Forum Index > Trail Talk > What is the heaviest pack weight you have carried?
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Snowdog
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Snowdog
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 10:23 am 
If you ever are able to visit Nepal, you will see locals carrying insanely large & heavy loads with a Tump line, which goes around one's forehead. eek.gif

'we don't have time for a shortcut'
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joker
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 12:08 pm 
Bernardo wrote:
I'm not so sure it's natural to put a lot of weight on the hips. Shoulders don't seem to wear out as much as hips, although you hear a lot about bad backs.
I think it depends on both the belt design and on the person's specific issues. I have some significant cervical vertebrae degeneration and heavy loads on my shoulders badly exacerbates the grinding pain that this can generate. Whereas I can still handle fairly significant loads that are placed mostly on my hips w/o any really bad apparent consequences. But I have to build up to it - both for my heart (per your first comment) as well as for my hip and lower back muscles. When I was younger, and my neck issues hadn't yet presented, I'd shift between having more weight on my shoulders and then on my hips throughout days of packing heavy loads in the Kelty external frame pack. Nowadays the loads stay mostly on the hips. Whether heavy or light. I'm not an ounce cutter, though, when it comes to things like pack comfort.

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Roly Poly
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 1:25 pm 
This has been an interesting thread. Personally I’m into lightweight backpacking without compromising safety so I can never can be truly lightweight. I was just certain that my 70lb pack friend was off his rocker but he seems to be doing fine per his SPOT messages. First day he did 15 miles with that 70lb pack and he is almost the same age as the pack! He’ll probably have a lot to say when he sees this thread,😂.

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seattlenativemike
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PostWed Jul 17, 2019 4:58 pm 
Some memorable loads being carried on the trek to Base Camp in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal
pots and pans dealer:
Heavy loads in Nepal
Heavy loads in Nepal

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cascadetraverser
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cascadetraverser
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PostFri Jul 19, 2019 3:26 pm 
In 1985 my friend Bruce and I did the Ptarmigan Traverse all the way to Miners ridge and had 75 lbs on our backs. Bruce`s back was so full it zigzagged from the bottom to the top! 60 lbs is my max these days and I much prefer sub 50s.

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Atomc
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PostTue Jul 23, 2019 9:03 am 
Back in like 2009 on my first attempt at a long trail, the PCT section J, one of the two friends I was hiking with bailed on the ride to the trail head. The whole way up highway 2 its raining when suddenly he gets a 'phone call' from his dad about his sick uncle. Turns out he wont be able to hike 70 miles in the rain with us. We get to the trail head and had to unpack his pack and redistribute the shared items between me and my other friend. Our packs ended up being around 65lbs, mostly our own fault for bringing ridiculous gear due to our relative inexperience. We had 2 giant blue tarps for "in case we want to set them up to sit under". Rained for 7 days straight. There's one photo of me outside the tent eating mac and cheese at Waptus during one of the few breaks of blue skies. Good learning experience.

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Kim Brown
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Kim Brown
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PostTue Jul 23, 2019 9:44 am 
Atomc wrote:
Rained for 7 days straight.
Sounds like my kind of trip! tongue.gif

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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williswall
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williswall
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PostTue Jul 23, 2019 12:56 pm 
Photo here from my first Wonderland Trail hike in 1987.....50-60 pounds? http://www.williswall.com/35-years-in-mrnp-2

I desire medium danger williswall.com
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BigBrunyon
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PostTue Jul 23, 2019 11:13 pm 
I'm about to head up into the north cascs and I'm goin' light baby! Feelin' this! If it wasn't for the darn bear canisters they make you lug up there i'd be goin' featherweight!

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JVesquire
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PostWed Jul 24, 2019 8:32 am 
65 lb alumacraft canoe with a 30 lb pack on a portage. But that was only for about 2000 feet. smile.gif

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Brucester
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Brucester
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PostMon Jul 29, 2019 5:19 pm 
Kind of on topic.... McHale Backpacks??? longhair27 tells me he has a few McHale packs he'd like to sell. PM him for details. He tells me they are the best packs ever made, high quality etc... I'm a Golite guy, if you have one of them pm me. lol.gif As far as weight goes, I have no idea because it wasn't until I went ultra light when I became interested in pack weights.... Thanks Ray Jardine you helped me see the light! Ok, back in the day I wore Raichle Montagna hiking boots, carried a JanSport D-5 and loaded it with ultra heavy stuff.... No regrets, just miles.

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SwitchbackFisher
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SwitchbackFisher
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PostMon Jul 29, 2019 6:52 pm 
In the BWCA I did several portage's with a 40ish pound canoe if I recall and about 50 lb bag. Once you get the canoe balance right it's not bad and I think my longest was maybe 3/4 mile. I refused to waste time double portaging. luckily the hills in the BWCA are not to bad overall, the mud was quite bad though.

I may not be the smartest, I may not be the strongest, but I don't want to be. I only want to be the best I can be.
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Brushbuffalo
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PostMon Jul 29, 2019 8:05 pm 
My heaviest was most likely the first time I supplied water for the Ranger Creek aid station at the White River 50 in 2000. I loaded 6 x 2.5 gallon water jugs (20# each) in my 8 pound Dana Designs Astralplane pack....128 pounds. After slogging down through the woods 1/3 mile with no trail , I noticed my lower backside was wet, I mean really wet! I thought " I know this is hard work, but man-o-man I've never sweated like this !" The weight of 100 pounds had squished the lowest water container such that the water exploded all over. At least then I had only 108 pounds. doof.gif After hauling water to the Ranger Creek aid station for 16 more years (never again with anywhere near that weight, since I had lots of help), this year we moved the aid station up to near the end of the Dallas Ridge trailhead, so the water haul will soon be only a memory instead of a major grunt. Good thing, since water is heavier these days. Sio is everything else. A strong Tanzanian porter like we had on Kili would have balanced the losd on his head. His wife back in town would have also, if necessary. I exaggerate only very slightly. Then there was a rescue on Mt.Baker long ago and my pack was also over 100 #.. mine and the victim's strapped on top...but it was all down hill. agree.gif

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
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Bedivere
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Bedivere
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PostMon Jul 29, 2019 9:08 pm 
First week long hike I ever did I was carrying somewhere around 65 lbs. I've never carried that much since. 45 lbs is the most I can carry comfortably for any distance. I'm preparing for this year's week long trip and my goal is to be sub-40 lbs without camera gear. I'd really like to hit the 35 lb mark, which I think is doable if I'm really careful about my food and what extra items I bring.

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jinx'sboy
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PostMon Jul 29, 2019 9:51 pm 
85+ lbs; late Sept and early Oct. 1974, Gila Wilderness, New Mexico. 3+ weeks worth of food carried up the W. Fk. Gila River. I did 16+ miles in about 11 hours. Only 1500’ elevation gain but in and out of the river on bad trail; something like 50 river crossings. I cached 1/2 my food and did two 10 day long loops in that wonderful country, getting up to 12,000’. I’d spent previous few months at altitude in the San Juans in CO, and was very fit. But, this trip I think contributed to my eventual knee problems. Wonderful trip however…I saw just a handful of people in 3 weeks!

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