Backpacks

Probably about 20-25kg depending on trip length. I enjoy good food and wine in the mountains and usually carry the lion's share for my wife.

Mine was up around 23/24 kgs. Never again. Way to much stuff I didn't really need...I've found a smaller sleeping bag in the cupboard (snug pack merlin3 I think it is) and going to get a set of proper thermals (HHs). Noted what I had left over when I got back after my last 4 day hike to help decide what to pack (not to pack) next time. My heaviest was 32 kgs, but that was just stupid! Too much camera gear. Aiming for around 17 kgs next time...

I aim to keep mine around 17kg but for the GT carrying for 6 days i was at 20Kg with water and i must say i was carrying a lot of fresh food, i knew to keep my moral up, good food would definitely help so i did not use a lot of back country.

Firstly are you talking summer or winter? Secondly length of hike? And how heavy are you?
Summer 3 days - 10kg or less
Winter 3 days - 14kg last time and that was more than I had wanted.
I weigh 70kg.

In terms of others with heavy packs....

Its simple, you begin the trip by picking up everyones pack, yours generally is about 5 to 10kg lighter. If they refuse to remove weight you help them.... On my last hike I took 4 newbies, they each had 85l with 20l expandable packs full to the brim for three days..... I could hardly pick them up. I removed more than half the packs weights to what I thought they needed, much grunting and moaning occured. I them said they could choose one luxury item....

On the hike we found the one member was far less fit than the rest and that one of the newbies had far to much energy. The less fit guy had half his pack moved to the overkeen individual.. problem solved.


This worked well until the last day when I had to take on quite a bit more weight for a steep decent. Was okay though.

My question is mountaineering, ie, ropes, harness, cams, etc. How much weight do you carry then? Seems like things get very heavy fast...

I weigh about 70kg.

For one winter 5 day trip including the 6kg of camera gear (tripod, camera and 2 lenses) i have carried 25kg. This was far to much for my scrawny little frame and i battled to get the pack comfy.

Now i carry about 19/20kg in winter and about 17/18kg in summer.

In 1996 I was struck by lightning and had to relearn to walk. Invented an industry I called "ultralight backpacking." Had to. It was that or never hike again. here is my current pack.

pack 10oz 300g (custom made, carbon frame, carbon = tentpoles)
shelter (homemade) 10oz 300g (yes, I know, world's lightest tent, 2 man, or 1 man plus bear, with "bell", includes full bathtub floor, stakes and wires)
s-bag (custom, down) 1lb+7oz 16+7=23oz 600g (good to 15F or -10C)
mat 9oz 300g
bivy sak 5oz 200g (down must be kept dry, so I consider a bivy essential, even in a tent. Yes a bivy adds weight, why not go synthetic, but down packs so small. a bivy can also add heat.)
down jkt 6oz 200g
down pant 5oz 200g
(if I sleep in clothes and bivy adds 10F so I am good to 5F or 15 below. for winter, see below)
flips+straps (for river crossing and camp) 8oz 300gothr clothes (est) 16oz 500g
stove kit 8oz 200g (alcohol burner)
emergency 4oz 100g
gps 4oz 100g
cell ph 3oz 100g
Sierra rain poncho 3oz 100g
Sierra rain kilt 1oz 30g
Sierra rain gloves 2oz 60g
(In the Sierra in summer only afternoon donder, no weeks of rain)
(In the berg or rockies I would carry 16oz full rain suit 500g)
camera 1: 9oz 300g
camera 2: 7oz (might leave this) 200g
2 hiking poles (with tripod socket on top) 8oz 200g
x batt 2oz 50g
water (empty) 3oz 100g

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144oz/16 = 9lb = 4kg base weight for the berg

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add food, water, fuel
water 1kg, i am at 5kg "waterbase"
alcohol fuel 1oz per day plus dry food per day 16oz = 500g per day
so for 8 day hike add 4kg food and I am at 9kg "subsistence"
add a kg of chocolate and biltong! and I am at 10kg.
I can do a 15 day GT no resupply starting at 15kg. (OK it took me 17 days! 16kg at the start, but 5kg at the end!)

I never counted my boots or my hat or my belly since I am wearing them.

Here in North America I have to add
1 or 2 ursaks 9oz each (ok no bears in the berg) another 250-500g
iceaxe 5oz 150g (I leave one hiking pole at home and add a 1oz extension turning my axe into a trek pole, only costs 2oz 50g)
crampons 6oz 200g (June & July, snow is gone by August, except for the Winds, the Wind River Mts in WY, an icecap!)

Winter:
I have an overbag primaloft 1lb 400g that turns my summer bag winter adds 20F or 12C, so in winter I am good to -5F or 20 below, and if I sleep in my winter down gear I am good to -20F or 29 below - coldest ever in the berg is probably -33C, in which case i'd add my bivy between the saks for another 5 degrees. Don't get out much anymore in the Rockies when it's 40 degrees below freezing. Really, used to relish it, having the entire range to myself, but i'm just too old and crocked!)

One of the things I do when custom designing stuff is leave off zippers. Oh I love zippers, but they weigh a ton, and if you're clever, there's ways to leave them out. My jackets do have very light zippers. That's it. No zippers in the tent, s-bag, pants. I also eliminate adjustable anything with cordlock etc. Just tie a knot.

Seems alcohol stoves have not caught on yet in SA. No metal cannisters, no pressure, efficient enough. Works fine in the cold. No simmering! Rehydrate food, eat, and sleep!

Perhaps I should get the SA license and go South? Really. I'm headed for california this summer and if there is enough interest I'll hawk them your way.

I buy 100% pure alcohol (ethanol) solvent here in the US at the paint store. It's quite cheap. Meths (Methalated spirit) will work just fine (90% ethanol 10% methanol).

Surely people who can't carry a full pack shouldn't be hiking in the 'Berg? The walks are generally quite tough and if you can't carry a 20kg pack for 3/5 days, will you be able to make the hike with a lighter pack? I'm 1.87m tall and weigh 72kg's (a cyclist) but managed to comfortably carry 20+ kg's up Ship's Prow Pass in winter (the longest and most arduous pass in the 'Berg according to Stijn) across to Judge Pass, and summitted Mafadi (with the pack on). I am scrawny and not particularly strong, but my legs and back are fit and healthy. That's what matters. Too many people don't bother 'training' for hikes, hence struggling with any weight pack. Leaders should insist that newbies to the 'Berg do sufficient training to cope with the conditions, just like any sport. And I agree with Anthony - good food definitely keeps the morale up!

Happy Hiking.

Hmm...here is a different view. I completely buy the importance of going light, but shaving weight off a backpack needs to be thought out. A few years beack I bought an Arc'Teryx Bora 85, which, at 3kg, is not the lightest around. However, it is so well constructed and the support and suspension so good, that carrying multi-day loads is way, way easier than on any lighter pack I have owned previously. So I agree you should ditch weight, but don't necessarily start with the pack!