Date: 2005-10-02
To: Getting the weight down
Miles today: 0.0

I have been researching ideas to make my pack as light as possible right from the start. My past backpacking trips I carried a pack weighing 40 to 50 pounds. I was a group leader and I had to ensure there were certain items were available. Now as a solo hiker I can make due with less of these items or improvise. All of the research says to get your pack weight down to the lightest weight possible. A lighter pack makes it easier to hike and gives you more time to enjoy the trail instead of hunched over catching your breath. I¢ve read Beyond Backpacking by Ray Jardine and decided to ¢Center¢ myself as I go. Center is a term Ray used for adjusting your comfort load until you find the one that works for you. I have read in numerous journals and books of new hikers buying new gear during their pre-hike prep only to abandon that gear and buy new replacements at outfitters along the trail. My plan is to only buy a new sleeping bag and tent before I go. I will observe what type of gear the others around me have and chooses from what I see. I had debated whether to carry a tent or tarp on my hike. I keep reading how many hikers use a tarp and recommend others to use one. In the past I have used both but I favor the tent for the insect protection. It seems I am a mosquito magnet; there is something in my blood that attracts them. If I used a tarp I would also need a bug net of some sort which would bring my shelter weight into the tent range so I might as well have a tent. I liked the MSR ZOID 1 but gave into the cheapskate in me. I normally use Eureka Tents because I live 70 miles from their Binghamton, NY factory store and I get good prices on Factory Seconds. I considered using the Eureka Gossamer tent I already own but decided against it because it has little headroom and difficult to dress in. Also door opening is small and on the end and I would have a difficult crawl in and out of. Well Eureka came out with a new tent equivalent to the Zoid called the Spitfire. This tent weighs 2lbs. 12oz., has a decent amount of headroom and a wide door to get in and out with. I have not gotten a winter sleeping bag for the start of my hike but I hope to get one in the 10 to 15 degree range. I dislike sleeping in the cold. I have a good light weight 20 degree LLBean sleeping bag that is 15 years old; it makes an excellent summer bag now that it has shed some of its feathers. I figure to get this bag somewhere in Virginia and use it to New Hampshire.   I also have a Thermo-rest Guide-Lite regular pad that I am planning to use. I figure to start with this pad as it offers better thermal insulation than the lighter pads. This too will probably get switched out with the sleeping bag. Pro-Lite or Z-Rest is the question; I am leaning towards the inflatable right now. After a month or two of hiking my sleeping pattern may change and the foam pad might do the trick. Also with all this talk about getting the weight down I am also working on my body weight. The picture in this journal is me at 220lbs. that is the heaviest I have ever been. I will be shedding as much of the extra weight that I can before March 15th. That too will be adjusted in the earlier part of the hike as I know I will also lose weight on the trail, I look forward to that too, until then it will be a lot of conscious effort to stay on the losing track.