i a'm planing to hike not hitchhike cross country about 150 miles . atlanta to the coast of sc. i'm 5'7'' and wiegh 145# . what would be the prime wieght of my pack and how do u get that =

Dibs on his knives.

-Blast

Dibs on his knives. what do u mean by that ?

Hard to say not knowing your current fitness level and experience. For a casual hiker I think 30lb would be relatively easy, 40lb might not be that comfortable any longer, 50lb could get tough already. For an adult male in decent shape, 40% of bodyweight is about the maximum load that can be carried on a longer term basis IME. That's 58lb in your case - but unless you're a serious hiker already I'm pretty sure you would not like to carry a backpack that heavy over a 150 mile trail, especially in more difficult terrain.

All in all, I prefer to travel light. My pack is rarely over 30lb even on longer treks, plus about 5-10lb on my belt, webbing and pockets (large canteen, knife, FAK...).

This thread reminds me of a recent trip to the running gear store.

My son was wanting the lightest running shoe possible. He was looking at a shoe that was about 3 or 4 ounces or something like that and asked if there were any lighter shoes.

The sales-woman replied, "Look, you can only get so light with a size 14 shoe."

Tom A.

Somewhere I read that about 1/3 body weight is the max a pack should weigh. Yeah, I've done 50% of my weight with the Scouts back in the 90s, for a week, but it was slow going.

As for how you get that? Uh.. pack what you need. Weigh it. See if you're over. If you are, leave stuff behind.

Not sure exactly what kind of reply you're expecting there.

Assuming the pack is properly loaded and balanced, and properly secured to the body, about 1/3 of your body weight is going to an average limit for cross country travel on moderate terrain. Your leg joints can't take much more than that without risking damage, either tendon inflammation, or bursa irritation could likely develop. There are variables to consider, but if you are in good health now, your joints are okay, and you have a good pack, I would say 50 lbs would be about as far as you'd want to push yourself.

Jimmy John, the ideal weight is no weight at all.
You can not get 0 weight so it is a game of compromise.

If you can keep it under 30 lbs you are doing wonderful.
It is a surprise how fast the weight adds up.

Try not to carry anything you will not use.

I also recommend a decent hike with your fully loaded pack before you actually leave.
Doing an overnight camp with 5 miles should be enough for you to get an idea if you will be able to carry it or not, and if you need more gear or can leave some behind.

Also some things you are better off to buy as you need on the way instead of carrying from the start to the end.

The emergency kits that get recommended the most here are the lightest the people on the board have been able to figure out.


Wear good boots and take spare socks.

Assuming you are not going off the beaten path and are following roads and streets on the route, I would guess your pack could stay quite light as it would not be necessary to have all your supplies for the entire trip. Carry a days supply of food and purchase fresh foods daily. That way you will eat better and you will find that your pack can be considerably lighter.
Staying in hotels along the way could lighten your load much more, no need for tent and sleeping bag. If you are going offroad and on trails, you will find that your weight requirements will climb dramatically. Assuming a winter early spring hike, you will be much heavier than a spring or summer hike, based solely upon clothing requirements.

True, but much depends on your ability to improvise. I never carry a tent because I prefer to sleep in a simple shelter (poncho lean-to) that takes just a few minutes longer to build than pitching a tent. I carry a poncho as part of my rain gear all the time anyway and my sleeping bags are not overly heavy. So sleeping in the bush does not really require all that much gear, at least if you can live without the kind of comfort provided by a Coleman stove, folding chairs, family-sized tent, inflatable sleeping pads and whatnot.

Keep it simple and you'll see you can enjoy the great outdoors with very little gear. All you need are a few basic skills such as starting a fire (plus outdoor cooking), setting up a simple shelter, finding and purifying water and food where and when available to live off the land as much as possible.