Two years ago I carried a 45 pound pack on the PCT and now I keep it under 25

I used to think you needed a full camp setup with a stove, a heavy tent, and three changes of clothes. Then I did a 10 day stretch in the Sierra where my shoulders went numb by mile 8 each day. Switched to a tarp, a canister stove, and one extra pair of socks. Now my base weight sits at 12 pounds and I move twice as fast. The only thing I miss is a real pillow, but a stuff sack with my puffy works fine. Anyone else drop their pack weight and feel like they were carrying a house before?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_jones219d ago

Ditched my stove entirely and never looked back, cold soaking ramen hits different when you're moving light.

piper_green9d ago

Cold soaking has its place for sure, but I gotta disagree @lisa_jones21. Nothing beats a hot meal at the end of a long day, especially when it's raining or freezing out. I've tried the stove free life and ended up eating cold peanut butter tortillas wishing I had brought my pocket rocket just for one cup of tea. Plus, you can't rehydrate a proper meal like spaghetti or a hot soup without boiling water. Hot coffee at sunrise is basically a morale booster for me.