The best advice on this thread so far... If lugging around 19lb on an easy day hike exhausts you so much you nearly pass out you should forget about survival gear and get in shape first.

It's funny that so many people obsess with the ultimate survival gear when they lack even the basic physical prerequisites. How come there are so many threads about survival knives, climbing harness, BOBs and whatnot but virtually no discussion on physical training and the like?

I went for a hike on Sunday, with 100 ounces of water in my hydration back, a full usgi canteen (w/cup), a psk, a fak, trail mix & lunch.I also had on me my edc folder & a 6 inch fixed blade (I was gonna look for a young hickory tree to make into a walking stick). Boy was I beat! I'm gonna say i was carring 12 pounds in all.It was about 90 degrees and sunny, I was really hurting during some uphill parts of the walk. Was I carrying too much?

I work on the basis of what my personal comfort level is in a given situation. If something very nasty happens then it might devolve down to me calling S.A.R. in on my mobile, reading off a G.P.S. position and giving a SITREP etc. Whilst the AD'S and the PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. are doing their headless chicken routine's.


Unfortunately most people don't have our level of paranoia.

Oops, Sorry. That should have read: "are not at our level of expertise."


I wish they were.

..my $0.02, it depends. how long was the hike? if it was 4 hrs or less, i think your water carry was probably right on the money - for me.

your age, physical condition, 'heat index', gain / loss elevation all play into your equation.

as for what else, or not, to carry - that's where the comfort level comes in. if something were to happen to disable you, would / could you be rescued (no mention of cell phone, hiking buddy or plb), and if not, could you spend a night or two on the town in the woods and be comfortable until you are rescued? that is, warm, dry, unhungry?

these are all variables that are person-specific.

for me, i hike weekdays and it's rare to see anyone at all. i figure if i can't self rescue i may be out there until the boss gets someone interested to go look for me. then again, i typically hike with someone - but i think i have the tools (brains included) to remain out. i hope i don't have to find out. but i do come here to help fill in those areas that i didn't know that i didn't know.

What are you guys wearing for boots; heavy full height boots or lightweight hikers?

Me, a dayhike is as follows:
I have a mountainsmith lumbar pack, with shoulder straps.
2 water bottles, one a nalgene, the other a canteen. Both with aluminum cups.
fleece jacket. Currently my lightweight one, but changes for the season to a heavy one, as needed. Attached to outside bungee cord.
Lightweight rain jacket & pants.
Compass
Emergency bivvy sack-the AMK heatsheet one.
HAt, for whatever season-right now, my jeep boonie cap.
PSK-the one Doug Ritter put out.
couple of granola bars, or crackers. I eat them regularly
water purification tabs. Enough for 3 days.
glowstick that runs on batteries. Cuz its cool looking
LED flashlight
Camera
Flashlight
GPS
Extra batteries
geocache swag-usually my wooden nickels
Folding saw
Extra pair of socks.
First Aid kit.
Thats about it. It sounds like alot, but it really isnt bad. I carry enough so that, should I get stuck out overnight, I'll live relatively comfotably.

lightweight hikers - merrell.

Since we are telling hiking stories.

I went on a remote ATV ride for work last Saturday that turned in to an unexpected hike.

My partner and I rode 2 ATV's about 20 km into the bush on old logging trails but could not find the jobsite we were looking for. My big field pack was strapped to my ATV so I had everthing I needed to spend a night or more in the woods; the problem started when we decided to explore for just a short distance off the trail.

I headed into the thick bush with only only my EDC folding knife, lighter, GPS, and a bottle of bug dope, plus about 20 lbs of work tools. The forest was so thick that I needed a compass to keep direction but the only one I had was the button compass on my watchband. As it turned out the jobsite was off the trail in the direction we went, by about 800 metres. We got he job done and returned to the ATV's about 5 hours later after a lot of stumbling through the bush, we were hungry and very thirsty.

I felt really stupid having a pack full of well researched-selected gear/supplies/water on my ATV and me stumbling around the forest like an greenhorn.

The moral of my story is; take the equipment you need on any hike, even the short ones, as you never know what can a happen.

Mike

Heavy Full Height Boots - Danners, work buys them so that is what I wear, on and off the job.

P.S. This is the first time I have tried a quote on the Forum, hope it works?

Mike

My daypack weight is around 20 lbs normally, +/- 5 lbs depending on the length of the hike. I did trim it a few pounds, but I didn't really try very hard. I justify the extra weight with different excuses, I'm packing the extra items for other people, I'm training myself to get into shape, this is a difficult hike and I might be forced to spend the night out, etc. The real reason is I just have all this stuff I want to carry. As long as you're comfortable carrying it, then it doesn't matter how much it weighs. If you're suffering under the weight, you either need to pack lighter or get in better shape. I went hiking with a guy who was carrying a 50 lb pack (this was a one day hike), but he was able to keep up wihtout any trouble so there's nothing wrong with that.

I haven't actually weighed any of my stuff, but I would estimate the breakdown to be:

Pack = 4 lbs (I need a lighter daypack)
Water+filter = anywhere from 2-8 lbs
Extra clothes = 3 lbs

the rest is just random items like food, flashlight, camera, rope, etc. I could probably cut the weight in half if I really needed to, but then I wouldn't feel comfortable. If there was an emergency and I needed to lighten the load, I can always lose some of the items, but you can't add anything once you're out there.

I just saw your list, and if you're looking to cut weight, start by eliminating the redundant items.

Mora, pocketknife, and leatherman - I also used to carry a similar amount of blades, but realized I rarely ever used one. So know it's just a fixed blad knife and multitool, still overkill, but i really like my swisstool.

50ft of rope and 100 ft of paracord - You could probably pick on or the other, depending on which one you think you'd use more. I carry 25 ft of 6mm cordage and 40 ft cord, but the rope is used more in my case, usually if I need to tie off a hand line or something.

Matches, lighter, and firesteel and firepouch - two out of three is good enough. How often do you need to start fires in 90 degree heat?

Gatorade? - if you really like it, keep it, but how often do you use it?

Waterfilter and micropur - I only carry a filter if I am pretty sure I'm going to need it.

Gaiters - I have a set that I've never used. Unless you have problems with stuff getting in your shoes (like sand, snow, brush), I would leave them at home.

Hammock - on a day hike?

Again, if you feel like you need all this stuff, then keep it. But if I were to eliminate items, those would be first on my list.