Anyone climb/run/hike with a weighted pack?

Info on gear, conditioning, and preparation for hiking/climbing.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
danny_derani
Posts: 1
Joined: 7/13/2016
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Anyone climb/run/hike with a weighted pack?

Post by danny_derani »

I made the biggest mistake and carried too much weight in my pack. I packed too much gear and before I hit the trail head I realized I was in for a miserable time. I had to do the opposite and make a list of what not to bring. I estimate my pack weighed around 35-45 pounds. I wanted to forget the experience, so I didn't bother weighing it after the hike.

This was a major mistake because it was the first 14er I had done in over 30 years. I made it to the top of Grey's peak, but only on the grace of god and perseverance.

I went with a group of beginners who do not exercise often and everyone made it to both peaks. Each person carried water and snacks in a small and reasonable camelback. Beginners, this is all you will need....

So, if your curious on my list of what not to bring, here it is (this is for humor as well):

Binoculars
Big Nikon Camera and extra lens - 90% of photos came from smartphones
7 extra 16oz frozen water bottles
2 bottles of sunscreen
2lbs of medical supplies -ace bandage which I had to use on the wife's knee, tweezers, band-aids, antibiotic spray, and everything else for an itch, rash, scratch and booboo
hats and gloves in July - peak summer season
jackets and sweaters - I hiked 95% in a t-shirt. As soon as the sun came up, my sweater was in my pack
lighter, fire starter, and miscellaneous pocket junk
2 bottles of Oxygen - light weight but bulky and unnecessary

My mistake was being over prepared. There were many reasons for my ignorance, but lesson learned.

The only take away for carrying a pack this big and this heavy was, what the F was I thinking.

Be safe, but be light....K.I.S.S - Keep it simple silly
User avatar
spiderman
Posts: 808
Joined: 9/26/2011
14ers: 58  3 
13ers: 27
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Anyone climb/run/hike with a weighted pack?

Post by spiderman »

When training for a multi-day mountaineering expedition (requiring boots, ice ax, crampons, pickets, helmet, rope, etc), I will carry a weighted pack up South Boulder Peak. I prefer carrying a few gallons of water because it is easy to dump out if I get worn out. When I want to really push the weight, I will add in a pair of shot puts because they take up less space. I need to get my back used to schlepping 50 lbs of weight since I normally am cruising with just 5-15 lbs for most 14er trips. You don't want to be to have a sore back and shoulders on day 2 of a week-long trip.

For simple trail hikes, there isn't much need to train with a weighted pack. Just carry less stuff. It is quite possible to have a backpack weighing less than 20 pounds for a week of non-technical backpacking. Light pack = happy trip :-D