How do I get my backpack weight down?

10 Ways to Lighten Your Backpacking Pack Weight
  1. Repackage food and personal care items. ...
  2. Sleep System: Maximize a minimal amount of insulation. ...
  3. Opt for a tent that pitches with trekking or ski poles. ...
  4. Plan ahead and ration your water carrying. ...
  5. Swap out heavy water bottles for a collapsible bottle. ...
  6. Eat out of your pot.




People Also Ask

In addition to body weight, Loughney says, the following factors play a big part in the overall weight of your pack: Trip duration: The longer your trip, the more food, water and fuel you'll need to carry, which, of course, adds weight to your pack.

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The answer is: not more than 20% of your body weight, and ideally, it'll be about 10% of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, you'd be fine with carrying 40 lbs for a day hike. If you're 160 lbs, you'd be okay with a ~30 lbs pack. These packs are a bit heavy, and you'll definitely feel the weight after 10+ miles.

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No matter how well-designed the backpack, less weight is always better. Use the bathroom scale to check that a pack isn't over 10% to 20% of your body weight (for example, if you weigh 120 pounds you shouldn't carry a backpack that weighs more than 12 to 24 pounds).

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The longer someone carries extra weight, the worse the condition and body posture get. Over time, the person can experience pain, flexibility problems, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. This can increase one's potential for injury. It can also cause sore or stiff neck, backache, headaches, and sore shoulders.

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Tighten the load lifters Your backpack might be equipped with two small straps located at the top of the shoulder straps. These are the load lifters. Tighten them to pull the top of your backpack closer to your body, which will make the pack more comfortable and stabilize the load by keeping the top from swaying.

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Pack Weight for Backpacking and Hiking A loaded backpacking pack should not weigh more than about 20 percent of your body weight. (If you weigh 150 pounds, your pack should not exceed 30 pounds for backpacking.) A loaded day hiking pack should not weigh more than about 10 percent of your body weight.

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The typical conventional backpacker has a base weight around 25 to 30 pounds. Conventional backpacker's total pack weight with food and water can easily exceed thirty to forty pounds.

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You may have been carrying around old library books or project binders that you completely forgot about. These add a lot of weight to your bag that you don't really need. Try to take out books as soon as you're finished with them or no longer need them for class to help keep your bag's weight down.

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Should I size up or size down? We recommend sizing down if you are between sizes. It is very important that the waist belt is able to securely tighten around your hips. If your waist belt is too big you will have a hard time getting the weight in your pack to transfer from your shoulders to your hips.

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If the length of the pack is too long, the shoulder straps won't rest on your shoulders and all the weight of the pack will ride on your hips. On the other hand, a backpack that's too short will be uncomfortable because the weight will ride on your shoulders.

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Pain caused from excessive loads has gained the term “backpack syndrome.” Backpack syndrome causes headaches, neck and back pain, and fatigue. There have been studies examining the effects of carrying backpacks on one shoulder versus both shoulders. Carrying a bag on one shoulder causes significant asymmetries.

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It can cause poor posture, compressed discs in the spine, and even curvature of the spine. Straps digging into the muscles of the shoulder were also found not just to irritate the area, but to cause potential damage to the nerves of the hands and arms. These issues aren't just small problems.

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As a general rule, to prevent injury, a full backpack should weigh no more than 10 to 20 percent of your child's body weight. How a student wears a backpack is often just as important as its overall weight.

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Parents are often surprised at how much their child's backpack actually weighs. As a general rule, to prevent injury, a full backpack should weigh no more than 10 to 20 percent of your child's body weight.

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