is going to be heavy regardless, there is no way to carry it efficiently. Suck it up and carry the the liter or two you need to survive, and make sure to refill it everywhere you find a clean tap.

Sleep system is going to be as heavy or light as you can afford, so it's more of a money question than a practical question. If you really have money, you can avoid carrying a sleep system altogether and just stay in motels or hostels, that will save a ton of weight.

Aside from food, clothing and shelter, all the other stuff is optional. So if you choose to not to carry a laptop or camera or book or journal or headphones or whatever - that's up to you. Easiest way to make space in your bag after you pared food, clothing and shelter down to the minimum you can deal with is just to dump everything else, period. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to that other stuff.

And, of course, you might find after you pared it all back, you can swap your 70L pack in for 60L or even smaller.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

I'm not sure there's much you can do to make your pack itself lighter other than get a lighter pack. Any "serious" pack is going to be some degree of heavy just because of the internal frame. If you really get down to counting grams i think some people go really nuts and cut the straps down to the exact length they need, but more likely there are things you can do on the inside before you get to that.

My top recommendation is to cut down on all your clothes except for two of everything (one you're wearing, the other you're hauling). Personally i carry more than two of some things (underwear, socks, tank top) but only one of others (pants, shorts, longsleeve, shoes). Clothes are bulky, especially anything winter-y or heavy duty. Hoodies and jeans in particular take up a ton of space and make for poor travel clothes because they're cotton, so when they get wet they just get cold and even heavier.

If you are carrying tools, personally i'd just pare back to one spoon, one mug and one knife. You don't need other cutlery and you don't need anything to heat food if weight is your primary concern. Multitools are a waste of time imo unless you are also carrying a bunch of other stuff you regularly need to tinker with.

Food, always buy your stuff from the bulk section at supermarkets so you can get exactly as much as you need. If you can't find a bulk section, set a specific weight limit (e.g. 500g of peanuts) and buy the cheapest container as close to that size as you can find. Ignore the fact that buying 2kg is cheaper per gram, because carrying around that extra 1.5kg might not actually be worth the few cents of savings if you end up injuring yourself and requiring medical attention. Also carrying less weight burns less calories so you need less food anyway. Once you bought your container, immediately open it up and empty the contents into a ziplock and throw the container away. Toiletries are easier - just buy the containers designed for air travel, or swipe the little shampoos etc from motels. Water is going to be heavy regardless, there is no way to carry it efficiently. Suck it up and carry the the liter or two you need to survive, and make sure to refill it everywhere you find a clean tap.

Sleep system is going to be as heavy or light as you can afford, so it's more of a money question than a practical question. If you really have money, you can avoid carrying a sleep system altogether and just stay in motels or hostels, that will save a ton of weight.

Aside from food, clothing and shelter, all the other stuff is optional. So if you choose to not to carry a laptop or camera or book or journal or headphones or whatever - that's up to you. Easiest way to make space in your bag after you pared food, clothing and shelter down to the minimum you can deal with is just to dump everything else, period. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to that other stuff.

And, of course, you might find after you pared it all back, you can swap your 70L pack in for 60L or even smaller.

Aside from the stuff that I use every day, I pack sleeping stuff at sleeping stuff for when I can't. Hammock bed hammock, sleeping bag and and sleeping mat, and human waste bags for when I camp at national parks. Stuff I plan on using, but I'm not using yet.

 

[ali]

If you really can't get rid of any more stuff inside your 70L pack, i'm not sure it's worth trying to decrease the weight of just the pack itself.

Let's say your pack is 1.5kg or 2kg (you can look this up online)... If what you're carrying inside is 30kg or more, even if you manage to strip a half kilo off your pack by cutting off straps or removing inside/outside pockets you don't need, maybe even giving the internal frame a haircut... You might save 0.5kg. That could make a difference if you were only carrying 10kg, but if you're carrying a bunch of weight anyways, i'm not sure you would notice the difference.

So, perhaps the best thing to do - assuming you really need everything that you have - is look if you can find a lighter (and more expensive) sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Or, possibly, lighter clothing to replace the clothing you already have. If you go to an outdoor supply store you may be able to find stuff made from special fabrics that are super lightweight. It's going to cost you a bunch of money, but to be fair even if it costs several hundred bucks to save space in your pack, it'll be worth it if you end up traveling for longer than a couple months (maybe even a couple weeks).

Alternatively, if your problem is that your 70L pack has a bunch of space in the top that you're not using, the easiest solution is try sell it or trade it in for a smaller pack. That might save you a half kilo that you didn't need anyway.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

If you really can't get rid of any more stuff inside your 70L pack, i'm not sure it's worth trying to decrease the weight of just the pack itself.

Let's say your pack is 1.5kg or 2kg (you can look this up online)... If what you're carrying inside is 30kg or more, even if you manage to strip a half kilo off your pack by cutting off straps or removing inside/outside pockets you don't need, maybe even giving the internal frame a haircut... You might save 0.5kg. That could make a difference if you were only carrying 10kg, but if you're carrying a bunch of weight anyways, i'm not sure you would notice the difference.

So, perhaps the best thing to do - assuming you really need everything that you have - is look if you can find a lighter (and more expensive) sleeping bag and sleeping mat. Or, possibly, lighter clothing to replace the clothing you already have. If you go to an outdoor supply store you may be able to find stuff made from special fabrics that are super lightweight. It's going to cost you a bunch of money, but to be fair even if it costs several hundred bucks to save space in your pack, it'll be worth it if you end up traveling for longer than a couple months (maybe even a couple weeks).

Alternatively, if your problem is that your 70L pack has a bunch of space in the top that you're not using, the easiest solution is try sell it or trade it in for a smaller pack. That might save you a half kilo that you didn't need anyway.

I've already decided to take the previous person's advice, which will be helpful after I start camping.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

Update: I've unpacked my bag and repacked it, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what in my bag is so heavy. Not everything is in it. My laptop and some of my clothes are still out, but the pack is still heavy.

I'm thinking it would just do me better to remove whatever is so heavy in my pack.

 

[sevedemanos]

think of it as strength training. youll get stronger after a few weeks and not notice it so much.

i took a whole year off from freight working in pdx and when i left this summer i could barely get a few blocks without feeling like i was going to stroke out. and ive walked 40 miles in less than two days with similar weight.

i would never keep a laptop, but its all just a matter of preference bottom line. youll figure it out.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

think of it as strength training. youll get stronger after a few weeks and not notice it so much.

i took a whole year off from freight working in pdx and when i left this summer i could barely get a few blocks without feeling like i was going to stroke out. and ive walked 40 miles in less than two days with similar weight.

i would never keep a laptop, but its all just a matter of preference bottom line. youll figure it out.

I've already posted that I've made my decision on what I'm going to do moving forward.

 

[sevedemanos]

yeah but maybe other people might have the same question. try thinking beyond yourself for once

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

yeah but maybe other people might have the same question. try thinking beyond yourself for once

This is the thread that I started. If they have questions they can start their own thread.

That's a really privileged stance to tell someone else what to do in their own thread.

Also, I'm a local and internet mutual aid organizer, so you can blow that "think beyond yourself" line out your butt.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

Update:

I've started downsizing a little, but let me tell it - I need everything I packed, so I'm having a hard time delegating. 😵‍💫

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

Update:

Okay, I give up. It's dawned on me that my pack is so heavy because I'm only a hundred something pounds, and I don't have much upper body strength to begin with. I see now that I fail to consider my weight and size with my pack weight and size. I'm going to do some serious downsizing and probably get a lighter pack and send a lot of stuff back to MN/ give it away.

 

[Forth]

I see that you've already made your decision. You mentioned possibly using a bicycle. As someone who hitched and rode freight a decent amount in the past carrying way more weight than i needed too, I find letting the bike carry the weight makes the journey a lot more pleasant. Hitching becomes harder as you need a ride that can fit it, never hitched or rode frieght with a bike. You do get stronger as you carry weight around, but as bipedal organism we are not designed to be carrying stuff on our backs like that all the time. I have serious back and neck problems as a result of my previous travels. Doesnt cause me much discomfort now but im sure im going to pay for carrying 60lbs on my back later in life. I wish you luck however you choose to continue, happy trails!

 

[Coywolf]

I've already posted that I've made my decision on what I'm going to do moving forward.

Ok....that kinda comes off as brackish.

This is the thread that I started. If they have questions they can start their own thread.

That's a really privileged stance to tell someone else what to do in their own thread.

Also, I'm a local and internet mutual aid organizer, so you can blow that "think beyond yourself" line out your butt.

Woah there...so, you don't 'own' this thread. This thread is part of an online community in which you have came into to ::checks notes:: ask for advice. And I've seen no one derail it so far.

Although @sevedemanos ' reply went a little far, I'm not sure 'being privileged' has anything to do with it.

If you don't want anymore advice or replies to any of your threads, you can ask the staff to close it for you...or you could turn off notifications for this thread at the top of the thread.

Update:

I've started downsizing a little, but let me tell it - I need everything I packed, so I'm having a hard time delegating. 😵‍💫

So....are you asking for advice again...or?

I agree with others on here, that if you truly can't downsize any if your items, you will probably just need to strength train with your pack on and keep challenging yourself. Your body will adapt, but carrying a pack...and let me emphasize this....will always suck, no matter how light you can get it.

The rule of thumb is less than 30% of your body weight, for health reasons, and 20% or less being ideal.

The other option is, you could downsize past your expectations, or what you think is essential. Can you buy/pick up any of the items you carry along the way? Do you need to carry it all the time? Can the things you do with a laptop be done with a smartphone? How many sets of clothing do you really need? Ect.

As for pack weight, like...the weight of the actual pack...that has never really been an issue for me. I carry a 70L Osprey Aether, and its like 5 pounds...but I would never trust another pack to get through the shit I've put that pack through. Just sayin' wouldn't really concentrate on the weight of the pack itself.

 

[00kissmarrykick00]

From here on out, I am not arguing with anyone. My time is no longer for free. I spend it how I choose.

Update:

I sent off my laptop and I gave away the sleeping bag from an abusive relationship that I was in. Those were the things that weighed the most and I still didn't understand why my pack was so heavy.

So I had some professionals at a camping store look at my backpack for me, and we all agreed that there was nothing particularly heavy in the pack so we didn't know what was going on.

Then one of them said that my backpack was very much packed outward instead of upward. It's not a matter of the packing heavy it's a matter of the packs wait pulling away from me!

I repacked tall instead of fat, and it makes a huge difference!

So, issue resolved!

 

[laughingman]

Sounds like it all worked out in the end. I'm probably too late to this party to be of any use at all. But for the people with this same question. You can make the pack you have lighter. Ultralight scum. Like myself. Reduce our backpacks wights by cutting away extra strap length, installing smaller buckles, taking out cords and snaps that don't do anything. Cutting out extra fabric around seam allowances. You can remove the top pocket or "brain" of a lot of modern hiking backpacks and drop 9 or 10 oz. You can take out the internal frame(normally an aluminum stay and or plastic sheet. And replace its function with cleaver packing or by rolling up your foam sleeping pad and shoving it into your pack like a big tube. Then loading all your gear into that. Light stuff like your sleeping bag and clothes at the bottom in one big squishy lump. Then your heavy stuff (water and food) on top held tight between your shoulder blades. This is called "cloud packing" by some people and works alright. This being said NEVER CUT DOWN YOUR PACK until you know how it fits and how you will use it. Don't cut away things you need. Just get rid of the stuff you know you don't need. Also make sure you dont cut though stitches or seams a lot of those are connected together.

Yah. This is silly and padantic. But these are the same people who cut the handle off there toothbrush and drill holes in the remaining bit. You dont get down to a 10 pound pack wight by being reasonable. Or rational. Or sane...