32 years ago at age 25, I walked across Europe with an 80lb pack - 1800 miles or so from Oostende Belgium to Palermo Sicily. Since I was there for a year, I had to cover all contingencies, weather, clothing and camping wise. Today I have one bad hip and two bad knees. Of course some of that may have come from high school football or jumping out of airplanes. But I recommend a lighter load unless you're in really really good shape. Gimping around at my current age is doable, but sometimes it's not much fun.