I know this will vary a lot, but I was curious on what the average BOB should weigh. Is 20lbs reasonable, is 30 too much?

Thanks

I wouldn't go more than 45lbs.
25lbs is pretty easy to carry on the avg. males back.

I think mine is around 25-30lbs but probably add 5 more when it has extra clothes in it and a tarp.

-Todd

Mine is 9.6kg, about 22lbs (I weighed it). Based on the recent thread where I described its contents I think I will add 1l of water, which (in the wonderful metric system) weighs another 1kg (2.2lbs)

I have not tried walking with it, but I will (sometime soon) walk to a friend's house on the other side of town about 5.5km (about 3.5 miles) just to see what it's like.

I suppose the weight issue comes down to your fitness/ability to carry a certain amount, and how far you anticipate carrying it:

Is it from the house to the car?
Is it from the house to a rescue helicopter?
Is it from the house to a log cabin 600m up a mountain 25km away?

A

The answer is, of course, it depends.
What is your level of fitness?
Is it just for you or do you have family?
Are you going to live in the woods or to travel to a specific location? Urban or wilderness?
What is the climate like?
Is water generally available along your route?

Etc.

So weight, like contents, depends on you, your situation and your plan.

TRO

Also keep in mind the design of the pack will influence how much you can carry confortably. A pack with a good frame system that puts the weight on your hips with a good hip belt design will do much better than one without some or all of these features, or one with an inferior implementation of these features, or one that doesn't fit you well.

-john

My BOB weighs in at 20 LBS and is still short a few items.

I'd say 20 lbs is pretty reasonable if you've tested it, and you can carry it a good distance.

My tent and sleeping bag alone account for 21 lbs 3 oz of my BOB. I'm guessing the entire BOB is about 50 lbs easy. I can carry it with confidence even after recovering from a back injury. However, I'll tell you that strapping in can sometimes be a trial if I don't get the swing-up correct and the shoulder straps get twisted or there's nothing to rest it on while I squat thrust the sucker. LOL

The tent and sleeping bag load could be lightened pretty easily if I scaled back a bit. What I have now is cold weather gear and truthfully is overkill in this climate unless I was high in the Appalachians in the dead of winter.

That's not to bad for cold weather gear. I live in northern Ohio and over the past week has been snow and about 10 degrees F. (-02 wind chill) cold gear a must.

True, 21 pounds isn't too bad for cold weather gear, but I live in Virginia.

And I guess stating that it's "Cold weather gear" is misrepresenting a bit because it's not cold weather gear alone. The tent is a 4-Season Expedition (Eureka K2-XT), and the sleeping bag is a Tennier MSS (couldn't afford the Slumberjack) so I can choose how much or how little I cocoon myself against the cold.

Truthfully though, I don't forsee the temperature getting down to -30? in these parts anytime soon, so I doubt I'll be using the MSS in its full configuration with my wool 1st layer on. LOL

I've done a couple of nights in the low twenties/high teens with tent and bag and have been toasty warm though.

Anyway... I took us off-track there a bit. Back to BOB weight issues! Sorry. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Well, when everything is loaded and filled, I'm humping 12 pounds of water and I'm not in the desert, so my idea of normal might be a little different....

I would normally say 1/6th your body mass if you aren't in used to it but have a good back and are in good shape. But remember, it is your back, your bug out plan and your BOB, so the biggest question is, can you carry it reasonably comfortably for 10-16 hours a day, for as long as it takes to get where you planning on being if your car doesn't make it.