Another way to look at it

The hiking kit and walking kit in this page

http://www.chariot.de/en/models/cts-kits/

You will be able to load it up with more gear than a pack and still go easy on your knees.

You can still have a waist pack or fishing vest with loaded pockets for urgently needed stuff.

What area? What season? Roads? trails?
can you re-supply with food daily?

Ideal pack weight is zero.

After that you have to work it out for yourself.
How cold, how wet, hHow hungry are you willing to be in order to not carry the stuff to keep you warm, dry and fed?

Of course if you're hiking thru civilization you might not have to carry food and cooking gear. But you'll need to carry money. And think ahead for food stores/restaurants etc. Might be many miles between convenience stores.

I suggest you do a test hike on a weekend of maybe 5 or 10 miles out one day and 5 or 10 back and see how it goes.

Even Lewis & Clark didn't do a full first day deliberately so that they could shake out the problems.

Blast was making a bit of a joke.
It means when you die in the attempt he gets to claim your trinkets and toys when they find your body.

Kind of dark humour, but not nasty.
Think of it as more of a caution warning.

Just out of curiosity, why are you doing this hike, and how long do you expect to take to do it?
I think one item you should have is a cell phone or a way to call somebody if you get into trouble.

Lots of useful and entertaining information is available at;

http://bushcraft.se/iceland/

Unsupported with difficult terrain and weather conditions.

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/page17.asp

Check out the podcast menu at the top of the page for the TGO challenge - with similar trekking distances to the one you've specified.

How to tell if a pack is too heavy is really very simple.

Pick it up. If you can't, or tears, you have too much.
Put it on your back. If feel pain, you have too much.
Take a half mile stroll. Adjust the suspension.
Repeat that last one more time.

Take a five mile hike one afternoon. If you hurt, you have too much. If you hurt bad, you not only have too much, but you have a pack that isn't the right size for you or isn't fitted to you.

Sounds like you are going through some fairly built up areas. You can move pretty light, shelter, clothes, water, FAK and something like 3-4 days of food. Restore food as needed.

Blast,

I was drinking coke at the time I read your comment (had a big mouth full). I was JUST able to divert the spray from my keyboard onto my startled dog.

Just toweled him off. I wasn't expecting anything funny like that.

Thanks, you made my day.

-NIM

Someone should have introduced my platoon sergeants to this thread. I KNOW i was almost always exceeding 50% of body weight. No wonder my knees sound like a coffee can of rocks rolling down a mountain.

Yeah ... forget platoon sargents.
Their purpose is to make people miserable.

You want to shoot for 30 pounds.
A nice light pack.
Get together your gear, toss it in the pack and weigh it. If it comes to more than 30 pounds then you're carrying far too much stuff. Start throwing out the non-essentials until you get it back to 30 pounds.

Then it's time to go.

Where you're going, you can score almost anything you need in the 'hood - or off the land. So use resourcefulness and just have a good time.

Pete